One Funeral (No Weddings Book 2) (23 page)

I waved to him. “Hi, Jason.”

Smiling, he lifted his hand. “Hi, Hannah. Great to see you.”

I looked beyond Jason at the seats taken by strangers, younger people I’d never met before. Confused, I turned back, verifying none of the people I’d passed were Cade’s mom.

Frowning, I turned back to the girls. “Where are your parents?”

Kendall rolled her eyes. “Dad wasn’t sure he’d make it back in time to pick up Mom, and she refused to come without him. It’s her way of guaranteeing they both come.”

I lowered my head, whispering as I took my seat. “Do they want to be here?”

Kendall nodded. “Mom wouldn’t miss it for the world. Dad can be gruff, demanding, and absentee at times, but he’s proud as hell of Cade too. Business comes first, however, and an important international client needed a last-minute conference call.”

I nodded, chewing on my lower lip. Cade and I hadn’t talked about the possibility of his parents not being there. Everything he’d said indicated he was looking forward to his whole family seeing him graduate.

When the ceremony began, I found myself antsy to see Cade again. I kept looking for him amid the crowd of graduates but hadn’t yet spotted him.

The students and faculty filed in during their processional. Once introductions were made, the keynote speaker gave his address and got a few laughs while offering pearls of wisdom. Afterward, the twenty-minute student graduation address was inspiring.

The ceremony dragged on with the recognition of academic honors. During a musical interlude, I glanced at the program. “Line-up for Roll Call” was next. Then the recognition of graduates by four deans.

I finally saw Cade as his row stood and filed in a line for their turn. When he made it up to the stage, he scanned the crowd until he spotted us. I knew the moment he did, because a huge grin lit up his face.

I grinned back, waving like a lunatic.

Minutes later, one of the deans called out his name. “Kincaid Joseph Michaelson.”

Head held high, Cade crossed the stage, shook hands with another dean, grasped his diploma while pausing for a photo, and then continued down the steps to take his seat with his graduate class.

Knee bouncing like crazy, I counted down the minutes until the ceremony ended. Soon hats flew up into the air and the graduates dispersed, finding their family and friends. Cade made his way over by the time we filed out of our row. I raised my arms over my head, grinning as he rushed toward me.

In the middle of the pressing crowd, Cade grabbed hold of me in a hug and lifted me off the ground, spinning. We knocked into several people, including Kiki.

Kiki bumped us back, laughing. “Hey, watch it, you two. This isn’t a mosh pit.”

Kristen gave us a group hug. “Congrats, bro. We’re proud of you.”

Then Kendall and Kiki joined in on the hug. Kiki chucked a fist bump on his chin. “Yeah. Congrats, Cade.”

Cade released me with a spark of mischief in his eyes, then stalked Kiki. “Mosh pit!”

Eyes wide and head shaking, Kiki backed up, bumping into Kendall. Then she spun around behind her sister, holding Kendall’s arms out like a human shield. “Do
not
let him lift me off this ground!”

Cade feinted left, then darted right, knocking Kendall out of the way before grabbing a squealing Kiki. I laughed, watching as Cade tried to lift her, grunting and groaning while she squirmed and twisted.

“Damn, woman. You need to lose some weight if you want to body surf.”

The slender hundred-and-ten-pound Kiki kicked him in the shin as he put her down. “I will eat my weight in cheesecake and doughnuts to have you never pick me up again.”

Smile beaming from ear to ear, he ruffled her dark curls into a wavy mess. “Don’t forget Hannah’s chocolate bacon cupcakes. They’ll be good for a few dozen pounds.”

As we flowed with the crowd toward the exits, Kristen caught up to us after saying hello to a couple of friends. Instead of going straight out the doors though, Cade tugged my hand, leading us toward the right, following his sisters.

“Mom, Dad, you made it!” Cade released his hold on me and embraced his mom.

The man she stood beside looked just like Cade, the same strong jawline and dark, electric-blue eyes. His hair was almost white though, with hints of black still visible in the crown and at the peak of his short sideburns.

A proud smile brightened the older Michaelson’s face as he shook Cade’s hand. “Wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

His mom laughed, elbowing him in the ribs. “Or there would’ve been hell to pay later tonight.”

His dad quickly glanced at her, amusement sparkling in his eyes.

“Mom, you’ve already met Hannah. Dad, this is Hannah Martin.” Cade wrapped an arm behind my shoulders. “My girlfriend.”

My lungs froze. Even though we’d discussed it in the car, I hadn’t mentally prepared for the sudden outing of our status. All my thoughts had been centered on Cade for his milestone day.

His mom’s eyes widened while his dad’s narrowed. Both stared at me for a couple of beats, their smiles faltering. Then his dad’s eyes crinkled at the corners, a smile curving his lips, as he extended his hand out. “Great to meet you, Hannah. I’ve heard absolutely nothing about you.”

Nervous, I glanced at Cade. He only raised his brows and nodded, encouraging me. I turned back to his dad and accepted his extended hand, shaking it with a firm grip. “Well, I’ve not heard much about you either, Mr. Michaelson. So I guess that makes us even.”

His dad barked out a laugh, yanking my hand forward to pull me in for a half hug. “Cade’s been teaching you about business, I see. When you succeed in making ‘nothing’ and ‘not much’ even, you’ll go far in life.” He gave a teasing wink. “And please, call me Garrett.” He whispered down to me, before releasing me, “And actually, I’ve heard about you from Victoria. Something about a breathtaking cake at a charity function I couldn’t attend.”

His mom leaned into her husband’s other side. “A
stunning
cake. The work of art had the club buzzing—an entire crystalline globe made of cake and sugared frosting.”

Cade tugged me back into his arms. “Don’t forget the Swarovski crystals on the base.”

“Hey, man, congratulations!” Mase came up from behind us and shook Cade’s hand.

Ben was beside him and gave him a big man-hug. “Congrats, Cade. I’m proud of you.”

Their girlfriends, Laura and Stacy, pushed forward from behind. We all hugged and chatted as we made our way through the dwindling crowd to the exit doors.

As our large group spilled out into the bright sunshine, Jason asked, “We’re heading back to your place, right?”

“Yeah. Mom, Dad, you coming?”

His mom glared up at his dad until he caught on that he was supposed to reply. He laughed. “Yes, of course. We’ll stop by for a little while. We’re up in the garage.” His dad pointed northeast.

Cade gave his dad a nod, grinning. “Great. We’ll meet you there.” Then he glanced over his shoulder, calling out to everyone as they wandered off in different directions. “Last one there gets stuck in the gutter.”

Shaking my head, I laughed. “What, no rotten eggs for you Michaelsons?”

“No, that too. But literally, the driveway has space for only so many cars. My brain lives in the gutter 24/7. Someone else is gonna have to park there.”

I snorted. “Your brain is weird.”

“You love my brain.”

I narrowed my eyes, giving him a sidelong glance. “Yeah, maybe.”

We arrived back at the car, and he turned around, leaning back against it. “So that wasn’t so bad, was it? Meeting my folks? Being introduced as my girlfriend?”

Tilting my head, I raised my brows. “For a split second, it was awful. Like the stab of a flu shot. But afterward, it wasn’t so bad.”

He blinked. “Damn, Maestro.” Then he burst out laughing. “I maybe love your brain, too.”

I
n Cade’s gourmet kitchen, a space I’d adopted as my second home, I followed the group around the corner to a door I’d never been through. We climbed down Berber-carpeted stairs, and I gripped the wooden railing, glancing back at Cade.

“Remind me again why I’ve never been down here?”

He leaned down, chuckling softly into my ear. “You didn’t want to see my basement.”

Heat flushed into my cheeks as I remembered a conversation rampant with sexual innuendo. “Ah, yes. Now I recall.”

“You waaant to see my baaasemeeent.” The singsong accusation in his deep voice at my ear had me biting my lip to keep from bursting out laughing.

But I held it together as we turned at a right angle to descend another flight. When we reached the bottom, my eyes widened at the enormity of his basement and everything in it.

Off in the corner straight ahead was a full bar with a mirror-backed wall displaying rows of premium liquor bottles three shelves high. A variety of glassware hung above the bar from a suspended rack. The bar itself glistened from overhead lighting, which spotlighted the silver-flecked blue granite top. Six chrome and black leather stools sat in a row beneath it.

The opposite corner wall held a large flat-screen TV. Oversized leather club chairs were positioned in an arc facing it. Forward from there was a pool table, and along the wall, a shelf bar and another six barstools. In the nearest corner, adjacent to the staircase, was a foosball table. The ceiling was black, the walls a light tan, and the floor a medium-toned Berber carpeting. Two short, wide windows near the ceiling brought in natural light.

We were ten feet underground. My chest tightened, my mild claustrophobia kicking in. Working through it, I took a deep breath and focused on the light shining in from the clerestory windows and the staircase leading up to the sunny house just above us.

Cade entered my line of vision and smiled, calming me further. I crossed over to him and leaned into his warm, solid frame, grounding myself.

He wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. “Want a beer?”

I glanced over at the bar. Ben raised a silver shaker over his head as Stacy, Laura, and Cade’s sisters hugged the edge of the counter, watching him. Martini glasses lined the granite top, lemon twist spirals clinging to their sugared rims. “No thanks. I think I’ll have what Ben’s mixing up.”

He growled, nuzzling his lips into my neck. “Drink traitor.”

I shook my head, laughing. We made our way over to the bar, his arm around my shoulders. As we approached the others, he tucked me tighter into his side. Ever since we’d decided to take things to the next level, letting everyone know we were an item only an hour ago, he seemed to revel in the fact, proudly announcing our newly elevated status with his actions.

And I loved the possessive attention. His constant touching and adoring looks calmed me through a heavy situation. I mean, this was his family, after all. Plus his closest friends who were considered family.

The conversation apparently had been droning on about Invitation Only. Something about an upcoming event and soliciting business for the summer.

Holding his hands up, Cade interrupted. “Hey, I’ve just graduated. Today is about
my
accomplishments and freedom. Talk about yourselves some other time.”

We burst out laughing. Ben poured the last of the lemon drops, and Kiki raised her glass. We all followed suit, us girls with our martinis and the guys with their beers. “To the most important man in the room, now and every other day of the year, if he has his way.”

Cade scowled and ruffled Kiki’s hair before breaking out in a huge grin. “To my self-importance on the one day academia agrees with my brilliance.”

“Here, here,” Mase said.

“To Cade Michaelson!” shouted someone else.

“Cheers to that.” I brought the glass to my lips and sipped on the sweet-tart drink.

“Wait a minute. I thought
I
was the most important Michaelson in the room.” Cade’s dad stepped in behind him, clapping him on the shoulder.

Cade leaned over to him. “Where’s Mom? Don’t let her hear that.”

“Too late.” His mom sidled between them, laughing. “We’re all a self-important bunch, aren’t we?”

Cade shook his head. “Mom, you’re the least self-important person I’ve ever known. And you raised us all well, Dad included.”

More laughter followed. The atmosphere was fun and easygoing. Even Stacy and Laura were pressed into Ben’s and Mase’s arms, everyone glowing with smiles from the love in the room.

All of a sudden, Ben gave Cade’s dad a heavy look. “Garrett, I challenge you to that game of pool you’ve always been threatening me with.” Ben put his empty beer bottle down and grabbed two others, dangling them in front of Cade’s dad.

The elder Michaelson’s playful expression vanished as he took one of the offered bottles and narrowed his eyes, sizing up Ben. “You’re on. And when I mop the table with your sorry ass, my son is next.”

Ooo
’s and
ahhh
’s sounded out low under hushed breaths as the group migrated toward the pool table. Cade’s dad rolled up his sleeves. Ben put the beers on the narrow shelf bar before examining the selection of maple pool cues.

Cade and I blended into the far corner, me on a barstool and him standing between my legs, my skirt hiked high with the scandalous view blocked by his body. I slid my hands over the tops of his broad shoulders and began gripping the tight muscles, massaging.