Max really liked Cane and there was something about their interaction that night that cut through Cane’s vulgarity, something that gave me a clue that there was more to Cane Alexander than the man whore he portrayed himself to be. That’s the only reason I didn’t object to Max bringing Cane to meet my sister when she returned to Arizona after her divorce. If Max trusted him, I trusted him.
“Thanks for not throwing this out,” I laughed nervously, tucking the box under my arm.
It had been a great Saturday afternoon. Jada and I had made our mother’s spaghetti and meatballs while Cane and Max watched football. I did the dishes so Jada could rest her feet and take a short nap. After that, we went through the rest of her “must have list” for the baby.
I turned to watch my sister struggle to get off the bed. Her belly had begun to pop, swelling with the growing baby inside. She put a hand on the bed and the other on her stomach and slowly got to her feet.
“You okay?” Jada asked me, rubbing her belly.
I smiled, walking to her and rubbing it, too. “I am. I’m excited to meet the little jellybean.”
“I’m so excited, Kari,” she confessed. “I mean, I have quite a bit of time left, but I’m already sad thinking about it being over. It’s just that once you find out you’re pregnant, everything changes. Silly, I know, but it’s true.”
“It’s not silly,” I said weakly, feeling a lump form in my throat. “You were made to be a mom. Look at how you took care of me growing up.”
“Well, I don’t know about that.”
“I do. And I miss you around the house,” I told her. Jada had lived with me for a while after coming back to the Valley, up until Cane asked her to marry him. “By the way, I’ve found a few things of yours laying around. I’ll bring them by this week.”
She gave me a puzzled look. “I don’t remember leaving anything. What was it?”
“Just random things. A phone charger under the bed in your room and a pair of boots. Oh! And a tube of red lipstick called Ruby Woo by MAC.” I furrowed my brow as I recalled the fiery color. Jada and I were both a darker complexion and I couldn’t imagine her wearing it.
“Red? That must be yours because I don’t wear red. You know that.”
“Weird. It isn’t mine. Maybe it’s Lara’s,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. Lara hadn’t been over for months, but the tube was dusty when I pulled it from behind the plant by the back door.
I let out a sigh and turned back to the glass. My house felt so empty without Jada. I found myself spending less and less time there . . . and more time with Max.
But the more time I spend with Max, the messier things get.
“I’m not prying, but is everything okay? You just seem . . . off. I know I’m married and having a baby, but I’m still your sister. And I also know that I’ve not always been there for you like I should have been, but I want to be now.”
“You have nothing to make up for. Everything’s fine. I’m not going to burden you with my stuff.” I turned to face her.
“You are never a burden to me.”
“I just think all this marrying and baby making from you and Cane is putting ideas in Max’s head.”
Jada laughed. “And the problem with that is what again?”
“Things with Max were never supposed to get to this point.” I let out a sigh. “It’s not that I don’t want to live with Max, I just don’t want him to get the wrong idea. But it’s Max, so he would. He’d have a nursery painted before I got my boxes unpacked.”
“I don’t get it. Why in the world would you not want to settle down with Max Quinn? He’s gorgeous and charming and successful and adjusted-”
“He’s perfect. I get it. I know this.”
“So? What’s the problem, Kari?”
“Max comes from this big family. He wants a wife in the kitchen, babies at his feet, Sunday family dinners. It’s just,” I swallowed and looked away, “not something I see for myself.”
Jada touched my shoulder, looking at me with eyes that saw so much more than I wanted. “You might not want that right now and that’s perfectly okay. But . . .”
“But what?”
“But you need to figure out what you want. If you’re sure you don’t want Max for the long-term and he does, then you have to consider that.” A frown touched her lips and I could see she was torn. She was trying to be honest with me, but knew it wasn’t the easy answer I wanted to hear. “Have you talked to him about this?”
“Constantly. He asks me to move in nearly every day. And I would, Jada, I really would. But then that leads to the next step and that’s the one I don’t want to take.”
She tilted her head and frowned deeper. “You don’t want to get married?”
I looked at my sister’s hand on her tummy. “I don’t think I’d mind getting married.” I swallowed passed the lump in my throat. “But I don’t want to have a family.” The words came out softer than I would’ve liked, but saying it too loudly would’ve given my voice too much room to crack.
”I never knew you didn’t want kids,” she breathed, looking at me like I was a stranger. Whether she realized it or not, she was right. There were things about me she had no clue about.
“Yeah, well . . .” I moved the box from one arm to the other, looking everywhere but at her. It was so much easier keeping things from her when she lived in Boston. “It’s just . . . complicated.”
MAX
“Joe Montana was the greatest quarterback that ever played football. Now that,” Cane said, tipping his Corona towards me, “is a fact.”
“I’m still going with Tom Brady. He has four Super Bowl rings and we both know the Patriots should’ve beaten the Giants in the other one. That was a loss I’ll never believe.” I sat my red plastic cup down on the end table.
“I’m sorry. I can’t handle you liking the Patriots.”
“So does Jada,” I pointed out, watching his face twist in disgust.
“Fuck that. She only likes Julian Edelman and I think that has very little to do with football.”
I busted out laughing, glancing at my watch. “You’re probably right about that. Hey, it’s getting late and we should probably get going. I’m sure Jada needs to rest and I need to look over a few things for work tomorrow anyway.”
Cane ran his hands through his short blond hair. “I got a letter from the court yesterday. Simon plead guilty to the drug charges against him and conspiracy to commit murder.”
“That makes it easier, right?” I asked, watching him try to keep his shit together.
“Yeah,” he muttered, cracking his knuckles.
Simon Powers and Cane had a long, twisted history, ending with Simon hiring someone to try to kill Cane. Instead of killing him, they’d gotten to Jada. She’d been banged up pretty bad. Thankfully, Cane had gotten to her and saved her . . . and killed the hit man in the process.
It’d been a mess, but luckily it was all proven to be masterminded by Powers and he’d gotten the book thrown at him. Him pleading guilty assured that Cane and Jada didn’t have to testify or worry about something going wrong at the trial and him getting out. Because if he got out, there was no doubt Cane would kill him. And this time, it probably wouldn’t be considered self-defense.
“This pregnancy thing is making me fucking crazy,” Cane said. “It’s the only time I can remember not knowing what to do. I want her to eat so the baby gets vitamins, but it’s a double-edged sword. She’ll just puke it up, then I have to worry about that. It’s a fucking nightmare.”
I chuckled. Seeing Cane worry about someone other than himself still caught me off guard sometimes.
“And now she has these hormones going through her and she just starts crying. And I have no idea why. I left the toilet seat up this morning. She cried.” He looked at me wide-eyed. “For fuck’s sake! I’m screwed anyway I go.”
“Has she told you to put the seat down before?”
“Yeah, but it’s hard to remember in the middle of the
night.”
I laughed a little louder. “Maybe it’s not about the seat. Maybe it’s about you not listening to her.”
“This isn’t funny, Max.”
“I never said it was. I don’t envy you.”
He leaned back and then stood slowly, smirking. “Yes, you do. You’d give your right nut for Kari to be pregnant right now.”
Standing and stretching out my long legs, I spun my Saints hat around on my head. “I’m not sayin’ I wish things with Kari weren’t more serious.”
“So why not make them that way?”
“It’s not that simple.”
Cane didn’t say a word, just watched me, waiting on me to explain. I rapid-fired through memories, trying to condense everything into a few words.
“If Kari is anything, it ain’t simple,” I muttered. “I just don’t know what to do with her. If I act like I’m not paying attention, not pressuring her for anything, she relaxes. She allows herself to get into a routine with me. She’ll stay at the house, talk about things, be a normal human being. But as soon as she thinks I’m pushing, she backtracks. Reminds me we are just about sex.”
He tilted his head, chewing his bottom lip. “There was a time when I loved those words—‘we are just about sex.’ Now we’re sitting here talking about how to make things more fucking complicated. What the hell is wrong with us?”
I laughed at the appalled look on his face.
“We’re turning into women. Those women,” he said, glancing down the hallway, “are ruining us.”
“I’m not a woman. I still have my freedom. Now you, on the other hand, are fucked.”
“You’re fucked, too, asshole. It’s not like you’re out getting some strange pussy. Just marry her and get it over with.”
I shook my head in frustration. “I ask her all the time. And she always says, ‘Not today.’”
“Want me to talk to her for ya?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely not.”
“I’ve always said you’d need me one day. Maybe now’s the time.” The cockiness that was Cane’s trademark was written all over his face. “Yeah. Let the guy that knows what he’s doing help out.”
I rolled my eyes and walked to the kitchen, tossing my cup in the trash. “I don’t know what I need to fix this shit, but it’s not you.” I watch Cane toss his bottle in the trash. “She’s it for me, Alexander. She’s the one. I just need her to see it.”
Cane grabbed my shoulder as he walked towards the island. He leaned against it, crossing his arms in front of him. “She sees it or she wouldn’t still be with you. Maybe she wants you to get on one knee and all that bullshit.”
“If I go doin’ that, she’s gone. There’s no way she won’t run. I just . . .” I looked out the window at the leaves swaying with the breeze. “I need to figure out what she’s so scared of. That’s the key. And then change her perception.”
This book is the product of a few people specifically:
My family, I don’t know how I got so lucky to call you mine, but I thank God I do. I love you all.
Books by Adriana Locke, so many of you asked for more Cane & Max! I hope you enjoy!
Heather, if you hadn’t pushed me to finish The Exception originally, this novella wouldn’t be necessary. Thank you for being you.
Kari, you get me like no other person on the face of the planet. I could thank you for a million things, but I’m going to assume you know what I mean since you always do. <3
Jen, I’m pretty sure the majority of this book was written as I talked to you while I walked around the park. Thank you for always listening and never getting impatient. You’re the best.
Susan, you asked for this book from day one. Without your “What happened in Vegas?” messages every week, I never would’ve written this. Huge hugs, lady!
Mandi, the boys are back! ;) No worries if you don’t make it through Family Day—I got Love Burns covered. Ha!
Michele, you are always so enthusiastic about beta-ing my work and this was no exception. Thank you for reading and making sure Cane wasn’t too much of a romantic. I appreciate you!
Tiffany the Bibliophile your love for Cane never waivers. I love your dedication to him and your texts (even when I forget to check them!).
Charlie Hunnam Forever, your enthusiasm for all things Cane never fails to make me smile! And your posts do, too, but that goes without saying.
Joy, you never fail to encourage me in every crazy idea I come up with. I am so blessed to know you. One of these days, we will meet!
Jillian, you literally have a gift for proofreading. Your attention to detail and willingness to drop everything and help me out amazes me. I love you, your heart, and your friendship.
Randa Lynn, my Ouiser, you took time out of your writing to read mine. There aren’t enough words to express my gratitude or love.
Stephanie, you always drop what you’re doing and update my Goodreads. You are one of the sweetest ladies I know and I appreciate you SO MUCH.
Suzie, thank you for pushing me to do this sooner rather than later. You single handedly changed the way this was done.
Ashley with Escapist Freelance Editing, thank you for whipping this manuscript into shape! Sorry about the sentence structure. I’ll work on it. ;)
Christine with Perfectly Publishable, you never cease to amaze me. I’m a fan for life.
My Instagram girls, you know who you are. You make social media fun! MUAH!
To each and every blogger out there that gives their time and energy so willingly for next to nothing in return—THANK YOU. You give so many of us a chance to succeed by helping get our words to readers. Sending each of you a huge hug!
Last but so certainly not least, thank YOU. It is not beyond me that you have a million titles to choose from. The fact that you chose mine means the world to me. Thank you for selecting my book. I hope you enjoyed it.
I love you all.
xo,
Addy
Adriana Locke lives and breathes books. After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the flawed bad boys created by other authors, Adriana has created her own.
Adriana resides in the Midwest with her family. She spends a large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. She loves to be in the sunshine and always has a piece of candy in her pocket.
Besides cinnamon gummy bears and random quotes, her next favorite thing is chatting with other readers. She’d love to hear from you.
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The Connection Page 9