From This Moment (18 page)

Cade dresses quickly.
  He goes downstairs, leaving me in peace.

~~ Cade ~~

Heading down to breakfast, I can’t believe how lucky I am to have Rona.  After all these years of being alone, I finally have someone – it feels amazing.

Arriving in the kitchen, I’m just in time to catch Jake and Elise in the middle of a rather passionate embrace.
  Deciding to ignore them, I head over to the coffee machine, where to my delight, I discover freshly brewed coffee.  Turning around, Jake and Elise still haven’t noticed they have an audience, so opening the refrigerator – I slam it shut.  At the same time Rona shouts, “Cade, what are you doing?”  This, of course, has the two love birds jumping apart.

Elise picks up her cup of coffee and sits at the table, while Jake just grins from ear to ear.

Rona walks over to Jake smiling at him, “I take it everything worked out?” She hugs him.

“It certainly did.
  Thank you.”  Jake returns her hug.

She pulls away f s puou.” &rom him, “You’re welcome.”

“What about me?  Feeling a bit left out over here.”  Walking over to me she smiles, “How can you feel left out after this morning?”

The Minx!

“Oh god!” Jake groans, while everyone else has a good laugh.

“Morning Elise, sorry about that.
  I can’t seem to help winding Jake up.  In fact you should have seen his face when I told him I wanted an outfit to knock his dad’s socks off.”  Which had Cade narrowing his eyes, Jake looking bashful and Elise laughing.

“Which outfit was that?” I ask, looking at Rona, thinking perhaps I might have been better off keeping my mouth shut.

“The little red dress and I mean ‘little’.”

“Shit!
 I knew I shouldn’t have asked.”

“Hey Elise, we’re about the same size, you’ll have to borrow it.
 Jake won’t be able to keep his hands to himself.  It’s kind of a dress that you wear in private for your guy.”  Then winking towards me, “It doesn’t allow underwear,” Elise grins and Jake looks shocked.

“Jake, will you take me to buy two?” Elise asks, laughing.

“I’ll buy you seven, one for each day of the week.”  Jake chokes out, while everyone chuckles.

Thinking it might be a good idea to shut the love of my life up, I head over to her with a bagel, “Here, I think this will keep your mouth occupied for a while.”

“Why Cade, are you by any chance trying to tell me to shut up?” she grins, which has me groaning.  “I can think of something else to keep my mouth....  err, occupied.”

Hell, I nearly choke on my coffee, the little minx!

“Time out you two.  Please.  I can’t take anymore.”  Jake does the T sign with his hands as he sits next to Elise.

Giggling, Rona replies, “No, neither can
I.”

“I’m really not having breakfast with you again.” Jake looks appalled.

~~ Rona ~~

God, I’m not sure what’s wrong with me this morning.
 I can’t seem to shut up with sexual innuendo.  Guess I must be on a high after the shower with Cade this morning; I certainly feel on one.

er the shot size="+0">I decide it might be best to take Cade up on his advice and eat my bagel.
  Cade has brought me coffee to go with it.  After a brief silence, “Is there any news from Daniel’s office?” Cade asks Jake.

“No, they haven’t found him yet, but the good news is that Grace will make a full recovery.
  She came around in the night, but is still a bit out of it.  They’re hoping to talk to her this morning.  There’s also a guy from out of town, a DEA agent, waiting to talk to her as well; he also wants to talk to Elise.” Jake replies.

“Why does a DEA agent want to talk to Elise and Grace?
 I thought the outside interest was about Nick?”  I ask feeling rather confused.

“Daniel hinted that they might be connected, but he didn’t say how,” Jake replies.

“This sounds pretty big.  Neither Rona nor Elise go anywhere without one of us with them and they don’t stay in the house alone.”

When everyone stays silent at Cade’s announcement, Elise asks, “So you think Tom will come here?”

Standing up, he runs his fingers though his hair, “Yes, I do.  He will come looking for you and maybe Jake.  I don’t like the fact that he could also get to Rona, to get to you.”

Standing up, I go to him and put my arms around his waist.
  “I’ll be okay.”  He wraps me in his arms.  “And so will Elise, they’ll catch him.”

“I hope so love,” he
places a kiss on my forehead.

Pulling away from Cade, I can see how much this situation with Tom is bothering him.

“Cade, come and sit with me.”  Sitting, he pulls me against his chest, holding me there.

I look at Jake and Elise, who are cuddling on the other sofa, “Do you guys have anything planned today?”
 I bring Cade’s hand up to kiss his palm before placing it back on to my stomach.

“I’m taking Elise to see our house,” he tells me with such pride.

“Good.  Does she get to see inside?”

With a slight cough, “Yes.”

I smile at him.  “I thought so.  I’d already figured out it was Elise you’re building the house for.  It makes sense that you’d want her to see it first.”

“I knew there was a reason I like you!” Jake says.

“You mean because of my beauty s ofy figured, charm and wit or did you mean for making your father happy or for interfering between you and Elise?”  I catch the cushion Jake throws at me.

Laughing.
 “All the above.”

“Good answer son.”
 Cade starts to nuzzle the back of my neck.

Settling back into Cade, I let the conversation carry on around me, because I’m starting to get a headache.
  Putting my head on Cade’s chest, I reach up to rub my temples.

“Are you okay love?” Cade asks me, replacing my fingers with his over my forehead.

“Not really.  I have a headache that’s crept up on me out of the blue.  I’m going to have to excuse myself and go and lie down.  I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry.
  You’ll feel better after lying down for a while,” Elise says.

Standing up from the sofa, Cade stands too.
 “I’ll go up with you get you some painkillers.”

“T
hanks.”  Then I look towards Elise and Jake, “I’ll see you guys later?”

“Yes you will.
 Elise is staying here,” Jake takes Elise’s hand.

“Good.”

By the time I arrive to the bedroom my head is throbbing and I start to feel sick.  Pulling the sheets back, I climb on to the bed, just as Cade arrives with my prescribed migraine tablets.

“Here love, take these.”
 He helps me to sit up so I can take the tablets. 

“You don’t need to stay with me.
 I’m just going to sleep it off.”  He joins me on the bed.

“I want to stay with you.
  Just shut your eyes and rest.  I’ll be right here.”

“Okay honey.”
 I take hold of Cade’s hand and close my eyes.

~~ Cade ~~

Just lying here beside Rona, holding her hand, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so content in my life.  Rona has been asleep about three hours.  I think I drifted off not long after she did.

I turn on my side to look at her; she’s turned during her sleep and is now facing me.

Pushing her hair away from her face, she starts to wake up.

“Hi honey, you stayed with me,” she states, rather sleepily.

“Always.  How are you feeling?”

“The headache has gone.
  I just feel as though my head is full of cotton wool.”

“Do you think you could eat something?”

“Not right now, but a glass of cold water would be good.”

I climb off the bed, “Coming right up love, give me a couple of minutes.”

She turns over, shutting her eyes.

Downstairs, I find a note from Jake saying they’re out and will be back later.
  Just as I’m about to head back to Rona the phone starts to ring.

I pick up the phone, “Hello, Matthew residence.”

“Dad its Anna, can you or Jake call up to the house and help Justin pin down the tarpaulin that’s over the back porch?  There’s a leak in the roof and its making a lot of mess.  Justin was trying to sort it out on his own and nearly fell off the roof.  I’m not strong enough to hold the ladder for him.”

“Hell!
 Jake’s out.  Can it wait until he gets back? Tom’s still loose and he may come to the house.  Rona’s in bed sick; she can’t exactly come with me.”

“Dad please, it won’t take long – maybe twenty minutes.
  Justin is going up there, otherwise.”

I realize
I need to go and help, “Give me fifteen minutes then I’ll be there.”

Shit, what the hell am I going to do with Rona?

I don’t think she’s up to travelling and I feel very uncomfortable leaving her here alone.

Damn it!

I walk back in to the bedroom.  Rona is just getting back into bed.  “Rona.  I have to go out.  Hopefully only for thirty minutes.  There’s a leak in the roof over at Anna’s.  Justin is about to go on the roof on his own and I can’t let him do that.”  I sit on the bed and hold her hands, not wanting to let go.

“Of course you have to go.
  Don’t worry about me.  I’ll be fine.”  She lifts my hand and places a kiss on my palm.

“Tom is still o som and aut there.
 I really don’t want to leave you alone.”

“Cade, I’ll be fine, and you said you won’t be gone long, plus there’s a key in the door.
  I’ll lock this when you leave and you lock up downstairs.  I also have my phone, which is fully charged.” 

“Hell.”
 I can’t seem to leave her.

“Cade
go.  The sooner you go, the sooner you’re back.”

“
I better get changed first.”

After changing into old jeans, I take hold of Rona’s head and brin
g her in close to me.  “I’m going now; you need to lock this behind me.”  I place a gentle kiss to her lips.