Page 126 of Caged

Her expression softened. “Fine.”

I pulled out the chair I’d just vacated. “Here, sit.” Not liking that it sounded like an order, I added, “Please.”

“What are those?” She pointed at the roses.

“Roses.”

“I know that. Why are they here?”

“I’ll give you two some privacy,” her father said. His knowing grin was subtle, as was the humor in his eyes, but I saw it.

Chapter 48

Cate

Ididn’t miss the look my father gave Jaden. Like they were on the same side.Traitor.

“Thank you, sir,” Jaden answered. “Please?” he asked again, indicating the chair.

I stared at him, debating whether I should stand and argue or just take the damn seat instead of stirring the pot.

He waited patiently.

“Why are you here?” I asked, staring at the roses as I eased myself onto the chair. The yellow roses, the color of daffodils in the spring, in a gorgeous crystal vase, and the heart-shaped box of chocolates made it rather obvious, but I wanted to hear him say it.

He sat in the chair closest to me, his amber eyes staring into mine.

He broke eye contact first. Taking a deep breath, he looked back at me and said, “I’m sorry I acted like an ass.” He paused, giving me a chance to respond.

His heartfelt apology deflated my anger, but didn’t erase the pain. His generic apology wasn’t enough.

“So why did you?”

“I freaked out.”

“Obviously.”

He took a deep breath. “I came earlier because I needed to see you, to talk to you.”

“You could’ve visited me in the hospital if the need was that urgent.” I’d just told Charlie I’d give him a chance, so why was I acting like a bitch?

He laughed. “I tried, but I got blocked by our fathers.”

“What?” Why would they do that? Remembering my father telling me Jay had left the hospital against medical advice so he could sit by my side, I was inclined to believe him. Though I didn’t want to believe either of our fathers would’ve conspired to keep us apart.

“You must not have tried very hard.” My pain and doubt obvious in my tone.

“Cate.” He reached over, running his knuckles down my arm and pulling my hand to the table so he could hold it. My body reacted to his touch, causing me to inhale sharply.

Traitorous body. I didn’t hold his hand back, but I didn’t pull away either.

He took another deep breath and closed his eyes. From the looks of it, he was either gathering his courage or preparingto fight. “Having to leave your side when your father arrived was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”

It was? My heart raced as my professional brain studied his face, his eyes, his body language—he was telling the truth. Thank God, because my heart desperately wanted to believe him.

My hand itched to turn over and lace our fingers together as I forced my breathing to remain steady.

“But, it was the right thing to do. He needed to be there for you, and you needed him.” He paused and a small smile spread across his lips. “We both needed time with our families.” He turned introspective for a moment before saying, “Remind me to tell you about the dinner conversation I had with mine.”

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