“That’s mine.”
I look down. “Fuck… that’s not gonna help.”
I yank it off and chuck it at him. He pulls it on while grabbing the closest pair of bottoms he can find.
Cade steps closer and says softly, “Okay, breathe with me.”
I nod. We stand here like absolute idiots, taking slow, deep breaths together until Cade lets out a quiet laugh. The sound makes me grin despite everything.
“What’s the worst that could happen?” he asks.
“I don’t want to know,” I mutter.
A few minutes later we’ve managed to pull ourselves together, at least on the outside. I’m wearing a soft t-shirt layered under one of my favourite hoodies, needing the extra layer to feel somewhat covered and grounded.
Cade gives me one last brutal, grounding kiss before we leave the bedroom, his hand cupping the back of my neck as he murmurs against my lips, “I’m gonna be right there with you, okay?”
I nod, still a little breathless. “Yeah.”
We walk out together. Cade moves straight to the coffee machine, which is now empty. Mom and David are sitting at the island stools, looking far too calm as they sip their coffees like they didn’t just walk in on something they absolutely weren’t supposed to see.
Cade starts refilling the machine with the same two mugs we use every morning and asks casually, “So where are you guys headed today?”
Oh god, he’s trying to skim right over it, acting like this is just another normal Saturday morning and our parentsdidn’twitness Cade calling me “baby” while wrapped around me five minutes ago.
Mom sets her mug down with a soft clink. “Oh hush… that’snotwhat we’re talking about, Cade.”
Cade glances at me, checking that I’m okay.
I laugh awkwardly and gesture with both hands. “Okay… spit it out then.”
David raises an eyebrow, amused. “Spit what out, Rowan?”
I feel the panic starting to rise again and gesture wildly. “That you’re disgusted, that this isn’t allowed, that you’re going to disown us…”
Mom actually laughs, warm and light. “You’re funny, son.”
I frown at her. “What?”
David leans back in his stool, smiling. “This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this.”
Cade turns sharply from the coffee machine. “Come again?”
Mom puts her coffee down and continues gently, “Well, you two won’t remember. You were hungover for days afterwards.”
David nods. “Oh, that’s right… what a state you were in.”
Cade sets my mug in front of me and waits, clearly as lost as I am.
Mom continues, “It was Cade’s seventeenth birthday party. You were almost sixteen, Ro. Somehow one of Cade’s friends had snuck alcohol into the house, even though we had security that night, we didn’t want just anyone wandering around.”
We both nod, that part makes sense.
David picks up the story. “You two got stupidly drunk. We found you the next morning… together, in Cade’s bed. All tangled limbs and faces way too close.” He gestures vaguely at Cade. “Thankfully fully clothed back then, but…”
Mom finishes with a pointed look. “We already had our little panic moment twenty years ago. We assumed it was a one-off thing.” She shrugs lightly. “Guess not, huh?”
Cade runs a hand over his face. “I don’t… uh…”
