Obey Fate: Fated Duet: Book Two, page 19
I flicked my gaze up to him at the same time he looked down, his dark-blue eyes sparkling. “I think he did.” I pressed a little closer to him, wishing we weren’t surrounded by people. “I wish we were alone.”
His chest expanded on a breath, and he dipped down to whisper, “One hour. Meet me in your room in one hour.”
I pulled back, hearing the crescendo of the song end, and stared up at him. “Cade?” I frowned when he wouldn’t look at me, my stomach dipping with nerves. “What’s going on?”
He let go of me, bringing my knuckles up to his lips where he planted a kiss. “One hour,” he demanded and then walked away. He disappeared into the crowd, and just as I was about to follow him to ask him what was happening, Asher gripped on to my hand.
“Dance!” Asher shouted, and I couldn’t turn him down. His little face was beaming as he threw his body into dance moves I had no idea existed, but it didn’t matter how long I stayed on that dance floor, I still couldn’t get Cade’s words and facial expression out of my head.
He’d looked almost angry as he’d told me to meet him in my room, and I couldn’t help wonder if my life was about to be turned upside down. Things had been so great between us this last couple of weeks, but maybe I’d been living in a dream world. What if things weren’t that good? What if he couldn’t handle all the baggage I came with?
“I’m heading up to put the kids to bed.” I whipped my head around to face Lola who was now struggling to hold Asher on her hip.
“I’ll come up with you,” I said and took hold of Belle’s hand. “We were up really early this morning, so I think I may go to my room too.”
We made it out of the main room and toward the elevators, the sound of the band dissipating with each step farther away we took.
“Can you read to me, Aria?” Belle asked as we stepped inside the elevator. Lola clicked the button for the fifth floor, and I clicked the seventh.
“No, missy, you’re going straight to sleep. It’s way past your bedtime,” Lola told her, using her mom voice which meant there was no room for argument.
“But—”
“Nope.” The elevator doors opened, and I moved to the side so they could exit. “We’ll meet you downstairs in the morning, okay?” Lola said to me.
“Okay,” I whispered back, tiredness setting in quickly, but as soon as the doors closed, the thought of seeing Cade any minute had it disappearing.
Butterflies swarmed crazily in my stomach as I made it to the seventh floor, and then I was stepping out of the elevator. I didn’t know why I thought Cade would have been waiting for me, but he wasn’t. The hallway was empty, so I pulled my heels off and walked toward my room.
The key unlocked the door, and I entered the darkened room. The full moon paved my way toward the balcony doors, and I wasn’t able to resist standing out there and watching the clear sky. It had cooled down a lot since this afternoon, but not enough to need a jacket, so I let my heels drop to the carpeted floor and stepped onto the balcony.
My hair was held up with several pins, so I pulled them all out and massaged my scalp, letting the wind flow through the strands. I leaned my arms on the railing and stared out at the view. We were in the middle of the countryside, and all I could see were rolling fields. It was so peaceful out here, but it didn’t compare to the lake. The lake had captured my heart, and I wasn’t sure it would ever let it go.
“I’m not sure whether to stand and watch you, or come and touch you.”
I jumped out of my skin and spun around, my hand flying over my heart to stop it racing so fast. “Cade,” I breathed. “How did you get—”
He held a card in the air and grinned but didn’t move from where he was leaning against the balcony doors. “I let myself in.” He pocketed the card, and I pressed my back against the railing. “You’re so fuckin’ beautiful it hurts.” My cheeks burned from his words and his undivided attention, and I gasped as he stepped forward, making the tiny balcony seem that much smaller. “I haven’t been able to take my eyes off you since you walked down the aisle.” His hand connected with my waist, his fingers gripping me.
“I wish we could have been together down there,” I told him. I wasn’t afraid of admitting I’d missed him today. I wanted him to be able to hold me and smile down at me without worrying about anyone seeing us.
“I do too, baby.” His hand fluttered over my waist and over the side of my chest, finally landing on my collarbone. “It won’t be long.” His voice was lower now as he fingered the chain to the necklace he’d gotten me for my birthday. “Did you know this is a locket?”
I tilted my head to the side. “I thought it was, but I couldn’t find the opening.”
His eyes softened, his body pressing closer to mine as he fiddled with the teardrop of my necklace. “I had an inscription put in there,” he whispered. I moved my head down, but I couldn’t see what he was doing or what it said. “Want me to read it out to you?” he asked.
I placed my hands on his chest, feeling his thumping heart under my palm. Was he nervous? “Yes, please.”
His breath fanned over my face, but he didn’t look down at the necklace as he said, “Me and you, always.” He paused, his hand moving to the side of my neck. “I love you.”
I blinked, sure I’d heard him wrong.
“You…I…”
Cade pressed his forehead against mine. “I love you, Aria. I’m not sure how long I’ve loved you for, but it’s been longer than I realized. I love you more and more each and every day.”
Tears sprung to my eyes, and I couldn’t do a thing to stop them trickling down my cheeks. “I love you too.” I closed my eyes, almost as if it was too much to stare at him. “I love you so much.”
I wasn’t sure what I did to deserve someone like Cade, but I knew I would never let him go. I’d found the kind of love you only ever experienced once in a lifetime.
“Let me show you just how much I love you,” he said, his voice deeper now as he picked me up and walked into the bedroom. He was gentle, caring, loving.
This wouldn’t be the frantic kind of night where we needed to touch each other as much as we could. No, this would be the kind of night I’d never forget.
He laid me down on the bed, coming down on top of me, and whispered, “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
I’d never tire of saying those words, not to him.
* * *
CADE
Aria’s hand was firmly encased in mine the whole drive from her Tuesday session with Dr. Bay, right up to the point I pulled into Dad’s driveway. Since I’d told her three days ago how I really felt, I never wanted to stop touching her. I wanted to hear her voice every second of every day, but now that she was staying with Dad and Lola for the next two weeks, it would be harder than ever before.
At least when Jan and Sal were here, they worked so much, they didn’t think twice about looking for Aria in her bed. Either that or Aria could get away with messaging her mom and telling her she was staying at Hope’s.
We couldn’t do that now, though. Lola and Dad were big on family, which meant she had to be home each evening for dinner. But today was Tuesday, and I wasn’t sure if she’d told them where she was going and that she’d be late.
“Ready?” I asked Aria and turned to face her. She was biting down on her bottom lip, her gaze connected with mine.
“Yeah.” She puffed out a breath and moved her hand from mine. I hated not being able to touch her with people around. I wanted to tell my dad and Lola so we wouldn’t have to hide it from them over the next couple of weeks, but we’d discussed it at length and decided to tell everyone all at once, which meant we had to wait.
“I’m ready.”
We both pushed out of the car, and we hadn’t even made it to the front door before we heard Belle shouting, “Aria is here with Cade!” I closed my eyes and puffed out a breath. You couldn’t get anything past Belle, not with her nosy nature. She flung the front door open and planted her hands on her hips. “You’re in trouble.”
I wasn’t sure who she was talking to, but when I looked at her, I saw her attention was focused solely on Aria.
“Me?” Aria asked. “Why am I in trouble?”
“Because you’re late for dinner. And I’m so hungry.” Belle moaned and placed her hand on her stomach. “I’m starving to death here, Aria!”
“You’re so dramatic.” I darted toward Belle and wrapped my arms around her, flinging her in the air. “You’d never starve, not with the amount of food you eat.”
Belle gasped in my arms, and I heard the front door close as I entered the living room. “Are you calling me fat?”
“What?” I shook my head and let Belle down. “No. That’s not what I said.”
“Uh-huh, you did. You said I eat all the food. That’s mean, Cade.” I opened my mouth to tell her that wasn’t what I meant, but she ran into the kitchen shouting, “Dad, Cade called me fat!”
“No, I didn’t!” I followed her, feeling like a ten-year-old kid who was denying what his little sister said and not the twenty-five-year-old I was. Dad’s brows flew high on his head as Belle looked up at him. “I didn’t say you’re fat, PB. I said you can’t starve because you eat loads of food.”
“See?” She pointed at me. “He just called me fat!”
“I didn’t—”
“Belle Easton, sit your butt at this table right now,” Lola demanded, her lips in a straight line. Well, shit, Lola really wasn’t happy. Maybe Aria was in trouble after all.
“Ugh. Fine.” Belle stomped over to the table and sat next to Asher, and it was only then I noticed Aria lingering in the doorway, gnawing on her bottom lip.
“Aria?” I asked, trying to gain her attention, but she was too focused on Lola.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” Aria whispered. “I…erm…I have a standing appointment on Tuesdays and forgot to tell you about it.”
“No worries, baby girl,” Dad said, moving over to the table.
“I really am sorry,” Aria said again.
Lola stepped toward her, her head tilted to the side. “You okay, sweetheart?” She placed her hand on Aria’s arm, and even I could see her jump from the contact all the way from here.
“Yeah, I just…” She flicked her gaze over to me and then away. “I normally just…I…” She was finding it hard to talk, and I understood why. The sessions with Dr. Bay were never easy on her, and usually she would come back to my place and sleep the evening away. She wasn’t used to having to interact with other people after them.
“She’s tired,” I interjected, unable to stop myself. “Come and eat, then you can go to sleep,” I told her, doing my best to convey to her I knew what she was trying to say.
Lola rubbed her hand up and down Aria’s arm and nodded. “What Cade said. You look really tired, but you need to eat first.” She pulled her into the kitchen and toward the table.
“You staying for dinner, son?” Dad asked.
I shook my head and leaned against the counter. “Can’t, I need to start packing.”
“Packing?” Belle asked, perking up at my words. “Where are you going?”
“France.”
Belle’s eyes widened, her mouth opening in shock. “No way!”
“Yep.” I pushed off the counter and moved toward the table. “I’m leaving on Thursday.”
“Can I come?” PB asked, and I should have known it was coming. She always wanted to go on trips with everyone.
“No can do, PB. My mom is getting married—again.” I placed a kiss on the top of her head at the same time reaching for Aria’s back. Aria turned to look at me, her eyes shadowed in sadness. She always had that look after seeing Dr. Bay, and I hated I couldn’t hold her like I had last week. “You still okay to take me to the airport, Dad?”
Lola placed some food in the middle of the table and then walked back toward the counter to get another tray. “Yeah, what time you leaving?” Dad asked, scooping some potatoes onto his plate and then onto Belle’s and Asher’s plates.
“Right after school. I’m going to leave my car at home.” I paused and let my hand drift over Aria’s back, then stood upright. “Could you pick me up from there?”
Lola sat down next to Dad and started to cut up Asher’s food. I remained standing behind Aria. I wouldn’t be able to stay, but I needed her to know I was here no matter what.
“Yeah, I can do that. I’d have to pick Aria up anyway,” Dad said.
My shoulders drooped and a relieved breath rushed out of me. I had time to drop my car home and come over here for him to take me, but that way, I wouldn’t be able to see Aria just before I left. I wanted all the time I could get with her. I was greedy, and I wasn’t afraid to admit it.
* * *
CADE
I stared out of the window of my office, my gaze tracking the field and the track. I’d taken Aria and Reagan’s practices back down to twice a week but I worked them just as hard. Just because they’d been to a meet and won races, didn’t mean we could get complacent.
A knock sounded on my office door a second before it opened, and I knew who it was without having to turn and face her.
“I can’t believe I’m not going to see you for three days,” her soft voice said, and I finally spun on my chair. Her lips were pulled up into a sad smile, one that told me she didn’t want me to leave, and I wanted to tell her I felt exactly the same way. I wished I didn’t have to go to another one of Mom’s weddings, but I didn’t have a say in the matter. I’d be the only family she had there.
“I know.” I planted my feet on the floor and pushed my chair farther back then opened my arms for her. She came willingly, not an ounce of hesitation, and cuddled up against my chest.
We could have done countless things for the next ten minutes until my dad would be here, but all I wanted to do was hold her. We hadn’t had a night together since Jan and Sal’s wedding, and as much as I wanted a repeat of the night, this was exactly what I needed.
I needed to feel her against my chest.
I needed her to know I was here, even if I would be thousands of miles away.
I needed her to know it was her and me against the world, always.
She dipped her head back, and I looked down at her. “I’m going to miss you,” she whispered.
“Me too.” I placed a soft, gentle kiss on her lips. “It’ll fly by, just like the next few months.” We were counting the days down until her graduation, and when we would tell everyone how in love we were, but until then, we had to keep quiet. We had to keep our secret. The danger wasn’t gone simply because Willow had left us alone. All it would take was one person to find out and go to the authorities. Although we weren’t breaking any laws now, it would put a stop to my teaching, which would mean I couldn’t coach.
My cell beeped with a message, and I looked down at it. I let out a breath, holding her tighter. “We need to leave.”
“Just ten more seconds,” she pleaded, and I gave them to her. I’d give her anything she asked for without a doubt.
She pressed a kiss to my lips, her eyes firmly closed, and then she opened them, showing me every emotion she possibly could. Her light-brown orbs never failed to pull me in, but since we’d confessed how we felt, something was different between us. We were more secure in each other and the knowledge where we were going.
Aria had started to tell me some of the things she talked about in her sessions with Dr. Bay, and no matter how angry it made me of what she had to grow up in, I always kept my feelings to myself.
She didn’t want me to form an opinion about what had happened to her over the years and all the shitty things she’d seen, but I couldn’t help blame Jan a little. She always made out their relationship was solid, but it was all surface level. She must have known the pain Aria was in, but she’d swept it under the rug, just like everything else.
I could feel myself starting to tense the longer I thought about it, so I shook my head to try and dissipate the thoughts. I didn’t want to think about it, not in front of Aria.
“I love you,” I whispered, pressing one last kiss to her lips.
“I love you too.” She sighed and placed her head against my chest as my cell went off again.
Just ten more seconds.
Ten more seconds of bliss, and then we’d leave.
Chapter Sixteen
ARIA
Cade had been right. The days had flown by. From the time we dropped him off at the airport, I’d thought I’d be counting down the minutes, but I hadn’t. He’d told me to keep busy, and that was precisely what I’d done. I’d played with Belle and Asher. I ran on the track Friday after school. I helped Lola around the house on Saturday and even helped Uncle Brody while he was tinkering with his Mustang.
I did anything I could to keep my brain occupied. Anything so I wasn’t thinking. But my thoughts were starting to stir by Saturday evening, and when I woke up Sunday morning, they were in full effect. All I could think about was what would happen over the next week. Cade would be home in a few hours, and then I only had six days until Mom and Sal would be back too.
Six days until I had to tell them the truth.
Six days until I had to confess what I’d been doing to my body.
Six days until they found out my diagnosis.
“Aria?” Lola shouted outside Cade’s bedroom door. That was another thing. I’d had to sleep in his bed—alone—while I stayed here. I’d been so used to staying at his house and falling asleep with him next to me, that I found it almost impossible without him. “I’m heading out to the store with the kids to get some groceries. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
“Okay!” I shouted back, glancing down at my chemistry workbook. I’d been staring at it for the last hour and not taken in a single word. “I’m going to finish my homework.”
I heard her retreating footsteps, and soon after the sound of her car engine, and then she was gone, and I was alone. I hadn’t been alone in the house all week, and although they’d managed to keep my thoughts busy, I was grateful for the silence. I needed some space—space I was used to having when I was at home. I wasn’t used to being surrounded by people at all times of the day, not like this.
