Page 2 of Greater than the Heart
“Is there no salvaging the skillet, Miss Winnie? Can’t you bring it back?” Cade sweet-talked, adding the puppy dog face that got him his way with Ford and Jax most occasions.
The sweet, loving woman they all considered to be an auntie chuckled, pulling a stunned Connor into her arms and her large bosom. “Come here, baby. I’ll teach you how to care for an iron skillet. You treat this girl right, and she’ll never let ya down,” she told the young man who was looking at Cade with fear in his eyes.
Cade laughed. “That’s how she shows you she loves you,” he teased the tall, strawberry-blond with the haunting gray eyes. The guy was two years younger than Cade, and he was obsessed with getting the James Beard Award, though Cade had no idea what it was. Brady knew him from their hometown of Springfield in Southern Illinois, and the kid was staying with Brady and Owen Hatch who had moved in together.
“How are wedding plans coming, Miss Winnie?” Cade asked. He knew Griff and Winnie were at loggerheads about the plans because she wanted the wedding to be at the Episcopal church in Boystown where each of the Delacroix men helped Father Paul make food for his street outreach program when they had time.
Paul was always on the lookout for any of the boys who’d been to Clark Street Shelter the previous year before it closed, and everything went to hell. Cade wanted to know they were safe, and nothing had happened to them after they’d left the Greystone at the same time that he’d reconciled with Jax and Ford. How he thought he could leave his husbands behind had to have been temporary insanity. The three of them were meant for each other.
Winnie glanced at him after she released poor Connor from her death grip. “I wanted to speak to you three about that very thing. Maybe I could run it by you first, and you could feel them out before I actually put them on the spot?”
Cade nodded. “Let’s go out on the patio and leave Connor to finish up so he can get on the road. Here’s your check, Connor. Thanks, and I’ll see you next week.” Cade pulled open the kitchen drawer where he’d placed the check earlier that morning in case Connor needed to leave before he got home from the club.
Cade had taken over the bookkeeping for the club and the Chicago Area Wellness Center, along with the household accounts. He was contributing to the family in his own way, and with his suggestions, Ford and Jax had revamped their portfolios to take a more aggressive stance in the market with a small portion of their holdings, and a medium stance with the majority. Both men were happy with his advice, and they were banking money.
Ford was considering adding to the club in Andersonville, but there were no definite plans in place. Cade was behind him in whatever he wanted to do. Their life was going swimmingly, which reminded him Carlotta and Jax were in the pool waiting for drinks.
Connor took his paycheck and hugged Cade, which was a surprise, but he supposed it was because he saved him from the woman with the iron skillet. After the young man was out the door, Cade turned to Winnie and smiled. “Would you like a glass of wine? Ford has this really nice pinot grigio he likes. I was about to take Jax and Carlie some drinks. I’ll do that and be right back.”
He opened the fridge and pulled the bottle to pour Winnie a glass of wine before grabbing a juice box from the bin in the largefridge. He hurried downstairs and grabbed a pilsner for Jax from the fridge in the shower room next to the gym.
Cade smiled as he saw the two of them playing with a beach ball, Jax in the deep end. “I’ll be back. Carlie, you and me against Lucky,” Cade promised. The sweet giggle from the little girl made him grin.
He ran upstairs to find Winnie sitting at the island in the kitchen with a piece of paper and a pen, drawing. Cade poured himself a glass of wine and joined her at the counter, tightening his towel before he sat down on a stool. “Okay, Miss Winnie, what’s on your mind?”
She sighed, which signaled it was going to be a dramatic discussion. “I love you three, and you know that, but so many times I’ve wished my Cleveland could have met you before he met Griffon. I know Griff’s a good guy, and he loves Cleveland more than anything, but I just don’t understand him. He’s so against having any kind of religion in his life, and when I ask why, he leaves the room. I talked to Father Paul at the church, and he’d be more than happy to have the wedding there, but Griffon said flat out no.
“I know it’s notmywedding, but it’s my only son’s wedding, and I just want it to be special. I was kinda hoping maybe y’all would let us hold it here. I’ll take care of all the expenses. I just want it here because it’s so beautiful, and if they won’t have it at the church with all its stained glass and grandeur, then maybe they’d have it here in your beautiful gardens. Carlos has such a green thumb and takes very good care of your flowers, and it would save them some money for flowers.
“I just want my baby to have a beautiful wedding, and Griff wants to go to the courthouse and have a quickie. Cleveland doesn’t want to upset him, and he’s refused to let me speak with the boy about the ceremony. The last time I tried, he stormed out of the house without a goodbye. I was kind of hopin’… I mean, Iknow you and Griff are good friends, and I was thinking ifyousuggested it to him, he might not dismiss the idea so quicklike.
“I know if I say anything about it, he’ll turn up his snooty nose and prance away like he has at all my ideas. I just…” She sniffled as she spoke. Cade could see she was crying, and if he wasn’t in such a state of undress, he’d have hugged her. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a box of tissues, handing her one.
Winnie wiped her eyes and looked at him again. “You see, Cade, Cleve is all I have left, and I just want to know he’ll have happy memories of his wedding. I’m sure Griff’s gonna be good to him, but I just want to do one last thing for my baby before I go to my great reward,” she told Cade as she continued to dry her eyes.
Was he being manipulated by Winnie Oakes? Definitely. Did he understand her position? Most assuredly. Would he go to bat for her with his dear, dear friend? Yes, but not because Winnie made him feel guilty. He’d do it because Griff had a hatred for anything religious, and Cade thought it was high time they discussed it.
Having the wedding at the Greystone would be phenomenal, and he was sure he could sell Jax and Ford on the idea without much effort. It was Griff who would be the hard sell, but Cade promised he would do his best for Miss Winnie’s sake.
“Kick your legs harder, Carlie!” Cade yelled as Carlotta and Jax raced from one end of the pool to the other. Of course, Jax could only use one arm and wasn’t allowed to kick at all, though hewas tall enough to simply walk most of the way to the deep end. When Carlotta touched the wall first, Cade cheered loudly.
He heard applause and found Ford standing behind him in all of his gorgeous glory. He’d shed his suit jacket and tie but looked so handsome. Cade walked over to him and tipped up on his toes while pulling the blond down for a kiss.
“You hungry? Miss Winnie made dinner for us before she left tonight. It’s a bribe, but it’s her chicken spaghetti bake. I was going to grill steaks, but she insisted,” Cade told Ford.
Ford smiled brightly. “Sounds great. Who’s that tadpole out there?” He put his hand over his eyes as if he was blocking the bright sunlight, grinning at Carlotta, who was holding onto the side as she wiped the water out of her eyes.
“It’s me, Uncle Branny!” The girl hopped out of the pool and quickly walked around—having been scolded many times for running on the pool deck—into Ford’s towel-bearing arms. He scooped her up and kissed her cheek.
“How was your day, my girl?” Ford asked her as Jax climbed out of the pool to join the mix.
“Miss Winnie took Ava and me with her to the library where they have a children’s story hour. They were reading a baby book, so we picked our own book and sat at a table together. I read some of a chapter book about a little girl growing up on the frontier to Miss Winnie, and she helped with big words. Tomorrow, we’re going to the art museum,” the girl told her three uncles, referring to her favorite doll, Ava, which had been a gift from Uncle Jax.
“That sounds like loads of fun. Should I get Uncle Cade to take over the club tomorrow and come with the two of you?” Ford suggested.
The little girl wrapped her arms around Ford’s neck, making Cade smile. Ford rarely took time off from the club, and for him to trust Cade to handle things made the brunet puff up withpride. He hoped it was the beginning of a more-balanced life for the three of them. Ford worked a lot of hours he didn’t need to work. Having him spend more time with Jax and be home more in the evenings would be wonderful.
After they’d tucked Carlotta into bed, the three of them went back downstairs to relax. Cade made Ford a scotch, Jax a whiskey, and himself an Irish cream. They walked out onto the deck from the family room and sat down at the glass-topped table. Jax lit the candle in the middle and the three of them looked at each other.
