Page 75 of Heartstrings & Horizons
This could not have gone worse. Despite by trepidation, I didn’t think my mom would let me down so spectacularly. I figured she would have a lot of questions, but I was not prepared for the words that came out of her mouth, directed pointedly at Paige. I place a lingering kiss on her temple before leading her back to the truck. The drive back to the cabin passes in silence, the sky opening up as the rain starts pelting on the windshield at an unrelenting pace.
When we pull into the driveway, Paige rushes out of the truck and stands in the rain, eyes closed, face tilted to the sky. It’s an unseasonably warm day for early March in Kentucky, but I’m still concerned she’ll catch a chill. I walk over to the porch, “Come on, Sunshine. Let’s get out of the rain.”
“No. I just need a minute… please,” I can’t ignore the pleading look in her eyes.
She stays like that, the rain cascading over her face, for what feels like an eternity — tears mingling with fresh raindrops. When I can’t stand to sit back and watch any longer, I bound off the porch steps and pull her into my arms as she completely shatters. “God, baby, I’m so fucking sorry.”
We stand like that for several heartbeats, her hands fisted in my jacket, before she allows me to lead her into the house. I guide her up the steps straight into our bedroom, bypassing the bed with a sleeping Goose in the middle, and into the massive en suite bathroom.
I help her out of her wet clothes before following suit. She’s shivering and I’m fucking distraught looking at the broken woman in front of me. I turn on the shower, checking that the temperature won't overwhelm her cold, shaking body. I lead her into the enclosed space, positioning her under the spray where she lifts her chin and allows the water to flow over her tear stained cheeks, as I avoid the urge to look my fill.Now is not the time for a hard on Cade.
I turn her back to me, squeezing some of her fragrant shampoo in the palm of my hand and running my fingers through her curls before instructing her to turn back around to rinse. Hoping to ease the tension of the last few hours, I massage her scalp and place a soft kiss on her shoulder. We repeat the process then lather her body in her floral vanilla body wash while the conditioner sets in. One last rinse then I usher her out of the shower, wrapping her body in a fluffy towel before taking her into my arms, wishing I could hold her forever. She lets out a long, contented sigh as I head over to my dresser in the bedroom and pull out an old t-shirt for her to wear.
Her face is impassive as I lead her over to our bed, lifting the duvet for her to slide under the sheets. I gesture for her to move into the middle, then scoot in behind her, wrapping her in a tight embrace.
“This changes nothing.” My voice is unwavering — now that she’s here, I can’t remember a time without her. It’s like she’s always been here, a ghost of the future I never cared enough to imagine. Now I can’t wait to call her my wife. Today’s events only confirmed what I already knew, deep in my bones — marrying Paige is the right choice. The only choice. And I would keep choosing her every day for the rest of my life, if that’s what it takes. Given the chance to do things over again, I would choose Paige.Every. Fucking. Time.
So it’s no great surprise to me when an idea starts to form in my mind. I’ll need some help from my friends to pull it off, but I think we can make magic happen. Paige’s breathing slows, and I know she’s fallen asleep. Carefully extricating myself from the bed, I head down the hall to the den, swiping to open the text message app, I create a new group chat:
Cade: Who’s up for planning a surprise wedding?
Cara: Are you kidding me?! I was made for this!
Miles: Let’s goooo!!!!
Dean: Dibs on best man.
Miles: Rock paper scissors for it.
Dean: Nah, I called it. You can be the ring bearer.
Miles: ….
Miles: I’m not mad at it.
Miles and Dean never cease to make me laugh. They bicker like an old married couple, but there’s a lot of love there — though they’d never admit it. It’s a true brotherhood.
Liam: Why am I here?
Cade: Drinks, groomsman.
Liam: Got it.
Liam is a great guy, despite his gruff exterior. He recently discovered that he has a son and he’s really been going through it. He’s mostly tight lipped about the situation, but I can tell how much he loves Aidan and he’s a great dad.
Cade: Aidan can be ring bearer. Miles, I’ll need you as a groomsman, too.
Liam: He’ll be stoked!
Miles: Fuck yeah! ??
Cade: Does anybody have Ivy’s number? I know Paige would want to have her there.
Cara: I can get in touch with Ivy. We can work on the decor together.
Cara: What are the chances we can fly Mags down?
Miles: Fuck.
