Page 23 of Finding Forever

He shoved away from the kitchen counter, dropping his mug in the sink, before beating a hasty retreat through the patio doors.

It was a little after eight on a Saturday morning and the world still felt eerily quiet, probably thanks to the blanketing mist. He inhaled the damp air deeply, appreciating the tang of brine in the air. He could hear the muted sounds of traffic and the louder crash of waves from the restless ocean. It was a chilly, thanks to the mist, late spring morning in November, and he wasn’t appropriately dressed for the dampness, but—he darted a quick glance back through the windows—he didn’t relish the prospect of going inside again to face his brand new wife so soon.

Instead, he sank onto one of the massive, comfortable lounge chairs beside the glass-edged infinity pool. The cushion was wet, which was an annoyance, because that meant his arsewas wet too. He gritted his teeth, cognizant of the fact that he’d probably ruined this suit, but still stubbornly—cravenly?—refused to head back inside.

His phone chimed again, and he dug it out of his pocket, keen for the distraction. He swiped at the screen and then fought down a surge of wild joy—wet arse instantly forgotten—when it opened up to his sibling group chat and he saw his brother Nox’s name on screen.

Nox

Christ, Niall, you fucking got married without telling me? What the hell?

Cade stared at the message for a long moment, stupidly happy to see his brother’s irate question. Nox hadn’t interacted in the group in over a year. And none of them had spoken to him one-on-one for even longer than that.

Cade had called both Kenny and Gideon last night to inform them in person of his marriage, but knew that Nox wouldn’t answer his phone and so hadn’t even attempted to contact him.

Before he could respond though a message from Gideon popped onto the screen.

Gideon

Doesn’t feel great to be excluded from important family news does it, ObNOXious?

Cade sighed, Gideon still nursed a grudge about the time he’d learned about Nox’s engagement via Instagram.

Nox

Still weeping into your cocoa puffs about that, you whiny little brat? And that was just a doomed engagement. Niall got married fuck’s sake. Entirely different situation. A heads-up would’ve been nice.

Gideon

For all we knew you were dead in a ditch somewhere So why bother?

Kenny

It’s nice to hear from you, Nox. Are you okay?

Nox

I’m fine. Niall, you married Granger Abernathy’s stepdaughter? What the fuck? Dad’s been after Lambecrete for years. Does that have something to do with this? Is the deal somehow contingent on this union? That’s fucked up, man. You shouldn’t have done that. He had no right to ask it of you.

Gideon

Why is it any of your business? Do you even care?

Nox

Come on, surely neither of you want this for him? He deserves better.

Cade had never been great at interacting in the sibling group. As was the case when they were all in the same room, he rarely managed to get a word in edgewise, and when he did, itwas always in attempt to deflect the inevitable tension between Gideon and Nox who got along like oil and water.

He started to type something when Gideon’s next inflammatory response flashed up.

Gideon

So what would you have done if you were here, Nox? Attempt to sabotage his relationship with his wife by sowing lies and doubt? You’re pretty fucking great at that, aren’t you?

Shit.Because Nox had left shortly after doing just that to Gideon and Beth’s relationship, the two men had never really had the opportunity to talk it out and resolve the hurt feelings between them.

Kenny

---