Page 31 of Cade

April’s face turned red this time, and he caught a whiff of her perfume as she whipped her head around to walk away from him. The suite was large enough, more like a small apartment, and he caught up to her before she reached the door.

“We were worried you weren’t going to come see us!” Lauren jumped up when they made it to the lobby and hugged April.

“Just trying to get ready,” April answered.

“Didn’t see this coming,” Jake slapped Cade on his back as he spoke. “Anything you want to tell me?”

Cade shook his head. “We knew each other before. I just realized I didn’t want to go too long without knowing her again,” he tried.

Jake rolled his eyes. “You’re full of shit.”

Cade was saved from replying to that accurate statement by Evan and Ryker approaching. “Congrats, man.” Evan slapped his back harder than Jake.

Ryker eyed him but didn’t say anything.

“Where’s Luke?” Cade asked. He couldn’t imagine Luke passing up a chance to be in Vegas.

Ryker grunted and raised his arm, pointing off by the front desk where Luke was flirting with a blond woman in a tight red dress.

“Figures,” Cade said with a shrug.

“Everyone ready?” Kayla asked the group before her gaze landed on Luke. “Ugh. Someone get him.”

Cade bit back a laugh. He wasn’t sure how else she expected Luke to act. This was him ten times out of ten.

“I’ll do it.” Ryler walked over, squeezed his hand on the back of Luke’s neck and dragged him back to the group. “Got him.”

“Okay. So first we want to have dinner, obviously,” Kayla started.

“I want to ride the Ferris wheel,” Lauren added.

“Let’s get started then.” Jake led the group out of the hotel and onto the brightly lit Vegas strip.

The group made their way to a restaurant. Cade didn’t notice the walk or much of the scenery. What he did notice was April. Her eyes were wide as she took in the sights, pointing at things and talking to Kayla and Lauren.

Her eyes were lit up and she looked very much like she did before he left her. Wide-eyed and ready to take on the world while taking it all in. He hadn’t realized how much that brightness was gone until now, when he could see it returned.

He couldn’t help but wonder if the lack of light in her had been his fault. It seemed selfish that he might have been the cause of her disillusionment while also heartbreaking. He genuinely hoped that none of this was simply because he was an idiot in his youth.

“What?” April looked up at him as they walked.

“Just looking at you,” he said.

She blushed and ducked her head. “Stop. It’s weird.”

“It’s not weird. You’re my wife.” Using the tip of his index finger, he pressed lightly below her chin, urging her to look up. “Maybe I want to look at my wife,” he told her.

April held his gaze until Lauren interrupted them. “You have a lifetime with her. We are here to have fun this weekend,” she sang out and pulled April away from him.

It didn’t escape his notice that everyone seemed to be pulling them apart. Well, not everyone, but the women at least were keeping April from being glued to his side, where he wanted her.

They all sat around a large table, the women together and Cade opposite April, who was definitely avoiding his gaze.

“Come clean,” Ryker said. “Why did you do it?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Cade said.

“I know that you’ve been using my employee to look for people, Cade. I know that you and April may have been a thing before, but you haven’t spent any time together of significance until tonight. I know a lot more than you think I do.” Ryker’s eyes never left the other side of the room as he spoke to Cade right next to him.

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