Page 62 of You're All I Need

“Yep. Fifteen minutes from walking down the aisle, and it all fell apart.” She takes a deep breath and glances over my shoulder. “I learned a lot about love and myself that day. I decided I didn’t need the former and needed to focus on thelatter. For the last year, I’ve been healing me. That’s why I moved here. I needed a change, and my mom suggested this place, since my uncle Gary’s lived here for years.”

I run my thumb over her jaw as my fingers slide into her hair. Leaning down, I brush my lips across hers, completely forgetting where we’re at or the fact we’re surrounded by an audience. Her hands grip my button-down as her lips dance against my own. “You about ready to get out of here?” I whisper.

“Very ready,” she murmurs, her warm breath tickling my skin.

I take her hand and lead her off the dance floor, but before I make it too far, Dawn appears directly in front of us. We stop, coming face-to-face with the woman who lied and wrecked me all those years ago.

“Caden, hi. Thank you for coming,” she says, holding her head up high as her eyes bounce between me and Adrienne.

“Dawn,” I reply with a brisk nod. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” she replies, finally letting her gaze land on Adrienne. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Dawn.”

“Adrienne,” she replies, reaching out a polite hand.

I can feel eyes of half the attendees around us, but I don’t give two shits. Let them stare, talk, or whatever. “We were just preparing to leave.”

Dawn glances over her shoulder briefly. “Tyler was wanting to say hello.”

I almost roll my eyes. In the eight years since I punched him in the face for sleeping with my fiancée and knocking her up, he’s never reached out. “You guys are busy,” I reason, giving them an out. I’m sure they’re both as equally shocked as I was to agree to come.

“Mom!”

Just then, Scottie comes running up to Dawn, wrapping his arm around her waist. “Grandma and Grandpa want to take me and Sarah home soon, but I want to stay.”

I take in the boy who’s an equal combination of both Dawn and Tyler. He has Dawn’s eyes and hair color, but the rest of his facial features are his dad’s. My heart hammers in my chest. At one time, I thought I was his dad. I went to the appointments, shared the big news with my family and friends, and started to turn our home into the perfect place for a family of three.

“We talked about this, Scottie.”

“I know,” the young boy grumbles, “but I don’t want to go yet.”

Dawn looks from her son back over to me. She clears her throat and says, “Scottie, this is Caden. He’s your dad’s cousin.”

“Hello,” the young boy says, flashing me a big, toothy grin.

My throat is so tight, it’s hard to move air. “Hi there.”

“And this is his friend, Adrienne.”

“Nice to meet you,” Scottie adds before turning to his mom. “Can I go out and dance with Riley until it’s time to go?”

“You sure can,” Dawn agrees, giving him a loving smile as he turns and runs toward the dance floor.

My eyes follow the boy. I’ve seen him around town, but not a lot. Anytime I run into any of them, they make a beeline away from wherever I am. “He’s a great kid,” I find myself saying, even though it hurts my heart a little. Not because what I said wasn’t true but simply because he really is. And at one time, he was mine.

I can’t help but wonder how long she would have let the charade continue. How long would I have thought I was his father? Would the big reveal have happened after he was born? It’s not like I wouldn’t have thought he was my son. Many of the features he gets from his dad aren’t that far off from myown. Neumann genes are good and strong. Many of us cousins resemble siblings, despite the extended bloodline.

“He’s the best,” Dawn states proudly. “They both are,” she adds, referring to their five-year-old daughter, Sarah, who’s also running around on the dance floor.

“Caden.”

I look to my right and find Tyler approaching. His smile is hesitant, and I can’t help but notice he keeps a little extra distance between us. Good. I want him to always wonder if I’m about to throw a punch at him. Serves him right.

“Tyler,” I state with a nod. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks.” He flashes a happy grin toward his wife. “I, uh, wasn’t sure you’d come.”

Deciding not to beat around the bush, I answer honestly, “I came for Gram. She asked me to.”

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