Deceptive Cadence (39 page)

“Stupid kid!” she yelled back. She waved to me as she opened her car door. “I love you, Cay! See ya tomorrow!”

I waved back as she climbed in and drove away.

Dusty squeezed my shoulder. “I think that went well.”

I laughed as we walked to my car and climbed in. “Do you wanna know something?”

He shrugged as I started the engine. “Sure.”

“I think Geri may have a
hint
of a crush on you.”

He swung to face me. “Are you
serious
? Don’t mess with me, Cadence!”

I laughed. “I’m not messing with you. She may not know it yet, but there was definitely nervous energy coming from her when we saw you waiting.”

“Gah!” He grabbed his hair and flopped back against the seat. “What does that even
mean
? You girls are so complicated!”

I chuckled at his reaction. “It means keep trying, Dusty. Just remember how long it took James, and we’re doing great.”

An evil grin swept across Dusty’s face. “Oh, I’d love to be
that
great with Geri.”

I slapped his shoulder. “Hey! That’s my best friend!”

He laughed. “I love you, Cay.”

THIRTY-FIVE

Like I did for his graduation, James sat outside waiting for me. When I received my diploma, I rushed straight out the door into his arms and kissed him.

“I’m so proud of you,” he said. “But how did you
not
get dux? Second place in your grade? Cadence, that’s just not acceptable.”

I giggled. “I’m sorry, I’ll just have to try harder next time.”

But I knew he was proud of me, and I felt the same. The first time around, I’d ranked around the middle of the grade, but this time I deliberately held back. I didn’t feel I deserved that honor since, in a way, I cheated.

He came with my family to a celebratory dinner that night, along with Geri and Daniel. Dusty spent the night teasing Geri mercilessly, and her quick and snappy retorts fascinated me. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it earlier, but they were perfect for each other.

Daniel was far more comfortable with the family the second time around, and to Harper’s delight, Dad even wrapped his arm around his shoulders while they talked.

The next day, after having a fantastic day trashing the school and water bombing the underclassmen with my fellow graduates, James picked me up for a date.

Like all our dates, he made it low-budget―a fast-food picnic by the river―but his company mattered the most to me. We ate, he joked, I laughed. I loved how his gaze always lingered over my face to watch my reactions to everything he said.

Once we’d finished eating, I lay back, resting on my elbows as I looked up at the stars. I sighed, feeling a melancholy wash over me. My second chance was flying by, and I soon faced a time I didn’t want to change in the slightest, but happily wanted to live over again.

When James lay down beside me and kissed my ear and neck, I felt my apprehension rise. Could I choose to go so far away from him? Could I hurt him like that? He’d become my world, my rock, and I loved him so much.

His hand slid under my shirt and ran over my belly. His hand directly on my skin made me forget everything except him. He intoxicated me. Within moments he had me in his car, and we hurried back to his place to make love.

When we finished, I lay with my head on his chest as he stroked my hair. “James?”

“Mmm?”

“You make me so happy.”

He kissed my head. “I’m glad, Cadence. You are
my
happiness.”

I turned my head so I could look into his eyes. “When I was fourteen, and you were bugging me to date you . . .” A grin swept across his face. “I never would have seen this coming. I can’t believe we’ve been together for almost three years.”

“Well, for me, it’s been longer than that.” He ran his thumb down my cheek. “I’ve been counting it from our first kiss at that school disco. I considered myself taken right then, and told everyone I was your boyfriend, but you just didn’t know it yet.”

“You dork.”

“You know it’s true. We made out a lot considering we weren’t actually a
couple
.”

I giggled and rested my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat as his fingers stroked up and down my back. I shut my eyes and sighed.

I sat up, dazed. I’d fallen asleep, and so had James. I glanced around at the digital clock, and its bold red numbers read 5:27 a.m.

A small screech escaped my lips. I was so dead! I checked my phone. Eight missed calls from Dad! Oh, I was
so
dead!

Then I heard the noise that had dragged me out of my sleep—loud banging on the front door. James sat upright and stared at me, his eyes widening as it dawned on him what happened.

“Oh, no . . .”

The banging became louder the third time, and Dad bellowed, “James Gordon!”

James swore, yanked on his pants, and grabbed a shirt as he burst out of the room. I hurried to dress as well, knowing Dad would be up the stairs as soon as James opened the door.

As I pulled on my jeans, I heard the door click open. “David, I can explain―”

“Shut up!” I heard a thud. “Cadence!”

I pulled on my shirt, but felt too frightened to go down and face him.

“Cadence!” His footsteps pounded up the stairs.

Tom and Sam’s doors clicked open and Tom exclaimed, “Mr. Anderson!”

“Where’s my daughter?” Dad said fiercely, a moment before I heard another thud.

I backed away from the door, pinning myself against the wall. My heart pounded wildly as I stared at the doorknob, waiting for it to turn. The door burst open and Dad stood, his glare boring into me.

He rushed toward me. I whimpered and raised my hands instinctively. He grabbed my wrist, yanking my arm as he pulled me out of the room. “Cadence! You . . . oh, you’re gonna get it, girl!”

“Dad! Please don’t―”

“You
knew
, Cadence. You
knew
this was off limits.”

“Dad . . .”

We marched down the stairs. James slammed the front door, locked it, and held his ground in front of it.

Dad paused, his grip on my wrist tightening as his whole body tensed. “Get out of my way,” he said slowly and deliberately.

“You said once she graduated she could move in if she wanted,” James responded calmly.

“But she hasn’t moved in. She’s still seventeen and still lives under my roof. She’s not your fiancée yet,
boy
. In fact, I’m considering taking back my permission for this!”

My heart jumped into my throat as I stared at James. James’ eyes widened with panic, his lips pulled back in horror. His gaze flashed to me, and pain filled his eyes as I realized my own expression must have reflected my own shock and horror.

“Fiancée?” I said breathlessly.

“Cadence, I know you’re not ready for this yet―”

“But you’re ready to screw her again!” Dad snarled. “She’s grounded until she’s eighteen, which means you can’t see her until then!”

“That’s two months away!” James’ voice rose, filled with tension.

“Good.”

“Dad!” My eyes burned with tears.

“No, Cadence! You’re still legally a child and under my care.” He pulled me around and grabbed my shoulders, staring firmly into my eyes. “I’m trying to protect you. You’re lucky I don’t call this in because you’re underage! But for now, I’m calling a time-out for you two so he can cool down.”

“I don’t want to cool down!” James yelled. “I
love
her! Nothing you can ever say or do can keep me away from her.”

Dad stiffened and turned so slowly it was agonizing. “How dare you speak to me like that,” he said in a hushed voice.

“How dare
you
deny her from me!” James stood taller and folded his arms.

“She’s not your wife yet, boy!”

What was all these fiancée, wife, and marriage references they kept throwing around? I pulled away as it all hit me. Dad said he’d revoke his permission, that there had been an agreement for me to be with James post-graduation. James planned on marrying me, and had been laying the foundations for quite some time.

I turned to James, my feelings torn. I loved him so much and I wanted to marry him, but all my memories of Austin flooded through my brain. Then, the most powerful memories of all hit me―Melody.

“Wife?” I said quietly.

James swore, and, ruffling his hair, turned on Dad. “She’s not supposed to know yet! She’s not ready. Now she’s freaking out.”

Dad let out a sinister laugh. “Good. You betrayed my trust. You broke our promise. You don’t deserve her.”

He grabbed my arm, and with one swift movement, shoved James out of the way.

He unlocked the door and threw it open. As he pulled me outside, James grabbed me by the waist and pulled me back. He spun me around and clasped my face. “Cadence, I love you.”

Dad shoved him away, but he pushed back and caught my face again. “You love me too, right?”

“James . . .”

Dad pulled me away.

“Cadence!” He ran after me and caught my arms. “Don’t freak out on me! Please trust me. I wasn’t going to ask you until you were ready. I know we’re both really young, but it’s always been you.”

Dad shoved me into the car and slammed the door in my face. He turned on James and grabbed him by the shirt. “Go take a cold shower. You sound desperate. Two months isn’t going to kill you.”

He dragged James to the front door. I chewed on my lip. I had to say
something
. I threw the door open. “I love you too, James!”

James’ face lit up and he stopped struggling against Dad. “Cadence, everything will be okay, I promise. I’m going to fight for you no matter what.”

Dad shoved him inside and slammed the door. He marched back over to the car and glared at me until I sunk back inside.

We drove in silence most of the way home. I had disappointed and hurt Dad. I pressed my forehead against the window as I stared out. My mind buzzed with thoughts and feelings all trying to outdo one another. Marry James? But I was supposed to marry Austin. I wanted to marry James . . . but I also wanted to marry Austin again.

I glanced across at Dad, who noticed, and glanced back at me. I huffed and looked back ahead.

“Cadence,” he said sternly. “Don’t be like that with me.”

“I’m not being like anything, Dad.”

“Yes, you are! You are seventeen years old! You don’t have a grasp on what it is to be an adult. What he’s asking―what you were
doing
―are adult things.”

He sighed and softened his tone. “I don’t want you jumping into them and looking back five years from now and regretting your choice. I promise you this: Between now and the time you are twenty-five―twenty-one, even―you will grow and change so much. You’re about to go off to university and start working, and will suddenly be faced with bills and debt and choices so new and incomprehensible to you that you’ll wish you were a teenager again.

“James . . . he does care about you, yes, but if you choose him now and next year when you go to uni you find that you’ve grown and changed and suddenly he’s not keeping up, you won’t be able to easily move on. I understand you’ve been together for a very long time, but high school and the real world are two very different places.”

I sighed. “I know, Dad.”

“Do you, Cadence?”

I looked into his eyes. He was worried about me. His concern didn’t come from sex or marriage, but from how much he cared about me. I was his little girl, and he only wanted the best for me. Images of his face as he gazed steadily into Austin’s eyes filled my mind. He’d always thought Austin was the best person for me.

I rested my hand over his. “I’m not going to rush into anything. First things first―go to uni. I know I need to grow up more before I commit to something like marriage, no matter how much I love James.”

He took a deep breath and slowly released it. “Cadence, I love how levelheaded you are. It eases my mind to know you think big choices like this through.”

I squeezed his hand and rested my head back against the window. “Two months, huh? That’s pretty harsh.”

Dad chuckled. “It’ll be good for you. You’re coming up to exams anyway, so it will help you focus.”

“You have a good point.” I leaned forward to grab my phone to text James, but found I’d left my handbag behind. “Crap.”

“What?”

“We have to go back.”

He scowled. “Why?”

“I left my handbag behind with my wallet and phone in it. I need those.”

He sighed. “Your mother can go get it later.”

I sank back into the seat. “Okay.”