Page 112 of Finding Forever

“I don’t think so,” Fern replied quietly.

“You don’t think…? What do youmeanyou don’t think so?” James Hawthorne asked in sheer disbelief.

“Precisely what I said,” Fern said, her voice calm, as she set her empty plate aside and took a nonchalant sip from her water. “I. Don’t. Think. So. Maybeyou—all of you—should call him Cade instead.”

Chapter

Twenty-Six

Cade’s hand wrapped around her ankle and squeezed. She wasn’t sure if it was in warning or affection—probably the former since he’d outright cautioned her not to bring up this subject with his father. But he couldn’t blame her for this. Not when James Hawthorne was the one who’d gone there first.

And since he’d broached the subject, she wasn’t about to back off.

“Call him what you will in private, but in public?—”

“I’ll call myhusbandby the name he prefers. In public and in private.”

“Now see here, young?—”

“Dad.” Cade’s quiet voice was filled with dark menace. “Leave her be. I won’t let you intimidate her.”

“I’m not trying to intimidate the lass,” his father protested, sounding like a chastised little boy. “Just educating her as to how this family works.”

“Maybe this family doesn’t work as well as you think it does,” Fern interjected softly. “I may be the new addition and Imay not know much about anything, but it’s pretty clear to me that Cade has some hang ups about this name business. No matter how much he might deny it. Our marriage may be a sham, but I do know that much about him. And I have no idea why the rest of you are so hellbent on ignoring that.”

She cast a quick, apologetic glance Gideon and Kenny, both of whom were staring at her in slack-jawed shock. She hadn’t meant to drag them into it, but it was true that all of them were ignoring a fact that had been obvious to her from the very beginning. Cade’s hand was still firmly encircled around her ankle, but he was applying no pressure

“I… well that’s…” James Hawthorne appeared staggered by Fern’s words and seeing the usually cocky and self-assured man flounder immediately flooded her with remorse.

This wasn’t her business. Once again, she’d forgotten that she was the guest and that after she left, they would still have to deal with the fallout of her thoughtless words and actions.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized. She should really learn to mind her business. “I was out of line. I had no right to speak out of turn like that.”

Cade gave her ankle a gentle squeeze that she wasn’t sure how to interpret.

He had to be angry. She knew that much. Knew that he was likely livid. And she couldn’t blame him. She’d once again, ruined a perfectly good family gathering by bringing this up again.

“Don’t be,” Beth told her with a gentle smile. “It’s nice to be reminded that not everybody can be bullied and railroaded.”

The words were clearly aimed at James Hawthorne who was still watching Fern in open-mouthed shock.

“Anybody want some dessert?” Gideon asked, looking completely unperturbed by the evening’s events. Although his eyes were troubled as they dropped to Cade’s face. He pushedto his feet and went from person to person to collect their empty plates. “Beth made a strawberry chiffon cake.”

Fern wasn’t sure she could stay. She felt awful and on the verge of tears. But at the same time, she knew that leaving now would completely ruin the evening, which would be unfair when Beth and Gideon had gone to such lengths.

“I’d love a slice,” Cade shocked her by saying. He tilted his head up to look at her, a slight smile on his face. “You should try it, Fern. Beth is an amazing baker.”

“And no nuts of any kind, of course,” Beth told her.

“Yes, please, I’d like that.”

“We have a long drive, so I think we’ll give it a miss,” Kenny said, slanting a glance at her husband who, by now, appeared to have mentally checked out.

“What is going on with you two?” James Hawthorne asked with brutal bluntness and Kenny winced, as she snuck a look at her husband’s grim expression. “What did you do to my daughter, you bastard?”

“Dad, it’s fine. We had an argument that’s all. Isn’t that right, Smith?” The last was tacked on a little desperately as she implored the husband who’d ignored her and her family for the better part of the evening, to back her up.

“Massive fight, yeah.” He nodded, looking completely disinterested in even attempting to be convincing.

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