Page 79 of Finding Forever

“Uh, what about it?”

“It’s in three weeks’ time.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“What do you normally do at Christmas? Don’t you spend it with your family?”

Cade couldn’t remember the last time he’d spent the holiday with his family. His father had spent the last two Christmases celebrating in Cape Town withBeth and Gideon. Last year Kenny and Smith had joined them as well. Cade had been invited to join them, of course, but he’d declined.

Instead, he’d spent last Christmas on his yacht, off the coast of Ambergris Caye, with a leggy model for company. The year before, he’d been in Dubai on business.

“I don’t usually celebrate it,” he replied and she tugged at her top lip with her teeth. He wondered if she’d somehow gleaned how distracting he found it when she toyed with that lip and was now doing it deliberately.

“So, you won’t be returning for the festive season?”

“Unlikely.”

“Oh.”

“Not sure what Christmas has to do with anything though.”

“Right. I was thinking if you left next week and returned in a few weeks for Christmas it would only be a short separation. After a few instances of us commuting back and forth like that for appearances’ sake it will eventually become our norm and people will lose interest. Nobody will even notice when the time apart gradually increases.”

“Fern, if this fake long-distance, gradually drifting apartnarrative is really what you want then yes, it’s worth exploring… but I think it’s too soon. After six months maybe. But not now.”

“I don’t see any point in delaying the inevitable.” God, she was being stubborn.

“Abernathy just publicly accused me of sexually and emotionally manipulating you into this marriage.”

She visibly started at his words, and her hand flew to her mouth in horror.

“Now you might not fucking care,” he continued, his voice gruff with outrage. “But I take exception to being labeled a sexual predator.”

“Oh my God, I didn’t…” Her luminous gray eyes swam with tears above her hand and her voice was soft and unsteady. “I’m so sorry. This is an unending nightmare for you.”

“Not quite yet,” he said, gentling his voice while he strove for patience. “But it will be if we don’t do this right.”

“I just want to feel like I have some semblance of control over my life,” she admitted softly, her hand dropped back into her lap, where she enfolded it in her other hand, as if she were somehow trying to soothe herself. He ignored the overwhelming urge to reach for that hand and be the source of comfort she so clearly needed.

“I understand,” he admitted, hating the look of utter desolation in her eyes. “You will, Fern. I promise you will. But right now, we’re both pretty much in the same leaky boat.”

“I feel like we’re about to be tossed against the rocks and shipwrecked,” she said disconsolately and he felt a twinge of amusement at her melodramatic statement.

“Then we’ll be marooned on the same deserted island together,” he said, just to see what her response would be.

“It’ll probably be inhabited by massive man-eating anacondas and surrounded by great white sharks,” she said with a sniff and a sad little shake of her head. She was staring at her hands and missed his quick grin at her comeback.

“Then, as you’re being swallowed whole by an anaconda and I’m being torn apart by a great white, we can take comfort in the fact that we’re not suffering alone.”

That finally brought her gaze up to his, she searched his eyes for a while, before—aah there it was—a shy, hesitant smile curved her lips.

“You’re being silly,” she chastised mildly and Cade nearly choked on nothing but spit.

Nobody had ever accused him of being silly before.

She sighed heavily and got up.

“I’m going to make some lunch. Will you be joining me?”

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