Two weeks later
“DANI!” NATE YELLS UP THE stairs, his impatience clear as day. He just got here two minutes ago to pick me up and he’s already reached his patience level.
“What?”
“You need to stop putting all that shit on your face so we can get going.”
“I’m not ‘putting that shit’ on my face, Nate!” I yell back as I recap my mascara and go over my lips again with bright-red lipstick, giving myself one more look to make sure everything is perfect. I have to look perfect today.
Summer has come to stay in Georgia. If my daddy saw me now, I’m sure he would have a fit over my outfit. I’ll have to deal with him later, but he won’t be able to do anything but complain about it by then. My jean shorts are just shy of what I would consider normal. They cover everything but show a lot—and I mean a lot—of leg. My red tank top is tight and gives me just enough of cleavage.
I look hot.
Really hot.
My legs look amazing. Like, off-the-charts ahhhmazing. The shorts matched with my heels make them look longer than they are. Weeks of working daily at the gym and a few more pole dancing classes have them toned to perfection, and thanks to the sun, my tan is the perfect shade of dark. My long, chestnut locks are hanging down my back in soft waves, giving them that “I woke up like this” look even though it took me almost an hour to get each curl perfect. But my makeup might take the cake. Maddi did it before she left the house, going heavy on my eyes so that my green peepers would pop like crazy. I’m not vain, but I can safely admit that I look hot as hell.
It really is a shame that I look this good and I know it might not do any good. I’m frustrated. Ever since that day in my room, Cohen has been like a ghost. Any chance I thought I might have had to try to further our conversation was just kicked like a bug. He just disappeared.
Okay, he didn’t disappear, but he didn’t exactly make it so that we could ever be alone to have a private chat. Nope. If I tried, he just wasn’t having it. He was hell-bent on keeping his distance, and that shit is ending tonight.
Nate pulls up to the event hall—a rustic, old log cabin—and grunts a few times when he looks over at me, clearly trying to tell me by his caveman speech that he isn’t happy about my outfit.
“What is your problem?” I ask, crossing my arms across my chest.
His eyes narrow, and he grunts again.
I give him a few grunts of my own. What the hell? Maybe he’ll understand what I’m trying to express verbally if I try to dumb it down to alpha speak.
“What are you doing?” he asks with his head tilting like a confused dog when I grunt a few more times.
“Well, dear brother, I’m trying to see if I attempt to vocalize as you and our father do that maybe you’ll answer me back. Clearly, I have no idea what has your panties in a twist today. You’ve been all snappy snapperson since we left my house.”
“You.”
“Uh . . . can we add a few words to that, maybe a dramatic pause for flair and express a coherent thought that is well thought out and planned to make sense so that it can be understood and processed?”
“God, you can be such a bitch.”
I smile. “Oh? You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
He sighs and looks out the front window.
“Seriously, Nate, what’s going on?”
“It’s nothing, Dani. I’m taking my bad mood out on you. Doesn’t help that you’re dressed like a tramp just to gain Cohen’s attention.”
I look down at my outfit again. I don’t think it’s trampy. Sure, it’s showing my legs off and my top is tight, but I’m hardly indecent.
“Okay, tramp might be too much, but couldn’t you have worn something that, I don’t know, covers all of that under your neck?” He gestures wildly to my body.
“You’re being ridiculous. And I’m not wearing anything for Cohen. It’s summer, in Georgia, and, like, over a hundred degrees. I’m pretty sure this is considered overdressed by most.”
Okay, so I’m lying. He knows it. It could be considered slightly manic in my desperateness to get some sort of reaction from him.
“You’re only going to get hurt, Dani,” he whispers so low that I almost miss it, and hearing him confirming my biggest fear brings tears to my eyes.
“You don’t know that,” I argue weakly.
He does know that though. Cohen’s his best friend. Regardless of the fact that he probably doesn’t like that I’ve always crushed on him, he’s never tried to stop me. Until now.
“What do you know, Nate?”
He doesn’t say anything for the longest time. He just continues to look out the window, taking in all of our extended family as they mill about the parking lot and outside the venue. I follow his gaze when I see it soften slightly and see Ember Locke waving at our direction. Her face falls when Nate doesn’t acknowledge her and she looks over at me. I give her a weak smile but bring my attention back to my brother.
“He’s bringing a date, Dani.”
And cue heart stop.
It just drops right into my stomach.
In all the years I’ve loved Cohen Cage from afar, he’s never, not once, brought one of his dates around the family. I’m not stupid. I know he dates. He practically has girls falling over themselves to get his attention. But throughout the years, he’s never brought them around. And with everything that’s been going on between us for over a month now, I really didn’t think he would stoop this low just to get me to leave him alone. Maybe he didn’t mean to leave a trail of hope in his little goodbye speech the other day.
“What?” I gasp.
“You heard me, Dani. Don’t make me say it again.”
“Is it . . . is it serious?”
“He’s bringing her, isn’t he?” He looks over, and I can tell he hates that he is hurting me right now. “I’ve only met her a few times. She’s nice enough. I honestly don’t know her or their relationship well enough to tell you any more. He’s bringing Chance, too.”
“Oh,” I say, looking back out the window.
“Yeah, oh,” he parrots, reaching over and grabbing my hand to give me a strong, reassuring squeeze. “Come on, little princess. Let’s get this over with.”
When we make it inside, things are predictably insane. Whenever we all get together, things tend to go that way. I love my family, but sometimes—like right now—they’re just too much.
The room is huge, set up that way to ensure plenty of space for the number of guests they plan on attending. Numerous tables are scattered throughout the middle of the room, with some space for the food tables, DJ, a bar, and a huge stage set up across the room. It’s typically used for small, local concerts and some wedding receptions. I guess you could consider it country chic, with the log cabin look from outside continuing inside. They’ve added crystal chandeliers to the vaulted ceilings and carried the décor to the table settings. Mason jars full of wildflowers are at each table, American flags sticking out the center of each, with a red-white-and-blue theme for each table. My attention goes back to the large stage, which takes up the whole back end of the room. It’s covered in a thick, red curtain—and I officially decide that it will be my escape later.
Obviously, Mom, Dee, and Melissa went all out. I see Mom at the far side of the large room talking to Dee and Emmy. She’s waving her arms around like a windmill, so she’s clearly worked up about something. Daddy is standing by the bar with Beck and Asher. He looks up when we walk in. As always, he knows when one of his girls is near, and I have no doubt, judging by the way his eyes go hard, that he knows I’m upset. Or he’s noticed my outfit. I give him a bright smile, which he doesn’t buy for one second, and I move around Nate to go find Maddi.
She left the house almost an hour before me to come and help set up. The girls had spent the night back at their parents’ house so that they could spend more time with their brother, so I knew they wouldn’t be here yet.
Liam stops me before I even get two feet into my quest for Maddi to say hey and gives me a big hug.
“Are you okay?” he asks, not even breaking to say hello.
Another infuriating side effect of being surrounded by overprotective alpha males is their inability to leave well enough alone. They sense that one of the females in our group is upset and they just can’t not try to fix it.
“Stop, Lee. Don’t turn on your protector crap right now. I get it enough from Nate and Daddy. I’m fine. Just fine,” I snap.
“Uh, right. I’m just . . . I’ll just go find Zac and Jaxon now.” He holds his hands up in a mock surrender and walks slowly backwards. Away from me and my special brand of crazy.
I watch him walk away until he stops where Asher and Chelcie’s boys are standing with Cam and Colt.
“Aren’t you a happy camper. You were fine an hour ago. How could your day change so swiftly?” Maddi laughs, coming up to my side and wrapping her arm over my shoulders.
I allow myself two seconds of soaking up her support before I duck under her arm, grab her hand, and drag her through the tables and out the back door.
“What in the hell,” she mumbles, struggling to keep up with me. Which is laughable, really, with her long legs against my short ones.
I let the back door slam behind us and pull her farther behind the building and the dumpsters. No way I’m chancing anyone overhearing us.
“What has gotten in to you, Dani?” Maddi inquires when I finally drop her hand.
“Did you know that Cohen was bringing a date?”
“Do what? You’re kidding, right?”
“Dead serious,” I all but yell. “Nate just told me in the car that he was bringing someone. That’s all I know. But, Maddi . . . surely it’s serious if he’s bringing her here! Oh my God, oh my God. I need to leave. That’s what I need to do.”
“Actually, you should probably just try and calm your shit down and stop acting like the world is over. It’s Cohen. I’m sure that she is just a friend or something. I don’t know, maybe she’s homeless and he is bringing her so she can get a meal. Maybe she is part alien and using him to get to know our culture. Whatever the case may be, you freaking yourself out over it isn’t going to do a bit of good.”
“Why do you have to make so much sense?” I ask sarcastically after she stops talking.
She, in turn, gives me a glare that would make her father proud.
“Aliens? Really?” I laugh.
“Oh, shut up. And you know I make sense because I’m the smart one. Plus, with the twins not here yet, someone has to keep your ass from overacting. Oh! I know. Let’s call Lyn. She’ll know what’s up.”
She pulls her cell out of her back pocket, and after a few seconds of fiddling with it, she presses it to her ear.
“Hey,” she says into the phone. “Are you alone?”
This is ridiculous. I should just leave now and save myself the gut-crushing pain of seeing another woman in his arms.
“Is Cohen bringing a date?” she whispers and looks around the side of the dumpster.
“No one is coming, Maddi,” I whisper back.
“Then why are you whispering too, smarty pants?” she snaps and turns her attention back to her phone call. “I know that, Lyn, but Nate told Dani that he was and now she’s freaking the hell out . . . I don’t know where he heard it . . . No . . . Well, then who is she?”
Oh shit. It’s true. I should definitely leave. Maybe if I cut through the woods to the industrial park, some nice trucker will take me to Mexico.
“Oh really? Oh . . . yeah . . . No . . . Shit. Okay. Bye.” She looks down at her phone before looking up at me. Her eyes hold nothing but sympathy.
“It’s true?”
“Looks like it,” she whispers before pulling me into her arms. “Okay, plan B. Let’s turn this frown upside down. So he’s got a friend with him. We don’t know anything else, so let’s just pretend they’re friends and just friends. Lyn didn’t know much. Just that her mom told her that he’s brought her by the house a few times this last week. That’s all she knows. Let’s try not to stress about it, okay? You, my friend, look hot, so let us just enjoy the day. You continue to be hot, and aside from being polite, ignore him and his special friend. There will be plenty of other guys here tonight, so it’s time to get your flirt on. Do you need me to go sneak you some booze?”
“Maddi, I’m old enough to drink. I don’t need you to sneak me anything anymore.” I laugh.
“Right. Well, it’s time to act like you could care less and have some fun. Don’t let this hang over you—not tonight. Tonight is about making sure Cohen knows his family loves him before he leaves. No sad faces or jealous eyes. This thing between you two will work itself out, I promise.”
“Yes, sir, Maddi, sir.” I salute her, and after a few giggles, we take off on a mission to practice my acting.
I’ve always been good at acting.
Even if I feel like my heart is breaking inside.
It isn’t his fault I feel this way and he doesn’t. Or I should say that I feel this way and he isn’t willing to let himself.
One thing’s for certain though. If Cohen Cage wanted me like I want him, he never would have let it go this long without taking it. Taking me and never letting go. Instead, he’s just playing more games in his quest to keep me at arm’s length. Because he is making decisions about the future without even considering that maybe I believe he’s worth waiting for.
Time to put on my big-girl panties and pretend that the other half of my heart isn’t going to be in the arms of another woman.