Page 66 of Confusing Cade
She shut the door and crossed her arms. “Bullshit. You flew all the way up here out of nowhere. You never do stuff like that. Spill.”
I sank onto her bed, the mattress creaking under me, and kicked off my boots. The room felt like a bubble, safe and separate from the chaos of Palm Beach. “It’s... complicated.”
Lilly sat beside me, tucking her legs under her, her sweatshirt bunching at her waist. “Is it about the tuition thing? I saw the email from the admin’s office, but then it got resolved, so I figured you handled it.”
“Yeah, I did.” My fingers twisted the hem of my sweater, the soft wool catching on my jagged nails. I hesitated, the weight of the truth pressing against my ribs. “It’s not just money, Lil. It’s... Cade Weston.”
Her brow furrowed, eyes narrowing like she was trying to solve a puzzle. “Weston? As in, the guy whose dad screwed over ours? The one you’ve been low-key seeing?”
I winced, the bluntness of her words slicing through me. She wasn’t wrong but hearing it laid bare like that stung. “Yeah, that’s the one. Things... they got serious. Or I thought they did.”
Lilly’s jaw dropped, her messy bun tilting as she leaned forward, disbelief etched into every line of her face. “Serious? Bella, you told me you’d gone on a couple of dates with him, like it was no big deal. You never said it was... what, a whole relationship? Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
My throat tightened, and I ran a hand through my hair, tugging at the strands as if the pain could ground me. “I didn’t know how to explain it, okay? It started at that fundraiser I mentioned, the one Kyra dragged me to. He was there, and we talked, and... God, Lil, it was like no time had passed, but everything was different. He wasn’t the Cade I remember from Dad’s funeral, all smug and untouchable. He was... warm. Real. We got close, really close, faster than I expected. I didn’t want to jinx it by talking about it too soon.”
“Jinx it?” Lilly’s voice rose, sharp with hurt, her hands flying up in frustration. “Bella, I’m your sister. You don’t hide stuff like this from me. You’ve been carrying everything for the two of us for years, but now you’re keeping secrets about some guy who’s tied to the family that ruined us? What were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t thinking!”
The words burst out, raw and jagged, my chest heaving as I fought the tears prickling behind my eyes. “I was feeling, for once. Cade made me feel like I could breathe again, like I wasn’t the Moretti who lost everything. He saw me, Lil, not the mess, not the bounced checks. Me. And I... I fell for him. Hard. But I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d look at me like you are now.” I sighed. “Like I’m betraying Dad’s memory just by letting a Weston near me.”
Lilly’s expression softened, but the hurt lingered, her lips pressing into a tight line. “I’m not mad because he’s a Weston. I’m mad because you shut me out. You’ve always protected me, Bella, but I’m not a kid anymore. What happened?”
I swallowed hard, the memory of Cade’s office flooding back. I could feel his cold gaze and see the binder of lies slamming onto his desk. “He accused me of sabotaging his big project, the Palm Beach Promenade. Said I was plotting against him the whole time, leaking lies to the media to tank it, all because of Dad’s feud with his family.”
“That’s delulu,” Lilly said.
“He had this... proof, emails I never wrote, calls I never made. But he wouldn’t listen, Lil. He had decided I was guilty and threw it all in my face—our past, everything. Like I was nothing to him.”
Lilly’s eyes widened, her hand reaching for mine, warm and steady despite the tension between us. “Why didn’t you call me when it started getting serious with him? I’d have had your back.”
“I know.” My voice cracked, and I squeezed her hand, guilt twisting in my gut. “I should’ve told you. I was scared, I guess. Scared you’d think I was stupid for trusting him, scared I’d lose you, too, if you thought I was turning my back on Dad. I’ve been trying so hard to keep us together, to keep you here at Parkview,that I... I didn’t want to admit I was falling for someone who might hurt me. And now he has.”
Lilly sighed, her shoulders slumping as she pulled me into a hug, her cheek pressed against my hair. “You’re not stupid, Bella. You’re human. And I’m not going anywhere, okay? We’re Morettis. We face this crap together.”
I nodded against her shoulder, the tears finally spilling over, hot and cleansing. “Together,” I whispered, clinging to her, to the promise that I wasn’t as alone as I felt. She went quiet, her expression softening. “If Cade Weston is like this, you don’t need his main-character energy.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not sure I’m great at picking them. And anyway, look at me.” I took a breath. “Resorting to FanZone to keep us afloat.”
Lilly’s eyes widened again. “Wait, FanZone? Like, the app where people post... stuff?”
I nodded, my cheeks burning. I hadn’t planned to tell her, but the truth was clawing its way out before I could stop it. “I started an account a few months ago. Nothing too wild, just... swimsuit photos, some lingerie... and... Look, it paid the bills, Lil. Paid for your tuition when the check bounced.”
Her mouth formed a small O, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she tilted her head, her brow furrowing in that thoughtful way she had, like she was piecing together a puzzle. “Bella, that’s... I mean, I guess I get why you did it, but that app’s so sketchy. People can be creeps.” She paused, her gaze searching mine. “And... why didn’t you tell me? We promised to share everything, remember? No more secrets after all the crap with Dad.”
I swallowed hard, the guilt twisting in my gut, but a wave of relief washed over me. She wasn’t freaking out, wasn’t judging me like I’d feared. She was just... being Lilly, steady and understanding, even when I didn’t deserve it. “I know, and I’msorry. I wanted to spare you the details, Lil. You’ve got enough on your plate with school and everything. The last thing I wanted was for you to worry about me scraping by like that.”
She nodded slowly, her expression softening. “Okay, I get that. But next time, tell me. We’re in this together, right?”
“Right.” Relief bloomed in my chest, easing the knot of anxiety I’d carried for months. Seeing her handle it so coolly made me feel like maybe I wasn’t such a screw-up after all.
“Tell me about it.” I sighed, leaning back against her headboard. “I made decent money, though. Enough to give us some breathing room. I’m looking into starting my own scarf company.”
“What? That’s so cool. You were always so amazing at designing outfits for your American Girl dolls.”
“You remember that?” I was surprised she did, to be honest. It seemed so long ago now.
“Yes. Of course. I always wondered why you didn’t go to fashion design or something.”
