Mr. St. John nodded almost sadly. “And he’ll want to celebrate his birthday with you,” he said. “But Nicole hasn’t mentioned the party to you yet, has she? She’s planning it as though….” He stopped and shook his head, clearly banishing unwanted thoughts. “She’s a planner,” he said, as if it was something Cade needed to know. “She likes to have everything sorted out, lined up. Predictable. For the first chunk of Aiden’s life, that was excellent. He got to all his activities on time, never missed something he wanted to do because we hadn’t arranged it properly. It’s a good system, as long as things go the way you think they will. But it can be a bit hard when something surprising comes up.”
Cade was pretty sure thathewas the surprise Mr. St. John was referring to, but he really had no idea how to respond if that was true. Sohe said, “I like planning too. It bugs Aiden. He says I can’t controleverything, so I should loosen up and be spontaneous sometimes.”
Mr. St. John smiled. “That’s what I tell his mother too. But I appreciate her organization, most of the time.” His smile faded a little as he crouched down next to Cade. “I think she’s having a bit of trouble adjusting to… well, I’m honestly not sure. At first I thought she was being a snob. I thought she wanted Aiden to be with someone from a similar economic background. But, honestly, that didn’t seem right. She’s never been that way before.” He saw Cade’s expression and snorted. “You haven’t seen her at her best, I know. And I’m sure itseemslike she’s objecting to the difference in your backgrounds. I’m sorry about that, and I hope it doesn’t make you uncomfortable. But really? I think that’s mostly a smokescreen.”
Mr. St. John rolled back a little, settling his butt on the ground and stretching his legs out in front of him. His body was like Aiden’s, long and lean, and Aiden didn’t like being curled up either. He always wanted his limbs extended, his body taking up as much space as his personality. Cade stayed crouched as Mr. St. John said, “We’ve always been a very close family. Aiden and I have always gotten along well, and we spend a lot of time together. But Aiden and his mom? They’ve always beentight. And now?” Mr. St. John smiled. “Now there’s someone new in his life.”
“Aiden’s dated people before. That Nate guy, and Will….”
“He’s dated. And his mom’s been fine with it. And, yes, those boys fit into our family more smoothly than you have. We can pretend it’s because they came from similar backgrounds, but really? It’s because sheletthem fit in.” He paused, then said, “I think she let them in because she knew they didn’t really matter. They didn’t threaten her role as the number-one person in Aiden’s life.”
Cade tried to absorb that. “I’m not trying to replace her.”
“You don’t have to try. You justare. Which is natural. Boys grow up. They grow away from their parents and toward new partners. And Nicole knows that, intellectually. But she’s having a bit of trouble accepting it emotionally, I think.”
“Aiden really loves you guys.”
“I know. We’re still important to him. We’re just not number one.” Mr. St. John shrugged. “I like you, Cade. I’d like to get to know you better, but what I know, I like. But even if I didn’t naturally like you? I’ddamn wellmakemyself like you. Because my son is in love with you and that means you’re part of his life. And the thing is, if we don’t make it comfortable for you to be part of our family—if we make Aiden choose whether to be with you or with us—he’s going to chooseyou. That’s the way it is, and it’s the way it should be. I know that. But I think Nicole is still working through it.”
It was a conversation Cade should have cherished. But every sentiment Mr. St. John expressed added to the weight of Cade’s secret. He wasn’t just fooling Aiden, he was fooling this man as well. Mrs. St. John might not have a clear idea about what exactly was wrong with Cade, but she knew something was. She knew he shouldn’t be around her beloved son and her perfect family. And she was right.
Cade stared at the lake, and Mr. St. John sat beside him quietly. Eventually there was a rustle in the leaves behind them, and they both turned to see Aiden, hair tousled and eyes still a little blurry from sleep, smiling at them. “There you are. You guys doing some bonding?” He shambled toward them and nudged Cade’s butt with his toe. “Slide forward,” he ordered, and Cade did as he was told, making enough space for Aiden to slip in between Cade’s back and the tree trunk. Then Aiden leaned against the tree, his legs sprawled on either side of Cade, and Cade leaned back into him. It should have been perfect.
“I was expounding on my theories of the universe as they apply to family dynamics,” Mr. St. John said dryly. “Probably not the best topic of conversation for someone fighting a hangover.”
Cade tensed involuntarily, and he knew Aiden felt the reaction. Cade hadn’tsaidhe was hungover, but he’d let Mr. St. John believe it. That was a sort of lie. But Aiden just smoothed Cade’s hair back from his forehead and said, “You not feeling good?”
“I’m okay.”
“We’ll get some breakfast and then take the canoe out, okay? Two-person boat—you and me. I can show you the lake, and there’s this little cove where the water gets really warm. We can go for a swim there. Or do a full childhood reversion and catch some turtles.”
“What would we do with the turtles? After we caught them?”
“Well, if we were little kids, we’d put ’em in a big tub and try to build a habitat for them, but then once we went to bed the adults wouldrelease them back into the wild and tell us that they must have climbed out overnight. But for us? Probably we’d just look at them and then put them back.”
“That seems like it might kind of disturb their daily routine.”
“Getting caught by giant shell-less monsters? Yeah, probably not on their agendas.”
“Let’s not catch turtles.”
“If you say so. But we’ll go canoeing, right?”
“Yeah, okay.” It sounded like a pretty good way to avoid Warren.
“I’ll go see where we are with breakfast,” Mr. St. John said, heaving himself to his feet. He walked a few steps and then turned and looked back at them. “I’m glad you’re here, Cade. It’s time we all got to know each other.”
Cade knew the words were meant to be friendly. It was only his addled mind that made them sound like a threat. He managed a smile in response and that seemed to be enough to satisfy both St. John men. Cade wasn’t sure if they were easily fooled or just generous about letting people pretend.
He and Aiden stayed there by the lake for a while longer, until Cade’s stomach betrayed him with a loud growl.
“You need breakfast,” Aiden said, and he tugged and poked and prodded until they were both on their feet.
Cade did need food. And he couldn’t hide for the entire week. He had to remember that Warren had the same need as Cade did to keep their shared past quiet. A teenage whore wasn’t someone you wanted at your summer house, but neither was a middle-aged married man whohiredteenage whores. Especially male ones.
That was the pep talk Cade gave himself as they approached the cottage. There were several people out on the deck, and Aiden frowned when he saw them. “She must have invited people over for brunch,” he muttered. “Shit, Cade, I’m sorry. I know I told you it was going to be only family. I don’t know why she’s….” His voice trailed off.
“You did say she loves houseguests,” Cade said.
