McCade's Wish (The McCade Family Series Book 2) (15 page)

“Yes Trey. Your eldest brother isn’t a flowery man, but Gen said he introduced her on the church steps as his
beautiful new wife,
and almost his every move when they’re in public shows how much he values her.”

Nate leaned forward to look past her at Cole. “Are you following your fiancée?”

“I think so,” Cole said slowly. “You’re talking about how protective and possessive he is with Gen, right?”

“Those are man-words, but yes. Barbaric or not, there’s never a doubt Trey values his mate. Even when he’s across the room, he has an eye or an ear trained on Genevieve. He’s attentive. Women love and notice that. As crazy as it sounds, it’s the other women that we want to impress. We want other women to covet what we have, be it our wardrobe, accessories, home, or man.”  

“Barbaric. Finally, a word I associate with my brother,” Nate muttered drawing a laugh from Cole. “But what you said makes sense.”

“Of course it does,” she said smugly.

“Who knew having a sister-in-law would come in so handy?”

Adrienne nudged him with her shoulder and instantly regretted it as the truck fish-tailed on the slippery roads. She squeaked, turning to clutch at the front of Cole’s coat.

“Shh, baby. It’s fine. He’s just messing around,” Cole soothed, rubbing his hands over her back. “Knock it off, Nate.  The curves are coming up.”  

The truck straightened out and slowed.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’d hit you if you weren’t driving,” Adrienne muttered into Cole’s chest.

“You can hit me when we get home. We’re almost there.”

Climbing the drive, Nate skirted around the Clarkson’s vehicle and brought the truck around to the kitchen door. Cole stepped out and reached back in to sweep her into his arms.

“Come here, beautiful.”

A moment later, he put her on her feet in the warmth of the mudroom. She gifted him a quick kiss in reward.

“My hero,” she whispered.

Cole laughed and spun her to pull off her coat. She waited until Nate stomped off his boots and got his outerwear off and then slugged him in the arm.

Wincing, he rubbed his shoulder. “Ow! I said I envied you earlier. Maybe I should feel sorry for you. She hits hard.”

Cole snorted. “Sissy girl.”

“Let her hit you.”

“She’s hit me before. I survived. Come on, baby. Let me introduce you to Dan and Evie.”

Shooting her brother-in-law a smug smile, Adrienne let Cole escort her into the living room. The stern policeman she’d seen in town looked relaxed and happy in his off time. Seated on the couch with a petite blonde beside him, he smiled when they came into the room and stood to greet Cole.

“I hear congratulations are in order.”

Adrienne froze and then relaxed, shaking her head at her silliness as Cole accepted both the handshake and well wishes for their engagement.

“Thank you. It’s good to see you both again. How’re those babies doing?”

“Doubly demanding, draining, and adorable,” the little blonde said with a laugh. She held a hand out to Adrienne. “Men are horrible at this. You must be Adrienne. You’re as stunning as Gen said. I’m Evie.”

“Gen’s biased, but it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I’m completely enamored with the cherry preserves that you made.”  

Evie’s face lit up. “Thank you. I’d be more than happy to share the recipe or I hope we can work together to fill our cellar shelves. It’s something the Clarksons and the McCades have been doing for years, and it makes hot and hard work so much more fun.”

“I would love that,” Gen piped in, face alight in excitement.

“So would I. I have a lot to learn, and having fun doing it sounds perfect.”

“Wonderful! Catherine was so snooty. She wanted no par—”

Evie bit her words off at a sharp look from her husband. Her face colored.

“Please excuse my wife. She speaks before she thinks.”

“No worries, Dan. Evie’s like family and
snooty
is one of the nicer things my ex-wife has been called around here. Gen’s nothing like Catherine.”

“I’m happy for you, and as you heard, Evie will be glad for the female company,” Dan said, lessening his wife’s embarrassment by smiling down at her and rubbing her nape.  

“We appreciate that,” Trey said, pulling Genevieve close to his side in a warm embrace. “I hope our families will continue that friendship into the next generation.”

Evie’s gaze shot to Gen and an excited smile spread across her face. “Are you expecting?”

“We haven’t made it common knowledge yet, but she told me Thanksgiving Day,” Trey said proudly.

Longing and guilt joined Adrienne’s happiness as she watched the neighbors congratulate her friend and Trey. If she was indeed carrying Cole’s baby right now, would everyone be as excited for her? Would Cole’s chest puff in pride like his big brother’s, or would it be one more thing to add to his worries?  

“Are you okay?”

Cole’s breath tickled her ear. She leaned into his embrace. “I’m fine. A little tired is all.”

“Let’s see Dan and Evie out and then we can turn in.”

Nodding her agreement, she let him lead her to the foyer. She echoed Gen and Evie’s promises to get together and urged the other couple to drive safe in the falling snow. She shivered on the porch as they waved goodbye. Cole ushered her back inside and they spent another half an hour or so telling Gen and Trey about the movie and hearing about dinner. When she couldn’t smother a violent yawn, Cole took pity on her.

Offering goodnights again, she climbed the stairs wrapped in the curve of his arm. Barely through the bedroom door, she sank down on the cedar chest and fought another yawn.

“I think you’re finally settling into a farm schedule, beautiful. Early to bed, early to rise.”

“All I know is I’m exhausted,” she said, holding out a foot so he’d pull off her shoe.

Cole accommodated her, pulling both off before tugging her to her feet so he could disrobe her. She felt incredibly spoiled as he helped her into a nightgown and bundled her into bed.

“I love you.”

“That’s a very good thing, beautiful.”

She smiled thinking how good he was going to be at tucking little ones into bed. The thought almost made her tell him, but she wanted to wait a little longer to be absolutely sure. There was no use in stirring things up, good or bad, until she was perfectly sure. The bed dipped and she snuggled happily against her fiancée, pulling his arm around her. There was something about being in his arms that made some of the doubts and worries ease their relentless hounding. Resting her head in the crook of his shoulder, she sighed in contentment.

His lips found hers and she fought both a groan and the drag of sleep. He knew how tired she was. Her body protested as she shifted and slid a hand down his belly. There were ways to speed this along. Cole’s fingers circled her wrist, dragging her hand back up so he could kiss her palm. He kissed her again when she tilted her head to look at him.

“I just wanted a kiss. Get some sleep.”

“I owe you,” she mumbled around a yawn.

Cole chuckled, brushing a tear off her cheek with his thumb. “I’m happy just to hold you.”

Nuzzling his chest, she settled her cheek against him again.

“You’re a good man, Cole McCade. You’re going to make an amazing husband and father,” she murmured.

“It’s all I’ve ever wished for.”

The comforting weight of his hand on her hip and the whisper of his warm breath in her hair pushed her toward sleep. She was a lucky woman.

Glancing over his shoulder, Cole listened to the voices downstairs. He couldn’t contain a smile at the sound of Adrienne’s laughter floating up the steps. Easing open the bedroom door, his gaze went straight to the dresser top. His heart sank. Tilting his head, he strained an ear. Hearing nothing, he slipped into the room and closed the door silently behind him. Scanning the rest of the room, he moved to the dresser and carefully opened the top drawer. Brushing silky things aside, he blindly searched for the bottle.

He hissed as something sliced into his finger. Yanking his hand back, he popped the stinging digit in his mouth and moved things aside to find the culprit. An envelope bearing Adrienne’s name and their address made him frown. Checking the paper cut on the pad of his finger, he wiped the thin line of blood on his pants before picking up the correspondence. He turned it in his hands. The stationary looked expensive. Sliding the letter free, he unfolded it, eyes going immediately to the closing and signature at the bottom.

Clark.
His heart thudded painfully in his chest and then the heat of fury replaced the pain. How had that bastard gotten their address, and what did he want with Adri? Scanning the letter his teeth clenched, grinding together. Was the man really as pompous as his words sounded? He was willing to forget about the things she had said in the heat of the moment and take her back. Cole shook his head. How fucking big of the prick. Reading between the lines, it sounded like Clark’s new wife wasn’t knocking his socks off in the sack.

Rereading the words, Cole’s brain raced. Why hadn’t she told him about the letter? He glanced at the date. She’d had plenty of opportunity. Should he say something? Running a hand over his face, he shook his head. If he confronted her about it he’d look like a jealous ass. She was here. She was going to be his wife. That was what mattered. Carefully re-folding the letter, he tucked it back where he’d found it and checked the other drawers for the perfume with no success.

He finally found the bottle he was searching for in the bathroom. Pocketing it, he headed downstairs.

“I have to go into town. Do you need anything?” he asked on the way through the kitchen.

Adrienne looked up. The questions in her eyes just served to annoy him. He glanced at his sister-in-law who was checking her cabinets.

“I appreciate the offer, but I can’t think of anything we’re missing.”

“Okay. I’ll check with Trey,” he said shrugging into his coat. “I’ll be back in time for dinner.”

Dropping a brief kiss on Adri’s upturned lips, he headed out the door in search of his brother.

Tucking the jewelry into his pocket, Cole stepped out of the store. The sidewalk bustled with last minute shoppers. It was sad to see how many faces were marked with strain instead of joy. Crossing the street, he threw up a hand in greeting as someone tooted their horn. The letter hadn’t been far from his mind all afternoon. He kept coming back to the simple question, why hadn’t she told him? Maybe she hadn’t wanted to make him jealous or cause an argument over something that didn’t matter. He shook his head. If Clark didn’t matter to her any longer, why had she kept the letter? Had she wrote to him first? How had he gotten the McCade address?  

Sliding behind the wheel of the truck, he rolled his neck trying to ease the tension building there. He looked at the bag on the seat next to him. He’d found the perfume she liked and picked up some scented soap and lotion to add to her and Gen’s stockings. Scrubbing his hands over his face, he tried to erase the doubts and worries. He wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but the questions burned. No matter what his head said, his heart rejected the idea that she could be considering the bastard’s offer while he was picking up her wedding ring and Christmas presents. The thoughts plagued him as he drove home.

Trey met him at the truck. Making sure his hands were shielded from sight, Cole dug out the bag from the jewelers and showed off Adrienne’s wedding ring, a simple band for him and the earrings they’d had made for the women.

“Repurposing that emerald pin of Mama’s worked out well.”

“I think she’d be proud,” Trey agreed.

“I picked up the oranges and chocolate like you asked and a few other things for the girls’ stockings.”

“I appreciate it.”

“Did you get Genevieve’s gift done?”

Trey nodded. “It’s nothing fancy, but I hope she likes it.”

“I think she’ll love it. You do good work.”

“Thanks. Now keep your fingers crossed there’s nothing sentimental about the damn cigar box.”

Cole laughed and nodded as they headed for the house. “That would be your luck.”   

Peeking around the drapes, Adrienne watched the brothers talk on the other side of the truck. She was relieved to see Cole laugh. He’d seemed abrupt when he’d left and purposely vague on his mission. She’d thought maybe he had gotten into it with Nate again and needed space, but that hadn’t stopped it from wounding when he didn’t invite her to go along. Gen had tried to comfort her, reminding her that it was Christmas and Cole could very well be trying to surprise her. She chewed her lip, hoping her friend was right. When they headed for the kitchen door, she hurried to meet him.

“Well hello there, handsome,” she purred, looping her arms up around his neck. 

“Hey, beautiful,” he murmured, dropping a quick kiss on her lips. “Let me put this stuff away before you ruin the surprise.”

She playfully craned her neck in the direction of the bags in his hand. “A surprise for me?”

“Perhaps. No peeking,” he admonished.

Jutting her lower lip out in an exaggerated pout, she reluctantly let him pass. Cole tapped the end of her nose with his finger and offered a teasing wink as he disappeared from the room with the packages. The worry tightening her chest eased a little. Gen nudged her on the way by with a look that clearly said,
I told you so
. Snapping the know-it-all with a dishtowel, Adrienne grabbed potholders to help get dinner on the table.

The three men were worse than children at dinner, taunting one another with their knowledge of the other’s Christmas presents before falling into hilarious stories of holidays past. Watching them made Adrienne think about what she’d missed out on growing up as an only child.
Their baby would have a much different life.

She caught Cole watching her a couple of times throughout the evening and wondered what was on his mind. He just smiled and nodded when she asked if he was okay. When they finished with dinner and evening chores, he joined her on the couch and pulled her into his side as naturally as ever. Cuddling close, she listened to the brothers continue their stories, each trying to outdo the others. They kept the competition and razzing friendly this time and laughter rolled through the living room until the Grandfather clock struck midnight.

Reminded that they had church service in the morning, followed by a carry-in dinner and then the Christmas Eve sermon, they reluctantly said their goodnights and headed off to bed. Cole was quiet as they readied for bed and slipped beneath the covers. The tension and doubt she’d managed to tamp down throughout the evening came flooding back.

“Is something bothering you?”

He shifted in the dark, and Adrienne could feel the weight of his stare. She held her breath. A sigh lifted his chest.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Her heart skipped a beat. How did he know? Today had been a good day. So good that she’d almost been able to convince herself that the symptoms had been nothing more than a case of mild stomach flu.

“I didn’t want to say anything until I knew for sure,” she whispered.

Cole sat up, the moonlight falling on his face. His expression went from incredulous to hurt, and then fury narrowed his baby blues.

“You let me continue planning our wedding while you tried to figure it out?”

The question came out in a strangled roar that shattered the silence of the house. Adrienne pushed back from him, sliding to her never used side of the bed. She wasn’t sure if the chill of the sheets or the look on Cole’s face raised the goose bumps on her skin.

“We should’ve talked about it, but—”

“What in the hell is there to talk about? I offered you everything I have. I would bust my ass to make you happy. I asked you to marry me, to bear my children and share every day, and you’re not sure if you’d rather go back to New York and be some asshole’s mistress?”

“Wait. What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about Clark,” he snarled, spitting the name out like poison. “How did he even get our address? Did you write to him? Why did you even let me hope if you were planning on going back to him? What did I do to deserve that? I would’ve done anything for you, Adrienne.”

“You went through my things?” she hissed, fury and disgust flooding through her veins in a red-hot rush.

“That’s what you have to say to me? After you lied to me, you’re going to sit there and get self-righteous because I looked in your dresser drawer?”

“You had no right. If I’d wanted you to see that letter, I’d have shown it to you.”

“It’s obvious why you didn’t,” Cole said flatly. “Were you playing us both, waiting to see who would offer you a better deal?”

“No!”

“Then why would you accept my proposal and keep this letter from me?”

“The letter didn’t matter!”

“Apparently it did matter, or you wouldn’t have kept it or hid the damn thing from me.”

“I tossed it in there and forgot about it.”

“You’ve obviously been thinking about his offer. You just admitted that you didn’t want to talk to me until you were sure. Are you sure now, Adrienne, or did I pick up your wedding ring today for nothing?”  

“I just told you I forgot it was even in there, and you wouldn’t have found it if you hadn’t been snooping through my things!”       

“I wanted to surprise you! I guess the surprise was on me!” he bellowed, raw hurt making his voice crack.

Adrienne scrambled out of bed, grabbing her robe. “If you trust me so little that you need to go through my things, why did you even ask me to marry you?”

“Because I love you and I thought I could make you happy.”

“Maybe you thought wrong because you’re doing a shitty job of it at the moment!” Adrienne screamed, jerking the door open.

“Where are you going?”

“Right now the only criterion is away from you. It seems I have some decisions to make.”

Guilt joined her fury as she raced down the hall, praying she could reach her room before any of the house’s other occupants stepped out in the hall. She had no desire to explain the disturbance to annoyed men or cry it out with Genevieve. Darting into the guestroom, she spun and closed the door quietly before leaning her forehead against the wood. She fumbled with the door handle, turning the flimsy lock. The miserable lump in her throat threatened to close off her air, and she snorted as a sob broke loose.

She turned away from the door, wrapping her arms around herself as she paced the room. Her emotions were jumbled and confused. How could someone infuriate and hurt her at the same time? Cole’s mistrust hurt. What had he been looking for? Had Gen told him about the letters that she had received in the mail and roused his fears, or had something else fueled his doubts? The door rattled.

“Is running away always your answer?” 

“Screw you,” she hissed.

“We have to make up before we can do that.”

“Is that all I am to you?”

“Stop and think about what you just asked. I’m not the one offering to set you up in an apartment just so you’re at his beck and call. I’m offering you everything.”

“Why? What’s in it for you? Why would you marry a woman you don’t even trust?”

A slow trio of thuds against the outside of the door signaled Cole’s frustration as he pounded his forehead against the wood.

“I was looking for your perfume so I could buy you another bottle.”

“And you assumed that would be hidden in my drawer?”

“How in the hell would I know where you would keep it? The bottle was on top of the dresser last time I saw you use it.”

Adrienne’s eyes were drawn to the dresser top.  She frowned. Where was her perfume?

“You’re pissed off, accusing me of not trusting you, but why didn’t you tell me that Clark contacted you?”

“Because he doesn’t matter.”

“When you thought that I might have had something for Josie it mattered to you. I saw it on your face, and now you’re going to tell me that I shouldn’t worry about the man you spent the last four years with?”

“You should have asked me instead of snooping.”

“I told you what I was looking for.”

“You could’ve asked me about the perfume too, or asked Genevieve.”

“I wanted it to be a damn surprise, woman. Are you even listening to me?”

“You know I’m right. You broke my trust. How am I supposed to trust you again?” Adrienne said, stomping her foot in frustration. She jumped as something slammed against the other side of the door. Her heart pounded in her chest, but silence followed the loud noise until she wasn’t sure if he was still there. She flinched when he spoke again.

“You’re so all fired determined to turn this around on me that you’re not even willing to listen to reason,” he said, his voice low and laced with disgust. “I love you, Adri. There isn’t much I wouldn’t do to prove that to you, but maybe you’re right. You have some decisions to make. Think about what you want and we’ll talk in the morning.”

She stared at the door until a soft click down the hall confirmed he was gone. Closing her eyes, she sank down on the edge of the bed. The lump in her throat made it difficult to swallow. Tears started to trickle over the slope of her cheekbones and she dashed them away and bounced back to her feet. Tightening her robe, she stalked over to the window and peered out. The moon lit the snow with an eerie glow. The silvery blanket draping the blue pines was beautiful.

Leaning the side of her head against the window casing, she soaked in the beauty that she’d come to love in her time here. It was nearly as rugged and compelling as the man down the hall. Her anger was starting to wane. Why couldn’t Cole see what a catch he was? His lack of self-confidence drove her crazy. The man was sculpted like a Greek god statue, smart, sweet, funny, and hardworking. What made him question his worth? How many times had they talked about money, city life, and Clark? Why would he think she would toss away the life he was offering to go back to that?