Page 118 of Perfect Alpha

I turn from the stove, and Cade’s defeated posture makes my heart ache. He nods slowly and rubs his hands vigorously over his face.

“I think we’ve got a good chance of keeping Aidan.”

Tears fill my eyes, and I bite my lip to try and stop the dam from bursting. “I can’t believe Duncan is such a fucking asshole.”

Cade gives me a half-smile. “He probably thinks he’s doing the right thing.”

“By the son he’s never met and never even wanted to meet?” I demand hotly. “I hate him.”

Cade takes me into his arms and despite his brave words, he’s trembling. “I know. Other than getting back together with you, nothing good happened this year.”

“I talked to Gemma about taking some time off while I decide whether I want to keep working for her remotely or go another direction entirely.”

Cade holds my shoulders and gently pushes me back so he can look into my eyes. “So you’re not going back to New York at all?”

I shake my head. “I mean, I’ll have to deal with my apartment, but you and Aidan can come with me for a weekend, and we’ll settle everything. And if I do end up resigning, I want to give Gemma a long notice period, so I might have to head back and help out a few times. But otherwise, I… I can’t. Home is where you are and where I want to be.”

Tears fill Cade’s eyes, and I lean forward to kiss them off his cheeks.

“Are you positive this is what you want?”

“Am I positiveyou’rewhat I want?” I ask, knowing exactly where his head is at. “Yeah. I am. As for what comes next, I don’t know.”

“We’ll figure it out, angel. Whatever makes you happy, you know I’m right here to support you. It’s funny because I always thought you loved your job.”

“You made too many assumptions without ever talking to me,” I remind him. “I made the best of my second choice. But nothing compares to how much I loveyou.”

“You have no idea how much it means to me to hear you say that,” Cade murmurs. “I never should have let you go, and I’m so grateful that I get a second chance. This time, I’m not losing you for anything.”

We talk about how our version of forever will look all the time. Raising Aidan. Buying a new house. Building a life on our terms, together. But he hasn’t asked the question that would solidify everything in front of everyone we love the most.

The thought of marrying Cade without Hannah by my side makes me nauseated. There was never an alternate ending for us other than being lifelong best friends, and I have no idea how to navigate this new normal.

“You can ask Savanna,” Cade whispers, and I flinch. Am I that easy to read? “I know it’s not the same,” he continues. “My heart bleeds for Hannah. But it will still be a special day. Our special day.” He kisses my nose. “When you’re ready, which isn’t now.”

When he says the words, calmness washes over me. He’s right.

I want to spend my life with this man, but I need some time to enjoy being his girlfriend before I become his fiancée and then, finally, his wife. It will happen because his intentions are written all over his face, but there isn’t any rush.

We still have so much to figure out.

“You know me better than I know myself sometimes,” I complain.

Cade smiles. “You’ve been mine for a long time, angel.”

The sound of Aidan crying intrudes on the moment, but we both smile instead of sigh. The privilege of raising him is one I will never complain about.

“What do we need to do to prepare for court?” I ask.

“I’ve scheduled another meeting with the lawyer for after the holidays,” Cade replies. “We’ll leave Aidan with your parents.”

I nod. “I’ll go get him.”

“Thank you,” Cade says simply.

“For what?”

“For accepting that Aidan and I are a package deal.”

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