Caden
I held the note to my chest, and lifted the rose to my nose. I felt like I was in a romance novel, but that could have also been because of all the endorphins I had released last night. A giggle escaped from me as I smiled and closed my eyes to relive the night one more time. I felt myself getting excited all over again, and knew that it was time to start thinking about my day instead.
Pulling on my dress, I walked downstairs. On the kitchen table were more hand-picked roses in a glass of water, and a small note letting me know that the coffee was made for me and that Caden had taken an Uber to work, leaving me the key to his car. Looking toward the coffee pot, there was also a stainless-steel travel mug for my use on the drive back home. I poured the coffee in, almost letting it spill over as I was still in my mind’s fantasy world, and replaced the pot, turning off the coffee maker. Floating to the front door, I slipped on my shoes and took one last glance at Caden’s beautiful house before walking out. Unlocking his car door, there was one more rose on the driver’s seat with a last note telling me to have fun with the car.
“Heck yeah!” I squealed to the trees around me and jumped in. I pushed the overhead button to release the convertible top down and put the key in the ignition. The radio blared. I changed the station to an old song that I could sing to, and put the car in gear. Pulling out, I pushed the car to its max before each shift and smiled at the thought of everyone going to work this morning, envious of me singing to the radio with the top down, living in the dream world of Caden Zahn.
Pulling in to my own driveway, a sense of relief washed over me when I saw that LJ still had not returned. Confusion sat in again. Was I throwing away all that LJ and I had wanted, in exchange for some weekend with a man I’d just met? Caden had saved the weekend for me in so many ways. He’d made such amazing and passionate love to me the night before, after being a gentleman for the first two nights. He’d given me the key to his car and paid for a ride to work. He’d taken me shopping, fixed dinner for me, and taken over a company for me.
I shook my head to try to clear the euphoria seeping back in and focus on the day. I had been MIA from work all weekend, and all week before that if I were being honest with myself, and I needed to make sure everyone was on track for the week. I switched off the ignition and went to the door, which I surprisingly found unlocked. Fear grasped at me for a moment, but I opened up the door slowly. Nothing looked amiss. I decided I must have left it unlocked when I left with Caden.
I went to my computer on the counter and picked it up to bring it to the kitchen table. I froze. There was an envelope on the table in LJ’s handwriting that simply read, “Car.” Putting down the computer and sitting at the table, I stared at the envelope for what felt like minutes. What did it say? What did I want it to say? Today seemed to be a day of notes, the first three from Caden, and now this one.
Car,
I’m sorry. I told you why I left you, and I meant everything I said. I got jealous that someone else could take my place, even though I knew it wasn’t my place anymore. I saw you with him after I left, and I now know that you stayed with him last night, and I want that for you. I want the happiness that this man seems to be able to give to you. I will sign anything you need to give you the house in full, and I am going to go stay with Scott for a while.
I should have never left you without saying anything. I will always be sorry that I broke your heart and left the way that I did. I’m ready to settle down here, and you still have the explorer in you. Go explore.
Love,
LJ
A tear dropped down on the paper, smearing the word “explorer.” I was sad about LJ. I was happy that he was giving me the freedom to see where things could go with Caden. I was still confused as to what I really wanted. Caden had shown me what it was like to have fun again and be in a new relationship, but would it always feel that way? I needed to see LJ again. I couldn’t let this be the way that our relationship ended. I grabbed my phone and sent him a text asking to meet me for lunch. He replied right away that he could meet me, but only if I could come for a coffee now, as he had an appointment later. I texted back, letting him know that would be all right.
I got up from the table and went upstairs to get dressed, but what does someone wear when they could be seeing someone for the last time? Was black appropriate? After all, wasn’t the end of a relationship the death of someone for someone else? I decided that dark colors would suffice and picked a casual pair of black shorts with a gray t-shirt.
Part of me still wanted to look good for him; I still wanted him to want to fight for me. A pair of black canvas wedges with an ankle strap accentuated my calves, LJ’s self-proclaimed favorite part of my body. Running to the bathroom, I brushed my teeth and swiped on my mascara and lip gloss again, pinned the sides of my hair with bobby pins to keep it out of my face but still long in the back.
The noise of a text popped up on my phone. It was from Caden. “Thinking of you as I get ready to walk in to my meeting. Last night was amazing.”
A lump formed in my throat, as I knew I should tell Caden that I was meeting with LJ. I had promised him that I would give us the space to be without the interference of LJ, but I felt that I had to see LJ one last time. To make sure we were both making the right choice.
I didn’t want to distract him right before his big meeting, though, so I simply texted back: “Good luck! Thank you for the notes and flowers this morning!” and shut off the sound from my phone.
One last glance in the mirror, and I was ready to turn out the light and make my way back out.
The car. I couldn’t drive Caden’s car to meet LJ. Grabbing the keys to my Golf, I jumped in, wishing I was back in Caden’s convertible. As I drove, I took note of all of the familiarity of the road from our house to the store. This had been our life that we built together. The broken tree that marked the right turn we needed to make. The stop light that seemed to never be green. Without that stoplight, the drive would be 5 minutes instead of seven. Then, I arrived at the café next door to the convenience store that was LJ’s life.
I parked and turned the car off. LJ’s five-year-old Honda Civic was parked outside, as he had probably been at the store this morning before we made plans for coffee. His car reminded me of him—nothing fancy, but comfortable. Even the color was a neutral beige. The color of an old couch, and the inside of it just as lived in. While I kept my car impeccable and treated it like a prized possession, he argued that cars were like houses—they should be lived in and feel like a home. I loved to take drives, he loved to get comfortable in the destination. The convenience store was his anchor, a family for him, and he was the father. These comforts kept him happy, and I had gotten used to his type of happiness.
I had gotten comfortable as well, but I didn’t know if that’s what I needed anymore. There had always been this part of me that knew that with LJ, I’d never get to see the world as I wanted. LJ had used the word “explore.” That was exactly what I had been wanting all of this time, and he must have felt my wanderlust.
LJ looked out of the coffee shop door at me. I forced a half-smile and took a deep breath. It was time to face the divergence my life had thrown at me. I opened the door and shakily got out of the car, watching him watch me walk to the door. He opened the door for me as I got close.
“Hi, Cara,” he said softly as he kissed my cheek. “I got your favorite.” He motioned to the table that we always sat it, all the way in the back beside the bookcase.
As we walked back, my heart sank. I didn’t know what I was going to say, or what I even wanted. Taking a seat across from one another, I could see that his eyes were red, with bumps to the outside of his right eye that appeared if he had cried.
“LJ. I…” I started crying. “I don’t know what to say or do. I just knew that we needed to see each other.” I put my head in my hands.
“Cara, please know that wasn’t me at the beach. I didn’t expect for you to be with someone else down there, and I was
knocked off kilter. It meant that leaving you had been the right thing to do, and there was no chance of getting you back. I will apologize to him as well, if you want. I promise you, I just want you to be happy,” he spoke softly still, as if he couldn’t bring himself to fully project a voice from his throat.
“I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry,” I babbled as my crying continued. “I have loved you for so long, and I never meant to find someone else. I don’t even know what that relationship is, yet. I don’t know what to do. I just don’t know.”
LJ scooted his seat beside mine and put his arm around me in the comforting way he always did. Turning my face to fit in the crook of his arm, I wept. I knew this was it. I was losing LJ and the comfort of everything I knew, to wander into the unknown. Into another man’s arms, it seemed.
“You’re a strong woman, Cara. I wish I was enough for you, but we want different things. You’ll always have a desire to do something more, and I will always want the comfort of staying right here. If not now, we would certainly have to cross this path later,” LJ said, hugging me in a bit tighter. Without any warning, his lips pressed against mine.
“Oh my God.” I moved out of his arm and sat up straight. “We shouldn’t do this, LJ.”
LJ just dropped his head, “I know. I guess I just wanted one last kiss. I wanted to make sure I’d made the right decision. Losing you is hard, you know?” He got up, tipped my chin to face him, and mouthed an inaudible, “goodbye.”
He walked away. I put my head back in my hands and wept until my tears dried.
Glad I was in the back corner of the coffee shop, I raised my head to look around and see if anyone had seen me crying. As I scanned the room, toward the front of the shop, my eyes stopped at another pair staring back at me. Graham.
Chapter 18
Caden
I had to get up and out of the house before Cara was awake, otherwise I might not have ever left the house, or the bed. I had laid in bed for hours, listening to her breathe and occasionally stealing a glance of her silhouette against the light from the outside. Even in the dark, she was breathtaking, and I had to remind myself of the weekend and evening I had just had.
In a mere ninety-six hours, my life had turned upside down. I had left Richmond single and somewhat content with where things were headed. I had come back after taking over my stepbrother’s company, and feeling myself falling in love with a woman.
I sat in my office at MaidenTech, sipping from my mug of coffee, hoping that caffeine might help clear my head and allow me to focus on the day. My official take-over wouldn’t actually happen until the papers were drawn up and emailed over for me to digitally sign. It was already a few hours into the workday and I was anxious. I had avoided many of the employees while I mentally prepared for my speech to explain what exactly had taken place over the weekend.
“Caden, are we still on for our ten o'clock?” Alex stuck his head around the corner of my office door and waited for my answer.
“Let’s hold off until this afternoon if that’s okay. We’ll have a quick company meeting and I’ve got a few things I need to wrap up.” The moment I finished my sentence, the email popped up on my laptop. The official documents.
“Sure thing,” Alex said and then hesitated. “Sounds like I missed a great weekend, lots of excitement.” Alex smirked and rolled his eyes. He had been with the company almost from the very start. He and I had grown close and he had become my right-hand man. I felt bad I hadn’t given him the heads up of what was happening, but I couldn’t risk saying a word to anyone else until it was official.
Clearly word had already spread about the drama Graham had created, or whatever gossip Graham had decided to spread himself. “I wouldn’t call it excitement,” I said to Alex. “Stress, yes. Either way, I can fill you in before the meeting. Just let me get these things wrapped up.”
Alex nodded and disappeared down the hall. I quickly opened up the attachments in the email, read through them, and clicked to digitally sign them. Everything appeared in order. The new shares of the company would be transferred to me and I’d be the majority stakeholder in the company.
It was done. No sooner had I sighed in relief, when I heard Graham’s voice echoing down the hallway. “Hey, hey…great weekend, right? What do they say? All play and no work…or something like that?” Graham laughed at his own stupid joke, trying to buddy up to the employees he’d flat out insulted over the weekend. His voice grew louder as he held on to the edge of the doorframe and swung into my office.
“What are you—” I began.
“Hey, big bro. Nice weekend, huh?” He laughed again, and then set the coffee he was holding on the corner of my desk. “That’s for you, picked it up at this little coffee shop down the street.”
He had a smirk on his face as he eased himself into the guest chair in my office.
“Graham, what the fuck are you doing here? You’re done here. Until we work out the details of your exit, you shouldn’t be here.” I could feel my face getting hot. “You need to go now. There’s nothing you can do or say to change things.”
I watched as Graham leaned back in the chair and kicked his feet up on my desk, right next to the coffee he had just put down.
“All of this over a girl? Seriously, Caden? Are you that hard up to get laid that you’re going to oust your brother from the company he started?” Graham crossed his feet and dangled his worn flip-flop from his foot. “Maybe you should reconsider. You know how much I’ve done for this company.”
“No Graham, I don’t, and no, this isn’t about me getting laid or about some girl. It’s about what you’ve done to this company, how I’ve felt sorry for you. But now I’m taking back what I’ve created. It’s done. The majority shares are mine. It’s as simple as that.”
Graham kicked his feet down to the floor and stood up looking down at me. “Fair enough, but I'm sure you'll reconsider. If not, I'm sure I'll have plenty of money to live off of and can use a little vacation. Just remember, I offered, especially since your mind will be elsewhere.” He chuckled as he pulled out his phone and tapped away. A moment later my phone vibrated with a new text, from Graham. “Just a little something that made me think of you while I was picking up that coffee.”
“I don't have time for your games.” I grabbed my phone and swiped to open the text. It was a picture of Cara kissing LJ. My heart sunk into my stomach as I stared at it. “What is this?”
“Don't you mean when? It was this morning.” Without saying another word, Graham left.
My entire world had just caved in on me.
* * * * *
Thank you for the note and flower. Having fun with your car. See you tonight. C.
I stared at my phone, reading the text over and over again. My thumbs hovered over the screen, prepared to type a response and then erasing it again.
“So much for giving us a shot,” I said in a strained voice to myself. The tension in my chest grew tighter as I paced quickly back and forth in the office.
“Caden?”
“What!” I snapped back without looking back at the door. I took a minute to regain my composure.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering whether I should gather everyone together for the company meeting. It’s almost time.” Jessica’s voice softened as I spun to look at her. All five feet of her tiny frame almost cowered just inside of the doorway as she waited for my answer.
“Jess, I’m sorry. No, I’m going to put it off until tomorrow. I…” I scrambled for a good excuse as I bit my lip. “I have a few things I need to finish up and I don’t want to rush them. Let’s do it tomorrow. Same time.”
“Sure thing,” she said as she scurried out of my office.
I quickly looked back at my phone and hovered my thumbs over the phone again. I wasn’t sure I was up for seeing Cara, especially after I knew what she had been up to that morning. I closed my eyes and imagined the conversation, him begging her back. I clenched my jaw, wanting to text back how I fel
t. Instead, I took a deep breath, held it and exhaled.
How could I have been such a fool to believe she wouldn’t run back to him? I wanted to believe there was a good explanation, but then again, there couldn’t be a good enough explanation as to why her lips were on his.
Change of plans. Meet me at 3pm at Fire & Water.
I hit send, not really caring whether she was going to be there or not. I had already forgotten she had my car, might be at my house or whatever it was she had been doing. I wondered what happened beyond the kiss. The more my mind wandered, the madder I became.
See you there! <3
I rolled my eyes at the heart, stuffed the phone in my pocket, and headed to Fire & Water to start drinking. It didn’t matter that I was an hour early—I needed a drink.
A short Uber ride later, and I sat on the far end of the bar at Fire & Water. The large garage doors to the patio were open, allowing the summer breeze to blow in the humidity and bugs. Luckily the dress code I had created at MaidenTech was casual. I was happy I had settled on a pair of jeans and light-colored t-shirt for the day. The stickiness of the day had already set in and I was mildly regretting picking this location for our meeting. I kept the stool next to me open for when Cara finally arrived.
I had replayed the conversation I was about to have with Cara in my head a million times. I knew exactly what I was going to say and how I was going to say it. By the second cold IPA, I had revised my speech, and I was midway into my third beer when Cara showed up.
The moment she walked through the door, my head spun. She was gorgeous and exactly like I remembered a few hours earlier. Then the wave of reality hit as she approached and smiled. Those lips had been on another man not long ago. It made me cringe.
“Hey you,” she said as she smiled and leaned in to kiss me. I briefly turned, giving her my cheek.
“Hey to you, too.” I could feel the coldness come over me. My nerves were on edge as every word I had practiced vanished from my head as I stared at her beautiful face.
Torn_An Alpha Billionaire Romance Page 10