I set Cady down. “Hey, can you get your new board game set up in your room? Then you, me, and your mom can play.”
She grinned up at me. “Totes.” Then she took off down the hall.
“Totes?” I asked.
Aspen shook her head. “Drew is teaching her all sorts of lingo.”
Caden snorted. “Might want to be careful there.”
She winced. “Hopefully, he’s mindful of little ears.”
Caden shifted, glancing from Aspen to me and back again. Aspen’s cheeks heated, and she twiddled her fingers. He cleared his throat. “If you guys need a more secure place to stay, you’re welcome to take one of the cabins at The Peaks. We have tight security, and no press is allowed onsite without explicit permission.”
“Thank you, Caden,” Aspen said softly. “I really appreciate that. But we’ve got the animals, and Cady has her routine. I want to try to keep things as normal as possible.”
He nodded. “I get that. But if you change your mind, the offer’s always there.”
“That’s really kind of you.”
“I’m sorry for what you’ve been through. I can’t imagine. If you need anything at all, please let us know,” Caden said.
Aspen’s throat worked as she swallowed. “You’re not mad I didn’t say anything?”
Caden’s expression softened. “We all have our secrets—the things that are hard to share. The only reason we’d want to know is so we could help.”
Aspen’s eyes misted. “And G?”
I hadn’t realized how nervous Aspen was about keeping this secret until right now. Her fingers twisted so hard her knuckles bleached white, and I saw her breaths coming quicker than normal.
Caden’s lips twitched. “I won’t lie. You’ll probably be getting a visit from her sooner rather than later. She’s dealing with a mix-up at the resort right now. Otherwise, she would have been here with me. But she loves you. She only wants to make sure you’re safe and okay.”
“She’s just going to be nosy and pushy about it,” I muttered.
Caden chuckled. “Roan isn’t wrong.”
Aspen worried her lip. “She’d be right to be pissed at me.”
“She’s not,” Caden assured her. “I promise.”
Aspen nodded, not looking completely convinced.
“I gotta get back to the resort.” Caden glanced at me. “Walk me out?”
I instantly went on alert but nodded, following him to the door.
We headed out into the chilly afternoon air and moved toward Caden’s G-Wagon. He paused by the driver’s door, twirling his keys around his finger. “What’s the deal with you two?”
I stiffened. “None of your damn business.”
Caden’s eyes flared. “Not trying to be an ass, but that woman’s been through a lot. You haven’t exactly been the relationship type.”
I didn’t say a word, simply stared back at him.
Caden sighed. “Gigi’s losing her mind worrying about Aspen. She’s freaking out about the press, the crazy ex-brother-in-law, Aspen’s mental health. She’s going to be protective of her right now.”
A little of the tension bled out of me at that. Caden had my sister’s back, and I couldn’t begrudge him that.
My jaw clenched and unclenched. “I like them. Both of them. They make me feel…like I belong.”
And for someone who’d never truly felt that way, the feeling mattered.
Caden stilled, pain slicing through his expression. “Roan. You do belong. You’re family. Your sister loves you like crazy, and so do the rest of your siblings. Your parents, too.”
I toed a piece of gravel with my boot. “I’m different. I don’t fit.”
“Different doesn’t mean you don’t fit. It just means you make the puzzle that much more interesting. Grae and your family gave me a place to belong when I needed it the most. I couldn’t want anything more for you than to feel that.”
He clapped me on the shoulder. “If Aspen gives you that? Hold tight and don’t let go.”
That grinding sensation was back along my sternum. I didn’t have words for Caden, but he seemed to understand. He just clapped me once more on the shoulder and climbed into his SUV.
I stood there for a moment, staring out into the fields surrounding the farmhouse.
Don’t let go.
I didn’t want to. But fear that I’d screw it up dug in deep. Or worse, worry they’d be taken from me.
My gut twisted in a vicious squeeze. I shoved down the fear and turned back to the house.
As I walked inside, Aspen stilled, mid-pace. “What did he say?”
“He was trying to give me the big-brother staredown, which is hilarious since he’s younger than me.”
Aspen’s brow furrowed. “About Grae?”
I shook my head. “About you. He was basically asking me my intentions.”
Aspen’s jaw went slack. “What?”
I chuckled. “You’ve got lots of people in your corner, Tender Heart. Just need to take a moment to really see it.”
Her expression went soft, and a hint of humor entered her eyes. “What are your intentions with me?”
I moved in closer, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. “Lots of this.” My mouth took hers, my tongue stroking deep. I’d just had her, yet that fire lit in my veins. The need for more. For everything.
Aspen broke away, struggling to catch her breath. “You need to be registered as a dangerous weapon.”
My lips twitched.
Aspen’s fingers twisted in my shirt. “I want to take things slow around Cady. I’ve never introduced anyone to her before.”
“I get that. We can go as slow as you need to, as long as you’re not kicking me out.”
Aspen’s gaze shifted to the side.
I pulled her tighter against me. “What?”
She forced her focus back to me. “I like having you here. But sometimes I worry I like it too much.”
Beautiful pain spread through my chest—agony and bliss all wrapped into one. “I’m here for as long as you’ll have me.”
“Mama! Mr. Grizz! Come oooooon!” Cady called.
A smile spread across Aspen’s face, hitting me center mass. “Come on, let’s go get our butts kicked by a six-year-old.”
“I think I had too many meatballs,” Cady mumbled, holding her tiny belly.
Aspen shook her head, but a smile played on her lips. “I warned you five might be too many.”
“But they’re soooooo good.”
I squeezed her shoulder. “I feel your pain. I think I might’ve overdone it, too. We need to walk it off. Maybe do a few laps around the living room.”
Cady slid off her chair and grabbed my hand, tugging me to my feet. “We can march like we’re in the army. Charlie always wants to play soldiers, so I’m good at marching.”
I couldn’t hold in my chuckle as Cady strutted toward the couch, bringing her knees up ridiculously high with each step. Chauncey lumbered to his feet and barked, thinking it was a game. The noise sent the demon cat skittering out of her hidey-hole. She launched herself onto the couch with a loud meow.
A knock sounded on the door, making Chauncey bark louder. It startled the cat, and Pirate flew off the couch toward the nearest person. Me. Her claws dug into my shirt and my damned chest. I cursed. Loudly.