Epilogue
Journey
“What doyou think he did with the bodies?” I asked, bending down and grabbing a handful of snow.
It had only been a couple of weeks of learning that I was, in fact, an orphan and had no living relatives other than my half-brother, who just so happened to be my boyfriend’s arch enemy up until recently, but there were still so many questions I wanted answered.
Cade’s cool chuckle filtered through the air as he sat back on the lacrosse bench with a black beanie on, making his sharp features stand out even more. “There are clean-up crews out there. My father had them on speed-dial.”
I was still packing the snow into a little ball as my lips parted in shock. “It’s alarming how nonchalant you are about that. Not only do I have a boyfriend who has lived this lifestyle but also a half-brother who has, too.” Bizarre.
Cade shrugged. “It’s not all that outlandish to me with how I grew up, and the same for Bain. Why do you think my mother skipped town so quickly?”
There was a bump in my chest at the obvious hint of pain. Cade could play off his emotions to anyone else except me. The few times he had mentioned his mother with an evident dip in his tone told me that this was something that was affecting him, whether he wanted to admit that or not.
“Cadeeeee.”
His warm eyes sized me up and down. “Journeyyyyy.”
There was a flip in my belly, but I shut down the instant butterflies from his flirty voice. “Let’s call your mom.”
His smile fell. “No.”
My boots crunched over the snowy field, leaving a trail of footprints behind me. The second I got close to him, his legs spread, and his cold, red hands flitted to my waist. His chin was tipped up, and I peered down into his eyes, suddenly becoming swept up in the overpowering amount of safety and contentment that I felt within them. I want him to feel that, too.
“Yes,” I said, dropping the snowball I had planned to throw at him before wrapping my hands around his cold cheeks. The rosy color matched his lips, and I found myself staring down at them. “If anything…to just close the gap.”
“There is no gap.”
My hands grew tense on his cheeks, feeling the subtle scruff on his skin. “There is. You owe it to yourself to tell her what kind of man you are.”
“And what kind of man am I, Journey Smith?”
My lips curved, and I pushed in closer to him, letting his arms wrap around my waist even tighter. “You’re loyal to those who deserve it, you are selfless beyond belief, you’re caring and sweet when you want to be, and you are determined to be righteous even when all you’ve known is evil.”
A cloud of warm breath flew from his mouth before he picked me up by my thighs and sat me down on his lap. I straddled him as my legs hung off the back side of the bench. His lips graced my neck as he whispered into my ear, “I think you just filled the gap.”
“Nice try,” I whispered back, bringing our faces closer together. “If I’m going to work on a relationship with my half-brother who cut my wrists to make it look like I was suicidal and kept me locked away in a psych ward so no one would know I was alive, then you can call your mom and start working on things, too.” I paused. “Not to mention, aren’t you the one who keeps preaching to me that others’ actions are not my fault? Like blaming myself for the death of Sister Mary?” The thought of her still hurt, the feeling nestling deep in my belly and coming out at the worst times, like when Cade and I volunteered at the orphanage on the weekends. “You are not your father. His actions should not reflect on you.”
He growled as he thrust his hardened middle to meet mine, coaxing a rushed gasp to leave me. “Fine,” he bit out, darting his tongue out to lick my bottom lip. “But first…” My back was in the snow as his mouth hovered, putting a pause on everything else. “I’m starving.”
The End