Page 47 of Finding Forever

She shouldn’t have had to. He could have been less… defensive. He hadn’t even realized that he still carried all of that baggage about his name until she’d brought it up.

It didn’t help that hearing her call him Cade these last few days had felt so familiar. He felt lighter, unburdened, almost—shit, the only word he could think of was—happywhenever the name fell with such ease from her lips. While having his own family call him Niall this afternoon, after he’d spent the last few days responding only to Cade, had felt suffocating. And none of those complex emotions had even properly registered until Fern had asked about it.

Fuck.

He grimaced and squeezed the back of his neck, as another tension headache began to form at the base of his skull. He’d been on edge all afternoon, at first nervous about seeing Nox again after so long, then irrationally annoyed with hislong-lost brother for making that fucking off-color comment about him being Fern’s husband if things had been different.

It didn’t help that it was likely true. And itdefinitelydidn’t help that Cade believed that it would’ve been better for Fern if that was how it had worked out. And Cade was confused about why he gave a fuck in the first place.

It hadn’t happened. He was the one saddled with the wife. That couldn’t change. But for some unfathomable reason it had still pissed him the hell off when Fern had so tartly suggested a straight swap between him and Nox.

Even now the mere thought of it…

He clenched his teeth and shook his head, annoyed with himself for going there. Perhaps his irritation stemmed from the fact that itcouldn’thappen. That it was too late for that. That once again Cade was the one making the big sacrifices for the family and the company. If Nox had pitched up a week earlier maybe Fern would behiswife… his problem.

But that wouldn’t make the baby in her womb Nox’s. That was one thing his brother couldn’t take responsibility for. Ownership of. That was Cade and Cade’s alone.

He wasn’t sure why that sent a mad, adrenaline thumping wave of fierce satisfaction careening through his system. It made no sense at all.

But nothing in Cade’s usually well-ordered life currently did.

The followingmorning Fern found a handwritten list of local OBGYNs waiting for her on the kitchen counter.

Scrawled in an aggressive slashing masculine hand, the list consisted of five names and corresponding contact numbers, below which he’d demanded:

Pick one. Make an appointment fortoday.

Thetodayhad been underlined three times.

As if it would be that easy to get a same day appointment from a busy OBGYN. Fern rolled her eyes at his unrealistic expectations and slid onto one of the high barstools.

It was just before nine and even though she doubted she’d get an appointment today, she still decided to do a bit of research into the doctors on the list. A quick check on her phone confirmed that he’d recommended the five top-rated doctors in thearea.

Naturally.

Which would only make getting an appointment with any of them even less likely.

She snorted softly and put her phone down on the countertop.

The apartment was eerily quiet, the silence broken only by the ominous ticking of the massive clock in the living room. She knew Cade wasn’t home. She’d been up for at least two hours and had remained in her room, fully dressed, hoping to hear him leave. About ten minutes ago, she’d heard the biometrics pad at the front door beep followed by the quiet snick of the door opening.

She wasn’t on the system yet, but yesterday—just before they’d left for Beth and Gideon’s—he’d handed her a keycard to bypass the biometrics system in case she needed to go anywhere without him. Upon presentation of said card, he’d given her a meaningful glower before warning in a dire tone: “It would, however, be best if you didnotgo wandering off on your own. Who knows what the fuck trouble you could get yourself into.”

As if she were a puppy who wasn’t quite trained enough to heel when recalled.

She shook her head and slid off the chair and looked around the living room. She hadn’t had much time to explore the place since arriving. She was pretty familiar with this part of the apartment and was curious about theotherrooms.

Rooms she’d considered off-limits, because they were clearly Cade’s domain. His office, his bedroom, the other room with the always closed door.

Maybe it was snooping, but hehadtold her this was her home too, right? So just taking a quick peek surely wouldn’t do any harm. Especially since this was essentially a holiday home for him and wouldn’t contain too many personal effects.

The study was pretty spartan. A large desk, and ergonomic desk chair. His laptop was shut, the desktop monitor dark.There was nothing in here to reflect his tastes. It was a beige and white, basic, boring, perfectly serviceable space.

She didn’t bother to step into the room, just had a quick glance around before shutting the door firmly and heading to his bedroom.

It smelled like him. Fresh and spicy and appealing. It was neat as a pin. Bed made, not a single item of clothing lying about to indicate that this was a lived-in space. A bit more color in here—brown and white with pops of blue. In another room the king-sized bed would dominate the space, but it was massive and airy in here and any other bed would’ve been too small and out of place in here.

She liked this room, with its huge picture windows that showcased the magnificent views. And wondered if Cade appreciated the stunning beauty of this panoramic view as much as she did.

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