“I don’t know. I guess…well, what I’m thinking is that he’s keeping the distance for your own good. Not to hurt you, but to give you a chance at better things. I’m sure you probably think he’s being selfish by not calling or texting, but maybe he’s being selfless by allowing you the chance to live your life instead of setting you back. A selfish man would have kept you around and not given a damn what your parents had to say. A selfish man would have stopped you from living your life, but instead he set you free.”
Wow. I had no words. Literally, none. Morgan, all though a goofball, was almost like Buddha. She was wise and real and genuine and I loved that about her.
“Anyway, good night. We have workouts in the morning. You know how that goes.”
“Yeah.” I forced a small, quiet laugh. “Good night, Morgan.”
Morgan’s snoring started up minutes later. I should have been sleeping too, but all I could think about was what she’d said. She’d hit the nail right on the head. It was almost like she’d known Cane personally.
Cane told me repeatedly that he wanted me to live my life…so why the hell wasn’t I doing that already?
Chapter Twenty-Two
CANE
Work was kicking my ass. My personal life was too.
I had meeting after meeting, flights from city to city, and on top of that, my mother and sister were up my ass like never before.
I guess I couldn’t complain too much. Mama had just gotten out two weeks ago and was doing good so far. She put a lot of time into baking again and I was glad she was happy doing it, but having her call me every three to four hours, asking me to send her some money to buy more supplies that were just going to sit around in the kitchen, was exhausting. And I couldn’t forget Lora, who loved manicures and pedicures and massages and shopping sprees.
And there was Kelly…but that had been handled for the most part. Ever since I told her I knew she was a patient at Polly Heights, she’d kept her distance, but it didn’t stop her from calling or texting and asking if she could visit the office or my home. I never responded to any of them, hoping she’d eventually give up and disappear.
There was a tap on my door and I called for the person to come in. Cora trotted in with a manila folder in hand. “I have your contract for Monhagen ready to go,” she announced, meeting up to my desk and placing it on top of the piled paperwork. “Do you want me to get some of the others out of your way?” She looked at several of the signed papers spread across my desk. “Yes, please, but be sure to look over them for me, will you? My damn eyes are starting to cross with this new deal.”
She laughed, taking some of the papers. “Of course, sir. And new deals are a good thing.”
“I agree. Oh—before you go, can you clear my schedule for the rest of the day? I have someone to meet in two hours but I’m not sure how long I’ll be with them.”
“Sure. Would you like everything pushed to tomorrow, same times?”
“No. Let’s push everything to next week if we can. Important seminar, remember?”
Cora gave a quick nod, tucking the papers under her arms and leaving the office. I was stressed from it all, but I refused to let the stress get to me.
After failing to close the deal with Zheng, many of my investors began to draw back. To hold onto the few that still had hope in my business, I had to pull a few tricks out of my sleeve and make promises that I’d hoped would pay off.
For the most part, it had worked. I did what I had to do to keep my business afloat. Were the things I did fair? No. It caused me to lose a good chunk of money, but at the end of the day, it had to be done.
My phone buzzed as I pushed out of my chair, going for the carafe of coffee on the stand. After pouring myself a mug, I took a glance at the screen.
Kelly was calling. I hit the decline button, sipping the coffee and dropping in my seat again.
After signing off on a few papers, my phone buzzed again, but this time it was a text from Lora.
Lora: Since you won’t be here tomorrow, can I go to your place to use the hot tub and watch movies?
Me: I hardly ever use the hot tub, Lora. Have fun. But no bullshit.
Lora: Yeah, whatever. Ready for ur flight?
Me: Still can’t believe you got me into doing this shit.
Lora: Oh, shush. You’ll be thanking me later. I’m tired of your wallowing. Plus this is the perfect time to build back up and get what you want!
I shook my head, sipping my coffee. My eyes shifted over to the sofa by the window. It was the last place I’d shared with Kandy. I don’t know why I hadn’t gotten rid of the damn thing yet, considering it was from Kelly.
Funny thing was Mindy sent the flash drive to my office several weeks after my incident with Derek. I rolled it between my fingers, stared at it all day, before caving and plugging it in to watch it.
I could understand why D was so pissed. I’d fucked Kandy on that couch like my life depended on it. From any man’s perspective, it seemed I was hurting her, but truthfully, I was giving her my all, a piece of myself that no one else would ever have.
I hadn’t spoken to Kandy in weeks, and that alone tore me up inside. I avoided sharing phone calls and text messages with her because I knew it would only lead us to regrets, and she deserved more than that. I didn’t have it in me to give her false promises, so saying nothing was better. Still, I missed the hell out of her.
Hell, I missed the whole family, and maybe the decision I’d made a few days ago wasn’t a wise one, but it was happening. There was a chance it could fuck everything up and put me back at square one, but it had to be done.
Chapter Twenty-Three
KANDY
My phone buzzed constantly the day after the party, and even the day after that. It was a good thing it was the weekend. I had no reason to bump into Brody. No classes to go to and MPA meetings were only scheduled during the weekdays. Speaking of, I wasn’t looking forward to that following Monday. We had a meeting, and I was thinking about being a no-show.
Saturday was a free day, so I spent that time lounging in the study room with Morgan, where there were bean bags and recliners and ottomans, to read a new book I’d picked up from the book store.
“Hey, you guys hear about the thing happening tomorrow at DeBartolo?” Morgan asked, plucking an earphone out and looking between Gina and me.
“No—what thing?” Gina skimmed through her textbook, a pen tucked behind her ear.
“I don’t know. Supposedly, it’s for students who are striving for a brighter future and want to run their own e-commerce or business. It sounds cool. After this whole college thing is over, I would like to open up my own daycare center and maybe even sell baby clothes online. I used to knit with my mom.”
“Really?” I asked. “You, Morgan Page, running a day care and making baby clothes?”
“Like, with actual kids in it?” Gina egged on.
“Yes, with kids!” Morgan flailed her hands. “I love kids, believe it or not!”
“Gotta tell you, darlin’, I don’t see you as a kid-loving person,” Gina teased.
“First of all, screw you,” Morgan said with a middle finger pointed in her direction, fighting a smile, “and second of all, I do love kids! I’m majoring in early childhood development and everything. Please come with me, guys! It’s only supposed to be for an hour. We don’t have practice tomorrow morning either, so it’s a win.”
Gina groaned. I shrugged. I had nothing better to do anyway. “I’ll go with you,” I said.
“I guess I will too,” Gina muttered. “But if it’s borin’, I’m walkin’ out. Not even kiddin’.”
“Yes! Okay, deal!”
Sure enough, the next day, Morgan, Gina, and I were walking up the steps that led to the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. I tugged on the collar of my coat, relieved when Gina swung the door open and a gust of heat licked my cheeks.
“Fuck, it’s cold out there!” Morgan hissed. “Gonna end up freezing my damn tits and ass off a
t this school!”
“Might as well get used to it.” Gina took off her scarf. “Just wait until it starts snowin’. You’re gonna want to punch someone in the face with a cold fist.”
I laughed with them as we walked down the corridor. To my surprise, the room where the program was being held was filled with more people than I thought. The rows were mostly occupied in the back and since Gina and I weren’t that into the program to begin with, we let Morgan choose where to sit. Big mistake. She took the first row on the left, right in the damn front.
I read over the pamphlet that was placed on my seat. It didn’t say much, just had the name of the program listed at the top and a stock image of a woman smiling way too hard while typing on a laptop beneath it. What had Morgan dragged us to?
Sighing, I placed the pamphlet on my lap to pull my cellphone out of my coat pocket, needing to return my text to Frankie. We were both excited. We would be seeing each other in a month for Thanksgiving and I couldn’t wait to squeeze the life out of her and play catch up.
Just as I’d send my text, I heard deep, boastful voices.
I glanced over my shoulder at the door, spotting Leo coming into the room. Trailing behind him was Brody.
“Oh, shit.” I ducked my head.
“What’s wrong?” Gina asked.
“Brody’s here,” I mumbled, keeping my head low.
“Oh…shit.” Morgan looked over her shoulder. “He’s taking a seat in the back. No point in hiding though. He’s staring right at you.”
“Figures.” I sighed.
I sat up higher in my chair, keeping my focus on the podium up front instead. I was glad a young woman walked behind it a few minutes later, starting up the program with introductions.
During the woman’s speech, I could feel eyes on me from behind. Her voice was a buzz, but I did my best to concentrate and ignore the burning glare on the back of my head.
It was impossible.
I hadn’t spoken to Brody since the night of his birthday and deep down I felt awful. He constantly sent text messages and called with no luck. He’d even left voicemails with sincere apologies, but I couldn’t push myself enough to call back and talk. I knew I was going to have to face him eventually, tell him the truth. I just needed to figure out the right words to tell him.
“…He became nationally known when he was only twenty-seven years old, and is now one of the highest paid multi-millionaires in the country. Please give a warm welcome to our surprise guest, Mr. Quinton Cane!”
Wait…
WHAT THE FUCK?
Chapter Twenty-Four
KANDY
If I thought my heart was beating too fast over Brody being around, it was literally about to rip right out of my chest when that name was called.
Suddenly, this program had my full attention. I picked my head up and looked to the left of the podium as my peers clapped, and couldn’t believe my eyes.
Walking up the steps that led to the stage was a man I thought I would never see again.
My mouth went bone dry and my throat thickened as he crossed the stage in a white button-down dress shirt with a dark-purple tie and black dress pants. His hair was in the same style I’d always remembered, but a little messier, like he’d been running his fingers through it before coming up. His facial hair was gone. There wasn’t a single trace of stubble on his face, and as badly as my heart was beating, it surprised me that I still wanted to go up there and run my fingers over his chin to feel if it was as smooth as it looked.
I fidgeted in my seat, spine stacking as I watched Quinton Cane, the first man I’d ever been in love with, step up to the podium with a bold, charming smile. He shook the announcer’s hand, then faced the crowd, those piercing gray-green eyes bouncing over the audience. And then, with one simple flicker down, those eyes landed on mine.
My breaths faltered, palms sweating like mad. My blood felt like it’d run cold, my lips parting, unable to form words. Truly, I was speechless. Had he planned this seminar, just to see me? Was this some mere coincidence? Did he think we wouldn’t bump into each other here? Why hadn’t he told me he was coming? He had my number. What was happening?
Judging by the stunned expression on his face, I assumed he hadn’t planned on running into me either. At least not so soon, if at all. Considering how big our campus was and that it was the weekend, the odds of running into each other were slim. But we had. Fate was a funny motherfucker, and I was tired of having her fuck with my head.
Cane spoke and introduced himself, his eyes sliding to mine every few seconds. I tried avoiding his eyes too, but after so many weeks—months that felt endless—it was impossible.
He looked…different. His eyes weren’t cloudy and gray. They were clear and vibrant. He looked…clean, like he’d changed his look purposely, just for a fresh start.
My mind circled back to all the things I knew about him.
Was Kelly still in the picture? Was she here right now for the program? I looked around the auditorium, but didn’t see any sign of her. That’s good.
Time ticked by slowly, and Cane spoke carefully and diligently, but it didn’t stop him from finding me in the crowd and speaking while holding my eyes. To anyone else, it would have looked like he’d just chosen someone to focus on, while talking about business and life and how to be confident, but to me, he was trying to tell me something—maybe even beg for something. It was almost like he was…apologizing.
After a while, I couldn’t sit in that large room, listening to his deep voice bounce off every hollow corner, crawling under the thin layers of my skin and seeping it’s way back into my soul. Instead, I pushed out of my seat, passing a quick whisper to Gina to let her know I was going to the restroom.
I dashed down the aisle, purposely avoiding Brody’s eyes too. I knew he was watching me. I could feel the heat of his eyes on me like lava.
I hustled out the open door and marched down the hallway until I found the women’s restroom.
“Holy shit,” I gasped, like I’d been drowning before and had finally resurfaced. “Holy shit. Holy shit.” I paced the bathroom, squeezing my eyes shut, grateful no one was in there. This can’t be real. No way. I thought I’d never see him again. Out of all the places he could be, he was at my college? Unbelievable. He had to have planned this.
I needed to calm down.
I refused to go back into the auditorium until it was over. After turning on the faucet, dipping my hands beneath the stream of water, and swiping two wet fingers under my eyes, I snatched out a paper towel from the holder, dried my hands and face, and then walked out of the bathroom, hoping to linger in the hall until it was over.
I should have stayed where I was because standing across the hall, waiting for me to come out, was Brody. He picked his head up quickly when he heard my steps. “Kandy,” he sighed.
I froze in my tracks as he came closer.
“How are you?” he asked with a forced smile. His eyes were filled with so much remorse that I wanted to punch myself for doing that to him. Don’t get me wrong, there was relief and hope, but more guilt masking his features than anything.
“I—I’m good,” I murmured.
“That seminar is pretty boring, huh?” he laughed, pointing a thumb back at the open door.
I shrugged. “Kinda. Why’d you come anyway? Doesn’t seem like your kind of thing.”
“Leo dragged me to it. You know how that goes.”
“Morgan dragged me here too, so yep. I know all about it.”
He put on a smile. Took another step closer. “Listen, Kandy, I’m really, really sorry about the other night. I shouldn’t have been so forward like that. I should have backed off. I think I pushed you too far and made you remember some things you didn’t want to remember and if I did, I’m sorry.”
“Brody, it’s okay. Really. I should be the one apologizing.”
“Apologizing?” He looked stumped. “For what? You did nothing wrong.”
“No, I did.” I looked
at the door where the seminar was being held. I could still hear Cane talking, and my belly twisted into a knot. “I shouldn’t have led you on like that. I shouldn’t have kissed you if I wasn’t ready. It was wrong of me to do that.”
“Wrong?” He smiled crookedly. “I liked the kiss, Kandy. More than you know.”
The body of students in the auditorium cheered and I couldn’t hear Cane’s voice anymore.
Brody came toward me and tipped my chin. “I don’t regret anything except making you uncomfortable that night.” He studied my eyes. “I’m sorry,” he pleaded.
I looked up. “There’s no need to be sorry. It’s fine.”
“I was too pushy, I know it.”
Just as he’d said that, I heard footsteps. I looked toward the door and immediately wanted to snatch myself away from Brody. It wasn’t Morgan or Gina coming to check on me.
Cane was walking through the door, and his eyes were right on us. In an instant, his nostrils flared, his eyes shifting down to the hand Brody had on my chin. He didn’t stop walking, though. No, he came toward us, shoulders broad and chin in the air. His eyebrows had stitched together along the way, his glare still on the hand touching me.
Fuck. What. Is. Happening?
I was trapped between the present and the past and it made my lungs feel too small for my own body.
“Kandy,” Cane greeted, and Brody finally pulled his hand away, which made Cane look at him. “You are?”
“Oh, I’m Brody, sir. Brody Hawks. Football player here.” Brody extended his arm, offering a hand. Cane took it and shook firmly. Probably a little too firmly. Brody put on an uneasy smile, but I could tell he wanted to frown by the death grip. “I, uh, liked your speech in there. Very inspiring.”
“How would you know it was inspiring if you were out here flirting?”
Brody finally gave him the frown he’d been holding back on. “I…didn’t realize you’d noticed. I apologize if my absence offended you, sir.”
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