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Chapter Eleven
Cassie didn’t like the silence in the car. They were heading toward the restaurant where his parents were waiting for them. The few gifts they had bought were already wrapped and in the back of the car. In her purse was the cruise details.
“You’re really quiet today,” she said.
Slade had been really quiet for the past couple of days, even at work, which was strange. They had spent most of their time watching television, and they hadn’t even had sex.
“Sorry. I’ve got a lot on my mind just lately. Wish I wasn’t going to this fucking farce and bullshit. I’m sorry.” He took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
“It’s okay. I know you’re under a lot of pressure at work.”
The Andersons didn’t like that Slade had slapped them with a fine for a breach of the peace with regards to their noise. Not only that, he’d also issued a demand that a building regulator be called in. When he went to the site, and no one could provide him with one, or the manager, Slade had gotten pissed.
She figured that was more to do with Andrew being back in town. The man who had made her life a misery in her last year of high school was back. She’d seen him one day she was coming out of the diner.
He’d been strolling down the street, and at first she’d hidden behind a sign, but then, she’d laughed, and walked out with her head held high. She wasn’t a shy little girl anymore. She had been so happy with the way she’d reacted, she’d gone back home to see Ray, and old lady Mary, to tell them. Of course, she’d taken a coconut cake with her, for good measure. She never wanted to go to the trailer park empty handed. Ray and Mary had been happy for her, and she’d told them all about Slade.
A few times over the past couple of years, she had offered to try to help find them a place out of the trailer park, but none of them would have it. It was their home, and they didn’t hold a grudge against her for leaving. They said it was never her home.
“Do you ever think about your mother?” Slade asked.
“My mother?”
“Yeah. Sorry, it’s a weird question. I know. I just, I was curious.”
“No. I don’t think about her to be honest. She was never a nice woman. Why?”
“No reason. Did you ever want to be a mother, have a family, lots of kids?” Slade asked.
“Yeah, I did actually.” She started to laugh. “It’s probably crazy now, but I wanted to be the kind of mother who wore an apron, and baked sweet pies for my kids when they were feeling miserable. The kind of woman that when she approached another parent, they knew they were getting my wrath. I wanted to be the kind of mother her kids knew they were taken care of, loved.”
She didn’t bother asking him what he wanted. Slade had told her many times that his future was all about the screwing, the fun. There were too many women for him to settle down with one.
His question made her pause. Did he want to end what they had? She knew it would happen one day, and probably soon. He moved from one woman to the next, without looking back. Their time together had been a ticking clock.
“Are you wanting us to end it?” she asked.
She forced herself to stare at him, and ask the question. On the outside, she hoped she looked calm, reserved, and ready for whatever he was going to say. Inside, she was weeping. Her heart was breaking, and she hated the fact that she had grown to love this man beside her. Slade was not the kind of man she wanted in a husband. Or at least, he hadn’t been when they first started this.
Damn it. She had promised herself she wouldn’t fall for him, and now Jessica’s warnings were rushing through her head, mocking her because the truth was, she had fallen deeply in love with Slade. She loved how he snored, which he didn’t know about. It was really cute, and he only ever did it when he was exhausted.
Even when he left the toilet seat up, she adored him. He didn’t put the cap on the toothpaste, and he often didn’t put the phone back into the cradle. He drank milk straight from the carton, and she hated that. But she fucking loved him, and now he was going to leave her broken.
She grit her teeth, trying to keep the lump in her throat. She tried to stay focused on other things, but she couldn’t.
“What? No. Do you want to end it? Because I thought things were going really well,” he said.
Wow, that didn’t exactly give her a confidence boost at all.
She just nodded, and then looked out of the window.
Tapping her fingers on her thigh, Cassie wondered what the hell she was going to do. She lived right next door to Slade. He had a bad reputation, and right now, she didn’t think she’d ever be able to see him fall for someone else.
“Is something bothering you?” Slade asked.
“No. It’s fine. I’m just nervous. This is the first time I’ve seen your parents. Why were you asking about my mom?”
“No reason. Just making conversation.”
