Cane heard him whisper to Colby followed by the sound of the television growing faint. A door clicked, and Jason’s sharp tone came across the line. “All right, dude, chill out. I know your sisters are pushing the Angelle thing, but this is legit. The Court of Two Sisters had a cancelation. They can squeeze us in, but they need a firm head count. This is important to Colby, and I’m not going to let you jump all over her because you’re in a pissy mood.”
Cane scrubbed a hand over his face. Now he felt like an even bigger ass.
Colby’s heart had been set on that restaurant from the beginning. It was where Jason had taken her on their first date. But after changing the wedding date to accommodate out of town guests and settling on the weekend before Christmas, they’d been booked solid by the time she’d made reservations.
“Shit. I’m sorry.” Cane released a heavy breath. With his right hand, he squeezed his temples where he felt a headache coming on. “It’s just been a bad morning.”
“Don’t sweat it.” Jason’s voice was back to easygoing, confirmation he was a better friend than Cane deserved. “It happens. But you know if you need to talk it out, I’m here. Hell, you’d be doing me a favor. Colby has us making gift baskets for out of town guests right now.”
Cane chuckled, scratching the side of his jaw as he considered Jason’s offer. As a rule, he dealt with his shit on his own. But at this point, what the hell did he have to lose?
“Ah, I screwed up with Angelle,” he said, scrunching the pillow behind his head. “Shit happened, and now she hates me.”
The phone went strangely silent. Then, “So did I catch you on the drive back home?”
Cane’s restless foot stilled. “No,” he admitted. “I checked into a Holiday Inn.”
His best friend of more than thirty years laughed. He quickly covered it by clearing his throat, but he laughed. “Let me make sure I have this straight. The girl you’ve been trying to get with for half a year hates you. You’re sticking around in a small town where no one knows you but her. And now you’re alone in a hotel room, snapping my head off. Girls getting pissed at you is nothing new, but it bothers you that Angelle is.” Jason’s voice was thoroughly amused as he asked, “Did I get that right?”
Right here, this was exactly why guys didn’t do the talking thing. Jase was lucky this conversation was happening over the damn phone. “Yeah, you got it. Now forget it. Just tell Colby I’ll be home late tomorrow night, and no to the plus one, all right?”
He was seconds away from hanging up when he heard Jason say, “Hang on, man.” Without really knowing why, Cane lifted the phone back to his ear. “You know I was just busting your chops. But damn, this girl’s done a number on you, hasn’t she?”
Cane huffed a breath. “Yeah, I guess she has.”
“Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited for a woman to knock you on your ass?” When Cane didn’t answer, Jason did for him. “Years. More than a decade. But the day Angelle walked into that diner, I knew it was just a matter of time.”
Cane’s headache pulsed between his eyebrows. “Did you miss the part where I said she hates me? Because she does. And it’s probably better for her if it stays that way.”
It was the truth. He wasn’t throwing in the towel—he was in too deep to give up that easily. But even as he wanted Angelle to forgive him, he knew it’d be better for her if she didn’t. He was a Robicheaux, after all.
Jason grunted. “That’s a load of bullshit.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” he replied. “And I’ll say it again. That was a load of bullshit, and I’ll tell you why. It’s not true. You like Angelle. A lot. But you’re as stubborn as Colby. You think that if you let yourself care about this girl, any girl, you’ll hurt her. That you’ll cheat and break her down, just like your old man did to your mom. So you pushed her away. But you’re not your dad, Cane. You wouldn’t do what he did.”
Jason’s words released a flood of memories. They flashed and banged inside Cane’s brain. The helplessness of hearing his mother cry in her room. The anger of hearing his dad on the phone with her. He’d seen the cracks in his mother’s smile. Saw the pain she tried hiding from her family and friends. But Cane had known the truth. And after things got better, when his parents had reconciled and Cane had forgiven his father, he never forgot. His mother went to her grave believing she’d kept her husband’s infidelity and personal agony a secret. Cane would go to his remembering it.
Remembering was the only way he could make sure the cycle ended with him.
Cane closed his eyes. “I may be my own man, Jase, but you can’t know that I’m any different. Hell, I already hurt Angelle. That’s proof enough.”
“Proof that you’re human,” Jason replied. “Relationships are real, man. They’re messy. People screw up, they say asinine things, and then they suck it up, grovel, and move on. It comes with the territory. But the big stuff, like cheating? That doesn’t. And even if it did, you’re too stubborn to let it.”
He wanted to believe what his friend was saying. And it did make sense. He’d like to think his mother’s pain would be enough to keep him from ever doing the same thing. Even if it did, that didn’t mean he’d be any good in a relationship. “Angelle can do better.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Jason exhaled into the phone. “You’re an overprotective freak who puts the women you love on a pedestal. If you ever got your head out of your ass, you’d see you’ve had Angelle up there with Colby, Sherry, and Emma for months. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
Cane opened his eyes, followed by his mouth, prepared to tell Jason his head must be in his fiancée’s ass. Cane didn’t do love. Never been in it, and didn’t plan on changing that. But when he went to say it aloud, the words wouldn’t come.
One thing his friend had right? Cane was an overprotective freak. Angelle brought out that need unlike any woman he’d ever known. She also turned him on unlike any woman he’d ever met. Neither of those things had diminished after last night. They’d only grown stronger.
Angelle didn’t need protection. She was tougher than she gave herself credit for. But he still wanted to be the one to keep her safe, from the world and from men like his father…men he’d feared he could be like. But as Cane’s beliefs continued to realign, he realized Jason was right about another thing. He wasn’t his father. And the reason he finally knew that was because no other woman could possibly tempt him away from his green-eyed hellcat.
“Shit.”
Jason chuckled, but otherwise stayed quiet. Surprising, since he’d been full of hot air earlier. But damn if he hadn’t been right.
“I love her.” The words sounded strange rolling out of his mouth, but Cane knew it was the truth. And she wants nothing to do with me. “Why the hell didn’t I know this before?”
“Because you’re an idiot,” his friend suggested, clearly enjoying this.
Cane again found himself wishing this chat were in person so Jason could see the obscene gesture he’d flipped him. But he wasn’t mad at Jase—he was pissed at himself. Now that the foreign emotions clanging around in his chest made sense and he finally knew how he felt, panic was welling like a levee that had been breached.
“What if she doesn’t forgive me?” he asked, more aloud to himself than for an answer.
“You make it so that she has to,” Jason said, answering anyway. “And for added pressure, I’m putting you down for a plus one. Now you have no choice. Unless you want to owe me eighty bucks.”
Cane shook his head, but damn if his heart wasn’t pounding. He’d caught the Robicheaux love curse. Only with Angelle, it felt more like a boon.
“And hey, man, I’m sorry if I overstepped my bounds earlier,” Jason said. “It’s just you deserve what I found with Colby, and for you, I think that’s Angelle.”
Smiling for the first time since he’d left her arms, Cane nodded. She was it for him. “No, we’re good. I needed a kick in the ass.” Then remembering J
ason’s earlier words he added, “Or my head taken out of it.”
He didn’t have a plan. Didn’t know how he’d convince her to give them a real shot after what he did. But he’d figure it out. He had to. Cane wasn’t just going to be Angelle’s first. He was going to be her only. Her forever. She simply didn’t know it yet.
When a knocking sound came from the other end, followed by Colby’s muffled voice asking for the phone, Cane was still smiling. A matchmaking assault would be much easier to handle now. Maybe he’d even let his sister in on his latest discovery.
“Hey, big brother.” As expected, Colby’s tone definitely implied she was up to something. “I just got off the phone with Sherry, and she mentioned Angie sounded a little down.”
He sat up, his smile beginning to fade. Could she have told Sherry what had happened? “She did?”
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Colby assured him, allowing Cane to breathe easier. “Just if you can, try to make a big deal out of her birthday today, okay? Girls really love that.”
The last of the smile on Cane’s face died, along with any chance he had for forgiveness.
…
The posse was in full force. Everywhere Angelle looked in her mama’s kitchen, a relative or friend was standing around, eager to offer a strained smile or wish her a happy birthday. The false cheer was like thousands of tiny little icepicks stabbing her brain. Bless their hearts, they all meant well. And she loved them for trying. But the last thing Angie wanted today was a freaking party.
“Never was one for birthdays, huh, Little Red?” Lacey pushed up onto the kitchen island, ignoring the empty seat in front of her, and handed Angie a cookie. Now that she could get behind. “Listen, I don’t know what went down this morning between you and that handsome piece of fake fiancé beefcake. It seemed major, and you both looked miserable. But you know if you need me to, I’m willing to scrap.”
Angelle bit into her much needed chocolate fix as her cousin lifted her arms, flexed her lean biceps, then ducked to press a kiss on each.
Eyes alight with humor, Lacey declared, “With these bad boys, I can totally take him. Even if he is bigger than Goliath.”
Angie rested her head on her cousin’s lap, grateful for the gentle teasing. No one had a clue why she and Cane were on the outs—no one other than maybe her parents, that is. Even with Lacey’s behind-the-scenes info, the truth was too embarrassing for Angelle to admit. So instead, she’d been vague all day, knowing how bad she was at lying. She’d said they’d had a disagreement, which was true—she disagreed with his choice to leave her naked and alone in a loft. And that they were taking time off to think, another truth. All Angelle had done today was think. Think about why Cane had shown up. She’d been so sure he’d taken off after getting what he wanted. She’d thought about the dozens of unanswered questions swirling in her mind. Questions she could’ve had answered that morning, had she not been too afraid to hear them.
If the choices were drive herself insane with thinking, have family members walk on eggshells around her, or let her cousin distract her with crazy antics, Angie definitely chose the latter.
Lacey combed her fingers through Angelle’s hair. “No one messes with my baby cousin.”
Taking a breath, Angelle sat back up. “Eighteen months and three days older, Lace. Any chance we can drop the baby?”
When a flash of guilt crossed her face, she nudged Lacey’s knee to show she was teasing. Because she was. Mostly. She knew that none of the pet names really meant anything. They were just habit. A pattern the town had fallen into over the years, and she’d allowed it. But those names only reinforced the idea that Angelle was weak. Hopeless. And she wasn’t. If nothing else, Cane had taught her that.
She had an inner hellcat.
“Consider it done. But girl, you know I didn’t mean nothing, right?” Lacey’s bright red lips pursed in a frown, one that lifted when Angelle nodded around another bite of cookie. “Good. Because believe me, with the way that beefcake looks at you? No one’s confused on that issue. It’s pretty obvious that since you left Bon Terre you’ve become all woman…if you know what I mean.”
The way Lacey’s head bobbed up and down, a knowing smirk on her face and crude noises emitting from her throat, Angie was sure even young Sadie would know what she meant.
Angelle shook her head, feeling her lips twitch despite the emotional storm raging inside her chest. Growing up, her cousin had been her closest confidante and the next best thing to her very own Dr. Ruth. Lacey was just as sex-crazed as Sherry. Angie’s continued “hymenally challenged” state after eight years with Brady had been a frequent topic, so it shouldn’t be a surprise now. But with the status change so recent, and Angelle’s complete lack of a poker face, there was no fighting back the smile.
She dropped her gaze to the countertop, but she wasn’t fast enough.
Cackling, Lacey thrust a finger in Angelle’s chest. “I knew it! Spill your guts, woman. I need details, stat!”
Angie actually laughed. A feat only Lacey could manage on a day as sucky as this one. “Lord, I’ve missed you,” she said, smiling at her cousin while skillfully avoiding the topic at hand. “You have to come visit me in Magnolia Springs. Just remind me to hide my roommate when you do, because I don’t think the town’s big enough for the two of you.”
Lacey handed her a second cookie from the plate and winked. “Deal, but only if you introduce me to a hunky firefighter or two while I’m there.”
“You got it.”
They tapped cookies in agreement, and Angie took another huge bite. One benefit of her birthday misery was the unlimited snackage. Cookies, cake, ice cream, comfort foods. If everyone could leave her alone with her riches, she’d be halfway to the ultimate breakup cure. Add in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and a box of tissues, and she’d be good to go.
“Now there’s the smile I remember.”
At the sound of her ex’s voice, Angelle and Lacey exchanged a glance. What began as sweet, friendly behavior this morning was bordering on annoying. Brady’s doting left no question—in anyone’s minds—that he wanted to get back together. Even more obvious was the division her family and friends had taken concerning the two men in her life.
Two men.
Ha! More like zero men. Brady was great, but he didn’t make her heart jump. As for Cane, he’d broken her heart, but she couldn’t deny he’d made the shards shake when she saw him. She’d been so sure he was out of her life—if he’d ever really been in it to begin with. But after his shocking appearance at the park that morning, he was one big question mark.
It seemed the only thing not under question was Lacey’s position. She was firmly on team Cane. So when a sly grin curved her lips and she glanced at Brady, Angelle knew she was up to something.
“Yep,” she said, “I knew I could make Angie smile. All I had to bring up was—”
“How much I love chocolate!”
Wide-eyed, Angelle shot Lacey a look. As crazy as the woman was, she didn’t think her cousin would actually disclose the details of her sex life to her ex…but with Lacey, you just never knew. The mischievous smile she bit off was proof of that.
Brady’s head slanted, his eyebrows furrowed, as telltale warmth flooded Angelle’s cheeks. Yep, she was as bad a liar as ever. Luckily, the ding of the doorbell kept her from making it worse. Jumping to her feet, she exclaimed, “I’ll get it!”
With a released breath, she scooted into the hall, the words saved by the bell running through her head. But as she got closer and closer to the front door, her eager footsteps slowed.
What if it was Cane at the door?
The thought both terrified and excited her.
Rubbing damp hands on the rough denim of her jeans, Angelle wondered what she’d say if it was. At the park, she’d let fear get the best of her. After she woke up alone, she’d tried convincing herself that she no longer loved him, that it’d been too soon, and his leaving destroyed any tender feelings she may’
ve had. But the second she’d spotted him, dark circles sitting like half-moons under his eyes, dark hair mussed and jaw in need of a shave, she’d known just how bad of a liar she really was.
Lacey was right—he had looked miserable. Almost as miserable as her, which didn’t make any sense. He was the one who had left. When she went to return his ring, it had devastated her. It was like giving up on a dream that she hadn’t quite admitted to until that morning. But then Cane had refused to accept it.
Was it possible he did care for her, and this was one huge misunderstanding?
It appeared as though she was about to find out.
Angelle closed her eyes, shook out her hands, and whispered, “I’m a hellcat.” Then with her shoulders back, she strode forward and tugged open the solid door.
It wasn’t Cane. Unless he’d shrunk, de-aged about fifteen years, and developed a wicked case of acne. The teenager in front of her was a stranger, an oddity around Bon Terre, and in his arms was a huge bouquet of flowers, a rectangular box in which she spotted the word chocolate, and a tutu-wearing teddy bear. Not a total replica of the one she’d given Sadie, but darn close.
Tears that had been sitting under the surface, just waiting for an excuse to come out, sprang to her eyes. It might not have been Cane at the door, but she felt his presence as strongly as if it were.
“Angelle Prejean?” the young man asked, shifting the flowers so he could read the name on the bright white envelope inside.
Hand over her mouth to contain a sob, Angie nodded. Through the slats of her fingers she said, “That’s me.”
“Awesome.” He thrust the flowers forward as the sound of nearing footsteps echoed behind her. Lacey arrived in time to accept the teddy bear and box of chocolate-covered cherries. Removing a clipboard from his bag, he asked, “Can you sign this?”
Lacey made a move to take the flowers, but Angelle tightened her grip. Sunflowers were her favorite, and the fact that Cane knew that made her chest ache. Holding that bulging vase of sunflowers, roses, and lilies was the closest thing she had to him, and right now, she needed it. Angie shifted the weight to her left side and quickly scrawled her name on the paper.
Seven Day Fiance: A Love and Games Novel (Entangled Bliss) Page 17