Page 93 of The Forever Rule

Blakely slowly lowered her glasses. “Really? How many of these places are called Cage?”

“I don’t want to discuss it,” I said, my lips twitching.

“All of them, right?”

“Enough of them that it’s actually a little embarrassing.”

“For a man in real estate, staking your claim sure does make you blush.”

I shook my head as we rounded the curve. “I don’t need to stake my claim at all.”

Before I could say anything else though, Blakely looked out the window and gasped, and a sense of ease settled over me. The beauty of the town was breathtaking.Yes, the town came with its own burdens, and its own memories, but for a man who wore suits every day, I was comfortable here. Hell, I was wearing jeans and a flannel. When Blakely had first seen me, her eyes had practically bugged out of her head, and then she had just reached around, and slid her hands into my pockets.

“I like it.”

“Well, you in jeans that grip your hips? It’s going to be very uncomfortable with zipper marks on my dick this whole drive.”

And now, she was seeing the town that I loved. I wasn’t like Hudson who could live here full time, but I loved to visit. There was one main road into the town, and that got you to the lake. It was, of course, called Cage Street. It was very long, and windy. To the west of us, there was a large forest with tons of trails, with the resort settled against the most northern mountain. On the south side, that was the main river, and there were other trails and fishing spots. And branching off Main Street were multiple streets filled with homes and businesses that had grown over time. Hell, at first, we hadn’t even had a main. Now the first business you saw when you took that right into Main Street, was a welcome center, and the admin building right behind it. There was also a clinic, a coffee shop, an actual mercantile, a hardware store, bakeries, and more. It was your typical small town that was anything but typical. Because most of the places had our names all over it. It was embarrassing, but hell, it was our family legacy. We were fighting for it for a reason.

“This is adorable. How many people live here?”

“The population changes all the time because of tourist seasons. And there’s a lot more homes and town homes than there was when I was growing up.” I paused. “I don’t even know the population anymore. Hudson might.”

“He lives here, right?”

“His home is on the west side of the lake, but nearly on the opposite end of mine.”

“For a reason?” she teased.

I shook my head. “No, we just each split up the land and built our own places. There’s still spots for the others that we can make work which isn’t going to hurt the land. Then again, there’s places that we could also add that they might like.”

“I like that you’re thinking about them.”

“I do too. It’s weird, but we’re making it work. Somehow. At least I hope.”

“I have to have hope. My best friend is your half-sister.”

“That is very true.” We passed by the streets that bisected Main Street, and I found a parking spot near one of the small restaurants that had popped up over time. This one was an Italian place, and I had never been here before. However, it had our name on it.

“Cage really isn’t Italian, is it?”

“I don’t ask these questions. I’m not in charge of the town.”

“I don’t believe that at all.”

I rolled my eyes, though she couldn’t see it through my sunglasses, and we got out to finally stretch our legs.

“Well, as I live and breathe,” an older woman said. I looked over at a very familiar voice, and smiled such a wide smile that I had a feeling I even surprised Blakely.

“Hello there, Ms. Patty.”

The woman with bright red hair, and even brighter red lips, opened up her arms, and hugged me tightly. And then I leaned down so she could press those bright red lips against my cheek, inevitably leaving her mark.

Blakely’s eyes filled with laughter, and a little fear as the boisterous woman pulled back.

“I didn’t know you were going to be here today. Did someone come out and clean your house and freshen up everything?”

I nodded. “Hudson took care of it. You know him.”

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