Page 32 of If You Were Mine
I had known the Cages for most of my life. But I had never heard Aston Cage’s voice in that chilly tone before. Not once. Not even when his persona had been the icy asshole that people didn’t truly understand. Perhaps he had always been a little growly, a little standoffish. And perhaps it had been Blakely who had brought him out a bit.
Only I had always thought he hadn’t enjoyed small town gossip and shied away from it. It made sense to me. And yet, I had never heard him sound so glacial.
Melanie Cage narrowed her gaze. “I see you’re still working through the will’s dinners. Good for you. You always were like your father and keeping up with promises.”
I wasn’t sure I had ever heard so many wrong things spoken at once. Because Aston was nothing like his father, and for a man who had not only cheated on his wife but made sure he had done it in the most complicated way possible, I wasn’t sure that Dorian’s father was good with promises.
“I wasn’t aware you cared.”
Melanie Cage glared at her eldest son before turning to take in the others in the room. Sophia, Cale, and the babies were still upstairs, and for that I was grateful. From what I knew about the older woman’s relationship with her children—at least from Isabella’s take—they didn’t have a relationship currently. Meaning I wasn’t even sure she had met the babies who might not be her grandchildren, but through the tangled lines of their lives, were as close as.
Of course, the woman with icy blonde hair, a trim and tailored baby blue pantsuit with a ruffled collar, complete with matching jacket, and boots for walking through snow, didn’t look the grandmotherly type.
And while that was wrong of me because you didn’t have to be wearing an apron and bright smile in order to be a grandmother, I still didn’t like the woman.
Of course, I had my own issues when it came to grandmothers. I suppose I shouldn’t be throwing rocks at glass houses. But my mother had been amazing. And I didn’t like this current mother in front of us.
“I thought this was supposed to be family only. You seem to be inviting so many people.” Her gaze caught mine, and I just gave a little finger wave. “Hello, Mrs. Cage. I’m Harper. We’ve met a few times.”
She turned away from me as if I hadn’t spoken. Dorian’s hand clasped mine and gave it a squeeze. I swallowed hard and tried not to lean into exactly what this touch meant to me. Because it couldn’t mean anything. He was just giving me reassurance like a good friend.
And I totally wasn’t holding Dorian Cage’s hand.
“Oh. I know you. Your brother tried to kill my son. You’re lucky that Dorian is so kind, or I’d have ensured he sued your entire family. After all, my son is forever scarred and altered because of the incident. It’s a pity your brother didn’t make it.”
It was like knives to my chest, someone squeezing my lungs as if they were trying to suffocate me, and the pounding in my brain wouldn’t ease.
And as everybody spoke up at once, demanding she leave, or shouting obscenities towards her, I just moved forward, thankfully taking Dorian along with me. Melanie Cage didn’t miss our connected hands, and if anything, her scowl had increased—the rage in her eyes a bare glimmer before she squashed it.
I let out a breath and lifted my chin, raising my voice to be heard over the others. “Suing me really wouldn’t have helped anyone. I have no money and I’m pretty much in debt. But don’t worry. I’m a big girl. I guess I can take what you lash out at me. I’m very sorry that Dorian was hurt. But if you ever speak to me like that again, I’m not going to be the kind, naïve, small-town girl you think I am.”
Hudson whistled under his breath, and my hands began to shake because I was not the type of person who ever spoke like that to another human being.
It was Isabella who began to clap. “Bravo.”
“I don’t need your tone, or anything from the rest of you.” Melanie scowled at Isabella, and my friend lifted her chin and glared at the other woman.
“You are rude, a liar, and I don’t know why you’re here. Maybe to annoy Dorian like you’re so good at doing, but you’re on borrowed time. You’re just lucky that I’m not in the mood to deal with an assault charge,” Isabella snapped.
“And that’s why I love you,” Weston said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“You need to go, Mom,” Dorian said as he squeezed my hand.
Melanie’s brows would have risen if they could have. “Dorian, I’m here to talk to you.”
“I don’t care. I told you last time I saw you that I didn’t want to speak to you. How dare you talk about my best friend like that. If I ever hear you speak to Harper like that again… I don’t care that you’re my mother. Do you understand that? You don’t get to speak to anyone like that. Especially not Harper.” He let go of my hand as he moved forward, his brothers each taking a step with him, along with Cale who I hadn’t realized had entered the room. Sophia must still be upstairs with the babies.
Dorian leaned forward, his words a breath above a whisper. “Don’t forget, Mother, there’s a reason that you like to hover around me. And I’m not in the mood to deal with being your trained little soldier anymore. So leave.”
“I need to talk to you and ensure that you are all complying with the will. It’s my money too.”
“Money. All you care about is money.” Aston shook his head. “Go. This is my home. Not yours. You have three very pleasant homes that are outside of the ridiculous terms of dear old dad’s will. So go there and pout or do whatever you want to do. But if this family keeps to the will, it’s because we want to.”
“Because unlike how we feel for you, we actually like each other,” Dorian put in. He shrugged as he said it, and Melanie took a step back. “We’re here because we want to be. And because we care about the people of this town and our companies. You’ll get your money. But you don’t get us. You’re already tiring me. So go.”
She reached out for a moment, and I took a step forward, ready to pull Dorian back if the woman hit him. I didn’t know why I thought she would, but this farce of a relationship between her and her kids weighed on me.
“Fine. Contact me when you’re done.”
