Page 38 of Blindsided By the Enforcer

“You’re on holiday.” Ford shrugs. “It’s important to take time for yourself and just chill. Am I right?”

“Definitely, being on the farm has been a different pace of life for me,” Cade says.

“Boring,” Lola chimes.

“I’m loving it,” Cade says, surprising the Bancroft siblings.

“Did she introduce you to Sally?” Ford asks Cade. “That cow is something else.”

Cade watches me curiously. “I met Sally.”

“She licked his face,” I say then I watch Ford for a reaction.

Ford’s eyes bulge. “No shit? She would get pissy when I was around. There was one time she chased me around and she liked to bite the hems of my pants. I had to throw away a lot of clothes when I was dating Annie.”

“Sally liked Cade,” I say and Cade’s honey eyes lock with mine. He’s trying to read me. That much I can tell. I just don’t know what he’s looking for.

“Are you drinking, Annie?” Lola asks.

“Nah, I’m a lightweight,” I reply.

“Aw, come on, you two,” Ford says. “Don’t be boring.”

Here we go. Ford pressuring me to do something I don’t want to do and then calling me names when I don’t comply with him. I see not much has changed.

“Annie and I will be boring together,” Cade says, placing his arm around my shoulders. It almost feels like he’s claiming me and, on some level, I want to be claimed by Cade. The thought confuses me because I have never been in a relationship where I felt I could trust my partner.

“You said you guys are friends, right?” Lola notes curiously. I pass Ford and Lola their tumblers and they clink glasses.

“Probably friends with benefits.” Ford winks to Cade.

I feel Cade stiffen beside me. “We are what we are,” he grits out.

“Why don’t you guys finish off those drinks. My mom probably wants us all seated around the table,” I cut in with a clipped smile.

They finish their drinks, and we leave the kitchen. Cade side-eyes me and I inhale deeply, feeling very stressed.

When we get back to the living room, our parents have been clearly waiting for us.

“So nice to see all of you getting along,” Mom states.

“Indeed, you’ve grown so beautifully,” Mrs. Bancroft says to me.

“Yes, well it would have been nice if my daughter could dress for the occasion and not look like she is going out for a line dancing competition,” Mom says.

My eyes widen. I can’t believe Mom just said that in front of our guests.

“I think Annie looks beautiful tonight. What I don’t like is the way you speak to your daughter. She has a right to choose what clothes she wears, but you don’t have a right to put her down all the time. Annie deserves better than that, and if you can’t control yourself then we’re leaving,” Cade says, completely throwing me for a loop.

Mom’s jaw falls slack. I’ve never seen her look so shocked before. She holds on to her neck, which is a nervous tic, and she’s speechless.

Mom snaps her mouth shut and takes a deep breath. “My apology, Annie. I just loved the dress I bought you.”

I think I am more stunned than Mom. I can’t find words. Mom is the one person I have been taking shit from my entire life. I wonder if Cade somehow heard our conversation earlier. I wonder if he heard me crying. When I think back to the moment I kind of lost my shit, I know I wasn’t so quiet.

“Annie does look beautiful. I like her unique look,” Lola chirps. Then she elbows her brother, who coughs from the elbow to the ribs.

“I agree. Annie looks good in anything she wears,” Ford says, smiling to me and looking into my eyes.

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