Page 91 of The Cruelest Kind of Hate
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve been chasing after you since the moment we met. I’ve never been surer of anything.”
“What if I don’t say yes?” I ask quietly, tenderizing my bottom lip with my teeth, knowing in my heart what my answer is but needing to seek confirmation all the same.
He sits back slightly, his eyes glinting in the snippets of lightning flashing through the agglomeration of storm clouds. “Then I would wait for you. Forever. I’d fucking wait for you, Cali. Until the day I die. When will you understand that it’s always going to be you?”
It’s always going to be me.
I close the ravine of space between us, kissing away one last fear that’s wriggled free—the fear of being alone. I may not have been ready to say those three big words, but this is a step I’m ready to take that doesn’t seem as scary.
“Of course I’ll be your girlfriend.”
Gage lights up like the city of Las Vegas at night, a gigantic, gum-showing smile pushing back his cheeks, dotting dimples, and forming complementary eye crinkles.
He pumps his fist into the air. “You said yes! Oh my God. I can’t believe…”
He stops himself after he notices the absolute bewildermenton my face, and then he clears his throat and lowers his arm. “I mean, I knew you were going to say yes.”
“You’re an idiot,” I laugh, but the excitement in his voice is like a soothing balm on the scars of my heart. He’s the one shining halo of sunlight breaking through an everlasting tempest, allowing me a circle of dryness amongst an unrelenting downpour.
“Yeah, but I’myouridiot now,” he emphasizes. “Hear that, everyone? Gage Arlington is officially off the market! And he’s in love with Calista Cadwell!”
I have no idea who he’s talking to, but I don’t want to ruin the moment. I’ve never seen Gage so happy before, and I’ve neverfeltthis happy before.
I trusted my heart in his hands—even knowing how malleable it is—and he’s cradled it the entire time I’ve known him, keeping it safe. Not only protecting it but strengthening it with his own love. A simple thank-you won’t suffice. He made me fall back in love with life—with myself. And for that, I owe Gage everything I have. Everything I am.
He leans forward on his hands and knees, just a breath away from my face—an unpredictable breath that’s taunting me with a tango of his tongue. “And as my first duty as your designated boyfriend, I’m going to have my fill of you right here on the kitchen floor.”
A surprised noise gets caged in my throat, and I feel my greedy cunt resume its throbbing, so damn insistent to the point where all the pressure localizes in my belly.
“Now lean back, Spitfire,” he orders, one hand pressed to my back to help lower me to the tiles. “It’s time for me to take care of you.”
31
DILF STATUS: LOADING
GAGE
I’ve always been afraid of growing old. Well, realistically, I’ll probably die in some freak accident before that seventy-year cutoff, but still. I’m afraid of getting wrinkly and not having my penis work and having to take TUMS after I eat anything mildly spicy. Bottom line, I view growing old as something negative.
But this nursing home is great. Notgreat. Great, as in, a new outlook on aging that I never would have discovered otherwise. These old people are thriving here. Is it insensitive to refer to them like that? Would they prefer “elderly” people?
Teague runs ahead of us, circling some poor man in a wheelchair like the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes, and he continues to giggle while he pops in and out of my peripheral.
“Little Man, stay close!” I shout, but I’m pretty sure my warning’s already fallen on deaf ears.
Cali clings to my arm as I wheel her mother to her room under the guidance of a nurse in bright yellow scrubs. The whole place is doused in vibrant colors and floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooking a flora-rich cliffside that’s home to the most perfect view of Riverside’s autumnal sunsets.
Cali’s mom was quiet the entire ride over from the hospital, and I didn’t try to make conversation with her because I didn’t know what to say. Cali hasn’t really told me much about her. It’s crazy how similar they look, except her mother’s head of red—I’m assuming—hair has darkened over the years. She’s as beautiful as Cali, and all I can think about is how stunning Cali will be when she grows older.
Speaking of Cali, did I think she’d say yes to my proposal? Not at all. But she did, and it feels like everything’s changed between us. I feel like I’m winning at life right now, like there’s nothing in this world that could bring me down. She’s mine. Even after all the depressing rejections and the “we’re just friends” speeches she gave me, she’s finally mine. I can call her mine in public without her elbowing me in the ribs. I can scream that I’m hers from the rooftop and she won’t threaten to taser me!
When we round a corner and arrive at our destination, a spacious bedroom awaits the four of us, complete with a four-poster bed, a nightstand, a comfy chair in the corner, a flat-screen television, a large dresser, and a triple-paneled window that looks out over the adjoining garden. Red satin curtains hang from the bed as a matching plush bedspread accompanies floral-printed pillows with maroon accents. There’s a single lamp that illuminates the room, empty picture frames waiting for new photos to house, and a blooming orchid on the nightstand. The chair in the corner looks to be a recliner that I’d give anything to throw my aching feet up on.
“This is where Ms. Cadwell will be staying,” the nurse says in a cheery demeanor. “We’ll have her things moved in shortly while you get settled.”
She gives us the room while Cali and I help her mother into bed, Teague stomping his tiny feet in his usual giddy fashion,occasionally commenting on how cool his mom’s new place is and how boring their current apartment is.
