Page 45 of An Unexpected Everything
“Thanks.” I wasn’t sure what to say, but Bella had her arm around my waist, patting my hip softly. And just like that, I was okay. Because she was touching me in front of her family, just a soft touch, telling me she was there.
I might not know where we were going with this, and it felt like we were going the speed of a bullet train at this point, but I didn’t care. It was Isabella Cage Dixon.
A woman I had thought I had left behind.
By the time we finished dinner and worked on desserts, I felt as if I knew the Cages on a different level. Sure I was friends with Hudson and Dorian, but I didn’t get to sit with a group of them like this. Sophia was all bright and joy and I knew that some of it was her personality but a lot of it came from the man who looked adoringly at her. He was quieter than the rest ofus, even quieter than Hudson sometimes. However, everything he said had meaning. And I liked him. And I didn’t often like people right away. However, while Sophia might be Isabella’s sister, Blakely was the sister of Bella’s heart. You could tell from the way they looked at each other. It was as if they were having a full-on conversation when nobody was looking. Or maybe, while everybody was looking.
It was nice to see that she had had a support system when I had been gone. I didn’t know exactly what she had told her best friend after I had left. I had been expecting to face pure hatred, especially from Kyler, but instead, Blakely welcomed me with open arms because I was at Bella’s side.
Kyler on the other hand brooded more than Hudson. He had been the quietest of everyone. In fact I’d only heard him say a few words. I knew he was out on tour, so I was surprised to see him here. However, knowing exactly why Bella was in Cage Lake to begin with, it just reminded me that Kyler was trying to be the big brother.
And I didn’t blame him. He might be younger, but he was just as protective as the rest of the Cages.
We began to clean up, and I knew it was getting late. I wanted to invite Bella back to my house, considering Blakely and Aston would be sleeping here tonight. I wasn’t sure how that would go, but Bella froze as she looked down at her phone.
Alarmed, I moved forward. “What is it?”
She swallowed hard, her hand shaking. “I… I need… I think I need to forward this to someone.” She kept stuttering over her words, and I took the phone from her and cursed.
“What the fuck?” Kyler snapped as he looked over my shoulder.
Unknown number:
You think you can hide. But I’ll find you.
Unknown number:
You shouldn’t have done what you did.
Unknown number:
Do you miss me?
Unknown number:
Or did you miss him?
Unknown number:
You’re not looking in the right place. You never were.
“Fuck,” I said as Aston took the phone from me.
“I’m going to call her contact with the authorities.”
“No, I can do it,” Isabella said, rolling her shoulders back. “This is my problem. And I’ll handle it.”
“Like hell it’s your problem,” Blakely said before I could. “We’re all family in here. And I’m sorry, you don’t get to do this alone. So you drink the water that Hudson is now handing you.” Hudson was in fact handing her a glass of water. He had moved so quietly, I hadn’t noticed. “And then you’re going to stay with us, and we’re going to take care of you.”
“She’s coming home with me,” I growled, and everyone stared. “I have a state-of-the-art security system thanks to Ford and Hudson over there, and I’m not letting her out of my sight.”
“She’s safe here too,” Aston put in.
“She is standing right here and can handle herself.” She looked at me then. “The twins are under your roof too.”
“He doesn’t know where you are. But I need to know where you are. Okay? Can you do that for me?” I cupped her face, ignoring the looks from others. “I can’t find the bastard to endhim. To keep you safe. So let me at least keep you protected at my side.”
“Smooth,” Dorian said before he let out an oof when Kyler elbowed him in the gut.
