Page 75 of Dirty Play

“Thank you, sir. As for how I know your daughter?” Cade says. “I’m her boyfriend.”

The words shouldn’t make me so happy, but they do, and butterflies immediately take flight.

Cade Williams just said he’s my boyfriend in the proudest voice I’ve ever heard, and somehow that has me giddier than his I love you.

Walking out of my room with my bag, I smile when they all look my way.

“You ready to go?” I ask Cade, who just nods.

“Are you telling us we need to leave?” my mom says, a look of bewilderment on her face, like she can’t believe I’d say such a thing.

“Nope, not at all,” I say with a smile. “I’m just letting you know that I am. I have plans with Cade, and had you called to let me know you’d be coming, I could’ve made different arrangements.”

“Well, why can’t you change them since we’re here? We have a busy schedule these next few months and don’t have a lot of time,” my dad pipes in, although I can tell he's feeling guilty for not calling.

“With all due respect, why should I change my plans with someone who prioritizes me for people who only spend time with me when it’s convenient? I’m not going to bend over backward for you when all I asked for was a heads up,” I say with a sigh. “You are busy, I get that. But I’m done playing second fiddle in your life. It sucks to be constantly reminded that I come after your jobs.”

Looking over at Cade, who has a proud grin on his face, I smile, knowing I probably burned some bridges, but I’m still heading home with him, and that’s enough.

“Ready to go?” I ask.

He nods, looking over at my parents. “It was nice to meet you both,” he says, shaking both of their hands. My parents just nod, both too stunned to speak.

Grabbing the bag of clothes I tossed together, I give them a quick wave before walking out of my apartment.

It’s weird knowing the next time I’m here, it’ll be to move my stuff.

Chapter 30

Gwen

“Do you think we still have time to get there before she leaves?” I ask Cade as I get dressed in the kitchen. I was out here cooking waffles before we head to the hospital to meet Kennedy. And apparently, seeing me cook waffles turns Cade on, and he couldn’t wait to get me in the bedroom before getting me naked.

Oh well, I guess now I can cross sex on a kitchen island off my bingo card.

“Yes, we still have time. She’s not being discharged until eleven. That’s still two hours away. Then we’re going to meet everyone at your place at noon to load up the U-Haul.”

Cade has been surprising me ever since we came back from Ivy Falls a couple of weeks ago. He’s been putting himself out there with his friends, and I’m so proud that he’s working on taking down those walls on his own. He’s been spending more time with everyone, including more time on the phone with his family.

They’re already planning to visit us sometime this summer, and thankfully, Cade has a three-bedroom apartment, so there will be plenty of room for them to stay. When he told his parents we were going to move the rest of my stuff over, I could hear their excited squeals through the phone. My heart warms, knowing he has so many people who love him. And those people? They’ve welcomed me with open arms.

It’s not that I don’t love my family, I do. That’s not in question. They don’t need the family time and constant connection I’ve longed for. In the time I’ve known Cade’s family, they’ve included me, checked in on me, and called just to say hello. And I can’t forget the hugs his mom gave me while we were there—more hugs from a mother figure than I’ve received in my entire life.

Not only has his family noticed the changes in Cade, but our friends have too. He’s always been an amazing friend to everyone. He’s always the first to offer help, even if the job sucks. But apparently, he’s only asked the guys for help once—when he was moving and couldn’t lift all the furniture by himself, and movers weren’t available for two weeks.

But now? He’s finally asking others for help, letting them know when he needs something, and they’re elated. Which is how they all got roped into moving my entire apartment.

“Okay, then we need to go. What if she gets discharged early?” I ask. “What if she’s already gone?”

“And when, in the history of ever, has someone been discharged from the hospital early?” Cade deadpans, probably remembering the day he got discharged, and it took an extra two and a half hours for a doctor to sign off.

“Fair. But we’re still leaving now. I want to get a lemon loaf at the hospital. And to do that, I’m gonna need you to put a shirt on.”

“You sure about that?” He smirks. “I thought that was against the rules?”

When I moved in, I, sort of… made a rule that if he was home, his shirt needed to be off. I wanted to be able to stare at his arms, with their thick, corded muscles and veins that I want to trace with my tongue. The tattoos covering his body don’t hurt either.

“Ugh, you’re impossible.”

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