Page 38 of Teaching Cayden

Chapter 17

Cayden

“I warned you, Sutter!” Will advanced closer as I scrambled to grab a towel from the ground. Not that I was worried, but I really didn’t want someone else to come out because of the commotion and see me in all my naked glory.

“You don’t get to tell me who I can and can’t date, William!” Addison shouted as she wrapped the towel around her body and stood up. She marched over to where he was fuming, and stood in front of him.

“Move, Addy!” he gritted out as his hands fisted at his side. The vein in the side of his neck pulsed.

“No!” She stomped her foot like a petulant child. “I’m not letting you win this one.”

“I’m not asking you to.” He pushed his way around her, and stormed in my direction. At this point, I’d had enough time to put my trunks back on, but I hadn’t gotten away from the pool yet. “You’re a fucking asshole,” he growled again as his fist connected with my jaw. This was the second time he’d hit me in the same place, and I wasn’t one to back down from a fight, but I didn’t want to fight him.

“Listen, man.” I backed up as I cupped my face. “We didn’t want you to find out like this. We were going to tell you.” I tried to reason with him.

“We? So this was your idea too?” He turned toward Addison.

“I love her,” came bursting from my lips and apparently it was the wrong thing to say in the moment because he turned and swung at me again. This time I ducked, and he fell into the pool from the momentum.

“Will!” Addison cried as he sunk below the surface. I jumped in thinking he needed help, and he used it to his advantage.

“You sonofabitch!” he roared as he thrashed in the water trying to continue the fight.

I don’t know how many times he hit me, but he eventually lost steam and quit. I refused to hit back though. He was right. I was a sonofabitch for doing this behind his back. He had every right to be mad at me, and I was giving him his chance right now. After today, I wouldn’t hold back if he did this again.

“Enough!” came a voice that I hadn’t heard in a few days.

I looked up, and there standing at the top of the stairs in a pair of plaid pj pants was none other than the last person I want to see at the moment. “Hi, Dad.” I sighed as my father pointed at the gate.

“Leave!” he warned as he growled at Will.

“With pleasure.” Will shook his head in disgust as his eyes swung my way one last time. “Come on, Addy. I’ll take you home,” he murmured and that’s when I looked over at my girl. Addison was standing there shaking with tears streaming down her face.

“I’ll take her home.” I climbed out of the pool, but Addison held her hand up, halting me when I tried to comfort her.

“No.” She shook her head. “No to both of you.” She grabbed her things, and took off running toward the street. I could see her shoulders shaking harder the farther she got away, and knew she was crying.

“I’m not going to ask you again.” My father brought our attention back to him. “Leave!” Will shook his hand as it started to swell from his blows before he gave a disgusted sneer in my direction.

“You’re done.” He lifted his chin at me. “Banned. Kicked out. Black balled.” He turned and disappeared in the direction from which he came, leaving me standing there stunned after one of the best nights of my life.

I wiped at my lip as I watched Will jog back in the direction of where we had the party, then turned back to thank my dad, only he was on his way back to his house. I quickly grabbed the remnants of my evening, and jogged after him. No sense in trying to deny what I’d been doing, there were empty condom wrappers all around the lounger.

When I reached the slider that faced Uncle Nick’s house, I saw my dad sitting at the kitchen table. There was a cup of coffee in front of him, and he was staring at it. “Do you know how much noise it takes for the sound to get in here from all the way over there?” He pointed in the direction of the pool.

“No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.” I was being a smartass, but I was mad at the moment.

“You better watch yourself in my house, Son.” His eyes lifted to meet mine and I could tell he was all business. This was the Cam Sutter who busted my friends and I drinking his beer when we were fifteen.

“Fine, Dad,” I grumbled as I went to the freezer and grabbed a bag of peas. When I touched them to the side of my face, I hissed at the pain. Will Porter had quite a right hook.

“Serves you right.” Dad pointed at my face. “Sit down before you wake your mom.”

In that moment I felt like the little kid who was getting lectured for swimming without asking all over again. My dad could always break me with just one look, but at the moment I was still stewing over the fact that Addison left instead of staying to talk to me.

“Was she worth it?” His eyes met mine as I leaned over and slipped into a chair across from him.

“Yeah. I love her.” I hissed again as my jaw moved against the frozen peas.

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