"You two kids have fun," Titan says, smirking as Cade pulls me through the living room. My brother doesn't even look up from the video game he's playing with Quan and Boots, but I stick my tongue out at him anyway.
As soon as Cade and I step out the front door, the late winter sun beats down on me. It's a cloudless, perfect January day…the first Cade and I have had together all week. With school having resumed for the semester a couple of weeks ago, we've both been busy with classes. He works after school, so we've barely even seen each other lately.
He helps me down the stairs before leading me to his car.
He got it a few months ago. It's an old Altima that's dented up and has big rust spots all over the place. The car is honestly a mess, but he's proud of it. He worked incredibly hard to save up enough to get it, so I'm proud of him.
He opens my door for me and helps me inside. Once I'm buckled, he jogs around to the driver's side and climbs in.
I bite my lip, trying not to laugh as he folds his big body up to fit inside. Thanks to working construction all last summer, he's gotten even bigger than he was before. I don't know how he drives comfortably. Even with the seat all the way back, his knees are practically in the dashboard. He has to hunch his shoulders to keep from bumping his head on the roof.
"You laughing at me, baby girl?" he asks, lifting a brow and shooting me a smirk that does crazy things to my insides.
"Nope," I lie and then clap a hand over my mouth when a giggle escapes.
He growls playfully and reaches over to tickle my ribcage, which makes me shriek with laughter.
"I wasn't laughing!" I cry, swatting at his hand as he continues to tickle me mercilessly.
"You were," he chuckles and then takes pity on me. His eyes are more gray than blue today, his happiness evident as he grins at me, those dimples on full display. "But that's okay. I fucking love that sweet little laugh of yours. It's my second favorite sound in the world. You can laugh at me anytime, so long as I get to hear you do it."
Butterflies flutter through my stomach and my mouth gets dry. God, he's so sweet to me. It's no wonder the older girls at school all hate me. If I had to watch him be this sweet to some other girl, I'd be jealous too.
"What's your favorite sound?" I ask, my voice a little breathless as he starts the car.
"The way you whisper my name after I kiss you," he says, completely serious.
My entire body melts. If I didn't already love him, I'm pretty sure that would have sealed the deal. But I do love him. Like crazy. Everyone says I'm too young to even know what that means, but they're wrong. I'm head over heels for Michael Ian Kincaid.
I haven't told him that yet. Even though we've been seeing each other for over a year, we haven't said the words. I've been waiting for the perfect moment. With him working so much and trying to keep Kaleo out of the neighborhood, we don't get a lot of time together. When we do find time, Titan is usually there. Or my mom. Or Ma Rose. I think they're worried about leaving us alone for too long, but Cade is always a perfect gentleman. We make out sometimes and hold hands a lot. Sometimes, he'll lie on the couch and hold me, but that's all. He never pushes for more. I don't think either of us is ready yet.
It's funny, because the older girls call me a slut when he's not around, but I'm still a virgin. Meanwhile, a lot of them have sex all the time. Like Mandy. She sleeps around constantly, but she calls me a slut. I hope I'm never a jealous brat like she is. Not many girls at school will talk to me because of her. It's my first year of high school and most of them avoid me. I try not to let it bother me, but it kind of sucks. At least I have Mariah though. She never listens to what Mandy says about me.
I can't wait until Mandy goes to college. I just have to survive the rest of this year and then she'll be gone. Though…that also means Cade and Titan won't be at school next year either. Cade will be in college, and Titan will be doing whatever it is he plans to do. He probably doesn't even know. He's too busy chasing after Mandy to think about the future.
I push away thoughts of him and Cade leaving next year and focus on today.
"Where are we going?" I ask Cade.
"It's a surprise," he says, dangling a sleep mask in front of my face. "I need you to put this on."
"Did you steal that from Ma Rose?" I ask, eyeing the silky piece of fabric. It's a pale purple color, with little roses all over it. It appears dainty in his work-roughened hands.
He shrugs a shoulder. "I'll give it back to her later. Put it on."
I hold my hair up and allow him to slip it over my head. He adjusts it over my eyes.
"Can you see me?" he asks.
I think about telling him yes just to mess with him, but he sounds so serious and he's so excited about whatever he's planned for us today. My birthday was Tuesday and he's been working hard on his surprise. I don't want to ruin it.
"I can't see a thing," I promise him instead.
"You sure? How many fingers am I holding up?"
"Cade!" I laugh. "I promise I can't see anything."
"Okay. Just checking," he mumbles, and I know if I could see him, he'd be blushing.
The thought makes me smile. He's not shy in the least and we've known each other forever, but he still gets embarrassed around me sometimes. It just makes me love him more.
He backs out and starts driving.
I lean back in the seat and start singing along to We Belong Together by Mariah Carey.
"That's my third favorite sound," Cade says, lacing our fingers together as I belt out the lyrics.
"What is?"
"You singing. You've got an incredible voice, January," he murmurs.
"Thanks." I feel my cheeks heat. Singing is one of my favorite things to do, but I don't do it in front of very many people. Knowing he likes my voice makes me happy, so I keep singing along.
We drive for a few minutes and then the car slows before stopping. A couple of seconds later, Cade kills the engine and I feel him turn toward me.
"No peeking," he warns me before his door creaks open. The car shifts as he climbs out, then the door closes.
I so badly want to peek, but I don't. I have no idea where we're at. We didn't go very far, but definitely farther than anywhere I can think that he might be taking me.
He opens my door and undoes my seatbelt. When I go to climb out, he stops me.
"Gonna carry you," he says and then swings me up into his arms like I weigh nothing.
I wrap mine around his neck and lay my head on his shoulder. I love when he carries me around. He's been doing it since I was little. Being in his arms makes me feel safe and loved…and it doesn't hurt that I can feel the way his muscles bunch and contract. I love feeling his body against mine.
He carries me for a few minutes before he sets me on my feet and turns me how he wants me. Once he's satisfied, he brushes his lips across my cheek and then whispers, "You can look now."
I pull the sleep mask off.
"Happy birthday, baby girl."
"Cade," I gasp. We're at the park down the street, the one we always played at when we were little. His old Batman sleeping bag is laid out in the grass beneath the big oak tree by the basketball court, with a picnic basket on top. There's a package wrapped in bright pink paper, a bouquet of wildflowers, and a box of chocolates beside the basket. It's so sweet, my eyes sting with tears.
"Did you drive in circles so I wouldn't know where we were going?" I ask, smiling so big my cheeks hurt.
"Maybe."
I fling myself at him. He catches me and chuckles when I wrap my arms around his waist and squeeze as hard as I can.
"I wanted to surprise you. Do you like it?"
"It's perfect," I whisper and hug him.
He cuddles me to his chest for a second and then steps back. "Come on," he says, kicking his shoes off and settling down on the blanket. He pats the space beside him. "Let's eat."
I immediately drop to my knees on the blanket.
He chuckles at my enthusiasm and hands me
the flowers and chocolates. "For you," he says, smiling. "But you have to share your chocolate with me, baby girl."
I laugh and stick my tongue out at him. When we were little, I would always hide all the chocolate from him and Titan when we got candy. Cade found my Halloween stash in an old spaghetti noodle box once. He just winked at me and put it back on the shelf without telling Titan.
He starts pulling food out of the basket as I peer around us and smile. We're the only two people in the park. Right after Cade kissed me last year, something happened between him and Curtis Kaleo. Kaleo got real mad and shot out a couple of Ma Rose's windows.
Cade and Titan organized the boys in the neighborhood into an even tighter group after that. They run off any of Kaleo's people who come around. Without them here to destroy it, the park is a lot nicer. There aren't any drug addicts wandering around, and the equipment isn't constantly broken. I know most people call Cade's group a gang and say he leads it, but they aren't like Kaleo's gang. They don't vandalize the area and sell drugs. They keep people like that out of our neighborhood.
A couple of them have been in trouble for stealing stuff. Sometimes, they get into fights, but that doesn't happen very often anymore. Cade and Titan are kind of scary, so people usually leave them alone.
I'm not sure what's going to happen when Cade goes to college. It worries me sometimes. I'm not afraid of Kaleo, but he's dangerous and he doesn't like that Cade started his own gang. When Cade leaves, I think Kaleo is going to make life a lot harder around here than it has to be, just because he can.
"What are you thinking about?" Cade asks as we eat the sandwiches and chips he assembled for us.
"Just thinking about when you leave for college next year," I say, staring down at my food.
"You worried about me leaving you, January?" he asks me, his voice serious.
I shrug a shoulder. "I know you have to go. I'll just miss you."
He reaches out to tug on a strand of my hair. "I'm not going anywhere."
"What do you mean?" I frown at him.
"I mean I'm not leaving for school next year," he says and shrugs. "I'll probably just go to El Camino Community College for a while."
"Cade, you have to go to college," I say, staring at him like he's crazy. He's way too smart to go to El Camino. His grades are better than mine, and I make straight A's most of the time. He should be at a good school. I know he applied to several of them. "You're too smart for El Camino."
"I didn't say I wouldn't go to a good school," he says, wiping his hands on his pants. "I will go to one eventually."
"When?" I demand, narrowing my eyes at him. The way he avoids looking me in the eyes is worrisome. He's up to something.
"In a few years," he mumbles.
"You mean after I graduate," I whisper, my heart sinking. Part of me wants to do a happy dance that he doesn't want to leave me behind. The other part—the less selfish part—knows I can't let him do that. For as long as I've known him, he's talked about making something out of his life. I can't let him throw that away for me. Not very many people make it out of poor neighborhoods like ours. I want him to be one of the few who do make it.
"It's not a big deal," he says and takes a big drink from his water bottle. "I'll take basic classes at El Camino and then when you graduate, I'll enroll where you go to finish out my degree."
"No."
His brows pull together as he stares at me. "It's my decision. Besides, Ma Rose can't afford to pay for me to go to college. She barely makes it by as it is."
"I want to break up," I blurt out.
"What the fuck, January?" he growls at me.
I jump to my feet, knocking my plate off my lap in the process. My heart thumps hard, feeling like it might crack apart, but I don't back down. Breaking up with him will probably kill me, but I won't let him put his future on hold or ruin it because of me. No way. He's too important to me to let that happen.
"I'm breaking up with you," I say, hating the way my voice shakes and my eyes get blurry with tears. "I don't want to be with you anymore."
He carefully sets his plate to the side and climbs to his feet. His eyes never leave mine. "Liar," he says softly.
"I'm not lying," I lie, hiding my hands behind my back so he can't see the way they shake. "I don't want to be with you anymore, Cade. I-I think we should see other people."
Pain fills his eyes, turning them more blue than gray now. The sight kills me.
What are you doing? I silently scream at myself…but I don't take the words back.
He opens his mouth to say something and then his gaze darts over my shoulder. His body goes rigid, anger rolling through his expression. His lips pull down into a frown, his eyes narrowing. "Go back to the car, baby girl," he says quietly.
I spin around to see what he's looking at and my stomach sinks. Kaleo's hurrying toward us with Cody Love and another guy in tow.
Cody glances at me and then mutters something to the guy beside him before licking his lips. He asked me out the day I kissed Cade for the first time, but I didn't go with him. He's been a jerk ever since. He told a bunch of people that I let him touch me under the bleachers.
When Titan found out, he kicked his ass. They both got suspended for three days. When Cody came back, he started hanging out with Kaleo's gang. Now he does as much as he can to annoy Cade and Titan.
"Yo, Kincaid!" Kaleo yells.
"Go to the car, January," Cade says. He quickly pulls me behind him, putting himself between me and Kaleo to shield me.
I know I should listen to him and go, but I don't want to leave him alone with these three. There's no one else out here to help him if they try to start something.
Kaleo, Cody, and the other guy draw to a stop a few steps away from Cade. I don't know who the guy with them is, but he has dark umber skin, bloodshot eyes, and a blue do-rag on his head. He's a lot scarier than Kaleo and Cody. Even with the scar on Kaleo's face, he seems pretty harmless. I guess looks really can be deceiving though, because Kaleo is anything but harmless.
"Why the fuck are you in my park, Kaleo?" Cade asks. His voice is hard…a lot harder than I've ever heard it. He doesn't sound like the same guy who told me in the car that his favorite sound in the world is the way I say his name after he kisses me. He doesn't even resemble the same guy. His body is rock hard with tension and he's standing up straight. His hands are clenched into tight fists at his sides.
I think this is the Cade people whisper about…the one they're afraid of messing with. I don't think Kaleo's afraid of him though. Kaleo thinks he's some big, bad guy. He's honestly a little pathetic. Most of his friends are way younger than he is. He just gets them into trouble.
"Malik just got sent to juvie," Kaleo says.
"Sounds like a personal problem to me," Cade retorts. "Doesn't explain why you're in my park."
The other guy with Kaleo mutters something under his breath.
"What'd you say?" Cade growls, taking a step toward him.
"I called you a snitch, motherfucker," the guy says, enunciating each word.
"I didn't snitch on anyone," Cade snaps at him, his voice dark and threatening. "If Malik is in juvie, his own stupid ass got him sent there. He shouldn't be selling pot to kids outside the fucking middle school."
"You'd know all about what happens at the middle school, wouldn't you? You spent enough time there trying to get in January's pants." Cody leans around Cade like he's trying to get a better look at me. "Hi, baby girl," he says, pitching his voice deep like he's mimicking Cade. "Did you finally let him tap that sexy ass like you let me?"
Before I can even process what's happening, Cade lunges at him, a savage snarl rumbling in his throat. I scream when he plows into Cody, knocking him to the ground. They roll around in the grass with Cade throwing punches while Cody tries to defend himself. He's no match for Cade though and can't even get him off of him.
"You going to help a brother out or just stand there?" Kaleo barks at the guy beside him.
> The guy with him jumps forward and grabs Cade before throwing him off Cody. Cade lands on his hands and knees in the grass. Before he can get back on his feet or even try to protect himself, the guy with the do-rag kicks him in the ribs. Cody jumps to his feet and grabs the back of Cade's hoodie, holding him while the other guy kicks him in the stomach again and then again.
I scream so loudly my voice echoes around us. My knees tremble and I feel like I'm going to pass out. Watching them attack Cade is terrifying. I rush forward to try to help Cade, but Kaleo grabs me around the waist.
"Let me go!" I scream and kick backward.
Kaleo grunts when my foot connects with his knee. He releases me, holding his hands up and laughing like he was just trying to help me out or something.
I desperately want to punch him in the face.
"Cade!" Titan roars from somewhere behind me.
I nearly cry with relief at the sound of his voice. Spinning around, I see him, Quan, Boots, and Davonte running toward us across the parking lot.
Kaleo sees them too and swears loudly. "Cody, Dante, enough," he snaps, knowing they're outnumbered, which just makes me mad. He was perfectly fine with Cade being outnumbered a minute ago. Now all the sudden he's calling his boys off.
What an asshole.
I spin back around to see Dante kick Cade again before Cody lets him go. Cody's lip is split open and he's got a black eye and a cut on his cheek. His nose is bleeding too. He looks pretty bad.
Cade jumps to his feet and lunges for Cody. His hoodie is ripped, but he doesn't appear to be injured. He's mad as hell as Titan grabs him and Kaleo grabs Cody, keeping them from going at each other again.
"Get him the fuck out of my park, Kaleo," Cade demands, breathing hard. "And don't come back here." He locks eyes with Cody. "Say another fucking word about January and you won't get up next time."
"You running your mouth about my sister again, Cody?" Titan growls and takes a step in Cody's direction.
Cody flips him off before Kaleo shoves him to get him moving.
"Stay out of my park, Kaleo," Cade says, his voice so soft I'm not even sure if Kaleo hears him until he chuckles like he finds Cade's warning funny.
Fight for You: A Second Chance Romance (A Warrior for Her Book 1) Page 7