Evan pulled it out of his pocket. “Thanks, Dad. Why don’t you go out with Bella tonight?”
Because we broke up. “How about you worry about your own social life, and I’ll worry about mine?”
Evan looked at the floor, then back at his father with a pinched look on his face. “You broke up, didn’t you?”
“We’re…taking a break.” He was done with this torturous break. He couldn’t remember why he’d thought it was a good idea in the first place.
“Why?” Evan’s face contorted. His cheeks heated. “Why’d you break up? Was it because of me?”
“No, it wasn’t because of you, and I said a break, not that we broke up for good.” How could Bella not have known that? How could she have left? How could he have been so stupid in the first place to think he needed this break? Bella understood Evan, maybe even better than Caden did at times.
Evan paced. “Dad, I really like her. Why’d you break up if it wasn’t because of me?”
“It’s complicated, Evan.” He rose to his feet and started down the hall toward his bedroom.
“Complicated. That’s your standard answer,” Evan said as he passed him. “Well, that sucks, Dad. You finally get a life, and somehow you manage to do it with a woman I really, really like spending time with, and then I screw it up for you.”
Caden closed his eyes for a beat to try to gain control of his mounting anger, but days of frustration came tumbling forward, and he stalked back down the hall to Evan. “First of all, don’t say screw. Second of all, I’ve always had a life, and—”
“You have not ever had a life. You’ve had work and me, and that’s it. I’ve never seen you with a woman until Bella, and I liked her, Dad, and whether you want to hear it or not, I liked you even more when she was around. You were happier.” Evan fisted his hands.
Caden realized that Evan was as upset over this breakup as he was. They were both on the same page.
His voice softened as he tried to rein in his anger. He’d thought he was making things better, but he’d only made things worse for both of them. “Did it ever occur to you that you and work are my life?”
“I don’t care.” Evan stepped into his room and slammed the door.
Would things ever go back to normal?
Caden went into his bedroom and sat on the bed. He always did the right thing. Always. He’d hurt Bella, Evan, and himself, all because he thought he was doing the right thing. His father was right. He couldn’t be the best father if he wasn’t whole. It was time he took his life into his own hands and did what he wanted for his own heart. What he needed to be whole.
He loved Evan and he loved Bella. There was no reason he needed to be exclusive with his love—he had enough to give to both of them.
He paced the bedroom. If I hadn’t done a good job of raising Evan, he would have been in the thick of the trouble—not the one who turned them in.
He looked at the bed, and his chest constricted. He’d had dreams of loving Bella in that bed, waking to her in his arms, making plans for the day with her and Evan. He pulled out his cell phone, then scrolled to the picture of him and Bella in the Wellfleet fire tower.
“I miss you, babe. I miss you so much it’s killing me.”
He had to show Bella that he was fully committed to her, and there was only one way to do that.
Chapter Twenty-Six
CADEN’S PHONE CALL had breathed new life into Bella. She’d gotten up right after the call and started packing. She’d already packed most of her don’t-ever-throw-out stuff. The items that she would never need again but couldn’t bear to part with—prom dresses, love notes from boys in elementary school, letters from her Seaside friends. She couldn’t help but try on some of the prom dresses and was surprised that she could still fit into a few of them. As she moved around now in one of the light pink frocks and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she didn’t look anything like the Bella everyone knew and loved, but she felt more like herself than she had in years. She was a woman and she was ready to take charge of her life and roar.
She was startled when her phone rang, and she scrambled to find it among her boxes. Jenna’s name and picture flashed on her screen.
“Don’t kill me for leaving,” Bella said before Jenna could say a word. She heard Jenna say, “She answered. She answered!” Then she heard the telltale empty box sound of the call being put on speakerphone.
“Geez, woman. We would have gone with you. Leanna and Amy are here with me. Are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay. I tried to call you yesterday and you didn’t answer your phone.” Jenna’s voice was full of worry. “I was ready to drive to Connecticut, but Amy wouldn’t let me. She said you needed to sort this out without us. Is that true?”
She heard the hurt in Jenna’s last words. “Yes, it was true. I’m so sorry, Jenna, and thank you, Amy.”
“I’ve got your back, Bells,” Amy said.
“Oh,” Jenna said quietly. “But we love you.”
“I know that. I love you guys, too. I just…I couldn’t deal with it, Jenna. I needed to clear my head, and if you guys were with me, you’d let me cry for as long as I needed to. You’d make me feel better and you’d help me figure it all out.”
“No duh, Sherlock. That’s what girlfriends are for,” Jenna said.
Sarcasm. Bella smiled. “This was something that I needed to figure out on my own. I knew you’d understand.”
“I do, but next time can you just answer your stupid phone and tell me? I cleaned my cottage for three hours, and you know it wasn’t dirty to begin with. I even had Amy mess up my shoes so I could reorganize them.”
Bella laughed. “She’s a good friend to do that for you.”
“Yeah, she is,” Jenna said.
“Bella, it’s Leanna. How are you holding up? Are you okay, or do you want us to come there and be with you?”
“I’m good, Leanna. Caden called, and we talked.”
“And?” Jenna asked.
“And it made me feel better. I know he needed that time with Evan. I finally made a decision. I turned down the job here and signed the papers to sell my house.”
“Bella. You’re doing it after all?” Jenna asked.
“I am. You know, Tony was right. I am the epitome of strength and confidence. But Caden knows me even better than I know myself. He saw right through my public persona.”
“Fate,” Leanna said. “I knew you two were meant to be together.”
“So, what about your plan?” Amy asked.
“You mean my modified plan? I don’t need a man to be whole, and I don’t need a man as a reason to make my decisions. I can want a man without needing him.” Bella knew she’d made the right decision, and she heard little happy noises that weren’t laughs or squeals, but were the types of sounds that came straight from that happy place rooted deep inside her friends. She imagined them holding hands, smiling for her, with her, and waiting with bated breath for the rest of her decision.
“And?” Jenna finally asked.
“And I want Caden.”