Deceptive Cadence (23 page)

“Seriously, where are we going?”

“I’m going to throw you off the harbor bridge.”

“You’re hilarious,” I responded as he smirked. I turned and saw his bag sitting on the backseat. He had to have some hint in there, so I lunged at it.

“Hey!”

He tried to stop me, but I was too quick. I pulled it onto my lap, and with his hand trying to grab the zippers, I managed to open it. “My swimsuit and board shorts? And your board shorts too? James! Are we going to the beach?”

“You need to stop being so nosey.” He pulled his bag out of my hands and tossed it into the back. But he wasn’t upset—he wore a wide grin.

I giggled. “My first beach trip for the season and it’s with you. I’m so excited! James, you’re the best boyfriend ever.”

His smile widened as he gave me an adoring glance.

We arrived at the beach and found it surprisingly quiet. A few groups of teenagers hung around, also skipping school to avoid the holiday rush, but aside from that, only one small family knelt in the sand building sandcastles together.

James guided me straight to the change rooms to put on my swimsuit, then we ran into the water. Still being early in the season, the water felt like ice. I shrieked and pulled back. He laughed and lifted me off my feet, walked out until the waves crashed around us, and dropped me.

I sprang out and clung onto him. The freezing water made my heart pound, but my momentum, along with a wave crashing into us, knocked us both back in. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled us back up. As we resurfaced, he burst out laughing. “You’re such a girl!”

“Shut up!”

He held on to me as he walked out beyond the break. We stayed out there and talked for an hour. The cold soon seemed to be not as bad as we swam around in circles. He slowly moved closer to me until our faces almost touched. His gaze fell onto my lips as I talked, making me pause. He didn’t even notice I’d stopped talking as he stared at my lips, so I kissed him.

He clasped my face and kissed me eagerly. Despite the cold, his lips against mine filled me with warmth and excitement. I ran my hands down his back, and noticed something. I pulled back and looked at his chest. “Wow, you’ve filled out.”

He grinned and flexed. “I know. I did weight training, remember?”

I ran my hands over his chest and shoulders. He’d always been toned, but he’d bulked up, making him look like more of a man and less of a teenager. How had I not noticed it before? I bit my lip, feeling more attracted to him than ever.

He watched my face as I ran my hands over him. “You like it, huh?”

“Mmm.” My breath caught as his pectorals twitched under my touch.

He pulled me closer, my sudden awareness of his muscular arms making me gasp before he kissed me. We fell into a long kiss with so much feeling from both of us pouring into it. I couldn’t believe how crazy I was about him, and how much I’d missed out on the first time around.

When he let go, he said, “Cadence, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Oh James.” I stroked his face as I stared up at him, my heart pounding.

“Every day when I see you, I wonder how I got so lucky.” He rested his forehead against mine. “This year has been the best year of my life.”

I stroked his cheek. “James, you’ve made this year so much better than I could have ever hoped.”

He smiled and let out a long breath. “Happy birthday and anniversary, Cadence.”

"You too, James."

We made our way out of the water and found a fish and chips shop. We took the paper package to a picnic table overlooking the beach by his car. As he set up, I rushed to my bag and pulled out my present for him. I handed it to him as we sat to eat.

He opened it eagerly. “A gift card for Pavarotti’s Pizza! Perfect! You know me too well!”

He leaned over and kissed me.

After we’d eaten and he’d tried to make a seagull eat a Panadol pill to see if it would explode, he pulled out a present for me. “I hope it’s okay if I combined three presents in one.”

I opened it and stared in awe at a gold necklace with an intricately woven heart pendant. Inside the heart sat a small, clear diamond. “James!”

“Is it okay?”

“James! How do I even . . .” I ran my fingers over the heart. “This . . . it’s beautiful!”

“Just like you.”

My heart melted. I leaped up and jumped onto him, kissing him passionately. His hands found everything on the table somehow, and he packed up without breaking away from me for a moment. He guided me over to the car, tossed everything in the front seat, and pushed me onto the backseat.

He climbed on top of me, pulling the door shut behind him. He had his hands all over my face. It felt so intense, so intoxicating, that I couldn’t resist him. I wrapped my legs around him as he pressed down on me.

“Cadence!” he moaned excitedly. “You’re driving me wild.”

“Shut up and kiss me.”

He rubbed up against me, our board shorts sticking and pulling together. I stroked his bare back, enjoying the feeling of his muscles flexing as he rubbed up against me.

“Cadence?”

“Yes?”

“Are we . . . ?” He pulled away and stared at me. “Shoot! Not here!”

He jumped off and climbed out of the car, slamming the door. I sat up, breathless, and watched him sprint to the beach and jump into the waves.

Then I came to my senses and slapped my forehead.
Crap!
We’d been leading to sex! And worst of all, in the back of a
car
. A freaking
car
!

As James walked back, I bit my lip. He was so attractive, and every inch of me screamed to have him. I cursed my raging teenage hormones. It wasn’t hard the first time around because I hadn’t cared about someone like I did James. I hadn’t desired someone like I did him.

But I had to resist. Austin needed to be my first and only, even if I couldn’t feel anything for him yet. I knew I would eventually.

James opened the door and squatted in front of me. “That was intense.”

I ran my fingers through my damp hair, avoiding his gaze.

“Are you okay? You look a little rattled.”

“I, ah . . .” I looked into his eyes. “I wanted it, really bad. I can’t do that again.”

He nodded and clutched my hands. “I know, I understand.” He shifted up onto the seat beside me, then lifted my chin. “It’s going to be harder from here on, but I will do all I can to respect you. You mean too much to me to mess things up like that.”

“Thank you, James.” I snuggled up into his arms. We sat in silence, just enjoying being together.

We returned to school so we could pick up Dusty just as the end of day bell rang. We sat in the car together, feeling something different between us. It wasn’t just him who wanted more, but both of us. But that
more
was off limits.

He stroked my leg, staring at his hand as it made its way up and down my thigh. His desire for me poured out of him, but he held it in. I appreciated that, knowing what it meant.

Geri leaned over and pounded on my window. I opened it as she grinned. “How was it? Man, I wish I could have gone to the beach today. It’s been so hot!”

James grinned, all the pent-up tension instantly disappearing from his face. “It was great. I love seeing Cadence in her swimsuit.”

Geri laughed. “You perv!”

He shrugged. “Would you like me to look at you instead?”

She leaned in and punched his shoulder. “You’re creepy! Cadence, he’s creepy. How have you put up with him for a year?” Her face was right next to mine as her eyes twinkled.

“I dunno.” I sighed. “He’s kinda cute, I guess.”

Geri squeezed his shoulder, giving it a good feel. “Oh, yeah, okay, I’ll give you that.”

“Cadence.” James grunted. “Your friend is feeling me up.”

Geri smirked and her hand wandered onto his chest. He shoved her off and she burst out laughing. She pulled out of the car and winked at me. “He’s only getting better with age. Love ya, Cay-Cay!”

I waved as she ran off, and turned to see James staring at me with that same intense desire. My breath caught as I gazed into his eyes. Finally, I managed to say, “Don’t let my dad see you looking at me like that.”

He blinked. “Huh?”

“Tonight, at dinner? He’ll kill you.”

“Oh.” He rubbed his face. “I think it’ll be easier once Harper is whining in my ear.”

A moment later, Dusty burst in and started rattling off his day in James’ ear. James glanced at me as he started the engine and mouthed,
That’ll do, too
.

NINETEEN

Mum and Dad agreed to let each of us kids have a couple of friends over for New Year’s. Somehow I managed to weasel my way from two to four, so I could have Melanie and Brian with us. That also meant Dusty and Harper complained and ended up with four, too.

Harper and I sprawled on the couch watching the clock tick by on the wall.

“This is the longest hour of my life,” she said.

“Longer than your exams?”

“Yeah. At least I had something to do.” She shifted and pulled at her black tank top. “It’s so hot.”

“Harper, do you think you’ll move out when you go to uni?”

“Wow, segue.” She flipped over to look down into my face. “I dunno. I guess it depends on which school I get into. I mean, Newcastle or Charles Sturt would definitely mean a move, but the Sydney ones, maybe not.”

I remembered when she moved out as soon as she lined up something in the city the first time around. She’d met her future husband with some friends during that first year, and I wondered if going to university instead would prevent her from meeting him. I hoped not. Daniel had been great for her, and still would be.

“I hope I stay local,” she said. “I’d like to stay at home and mooch off Mum and Dad.”

I giggled.

She smiled and brushed her fingers through my hair. “Cadence, thanks for not being such a brat this year. It’s nice to have you to talk to, like when we were little.”

I didn’t want to say her attitude made all the difference and make her angry, so I just smiled. “It’s been nice to have you to talk to as well.”

For a moment, her whole face lit up, but then she flicked my cheek. “You’re such a sap.”

Movement outside the front window made us both sit up.

“Who do you think that is?” I asked.

“I hope it’s Loz,” she responded, referring to her best friend. We both leaped to our feet when the doorbell rang, but she shoved me back onto the couch as she rushed to the door. She opened it, and looked noticeably disappointed. “Oh, it’s you.”

“Shut up, Harper,” Geri responded. “Let me in.”

Harper moved aside. Geri opened the screen door and grinned at me. She rushed over, grabbed my arm, and pulled me into my bedroom. She sat me on my bed, then flopped beside me. “Okay, so, I know it’s been a few weeks, but I could tell something happened on your birthday with James.”

My stomach knotted. “What?”

She sat up, her eyes wide. “I’m right, aren’t I? Cadence!” She rushed over and shut the door. She shot back to my side and grabbed my hand. “Did you guys . . . you know?”

My cheeks burned. “No.”

“Really? I kinda got that vibe from him over the last few weeks. He’s been staring at you really intensely.”

I glanced toward the door, hoping Dad wasn’t listening on the other side. “We didn’t go that far. Things heated up a bit, but we stopped. We agreed that we’re not going to go there.”

She stared at me, her mouth hanging open. “Really?”

I nodded. “I don’t want to have sex yet. I wanna be an adult first so I can be smart about it, and not do it just because I can.”

“But you’ve been with James for a year, and you’re sixteen now, too. Cadence, I’d even say he’s in love with you. He’s the perfect guy to be with. He’s not going anywhere, and he’ll be gentle with you.”

I glared at her. “I don’t need to have sex, Geri.”

“I’m not saying that. I’m just saying you and James work. I think if you were both five years older, he’d totally wanna marry you. So, if you were to do it, I would totally understand.”

I scowled and turned away from her. I wrapped my arms around myself. “I’m not ready.”

“Is it because of your dad?”

I turned to her alarmed. “What?”

“I’d be scared to do it, too, if I had a dad like yours.”

“No! That’s not it at all! I mean, I respect my dad not wanting me to, but this is my decision.
I
don’t want to.”

“Okay, okay.” She leaned back and stared up at my ceiling. “But if something does happen, know I’ll be here for you and I won’t tell anyone.”

I rested my head on her shoulder. “I know, you always are.”

Later that night, we all crammed into the living room, talking loudly while the TV played to itself. Dad watched me closely with James. It made me uneasy. I felt like he knew what happened and it riddled me with guilt.

“Cadence!” Harper yelled. “It’s your turn to fill the punch bowl!”

I jumped up, pulling free of James’ arm around my shoulders, and dashed into the kitchen with the bowl. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, when Dad came up behind me. I jumped and turned to face him, and found him smiling.

“Cadence, I must say, I’ve been very impressed with James of late.”

“Oh?” I tilted my head, hoping my guilt wasn’t written across my face.

“Yes. Your mother told me about the gift he gave you, and he’s been very respectful to you. It seems my initial concerns were unnecessary.”

I forced a smile. “He’s good to me. I really like him.”

He touched my hair. “I know you do, and I can see he really likes you, too. I’m proud of you, Cadence, for being so careful who you date, and sticking to your boundaries. You are such a good girl.”

I almost burst into tears and confessed everything when he wrapped his arms around me, holding me in a tight embrace. But I couldn’t tell him. He would forbid me from seeing James and would never look at me the same way again. I shut my eyes and squeezed him, swearing I’d never go that far with James again.

I returned with the refilled punchbowl, and as I set it down, I instantly felt James’ hands on my waist.

“Hello, beautiful,” he said in my ear. “Since that kiss worked perfectly last year, I have every intention of taking it again.” He softly kissed my ear, making me smile.

Melanie shuffled up beside us and sighed. Something was wrong with her—I’d sensed it all night. She was quiet and closed off from Brian, so he spent most of the night talking to Geri instead.

“Hey, Mel,” I said gently.

She grunted her response, then shoved food into her mouth.

“Is everything okay?”

She shrugged, but didn’t look up at me.

James let go of me and took her arm. “Hey, come with me.”

She let him lead her away. I scanned the room, looking at our friends. Harper’s friends had been with her as long as I could remember. They were good and loyal, and stuck with her no matter what.

Dusty’s friends were typical little eighth grade boys―a hint of nerdy and about to step into the awkward ‘trying to be cool and notice girls’ stage. I noticed one staring at one of Harper’s friends, obviously already entering that stage.

I looked at Geri and Brian. They’d known each other since kindergarten, and were comfortable just chilling out together. They talked casually, not really paying much attention to anything else. I smiled, feeling lucky to have such good friends.

I sat beside Geri. Brian sat up straight and looked me over. Was he
completely
mad? He was with Melanie, and I was clearly tied to James.

In the middle of Geri’s sentence, he said, “Hey, Cadence.”

Geri paused and raised an eyebrow. “Dude, I was
talking
.”

“Sorry, I just didn’t want her to think we were ignoring her.”

“I’m fine, Brian,” I responded. “Go on, Geri.”

She continued talking and I closed my eyes, just enjoying listening to her voice.

“Are you tired, Cadence?” Brian’s voice cut in again.

I opened my eyes. “No, I’m fine. Stop interrupting her.”

Geri huffed before she continued. A moment later, James came over and shoved himself between me and the arm of the sectional. Geri raised her eyebrow, but didn’t miss a beat. Melanie slipped in and sat in front of Brian, but apart from shifting his legs to give her space, he didn’t even react.

I stared down at Melanie, realizing the source of her somber mood. Brian was blowing her off. I threw him an icy glare, and found him staring at me. He flinched at my look, and turned his attention to Melanie, softly touching her hair.

Was he
crazy
? Melanie was
way
prettier than me. To make him stop screwing up his relationship with his apparently lingering feelings for me, I leaned back onto James’ chest. James’ arms wrapped around me and he kissed the top of my head.

Brian saw the exchange of affection and sunk back into the sectional.

James shifted my hair so he could whisper in my ear. “Why did you invite Brian tonight?”

I sighed. “For Melanie.”

“Is that the only reason?”

“Of course.”

His right arm tightened around my middle while his left came up and touched my jaw so he could pull my ear closer. “I remember you went on a date with him. There’s no lingering feelings between you, is there?”

I turned to look into his eyes. I saw a hint of jealousy, but mostly pain. "No. The only person here I have feelings for is you."

The pain and jealousy vanished in exchange for adoration. “I thought so too, but Mel is pretty upset and says he still likes you. She believes he took the invitation as a hint that you were maybe interested in him.”

“That’s crazy!”

“I said that too, but . . .” He sighed. “You should talk to her before we leave tonight.”

“I can do that.”

Geri shrieked as Dusty dumped a cup of water over her. He swung around, startled, having no idea he’d done it, and she stood and ripped into him. He stepped back and stared up at her, wide-eyed and frightened.

“Geri.” I reached for her arm. “It was an accident.”

“Stupid little brat should be paying more attention and not flinging his arms around wildly!” Geri hissed into his face.

Dusty looked to me for help.

I jumped up and pulled him away, taking him back to the safety of his friends. There, he turned to me and said, “I didn’t mean to. Geri’s totally nuts.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “She’s just wired from all the sugar.”

“Hey! The countdown is about to begin!” one of Harper’s friends called out.

They hit ten, and I turned to see James leaping to his feet and looking at me. I rushed across the room, unable to look away from his smile. As they hit two, I jumped into his arms and he kissed me.

One . . .

Freeze . . .

Everything fell silent. I pulled away from James and saw everyone frozen in time. I’d forgotten about this. The man in white hadn’t come to me once all year.

Looking around, Geri grinned up at James and me, and my parents had their lips pressed together. Everyone else stared at the TV with anticipation as the fireworks from the harbor were about to ignite.

Except Melanie. She stared at Brian with a sad longing in her eyes as he stood beside her, apparently watching the TV, but really watching me and James out of the corner of his eye. I glared at him, rested my left hand on my hip, and slapped him across the face.

“You jerk.”

“Cadence.”

I turned at the voice. The man in white, again dressed as Father Time, stood by the front door. He stepped over to me with a scowl. “Was that really necessary?”

I looked back at Brian. “Yes, it was.”

He bowed his head. “If that’s how you feel.”

He reached out and touched my shoulder. Like the previous year, my feelings and memories of Austin and Melody overwhelmed me―her tiny hand wrapping around my finger as she nursed, his eyes watching in total awe and devotion at the sight of his little family when he arrived home from work.

I stumbled back onto the couch as my heart swelled with love, grief, pain, and a new feeling . . .

I looked up at James, again locked in a kiss, and felt . . . torn.

“What’s happening?” I tugged at my hair.

“Things are changing,” the man said. “This timeline has strayed a long way from your original past, and now it’s not just a few people who are affected.” He gestured to the people in the room. “Everyone here has been touched by the different choices you’ve made. Harper is happier, and so her friends aren’t as weighed down by her bad mood. Dusty has an older brother figure, so he feels bolder around his friends and is becoming the leader of their little pack.”

He turned me and led me to my parents. “Their marriage is stronger because they aren’t so burdened by Harper’s bad choices, your string of boyfriends and social dramas, and little Dusty being bullied.”

He stretched out his hand and motioned to Melanie. “And Melanie Gordon has discovered she is likeable. She looks in the mirror and sees she is not a nobody. She has even started to believe that maybe she might be pretty to someone.”

“Melanie is beautiful.” I stepped in front of her and looked into her gray-blue eyes. “I wish she could see it. She fights it so much, but I truly feel that if I continue being her friend, maybe she’ll finally see what I see.”

He leaned in behind me and spoke softly into my ear. “Very good, sweet Cadence. Do you want to know what happened to Melanie in the other timeline?”