Page 60 of Matchmaking the Rival

I found the coffee on the counter, loaded some in the filter, added water, and started the machine. While it was brewing, I looked around, taking in the place. On the side of the fridge were pictures of her family. I hadn't noticed them last night. One was of Meredith, her sister, and, I assumed, her brother-in-law. I took it off to get a closer look.

"My, my. What a sight."

I glanced up from the picture as she stood in front of me, still wearing the same camisole from last evening. She looked fresh-faced and even smelled of toothpaste.

I showed her the picture. "You look beautiful here."

"Thanks. Want to stop distracting me by dangling that gorgeous cock in my kitchen?"

My erection twitched. Hearing her say it was a damned turn-on. Next to the fridge, I noticed a black apron hanging on a hook, and that gave me an idea. Grabbing it, I put it over my head, tying it behind my back. It was all black, which was good. I didn’t feel like a complete idiot wearing it.

"How about this?" I asked. "Make you breakfast? And I’m covered, so now the jewels won’t distract you."

“Okay, I have to take a picture. Damn it, I can't." She smirked. "You know what? I will anyway, and obviously I’ll be the only one who knows that you're completely commando." She grabbed her phone from the high table next to the entrance to the kitchen. I stood straight as she said, "No, don't move, not even one inch or everyone will know your ass is on display." She giggled, snapping a few pictures. "Okay, I've got it. I can't believe you're actually up for this."

"Why not?" I asked. "Come on, let's see what you've got in here. We both need sustenance."

"Yes, we do."

She didn't have a lot of food, but we made do with a platter of cheese, toast, and tomatoes. We ate while standing in the kitchen.

"What time do you have to be at the office?” I asked her.

“Nine at the latest. You?” she said between bites.

“I’m flexible. In the evening, I’ll come to your parents’ house.”

“We can handle everything on our own, really.”

“I promised I’d be there, Meredith. I’m not breaking my word.”

She smiled. “Thanks. I wonder when Mom meets Jeannie for the book club. They’ll surely have a lot to talk about.”

“No clue. I’m glad Grandmother’s getting out of the house for that. I like knowing she’s happy." I leaned against the edge of the counter, making more coffee as soon as we finished our light breakfast. "Sometimes I wonder if my brothers and I had made more of an effort with my mother, she would still be with us." Fuck me, I'd never voiced that thought. I never even realized I harbored it, and yet deep inside, I knew I'd always carried some guilt about those years.

"Why would you say that?"

"I don't know. I was so busy acting out that I wasn’t paying attention to her."

“Cade, you were a teenager. People usually act out at that age without any reasons, and you'd just found out your father had another family."

"I know, but I left all the heavy lifting to Colton and Jake. They didn't even tell us in the beginning that Mom was sick. She only told us later."

"It sucks how everything happened, but you shouldn't feel guilty." Her voice was soft. She came in front of me, putting both hands on my chest. My heartbeat calmed down in a matter of seconds. How did she intuitively know exactly what I needed? I clutched her wrist, rubbing my thumb over the pulse point.

"I don't know, maybe if we hadn't given her so much headache. If we'd bothered to take a look at her and suggest that she go to the doctor earlier. Maybe they could've helped her."

I usually hid this part of myself, mostly because people in business circles appreciated my cutthroat ability to make things happen. I didn’t want to appear vulnerable in negotiations. If people knew you had a soft spot, they used it. But Meredith was seeing both sides of me. That was rare. I typically didn't let them blend. I was breaking my rules for her.

"Cade, stop. That's not how illnesses work," she murmured.

"I know. I'm not sure what’s gotten into me this morning. Anyway, back to Grandmother. There's a simple rule: when she's happy, we're all happy."

"Oh, so it's self-serving, huh?"

"Partly, yes."

She chuckled. "Why don't I believe you? You’re actually a very thoughtful person. Who would've known?”

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