Molly walked up just as I finished talking, clearly having heard our conversation. “You better get in there before Mom pulls out your baby pictures. She’s already mentioned it twice, and I have to say, I’m not going to stop her,” she warned.
Shit. Mom was exactly the type of parent to bring out baby pictures before you left for your first date with a girl. Except Cassie and I weren’t even on a date. We were just having Thanksgiving dinner. I only invited her over because I didn’t want her to be alone for the holiday—not because I wasintroducing her to my family or something like that. Hell, they all knew Cassie. They knew she was too good for me.
I handed Colt the last of the dishes, marching toward the living room where everyone else was sitting, their bellies full of dinner and dessert.
Cassie scooted over, patting the cushion next to her, offering me a seat. I froze, unsure if I should take it. I looked around the room, but there was nowhere else to sit. It was there or on the floor.
I sat, trying my best to stay on my side of the couch. Despite my efforts, Cassie leaned in closer to me, putting her head on my shoulder.
Deep breaths, Jace.
Her demeanor had changed since dinner. Something was wrong.
“Care to share why you look so blue?” I asked, keeping my voice low enough that no one else could hear.
“I got the invoice for my mom’s first week of rehab. Even with insurance, it’s a lot. Way more than I can afford. I’ll probably have to take out a loan or something. I’m not sure. I’ve never done anything like that before. I might even have to use the coffee shop as collateral,” she said. “That scares me. The coffee shop means so much to me. I basically built it from the ground up. I don’t want to jeopardize it, but I don’t see any other choice.”
Her eyes were glassy, but in true Cassie fashion, she didn’t let a single tear fall. She went on with the rest of the night, pulling herself together quick enough that no one knew she was spiraling inside. No one except me.
When she laid her head on my shoulder again, falling asleep at the end of the night, I stayed there, letting her sleep, even as the first snowflakes started to fall outside.
Chapter 28 – Cassie
At some point, I must have fallen asleep on the couch, because someone was gently tapping my shoulder, telling me to wake up.
It was Jace.
“Cass, wake up, hey,” he said softly. “The snow’s coming down pretty heavy. There’s already five inches on the ground, and it’s barely been an hour. I don’t think you’re going to be able to drive home tonight.”
I sat up, blinking. Outside the window, the snow was falling hard with thick flakes blowing almost completely sideways.
“Colt and Ellie don’t have an extra room, and my mom and dad already left for the night. They wanted to make sure they got home safe before it got worse,” he said. “Your options are this couch or the spare room in my cabin.”
“I didn’t realize you had even finished it until Molly mentioned it tonight,” I said groggily.
I’d forgotten that Jace had been building a cabin on the other side of the tree line from Colt and Ellie’s guesthouse. He must have started it right after he got back from Florida—the perfect project to keep his hands and mind busy. Now I knew what he was trying to keep them busy from.
“I don’t want to intrude on your space, Jace. I can just sleep on Ellie’s couch and go home in the morning,” I said, shaking off his offer.
“Cass, you wouldn’t be intruding. I can drive you over in my truck. It’ll handle the snow better than your SUV. Plus, the spareroom has its own bathroom. You’ll have full privacy. I’ll take you home in the morning when the sun’s up and the roads are clear.”
“I don’t know,” I said, still not entirely convinced. Last time Jace and I had slept in the same house, disaster ensued afterward. We had called a silent truce since then, but that didn’t stop me from worrying that history might repeat itself if I took him up on his offer.
But I didn’t want to intrude on Colt and Ellie either. They were still newlyweds, even if they had a child together. This was their first Thanksgiving as a married couple. I didn’t want to ruin whatever picture Ellie had in mind for how the night would go.
Jace stood over me, waiting for my answer. I rubbed my eyes as sleep tried to pull me back under.
“Fine,” I said, sitting up and wrapping the blanket around me tighter.
“I already have the truck warmed up. Come on,” Jace said, scooping me up in his arms, standing to take me to the truck.
“Jace, I can walk perfectly fine,” I said, looking at him like he was crazy.
“I know you can, but you’re tired. I don’t want you to slip on the ice, so I’m going to carry you,” he said, not giving me any other choice.
“Where are Ellie and Colt?” I asked, as he carried me to the door, my arm wrapped around his neck.
“They’re reading bedtime stories to June. I already told them we were heading out for the night. They know where you’ll be,” he explained, making sure I knew they wouldn’t be worried about me.
