Love and Chaos: A Growing Pains Novel

by K. F. Breene

  Besides, Marcus would just call her vanilla.

  “Anyway, what is your gripe?” Cassie asked, hanging out near the couch. She didn’t want to sit and get all creased.

  “Your hunk took me to Home Depot, of all places. He insisted on a makeover for both of our backyards. Then, he spent the rest of the day sweating in my backyard.”

  “Marcus, don’t try to tell me you didn’t enjoy that last part.”

  “I couldn’t—that’s the gripe.” Marcus looked toward the kitchen and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Peter was home. If it were a normal man, we’d have watched him together. But his brother…I might never forgive you for this.”

  “I know what you’re saying, Marcus! Just stop it,” Peter called in mock severity.

  Marcus gave Cassie a look that said see?

  Cassie laughed and gave to the count of ten. She made it to three.

  “Okay, forgiven. But I am still miffed.” Marcus took a seat on the couch.

  “Did anyone tell you Ben is going to paint our relationship? He was all gaga last night.” Cassie asked, heading over to lean against the mantle.

  “No! Really?” Marcus said as Peter brought out a cheese and cracker plate. The two of them did entertaining in their sleep. They were a perfect pair. “That is outstanding news. When Ben gets inspired, it means there is some magic at hand.”

  “So I should tell Sean that, right? That’ll help?”

  “You shouldn’t say anything to Sean. Let Jason handle it, honey. That man has all but peed on you—he hasn’t, right? You’re a wild one when you get riled up. Tell Uncle Marcus, did he take you to new heights last night? You both seem very…je ne sais quoi today. Great sex can really rev the spirit.”

  “Jace has always been good at everything he tries,” Peter offered, returning to the kitchen to get the drinks.

  “Ew. Shut up.” Cassie failed to hide her smile.

  “Anyway, your young hunk will figure out the best way to keep you his, don’t you worry. That man is like Sean in a lot of ways—he sees what he wants, and figures out the best way to get it. Just let the man work.”

  “I agree, sweetie,” Peter called. “Jace doesn’t give up on people, and will not let you go. Trust me.”

  Cassie heard the feet coming down the hall and turned to find that hunk Marcus spoke of. Jace had on a shirt that perfectly molded to his body. Every delicious bump and groove was on display. And then his delicious smell hit her, turning her legs to rubber and her swollen, deliciously sore sexy parts begging for contact. The man was too handsome for his own good.

  “Hi, baby,” Cassie breathed as his gaze hit hers. “Looking good.”

  “Thanks.” He nodded a greeting to Marcus and his brother as he walked over to stand next to her, resting his hand on her lower back. “Marcus thinks I should wear this even though it’s…tight. I feel like a clown, though.”

  “You need to put a sweater over it, honey. You don’t take out the guns until later.” Marcus smiled.

  Peter strolled into the room with two martini glasses full of clear liquid. Cassie shied away immediately, relieved when the glass was passed to Marcus instead of her.

  Jace headed back to the hallway, his soft sigh barely heard.

  “He’s only putting up with me because he knows how important this is to you,” Marcus said in a low voice as he leaned in. “I want hourly updates, too, doll. If I need to call the young stud in the middle of dinner, I can. I have some work issues that’ll throw him off his game.”

  Peter nodded seriously, approving that plan.

  “Thanks, Marcus,” Cassie said with a nervous smile as Jace reemerged from the hallway, pulling a sweater over his head.

  “Ready?” Jace asked, rubbing her back. “I want to get out of here before Peter and Marcus decide to gang up on me again.”

  “Payback’s a bitch,” Peter said with a smile.

  “Sure.” She gave Marcus a small wave as they went toward the door. “How much did you spend?”

  “A lot. He took me to far too many stores. I eventually just let him chose whatever he wanted. It was either that, or knock him out.”

  Cassie laughed as she led the way to her car.

  “I’ll drive,” he said, steering her toward his truck.

  Cassie let him open the door for her and help her up before climbing into his side. He turned the key to start the loud rumble and shake of a diesel engine.

  “I wanted to ask—“ Jace started as he turned out of the parking lot. “Would you mind if I kept my Harley in the corner of your garage until I settle on a place of my own? I don’t like leaving it to the elements for so long.”

  “No, that’s fine. Take a turn here. We’re going to meet Krista. Sean is still at work.”

  “And you met Krista through your brother, right?”

  “Yes. Left up here.”

  “And she’s the one Marcus calls Geek Girl?”

  “Yes. He was talking about her today?”

  Jace merged onto the freeway, following her pointed directions. “Yeah. Giving me the rundown of personalities. It’s nice to know I have people rooting for me. Is your brother really so hard to please?”

  Cassie ignored the rush of butterflies, loving how unconcerned and confident Jace was. She reached over and put her hand on his thigh. “It’s not that he’s hard to please, it’s that he’s an excellent judge of character. He tends to see promise, or lack thereof, pretty quickly.”

  “And you’re worried I don’t have promise?”

  “No, but… I don’t know. It’s just a really big deal to me. His opinion is the most important opinion in the world. I want him on-board.”

  “He will be, baby. We’ll be fine.”

  They pulled off the freeway, and Cassie led Jace to a little dive bar on the outskirts of a strip mall. “What is it with your friends and dive bars?”

  “I thought she was in a café, actually. I wonder if we’re in the wrong place.” Cassie slid out of the truck and slammed the heavy door behind her. “Was a truck this big absolutely necessary?”

  He locked up with his keychain and came around to place a hand on her lower back. “Yes. Big man, big truck.”

  “Tight shirt.” Cassie surveyed the area before checking the address on her phone. She brought up Krista’s name and tapped to call.

  “People in bars talk so much shit, did you know that?” Krista asked in greeting.

  Cassie waved Jace forward. “We’re outside. I thought you were going to go to a café?”

  “Yeah. I was. But Sean is being super demanding at work, so I figured I better have a beer alone to calm down.”

  “See you in a sec.”

  “Bye.”

  Cassie hung up and dropped the phone into her handbag. “Krista isn’t in a great mood, it sounds like. Sean is technically her boss, even though they do great as a team. Sometimes—most times, actually—he can go way overboard on his demands. Being that Krista is an overachiever, she then raises the stakes for herself even higher. She’ll probably be pretty snarky.”

  “I’m starting to think Ben is the only friend that isn’t.”

  They entered the bar and found Krista on a barstool, her phone on one side, her iPad Mini on the other, with a book pulled up, and a beer in the center. Her handbag hung off her knee. Cassie could clearly see the scowl as she and Jace approached.

  “In a crap mood, huh?” Cassie asked as she stood next to her friend.

  Krista looked up from her book and blinked as her eyes adjusted to Cassie’s face. “Does it show? I was trying to advertise ‘not available’. What did I manage?”

  “Bitch.”

  “Ah, yes. That’s my backup. Guys still approach, though. Irritating.”

  “That face didn’t work, huh? Amazing.” Cassie stepped to the side so Jace could step up. “This is Jason, but everyone calls him Jace. He’s Peter’s brother.”

  Krista smiled as her slate gray eyes analyzed the new addition. “Hi.”

  Jace nodde
d in greeting, sitting a stool away so Cassie could sit between them. “Can I get you a beer?”

  “No. This is my second. I don’t want to be drunk before dinner even starts. I have this employee that is literally doing nothing all day. Nothing! It is so damn irritating because then I have to do it all.” Krista heaved a sigh.

  “Should we get one, or should we go?” Cassie asked, putting her hand on Jace’s forearm so he knew not to order yet.

  Krista noticed the gesture, her gaze taking in the contact, and then their body postures. “Get one. I am still in calm down mode. I don’t want Sean getting wind of work problems until he meets you’re beau. He’s worried enough.”

  “Why?” Cassie whined, sitting. “He’s never been so weird about this kind of thing before.”

  Krista leaned her elbows against the bar as Jace flagged down the bartender. “You seem serious for the first time. Kind of going all in. And you seem to be running at it with your customary wild streak, which always makes him nervous because he’s the exact opposite. Or don’t you remember the three years it took for us to finally get together?”

  “Bitter much?” Cassie asked with a laugh.

  “A little bit. You two look like you’re cutting out all that insecurity bull crap that Sean and I specialized in. I’m a little jealous.” Krista slipped her iPad back into her purse.

  “I would usually approach things like Sean,” Jace admitted as he laid money on the counter. “But that didn’t work out in the past, so I figured I would just fall in and let things go where they may.”

  “And how’s that working out for you?” Krista verbally tossed over at him.

  “Well, it’s been a week and I’m in as deep as I’ve ever been. So I guess we’ll just see if she steamrolls me.”

  “Oh, she’ll steamroll you, all right. And pound you, and confuse you, and force feed you shots—I heard you did that to Ben last night, by the way, Cassie. He deserved it, though I hear he feels like crap today. He tried to come into work. He was eight shades of green before Sean sent him home.”

  Cassie stared at her beer. It stared back, promising pain. She really didn’t want to drink it.

  Krista noticed and laughed. “Getting old, McAdams. Your recovery time is getting slower.”

  “Don’t I know it,” Cassie muttered.

  “I won’t make you drink it. C’mon, let’s get the show on the road. Can I have a ride? I came with Sean today.”

  “How’d you get here?” Cassie asked, leaving a full beer behind as she climbed off the stool. Why they needed to get one in the first place she didn’t know.

  “Bus.”

  They walked out to the truck and climbed in. After Jace started the engine, Krista gave directions.

  “Wait,” Cassie interrupted as they got on the freeway. “I thought we were going out to dinner. Are we going to your house?”

  “Yeah.” Krista crossed one leg over the other, negotiating the move since the extended portion of the pickup didn’t have as much room as a normal car. “He wants to see if Jace knows what you stand to inherit—see if he is gold digging like some of your ex’es. I told him you probably didn’t tell Jace, but you know Sean—leave no stone unturned. And now I just stuck my foot in my mouth. Sorry, Cass—it’s been a long day.”

  Cassie’s face went a furious shade of red when she felt Jace’s gaze swing her way. They rode the rest of the way in silence, pulling up twenty minutes later to a huge house on the bluff, overlooking the ocean. The sun was just kissing the horizon, the glittering blue water a beautiful contrast to the fire spreading through the sky. Cassie inhaled deeply, loving this house. Loving its position and the fact they had a private beach just down the sloping cliff.

  “Here we go,” Cassie said in a low voice.

  “Hey, Jace,” Krista said as Jace opened his door. He looked back at her. “Can you give Cassie and me a second?”

  He glanced at Cassie before quietly getting out of the car and strolling toward the ocean with his hands in his pockets. Krista said, “First of all, let’s get one thing totally straight. Sean is not worried sick you found someone; he’s worried you won’t get treated like a princess. He’s worried you’re going to get hurt. He’s barely eating because he’s terrified you’re going to jump into a situation that’ll be damaging and he won’t be able to do anything to help you. And you know he feels like this because you do tend to jump into one terrible situation after that next…”

  “Yeah,” Cassie mumbled.

  “He’s also scared that he isn’t going to like Jace and it’ll crush you. He knows that. This is high stakes for you, but as the guy that raised you, it’s high stakes for him, too. So you do have to cut him a little slack. And it’s not like this is a shocking situation—I know very well you could’ve ended his and my relationship in the beginning if you hadn’t liked me. You put him through hell—he’s just doing the same to you.”

  “I don’t like you. I just didn’t have the heart to tell him.”

  Krista snickered. “Fine. Well, if Sean finds reason for concern, what do you plan to do?”

  “Be really upset.” Cassie let her head thump back on the headrest. “But I love Jace. No, it hasn’t been very long, and sure, maybe some of that is the desire to love in general, but…I really like him, Krista. So…it’ll kill me, but I won’t give Jace up just because Sean is being a douche-nozzle.”

  “Gross. Unlearn that word from Kate, will you?” Cassie felt a body lean on the seat behind her. “He’s hot, I’ll give him that. And has that quiet manly thing, which is good because you talk too much. There can’t be two talkers in a relationship. And I can see how much he cares about you—you guys care a lot for each other. That’s obvious. He seems solid, and he’ll take care of you, I can tell. I see a lot of Sean in him, actually. A lot of Sean.”

  “What is the point of this babbling?” Cassie asked, watching Jace as he looked out into the distance.

  “Do you get your nervous giggle around him?” Krista asked, ignoring her question.

  “Yes. And I act like a doofus half the time.”

  Krista pushed her shoulder from around the seat. “Well, you have my vote for him. I’m not as great of a judge of character as Sean, but I don’t see any warning signs, like I have with the majority of the other asshats you bring around. Now, get out.”

  “Just one more green light to go and I’ll have a perfect set,” Cassie said in a dry tone.

  Chapter 28

  Jace turned as the women opened the door of the truck. He started back over, hating the look of worry on Cassie’s face. He wished he could smooth away her concern, but he also knew what her brother meant to her—what his approval meant. Jace wished he had no doubts they’d attain it. He also wished he had no doubts that she would follow through with her promise and stay with him even if they didn’t.

  He waited until the two girls passed in front of him, liking that Krista patted Cassie on the back comfortingly. They weren’t blood, but they were definitely family. Cassie had a tight knit group of friends and he really hoped he could stay on the inside.

  They entered the huge house, making Jace wonder about the inheritance they spoke of. If Sean owned a mansion on a hillside in an expensive part of the world, it must be large. Before he could think on that more thoroughly, though, they turned right in a huge foyer and walked into a large living room decked out in matching finery.

  A man sat on a plush leather couch, a remote in his hand. He looked up as they walked in, a vivid green gaze taking a moment to connect with Krista, before touching his sister, and finally landing on Jace. The clear, focused stare held command and authority, a man used to issuing orders, but also manipulating within business politics. That and his tailored suit hinted at a high-ranking position.

  Jace recognized Cassie’s facial structure and poise, but beneath that cultivated exterior lay a vicious and capable fighter, Jace would bet his life on it. Sean was a man who would not only stand his ground, he could physically hold it if need
be. He was a force, while Cassie was the chaos, and they’d survived their family together. Jace could respect that.

  “Hi. I’m Sean.” Sean came forward with a balanced step, taking Jace’s hand with a firm, solid handshake.

  “Jace.” He matched the strength in the handshake with firm eye contact, feeling the assessment and vulnerability of being held on a giant scale. Sean could look all he wanted, though. Jace knew his strengths as well as shortfalls, and he was satisfied in what he had to offer Cassie.

  “Welcome. Please, come in and have a seat. I’m told dinner will be ready in about half an hour.” Sean motioned for Jace to sit on the couch. He gave Cassie a hug, next. “Hi.”

  “Hey.”

  “No punch this time, huh?” Sean smiled at his sister.

  “Maybe later, we’ll see how long this charade lasts.”

  Sean gave her a playful scowl. “Be nice.”

  A naughty little grin lit up her face as she took Jace’s hand and walked him to the couch. “How many people did you hire to make the statement of your vast wealth?”

  “I was under the impression you hated my cooking.”

  “Yeah. Good point.”

  “Besides, I usually hire in for dinner parties.” Sean moved distractedly to the recliner.

  “Oh, really? You hire them, hmm? I wasn’t the one that organized?” Krista gave him a scowl before saying to Jace, “He always claims credit for my work.”

  Sean’s focused gaze switched from his sister to his girlfriend. A smile curved his lips. “Sorry.” He rose gracefully, a natural athlete like his sister, and moved across the room to take the seat next to Krista’s. She leaned into him, her irritation from earlier turning into a contented smile and soft sigh.

  It dawned on Jace. This was what Cassie was talking about—what she longed for. What he did. The mutual respect and adoration the two of them had for each other had been built from a solid foundation and deep-rooted love. They cherished the ground the other walked on and would do anything to make their partner happy.

  Well, at least Cassie and he had the same goal in mind. They had the same desires. They also had the love that had already taken root. Now they just needed time and experiences to build that love into something unbreakable and long lasting.