“Oh, man! Congratulations! I tell you, having a kid…there’s nothing like it. They bring a lot of joy to your world.” Mr. Miller reached over to rub Eden’s shoulder. “If it weren’t for Eden, my country club would be a sitting duck.”
Eden forced a smile at him before looking between Cane and me. “A baby, huh?” She sat back in her chair and took a few hard gulps of wine. “No wonder you haven’t touched your wine.”
I smiled, like, really smiled at her.
“I almost forget what it’s like having a baby,” Mr. Miller went on, like he was in a daze. “It’s been so long. You know, I keep telling Eden to get a husband, get married, live a good, happy life, but she’s a workaholic like her father, I suppose.” Mr. Miller went on and on, and Cane nodded and chatted with him, but I couldn’t help passing glances at Eden.
During the rest of dinner and even through dessert, I noticed Eden was no longer looking at Cane so much, but at me. Lora was having a field day with all of the food, especially enjoying the six-layer chocolate cake for dessert.
Now, I wasn’t a big fan of doing petty things, but when it came to women who thought they were better for Cane than I was just because they were older, I wasn’t above throwing a little shade. So whenever Cane looked at me and asked if I was okay, I’d say, “Yeah, babe. I’m okay,” loud enough for everyone at the table to hear me clearly. And when he grabbed my hand and kissed my knuckles like he always did, I blushed and giggled. Okay—the blushing thing I always did, but the giggling was to amp the dramatics.
When it was time to go, I almost skipped out the door. Mr. Miller said goodnight to all of us at the front door, and Eden did the same, though this time she decided to hug us. She hugged Cane first, of course, but it was a small hug. A simple one. No full body contact or her groin meshing into his. A friendly hug, which confused me. She started to hug Lora, but Lora held up a hand.
“Shakes only, lady love.” Lora extended her arm, and Eden was perplexed, but took Lora’s hand anyway, giving it a shake.
And then Eden was facing me. She let out a long sigh, looking me all over. “What a lucky girl you are,” she sighed. “Especially to have such a great, handsome man.” Her eyes shifted over to Cane’s, who’d narrowed his in exchange. She then looked over her shoulder at Mr. Miller, who was talking to Lora about something pertaining to his country club. “One thing Cane probably didn’t tell you about me is that I grew up with a single mother. It was hard watching her sometimes. My father had an affair with my mother, and having me changed everything for her. Luckily, I’m not the kind of woman who would feel proud about coming between a child and his or her parents. I watched it all my life with my mother, and it was the worst feeling in the world. Maybe that’s why I am the way I am.” Her smile was small. “Have a great night, Mrs. Cane.”
I gave her a nod while Cane tugged on my hand.
“Have a good night, Eden.” Cane lead the way to his car, Lora trailing behind us.
“I’m so confused,” I said when we got inside and the doors were closed. “What in the hell was that?”
“That, I assume, was her way of saying she would back off.” Cane and I looked ahead at Eden, who was walking back inside with her father at her side. I could tell Mr. Miller really did love her. He was proud of Eden—probably proud to be able to call a child his own, period.
“Huh.”
“Bitches get weak when babies are involved,” Lora slurred, and I laughed. She’d clearly had one too many glasses of wine. “I can’t wait to see what your baby will look like, Kandy.” Lora leaned between the console, and Cane chuckled, glancing over as Lora twirled a loose piece of my hair. “You have such great skin and nice cheekbones, and Cane has those weird eyes that always seem to change colors with the seasons or his emotions. That baby is going to turn all of us to mush.”
I couldn’t fight my grin. I was glad she was speaking the baby into existence, and not treating it like a maybe or a hopeless feat. I needed to do the same, because this baby was going to happen. I was going to have him or her, and I was going to love the baby with my whole heart.
Lora finally sat back and rested her head on the window, watching the streetlights, and Cane grabbed my hand, bringing it on top of the middle console and squeezing it.
He didn’t have to say much in this moment. His full smile said it all—he couldn’t wait to see our baby too.
Fourteen
KANDY
The entire house knew that between two and four in the evening, I took my daily nap. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. By that time of day, I was completely exhausted, and nothing could keep me up. But for some reason, my man wanted to disturb my peaceful slumber, and I wasn’t happy with it.
“Kandy,” Cane called.
“Ugh, Cane.” I groaned, pushing his hand away when he tapped me again.
“Kandy, wake up.”
“What?”
I rolled onto my back, looking through the corner of my eye at him. “I need to show you something,” he said.
“Can it wait? I’m really tired today.”
“No. It can’t. And you’re tired every day. Plus, Lora said you’ve been sleeping since two, and it’s now six. You gotta get up.” He grabbed my hand and tugged on it. “Come on, girl. I ain’t got all day.”
I huffed a laugh, throwing an arm over my face. “You’re insane, man.”
He chuckled, bending over to kiss my exposed lips. Then his lips trailed down to my neck. “Up, baby. I think you’ll love what I have to show you.”
Sighing, I caved and sat up, rubbing my eyes. He helped me out of bed, and I felt the weight drop right to my lower belly, making me lurch. “It better be worth it, Cane. I mean it.”
“Ohh, you are a grumpy little thing,” he teased with a grin.
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t not smile. With my hand still in his, Cane led the way downstairs and through the foyer. We walked down the hallway to the kitchen, where the lights were off. Cane flipped the switch on, and out of nowhere there was a loud “SURPRISE!”
I gasped with a hand to my chest as Mom, Dad, Miss Cane, Lora, and Frankie stood in a kitchen full of colorful balloons. “Oh my gosh!” I squealed, staring up at Cane. “What is this?”
“Just a little something for my queen.” He shrugged. “Happy birthday, little one.” Cane kissed my cheek while I looked ahead at the two-tier cake and food on the counters, then at Mom and Dad. I focused most on Dad and said a quick prayer of gratitude that I wasn’t showing yet, or he would have had a fit.
“Happy Birthday, kid,” Dad said, meeting up to me and hugging me tight. I hugged him back.
“I’m surprised you guys are here. My birthday isn’t for two more days.”
“Well, Cane planned something a bit earlier,” Mom said. “And I’m glad he did.”
“Oh—I got you something.” Dad reached for a wrapped gift on the counter behind him and handed it to me.
“What is it?”
“Open it and see.”
I tore the gift wrap off and noticed it was a jewelry box. I looked up at Dad warily before opening it. It was a pair of diamond earrings, this set bigger than the pair he’d given me when I was seventeen.
“Oh my gosh!”
You like them?” he asked, his smile getting bigger.
“Dad, are you kidding? I love them!”
“Your mother helped me pick them out. Consider it a gift from both of us.”
“I love it so much. Thanks you guys.” I hugged them both around the neck.
“Okay, okay! Enough of the sappy mess! I need to say hello to my bestie!” Frankie grabbed my arm and twisted me around. She pulled me in a for a hug, and I laughed, as did my parents, then squeezed her just as tight as she squeezed me. “So…I didn’t bring a gift, but I do want to plan a night out with you tonight. I’m off—no work. Clay is taking care of Mom.”
“A night out?” Cane asked, stepping up beside us.
“Yes, Mr. Cane. A night out. She may not be free,
but she’s still young and wild, right, K.J.?”
I laughed nervously. Poor Frankie. I still hadn’t told her about the baby—not that I didn’t want to. I just didn’t want to tell too many people when things could end up awry. Every person I tell is someone I have to un-tell if things go wrong, and I can’t imagine how hard that would be for me.
“Guys, how about we try some of the appetizers Miss Cane made?” Mom suggested, but she made a face that said “go tell your best friend why you can’t and shouldn’t go out.”
“Please, eat as much as you’d like,” Miss Cane urged. “I think I may have made too much food,” she laughed.
“No such thing, Mom,” Lora said. “Whatever is left over, I’m sure I’ll pig out on it once I light up a joint.”
Miss Cane shooed her playfully and started serving food to everyone.
“Frankie, I need to talk to you.” I grabbed her hand and led her out of the kitchen. On my way out, I peered back at Cane, who nodded at me.
When we were in the den and out of earshot, Frankie asked, “What is it? What’s going on?”
“Um…I don’t think I should go out tonight.”
She frowned a bit. “Why not? I haven’t seen you in forever!”
“Yeah, I know but…I just found out something, and it means I have to take it easy for a while.”
“Something like what? Are you sick?”
“No…it’s just that…I’m pregnant,” I said, as more of a question than a statement, and Frankie’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head.
“Holy shit!” she gasped. “What? But I thought you couldn’t have—”
“We all thought so, but I am. I’ve been sick, and so tired, but I go to the doctor often, and the baby is still there. I keep thinking I’ll wake up one day, and it’ll all be a dream, but it’s not. It’s really, really happening.”
“Shit, K! That is so amazing!” Frankie wrapped me up in her arms again, and I laughed over her shoulder. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me sooner?” She pulled back, gripping my shoulders and looking at me with an even deeper frown than before.
“I didn’t want to jinx myself by telling the whole world, you know? Plus I’m still really high risk. There’s a chance things could go wrong.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me?” a deep voice interjected, and I gasped, looking to my right. Dad was walking around the corner with a grimace.
“Dad, I—”
“You’re pregnant, Kandy? Is that what I just heard?”
Frankie took a step back as Dad got closer. I stayed in place, and a defeated sigh pushed through my lips as I said, “Yes, Dad. I’m pregnant.”
“What the hell?” he barked, and footsteps sounded right after.
Cane was down the hallway, standing behind Dad. “What the hell is going on?” he demanded.
“You got her pregnant again?” Dad snapped, swinging around and pointing a finger in Cane’s face.
“Derek!” Mom popped up around the corner, grabbing Dad’s arm. “Stop it!”
“Did you know?” Dad shouted in Mom’s face.
“Yes, I knew,” she snapped, voice firm.
“And you didn’t tell me? What kind of wife keeps a secret like that from her own husband?”
“The kind of wife who knows her husband would throw a damn tantrum over the news!” she retorted.
“It’s not her fault, Dad!” I yelled. “I told her not to tell you. I wanted to tell you myself when the time was right.”
“Oh yeah? When? When the baby is born?”
“I was going to tell you,” I assured him. “I—I was just trying to make sure everything was really going to happen. I knew you wouldn’t react well to it.”
“Damn right I’m not going to react well to it!” Dad shook his head and scoffed, looking between me and Cane. “You’re both reckless and stupid, and if she suffers another loss because you couldn’t keep your dick—”
“DEREK!” Mom hollered. “Outside. Now!” She pointed at the door, and Dad glared hard at Cane before putting his focus on her. I’d never seen Mom get so angry with Dad, ever—especially not when it came to defending me.
When Dad realized how dead serious she was, he grunted and turned away, rushing past Lora and Miss Cane, who were standing in the hallway, and out the door. Mom went after him and the door slammed closed.
The whole house was quiet. To say I was embarrassed was an understatement.
I lowered my head, squeezing my eyes shut. “He always does this. Lets his temper get the best of him. He’s a fucking asshole.”
“He’s upset, Kandy. You knew he’d react this way,” Cane murmured.
“I don’t care. He needs to grow the hell up already.”
Cane sighed, wrapping his arms around me and kissing the top of my head.
“Lora, Mom, take Frankie to the kitchen with you. Make her some food.”
“Sure. Yeah,” Lora breathed.
“For the record,” Frankie said, rubbing my arm. “I’m super fucking happy for you guys. You’ll make great parents.”
Her words made me smile. Just a little. “Thanks, Frank.”
When she was out of the room, it was just Cane and me. “I’m sorry he said that to you,” I whispered. “I should have told him before now and spared all of this drama and embarrassment.”
“Don’t worry about it. I understand his frustration.”
“But it doesn’t make it right, and it doesn’t mean he can say whatever he wants to say to you just because he’s upset with you. He doesn’t have to be a dick about everything. You’re my fiancé, I love you, and he should respect that.”
“Well, first of all, you haven’t told him we’re getting married, so he has no idea we’re engaged. Second of all, this is a hard pill for your dad to swallow, Kandy. He has to get used to the idea of us. Men aren’t like women. It’s harder for us to process and accept certain things. We were friends once. Now we’re just…here. Stuck in an awkward situation, trying to live through it.”
“Well he has to learn to accept it and let things go. Not just for my sake anymore, but the baby’s too. I want the baby to have a good, happy grandpa. Not one who will talk shit about his or her dad because he isn’t on good terms with him.”
“Derek isn’t like that. He won’t spew hatred to an innocent child, especially his own grandkid.”
Ugh. For his sake, I hoped he was right.
The front door opened, and Mom came back inside. “Let him cool off,” she said, then forced a smile at us before closing the door and walking down the hallway to get to the kitchen.
“You heard her. Come on,” Cane said. “We aren’t going to let that ruin your birthday.”
“It’s already ruined,” I muttered as he draped an arm over my shoulders and escorted me back to the kitchen. Lora had music playing on her portable speaker, a song by Dua Lipa, and I was glad she, Frankie, and Miss Cane were focusing on the actual party and not what had just happened several minutes ago.
I suppose we were all used to the chaos because we all dealt with some form of it. None of us had lived a stable life. It was easy to brush off the minor things, like arguments and fights. And with that in mind, I decided to go along with it. Yes, Dad was upset, but he would cool down and get over it. His temper always got the best of him in the heat of the moment, but once it was over, he’d return to settle it.
And sure enough, after we all ate a slice of cake and recited lyrics to our favorite songs, Dad was back. He stood at the mouth of the kitchen, looking at all of us.
“Calm now?” Mom asked, quirking a brow at him.
He merely ignored her. “Kandy…can we talk?” he asked, and I placed my plate down. I glanced at Cane, who gave me a slow blink and a nod, and then walked past Dad, rounding the corner to get to the backyard. I sat on one of the lounge chairs as Dad closed the door behind him. He met up beside me, taking the lounge chair next to mine.
We were quiet for several seconds. From where we were, I could still hear
the music playing in the kitchen, as well as some laughter.
“Look, I’m sorry for my temper before,” he finally said. “I just…I don’t understand. Why didn’t you just tell me? Why did I have to be last to know?”
“Because I didn’t know how to tell you, Dad. And I knew you would blow up like you always do. You’re like an Angry Bird.”
At that, he shook his head, but he couldn’t hide his smirk. “Kandy…the odds of you getting pregnant were slim. Your mom told me all about it. Of course I’d want to know right away that you are.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” I focused on the ground.
“How many weeks?”
“I just hit the fourteen week mark.”
“Hold up…fourteen whole weeks you’ve been pregnant, and you didn’t tell me?” His brows drew together, but his eyes were soft. Playful. “If you still lived with me, I would ground your butt right now, you know that?”
I laughed.
“I’m just…shocked, I guess,” he went on. “I didn’t see it coming.”
“Well…then, I guess you’ll be even more shocked to find out that Cane and I are engaged now.”
“Engaged?” Dad’s eyes got even wider. “Are you kidding me? Anything else you haven’t told me?”
“No, Dad. That’s it.”
He sighed and was quiet for several seconds. “Engaged, huh?” he finally said.
“Yep. He asked me when we were in Belize. I said yes.”
“When’s the wedding?”
“Next year, after I graduate. Well, hopefully. I’m not sure how things will work with the baby.”
“Good. I’m glad you’re finishing school first.” He looked me over. “You sure you’re ready to be a mother and a wife? Being a spouse is hard work, but being a parent is even harder. You see what we had to go through with you, right?”
I pushed him with my elbow, giggling. “I was not that bad.”
He shrugged. “You were a nightmare at times, but overall, a pretty good kid.”
“I don’t know if I’m ready…but if I’m at fourteen weeks, and still carrying this baby…I’m here for it. I was told by my doctor that the first thirteen weeks were my highest risks for miscarriage, but I’ve made it. The baby is still in there, and if I’m meant to have him or her and become mother, I will make sure I’m ready.”
The Cane Series: A Complete Forbidden Romance Series (4-Book Set) Page 81