Kade tips my chin up. “He has said that?”
“Not outwardly, but I can tell. And Presley said it’s true.”
A sigh heaves from his lips. “Good. It’s time to let the past stay in the past.”
* * *
“I dropped by my parents’ place on the way back from the deli,” Kade says later that night as I’m putting the finishing touches to the dinner. “Hewson was there with Kalvin, so I mentioned Milly’s date, and he said he’d watch out for her.”
“He’s a good kid.”
“He is though Kal says they are still having issues with him sneaking out to party and meet girls.”
I can’t contain my grin. “Karma is whooping his ass!”
“For sure,” my husband says, setting the kitchen table. We have decided to eat in here rather than the formal dining room as it’s more casual. Plus, the large kitchen-slash-family room faces the rear of our property, and at night, the stunning views of the garden are beautiful to look at with the backdrop of the moon and stars. “But I seriously doubt Hewson is half as wild as his father was.”
“Everything worked out for Kal, and I’m sure it will for Hewson too,” I say, grating chocolate over the top of the tiramisu before putting it in the fridge.
The doorbell chimes, and Kade stiffens a little. “Relax, it’s the pizza delivery guy. They won’t be here for a while yet.” The kids are having pizza and watching movies in our home theater while we share dinner with Presley and Kent. “Everything is prepared. I’m going to grab a shower and get changed. I’ll get the pizza on the way.”
When I return forty minutes later, Kade has the table set and the bottle of red wine airing. He bought some nonalcoholic beer for Kent as he’s most likely the designated driver. Kent enjoys a beer, now and again, but he tends not to push it these days. He’s completely clean of drugs, and he doesn’t touch them, knowing it’s a slippery slope. He was never addicted in the traditional sense, confining his drug use to the weekends, but it’s better he’s completely weaned off them now.
Kade is wearing a pristine white dress shirt and black pants, having changed while I was showering, and he looks classically handsome, if a bit tense. I drop down on the couch beside him and throw my arms around his shoulders. “It’ll be fine. He wants this reconciliation as much as you do.”
The doorbell chimes for the second time in an hour, and I know it’s our guests. “I’ll go,” Kade says, getting up the same time I do.
“We’ll greet them together,” I add, slipping my hand in his. “A united front, like always.”
11
KENT
I’m sweating buckets as I stand outside Kaden and Eva’s house, waiting for the door to open. Which is stupid. He’s my brother, and it’s not like I’m going in front of the firing line. Still, we haven’t uttered more than passing comments to one another in years. This is the first time the four of us are spending time alone, without the buffer of family, and I’m nervous.
“Breathe, baby.” Presley smooths a hand up and down my back. “Everything is going to be fine. You’ll see.”
The door opens, ending my chance to make a run for it.
“You guys look great,” Eva says, her warm, welcoming smile doing little to settle my nerves.
“We’re happy you could make it,” Kade adds, and they step aside to let us inside their stunning home.
“Thanks for inviting us,” Presley says, hugging our sister-in-law.
Kade and I stand awkwardly in the hallway while the girls embrace. Fuck it. If things are to change, it starts now. I lean in and slap him on the back, relieved when he returns the gesture.
The girls are wearing matching giddy grins when we break apart, and I roll my eyes as I lean in and kiss Eva on the cheek. “If you made tiramisu, I’ll love you forever.”
“I thought love came with no conditions. That it’s something you give freely,” she coyly replies, and if she was mine, I’d take her over my knee and slap her ass for her sassiness.
“It is, and stop stirring the pot.” I glance at Kade. “We’re grown-ass men. We can resolve our own differences.”
“I never suggested you couldn’t.” Eva loops her arm in mine, dragging me into the kitchen. “I thought we’d eat in here. It’s more relaxing.”
“That’s cool. I love this room.”
“Oh, shoot,” Presley says, and I snicker. She has taken to saying that lately to avoid cursing in front of our precocious daughter. “We left the flowers and champagne in the trunk.”
