Page 22 of Pretend it’s Forever

“Carson—”

I ignored her, and then went to pick up their food, ignoring the odd look from the person behind the counter.

As I set down their pastries and chocolate milk and latte, Sophia gave a dramatic sigh.

“You’re just like my brothers, never listening to me when I say I can handle things.”

“And you’re just like the women in my life who don’t understand that it’s okay to be offered help. This way you didn’t have to leave the girls behind,” I whispered under my breath.

She sighed and nodded. “Thank you. Seriously. And thank you for being nice to the girls.”

I rolled my eyes. “You don’t have to thank me for that. Though maybe you could thank me by asking your sister and sister-in-law to not set me up on a date.”

Sophia’s eyes widened. “What?”

I explained what James and Flynn had said, and she shook her head. “I’ll explain. I’m sorry. You know happily married people. They want everyone else to be happy and married as well.”

I didn’t ask if she had ever done the same. Because part of me thought that wouldn’t be the case. How happy had her marriage been after all?

We stared at each other for a moment, her latte getting cold, before I nodded my goodbyes and waved at the girls.

Sophia Cage was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever met in my life.

A fragile soul underneath a hard shell of resolve and tension.

Gentle, but broken.

And the granite and coal that made up my soul couldn’t piece shattered porcelain together.

And it was well time that I reminded myself of that.

Chapter Five

CARSON

“You only need to sign a few more things, and then we’re nearly done.”

I looked up at the Cage admin and nodded. “I have signed a few contracts before in my life, give me a moment.” I took the papers and thumbed through them, realizing that I had already gone through these electronically at least eight times. I might trust the Cages with my life, but my business was another thing. Which sounded as if I might have control issues that bordered other harsher ones, but that meant I was just a damn good businessman.

“Going through line by line again?” Aston Cage asked as he strolled into the decently grand guest office, his gray suit bespoke, and his hair pushed back from his face.

For a man who wore an expensive suit and could wheel and deal like nobody’s business—while being trusting at the same time—his hair looked like somebody’s hands had run through it. I let out a breath since the man’s lips were slightly swollen.

My lips quirked upwards without thought. “Should I ask where Blakely is?”

Aston just narrowed his eyes and then took the seat across from me. “I would’ve expected your entire team to be here honestly.”

I shrugged. “They were here, and we went through everything already. They’ll be back after lunch. I just wanted some time with the contract.”

“Should I leave you alone then with the paperwork?” he drawled. He leaned back in his chair, looking as if he hadn’t a care in the world when I knew for a fact it was the opposite. As the eldest of his siblings and president of the company, he had countless worries and responsibilities, but he was still a good man—something I was learning and appreciating.

I snorted. “No, not that type of time. I’m always like this with contracts. I need to go over them once more on my own to make sure there were no additional changes, and frankly, to get a feel for it.”

“I would question you on that, but I’m the same way. Our father instilled in us certain aspects, and not all of them grand.”

I leaned back in the chair, mimicking Aston, and nodded tightly. “I’d like to think mine isn’t as bad as yours was but comparing them feels like an exercise in misery.”

“I never liked working with your father,” Aston said point-blank. “He was an asshole, didn’t like women in the building unless they were serving him coffee, and refused to work with any of our higher-ups.”