Chapter Seventeen
The new stainless steel appliances shined, bringing new life to the gourmet kitchen Greg and Garrett designed and built for Ella years ago. A soft breeze blew a hint of new paint into the room, drawing her eyes to the open window over the extra-large double sinks in the Mediterranean styled, L-shaped kitchen. Lovely burnt-orange walls covered the old, boring ivory, giving the room a warmth it hadn’t possessed since Greg’s passing.
Maybe it is Cade’s presence warming the space? Or Garrett’s? Could it be from both of them?
“Wow, who did all this?” she asked. Jason and Kyle couldn’t have managed everything themselves. They didn’t have the time or money. She gazed up at Cade. His grin widened as they made eye contact. Was it you? Why? How would you know when I just told you in the car? She glanced at Garrett. You? He probably checked out the house before he left this morning.
Wearing a dark-blue tailored suit, Garrett opened a pizza box on the black granite countertop island in the middle of the kitchen and offered her a slice. He gave her his trademark knowing smile.
Must be you. He could have done all the changes today without anyone knowing. He had the means and the time.
Kyle and Jason stood like ghosts, seemingly shell shocked, in dirty jeans and sweaty tees on either side of Garrett. Had Garrett already talked to them before he showed up at her work? No. He wouldn’t. He hadn’t been here long, or Jason and Kyle wouldn’t look so pale.
“Mom, I’m getting married,” Colleen squealed, shifting Ella’s attention to her and Sammy Granger on the opposite side of the island.
Blinking back tears and smiling but feeling sick inside, Ella let go of Cade’s hand and hurried over to Colleen. “Congratulations.” Ella hugged and kissed her. “How exciting.” You’re only nineteen. Damn it. This wouldn’t be happening if Greg was alive. Where did I go wrong? Didn’t you learn anything from me? From Greg’s passing? Everyone needs a profession to fall back on if life takes a bad turn.
Maybe she could talk Colleen into a long engagement. Maybe they’d wait to get married until after Colleen graduated college or decided on a trade school.
Colleen stuck her left hand out, wiggled her ring finger, and showed off a golf-ball size, princess-cut diamond.
“It’s beautiful.” Ella hugged Sammy. “Sammy Granger, I can’t believe you’re standing in my kitchen.” And you didn’t ask me permission to marry Colleen like a nice, respectful, southern boy would. She hadn’t known her daughter was dating him. Suddenly they’re getting married? She retreated back to Cade’s safe space and held his hand.
“I already told Kyle and Jason. Uncle Garrett’s known for a while.” Colleen’s smile beamed like pure sunshine. “Sammy asked Uncle Garrett’s permission because he’s the head of the family now. Isn’t that so sweet?”
Garrett isn’t the head of the family. I am. Sammy should have asked me. Damn it, Colleen. What the hell are you thinking? Thanks for the fucking ambush.
A serious talk was in the cards for her little girl about growing up and being an adult because the girl was acting like a toddler.
“Sammy’s a good man.” Garrett smiled at Colleen.
Ella squeezed Cade’s hand, confident he could take her strong grip. The man stood like a mountain of muscle beside her. She was ready to rip Garrett’s head off. Rip. It. Off.
Colleen ran her hand over her belly.
Ella’s gaze wandered to Colleen’s undeniable baby bump under the tight-fitting, summer-yellow, silk dress. Oh, my God. No. No. No. No. No.
Sammy adjusted his feet shoulder width apart behind her. He rubbed her belly like a proud father. How long had they been together? Colleen hadn’t been home since… She tallied the months up in her head. Four months. With the size of her belly bump, she could be five months. Maybe six? Surely not.
“I guess you’re not attending college this fall?” Ella tried not to sound bitter. She wanted Colleen to have something she never had—a college degree. She should have forced Colleen to take cosmetology in high school. It would have given her a solid profession to fall back on. She wanted Colleen to have some security before marriage and motherhood consumed her.
“I’m done with school,” Colleen said. “Sammy has a house down the street. He just moved back, so we’ll be close.”
Of course he had a house on this street. His parents probably bought it for him. Silver-spoon Samuel Granger, the man who screwed her daughter out of finishing college.
“Have you decided on a date for the wedding?” She kept her voice steady and forced a big smile on her face. She wasn’t going to be like her parents when she told them she’d married Greg after only meeting him that day. She’d be supportive no matter how much it hurt. No matter how angry it made her. No matter what she thought of her soon-to-be-son-in-law.
“Well, Sammy’s parents think a July wedding at the country club would be perfect. They’re going to book The Peabody for the rehearsal dinner,” Colleen said. “They’re so excited for us.” She gazed at Sammy and innocently leaned back against his chest.
“Have you thought about, um?” Should I mention the baby elephant in the room? They’re not hiding it, but they’re not announcing it either. “What about the baby on the way?”
Sammy grinned and kissed Colleen’s cheek. “Coll, I told you your mom would know.”
“I didn’t think anyone would notice.” Colleen stared like a lovesick puppy up at him. “I’m only four months. Your mom didn’t think anyone would know.”
“Colleen,” Ella said. “Anyone who looks at you will know you’re pregnant. Are you sure you want to wait until July?” She couldn’t afford an expensive wedding. She couldn’t afford a cheap wedding. She would have to sell all the jewelry she had in order to pay for Colleen’s wedding to Samuel Granger.
She’d have to work every day until the wedding, and she still might not have enough. If they went to the local chapel and kept the guests to a minimum, she might be able to swing it. It wouldn’t be the wedding of Colleen’s dreams, but it would be intimate and cozy, something real and beautiful.
“But the Magnolia Room at the Country Club isn’t available until July,” Colleen pouted.
What was her little girl thinking? Had she raised a child that shallow? Had she hidden her financial problems too well? Was Colleen blind to the struggles? Hadn’t her only daughter noticed the missing wedding and engagement rings from Ella’s hand? The void of jewelry in the once-filled-to-the-brim boxes? She wanted to scream, but she kept up appearances. She kept up the charade. She kept the secret of her terrible finances.
“Is it more important to get married in the Magnolia Room? Or is starting your marriage on the right track more important?” Ella asked.
“Ella.” Garrett barked her name like a command to stop. “We’ll talk about it later.”
“We can talk about it over dinner,” Colleen said. “Uncle Garrett, you didn’t cancel dinner plans yet, did you?”
Garrett shook his head. “I pushed them back a little.”
“I don’t know how you knew she’d be back so soon,” Colleen said.
“I have a little idea,” Cade mumbled. He squeezed Ella’s hand softly and gazed down at her. “Are the boys going?”
She didn’t know when Cade ended up behind her, holding her steady, but she was glad he was there, supporting her. So overwhelmed, her stomach clenched tightly around all the knots it formed as each second ticked by waiting for Colleen’s answer.
“No, sir,” Colleen said. “It’s adults only. No little brothers allowed.”
“Then I’ll take the boys with me,” Cade said. “Y’all good with that?”
“Yeah,” Jason said.
Kyle nodded.
Although seemingly relieved, her boys’ lack of color in their faces made them look as sick as she felt.
“Sweetie.” Cade lightly hugged her. “Are you okay with it?”
“I am. Thank you.” She backed up closer to him. He radiated heat, warming the chill in her bones. She wished Cade had been invited to the dinner or that she stayed at dinner with him instead of running off. She felt so inadequate in her own kitchen with her daughter gushing over rich Samuel Granger and Garrett as if they were the only two who mattered in the world.
Why was I the last to know? Why would the Grangers know about the pregnancy and not me? Why the hell is my life so damn miserable right now? Why isn’t Cade running for the door after seeing this debacle first hand?
“Mom, you need to change into a pretty dress,” Colleen said. “Put on some makeup too. Gosh, you need to think about your image. You are a Winthrop, and you need to start dressing like one again. Thrift store fashion isn’t in.”
Oh. My. God. You didn’t just say that. “Colleen Winthrop—”
“—Get over yourself,” Jason interrupted Ella and glared at Colleen. His face flushed red. “Mom looks great. Sammy’s not gonna want to marry a disrespectful bitch.” He paused. His glare softened slightly. “He thinks you can take care of a baby? You can’t even take care of yourself. Has he seen your room once you’ve been in it for like five minutes? You’re a slob. You make Kyle look like a neat freak.” He knocked his big sister off her royal pedestal.
“Ha-ha, Jay,” Colleen said. She slipped into the regular sibling banter. “I’m not a slob and neither is Kyle. You are. For your information, little brother, Sammy has seen me—”
“—Stop.” Garrett strode as fast as a leopard around the center island straight to Ella. “That is enough.”
Ella froze. Her mind flashed with memories of Greg’s sudden rages. She closed her eyes, and forced her thoughts to a happier place. The beach house on the Gulf at sunset with healthy Greg. Cade’s floor-to-ceiling windows in his bedroom at the lake house.
“Mom,” Colleen said, in a softer apologetic tone. “I didn’t mean it like it sounded. I love you, but you’ve let yourself go the last few years. I know how beautiful you can look. You need to make yourself a priority now that I have Sammy to take care of me. The boys are kind of adults and can take care of themselves. You’ve got Uncle Garrett too now that he’s home where he belongs.”
Ella blinked, uncertain of the right response, and unable to make her mouth move to speak even if she could think of something to say. Her little girl didn’t need her? Since when? Just last month Colleen called, crying after receiving a failing grade on a test. Now, she was inconsequential in her daughter’s life.
“Sammy,” Garrett said, sounding too much like Greg. “Ella and I will meet you at the restaurant.”
“I thought I was the one invited, not Garrett.” Ella lifted her heels and balanced on the balls of her feet. She leaned to the side to see her daughter behind Garrett. Shit. I can’t afford an expensive dinner, and the Grangers would choose the most lavish restaurant for appearances sake. My luck sucks.
“It’s for the six of us,” Colleen said. “Uncle Garrett is always invited to anything having to do with the family. He’s walking me down the aisle and dancing with me at the wedding.”
Ella’s mouth gaped. She’d assumed Jason and Kyle would walk Colleen down the aisle. She’d imagined Kyle and Jason dancing with her, not Garrett. Garrett abandoned them. Garrett didn’t deserve a spot of honor. Kyle and Jason did. She did. She closed her mouth and gained some composure. How long had Colleen been talking to Garrett? How long had they been secretly planning the wedding? Since when had Garrett become a father figure to Colleen? When had they become such great pals?
I hate you, Garrett. How dare you?
“Cade, the boys are hungry,” Garrett said. He took over the head of the household role in the family dynamic while Ella stayed tongue-tied.
“The boys are always hungry. Tell me something I don’t know,” Cade said with an edge of irritation in his tone. He unbuttoned his jacket and slipped it off. He kept one hand on Ella the entire time as if she’d crumble under the pressure if he let go.
She might have.
Sammy followed Garrett’s order, and swept Colleen off her feet and into his arms. Her beautiful, blonde hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders He carried her off while she squealed like a little girl in total delight and utterly oblivious to the tense mood in the room.
“Now that they’re gone,” Cade said. “Garrett, why are you here?” He smoothly moved Ella from in front of him to behind him and became a barrier from Garrett’s hungry hands.
“I wanted to see my niece and nephews,” Garrett said.
“Give that bullshit to someone else,” Cade said. “You can’t waltz in here and walk all over Ella and her children.” He stood a good four or five inches taller than Garrett. He didn’t back down. Everyone backed down to Garrett. Everyone but Greg and now Cade.
“But you can?” Garrett argued. “Buying her new furniture, appliances, and the boys cars?”
“And taking care of her lawn with the boys help. Don’t forget the paint in the kitchen, and fixing a few things around the house,” Cade said. “I can buy Ella and the boys anything I want. She needed a few things, and I wanted to get them for her. End of story. I’m not emotionally fu-messing with them. You seem to be.”
The boys hurried around Cade’s back to her and hid behind the huge, protective man who wasn’t afraid to get involved, and stand up to the most intimidating man, besides her late husband, she’d ever known. They seemed to time travel back to when Greg was sick and the boys huddled together behind her hoping he wouldn’t become violent. Only this time, they had a formidable a protector—Cade—to save them.
But Garrett wasn’t a threat. He hadn’t and wouldn’t hurt them. He only looked like the man who lost his mind from cancer.
“I needed to explain to the boys why I left. I wanted to do it without Ella worrying about their reaction.” Garrett kept his feet planted and didn’t give Cade an inch of space.
He cocked his head, studied the boys, and seemed confused by their reaction.
“They’re fine, like I knew they would be.” The normally strong and steady cadence of his voice faltered. His voice lowered as the lilt shifted to a soft questioning tone like he wasn’t so sure they were all right. “They’re Winthrops, and we’re strong in mind, body, and spirit. They’re my family, not yours.”
“They are.” Cade nodded. “They sure are.” He turned around and faced Ella and the boys. He gathered them inside his expansive frame. He mouthed to them, “Are you okay?”
Kyle seemed reluctant as he nodded.
Cade’s lips pressed together and his eyebrows scrunched up. He gently placed his hand on Kyle’s shoulder. “You two worked hard today. I’m really proud of you. We have some more work to do before your mom and uncle get back from dinner, don’t we?” He winked at them.
A big smile filled Jason and Kyle’s mouths. A little color filled their cheeks.
“We sure do.” Kyle straightened up and snapped out of the place his mind went.
“Go get changed, and we’ll get to it,” Cade said.
The tender, yet firm way Cade spoke made her want to follow him. She liked the way he talked with such authority. Whatever had happened over this mess of a week endeared her boys to the giant man, and it wasn’t because of the cars he’d bought them. They’d have to give those back. It was the man.
Kyle and Jason hugged her.
“Mom, we’re going to show you everything we did to the house later,” Jason said.
“Thanks for working so hard. The place looks incredible.” She kissed Jason’s cheek and held both boys close. “I told Cade about selling the house,” she whispered. “I don’t want Colleen or Garrett knowing about it until it’s sold.” They might try to stop me.
“I love you.” Jason nodded.
“Try not to strangle Colleen tonight,” Kyle whispered.
She smiled. “I think Garrett’s the one you need to be worried about.”
“Do you mind if I talk to your mom for a minute?” Cade asked the boys.
“That’s our cue,” Kyle said to Jason. They left the emotionally charged kitchen to get ready for whatever Cade had planned for the night.
“Do you want to go out with me and the boys? I’ll buy you a dress for tonight?” Cade lowered his voice to a whisper, “I owe you about twenty outfits.” He curled his arm around her and drew her inside the safety of his embrace. “I really want to buy more clothes to rip off you.”
Shivers ran through her. “I’d—”
“I bought you a dress. It’s in your bedroom,” Garrett said from behind Cade.
Ugh. Nothing got past Garrett. “Oh, okay,” she said. “Thanks.”
“Ella, we really do need to go,” Garrett said. “The Grangers are a pain in the ass, but they’re pretty happy about Colleen and the pregnancy. She hasn’t said it, but Colleen’s been on edge about giving you the news about the baby. She remembers when you lost the—”
“—that was a lifetime ago.” She hugged her waist. So many things changed the day Garrett walked away from all of them. That day started her on the hardest road she’d ever traveled and the end to the easy love she shared with her husband. She leaned her head against Cade’s chest. “I need a drink.”
“Sweetie, I’m sorry,” Cade whispered. “You don’t have to go tonight. Reschedule it.”
“Tonight. Tomorrow.” She shrugged. “Putting it off won’t make it any easier.”
She wanted Cade to take her to dinner to be a buffer with the Grangers. She didn’t know what to expect with Garrett anymore. One minute he was sweet and loving, the next he was someone she didn’t recognize. She breathed in Cade’s whiskey scent. “I really want a drink…” of you.
“We’ll get one at dinner.” Garrett picked up where she wanted to go with Cade. “Ella, go on and get dressed.”
She reached up and curled her arms around Cade’s neck as he bent toward her. She lifted up onto her tippy toes and kissed his smoothly shaven cheek. “My life is a train wreck. Be smart, and run away from me.”
“I can’t. I need you,” he whispered.
She pressed her lips just below his ear. “I’m not strong enough to push you away. You need to walk away on your own.”
“I’m not walking away.” Cade turned and kissed her so sweetly it tore at her heart. “I’m going to make you fall in love with me.”
She drew her arms down from his neck and over his broad chest. “That’s what I’m afraid of.” She pivoted away from him toward the hallway, left the two men she didn’t know what to do with in the kitchen, and hoped they could find some common ground.