*
Caden felt better in the light of the morning. After the incredible lovemaking on Makenna’s floor, they’d slept wrapped around one another all night, skin to skin, and both left him feeling claimed, owned, connected. She’d seduced him last night. She’d slept with him last night. She’d woke up in his arms this morning. That’s what mattered. Not what Cameron wanted.
Why did the part of his brain that controlled Caden’s fears and anxiety have to be so powerful?
No matter.
He could be stronger. For her.
Caden dried off from his shower and tugged on fresh clothes, glad to be back in jeans again. It made him feel more himself. He tugged the soft black Henley over his head, gave himself a onceover in the bathroom mirror, and opened the door to join Makenna downstairs.
Except the sound of his own name in a male’s voice had him freezing in place and pushing the door most of the way closed again.
“She said she was serious about Caden, but that she’d think about it.” Cameron. “I said my piece. There’s nothing else I can do.”
“Caden.” Ian that time. He said the name with so much disdain that he might as well have said Fucking Caden. Their voices came from Ian’s room right across the hall from the bathroom. Caden opened his door a little wider so he could hear them. Because if they were going to fucking talk about him, he was going to fucking listen. “If you want her, you need to fight for her. You think he’s good enough for her? Because I don’t. And I can’t believe that my brothers do either. Tattoos and piercings all over his face? Did you see how the conversation flat-out halted when she said she was going to get a tattoo? That’s all him. Great fucking influence. She deserves better.”
Ian’s hostility was a sucker punch to the gut, his words slicing deep at those darkest places. Caden’s pulse pounded in his ears.
“I agree. It kills me to see her with him. For all those reasons and more. But I laid it all out for her. I didn’t hold anything back. If I push her, she might shut me down all the way,” Cameron said. “I gotta give her space on this. If it’s gonna happen, it has to be her decision this time. She has to come to me.”
“I hear you,” Ian said, frustration plain in his voice. “You two were just so good together. I know things got messed up, but Makenna was so happy with you. I want that again for her. And for you. You’re family. You’ve been family for twenty years. You deserve this and so does she. I’m glad you had the chance to talk to her, at least.”
“Yeah,” Cameron said. “Listen, I’m going to cut out before breakfast. I don’t want things to be awkward with Makenna, and clearly Caden and I both being here is creating stress for her.” There were some shuffling sounds, and then the door across the hallway clicked shut.
“You should be the one staying,” Ian said.
Caden nearly held his breath. He pushed the door closed as much as he could without making it click and listened as footsteps and voices crossed to the stairs and disappeared altogether. When they were gone, he secured the door and fell back against it, his head aching, his chest hollow. He scrubbed his hand over the scar running in a crescent over his ear.
Hell if Ian’s reaction wasn’t exactly what Caden feared from her family. And was Ian right? Did Patrick and Collin feel the same way? Was Mike horrified at the guy his only daughter had brought home? Caden hadn’t gotten anything but positive vibes from the other three James men, but maybe his radar was as fucked as his head.
Or maybe Ian was just an asshole. Caden got it, he did. Cameron was his life-long best friend and Ian wanted to him to be happy. Fine. Whatever. That was one thing. But to dislike him because he thought Caden unworthy? That was another.
That was his true fear.
Jesus.
Just when he’d managed to get his head screwed on right about Makenna’s conversation with Cameron.
Knock, knock.
Caden bowed off the door. “Yeah?” he said, pulling it open.
“Hey, there you are.” Makenna’s gaze scanned over his face, and her smile dropped into a frown. “Are you okay?”
“Uh, yeah. Yeah. Just finished getting ready.” He flicked off the bathroom light.
“Dad’s still making breakfast, so I thought maybe we could talk for a minute?” she said.
His gut clenched as dread snaked through him. “Sure. What’s up?”
She took his hand, led him back to her room, and closed the door. Caden moved to the center of the room and crossed his arms, braced for the blow. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked.
“What is it you want to talk about, Makenna?” The words came out more clipped than he’d intended, but he was hanging on by a thread right now. Very thin and fraying in the middle.
“Come sit,” she said.