Page 83 of One Quick Obsession

“Good morning.”

“You and your cock better stay five feet away from me right now. I cannot be late for my half day at work.”

“I can’t believe you’re taking part of a vacation day.”

She shrugged, a small smile on her face. “I promised Luna and Mom that we would go shopping together. And if Mom’s going to leave the house, I’m going to be there.”

I kissed her softly and nodded, no words needed.

Her mother wasn’t healed or a hundred percent the way she used to be. She never would be. None of us would. We each had scars of our own, the ones on my shoulder always going to be ridged, the scar on Scarlett’s hairline forever hidden by her bangs, but still there if you looked hard enough.

But Mrs. Blair left the house more often than she ever had, all because she loved her girls and was trying.

That was a damn strong woman, and I liked her a lot. The Cages may overwhelm her, but they overwhelmed me, so it wasn’t like I could say much about it. However, she was great and did her best to try to be in her daughter’s life.

And for that, I’d love her to the end of my days.

In the months since the fire, things had moved quickly in some areas but slowly in others.

Scarlett had moved in with me, because there was no way I would let her out of my sight. She rented out her home to people with long-term rentals, because the town wouldn’t allow short-term rentals. And I knew she was thinking about selling the place, though since I owned the land itself, it would make sense just to keep it as another place for the Cages. Not that I had been the one to think that. No that had been Flynn, and his ever-present wanting to make sure the Cages owned everything and increased their connections. He was like our dad that way, but in the best ways possible and not the ways that made you want to tear your hair out.

After the authorities were finished with the Ackerson property, my friends had come in with their bulldozers, and the contractors had leveled everything that needed to be. And although part of me had wanted to sell the damn place and never allow any part of that memory back, it had been Dorian of all people—the one with the most connections to the place—that had convinced me to continue on with my plan.

A few of the cabins were already set up and ready to go, and a few others would be starting soon. There would be a main building, one for larger families, and that was taking a little longer, but it’d only been a few months.

Some of the people that I had served with who had made it home were already requesting time to stay, and I knew that seeing them wasn’t going to be easy, but introducing Scarlett to them? That would make the awkwardness worth it.

Michelle’s family hadn’t been back, and I didn’t think they would. And if they did, I would deal with it. I couldn’t blame myself for the rest of my days, I knew that. I would always hold some of that blame. Of that guilt. There was no getting around that. But the fact that I could even speak the words, and talk it out with Scarlett, meant that maybe I was figuring shit out.

Scarlett seemed to be changing everything. Not only was the resort adding more events that were gaining recognition among certain circles, but she was now working on a charity aspect of the resorts, and Isabella and James had jumped right into it.

I loved that woman, and one day she would be my wife, if she let me that was, but she was already part of my family.

I ran my hand over my heart as I stood in my studio, knowing I had work to do, and wondered how the hell I’d gotten here.

I had hidden in Cage Lake for a reason. And those reasons would always be there. But now I wasn’t hiding. I was here because I wanted to be. Because I loved a woman who loved Cage Lake, and maybe being a Cage of the infamous Cages wasn’t all that bad.

My phone buzzed and I ignored the text from my agent, wondering when we would talk about the next showing in a month, but I would get back to him soon.

See, that was growth.

My phone buzzed again, and this time while I wanted to ignore it, I knew I couldn’t.

The infamous group chat, one of the thousands, lit up my phone, and I sighed.

Flynn

6:00 PM at Aston’s?

Aston

Yes. You’re welcome to be there early, you know the code in case we’re not there yet.

Isabella

We’ve already opened it up for you guys though, just to make sure that it was ready to go.

Sophia