Page 62 of Cultivating Caden

She turned twinkling eyes on Quade. “Hi, sweetheart. How are you?”

“Good.” Quade swallowed hard. “I—I haven’t seen you around much.”

“Oh, I’ve been sleeping a lot. I think I might have that flu that’s been going around. Just been so tired.” She smiled as she turned to Caden. “Is this your boy?”

The tightness of Quade’s mouth vanished when he looked up at Caden. “It is. Jess, this is Caden. Caden, I’d like to introduce you to Jessica Flynn. She was going to make you cookies when you first got here, but she got a little… busy.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Caden.”

“You too, uh, ma’am.”

“You can call me Jess. Everyone does. Do you like cookies?”

Caden grinned at him… her… them. “I do.”

“What kind? I make a mean walnut chocolate chip.”

“Well, I usually buy a special kind. I’m vegan and don’t eat animal products.”

She cocked her head. “You say that like I’ve never cooked for a vegan before. My kitchen is very well stocked. How about if I make you boys some cookies today?”

“Oh, no, you don’t have to—”

Quade squeezed Caden’s leg, and when he glanced down, he shook his head. “We’d love some.”

The smile was brilliant. So warm and genuine, Caden could see why Quade liked this person so much.

“I’ll go start now. I’ll let you know when they’re done.”

He… she… they… rushed off.

“Thank you for not saying anything.”

“What the hell? Who was that?”

“His name is Alexander, and his story? Not so easy to understand.”

“Then tell me over dinner, because I’ve worked up an appetite.”

“Deal.” He leaned in and kissed Caden. “I’m thinking pizza. That’ll give me a little time to… um… treat your injuries.”

“Pizza, huh?” Caden smirked. “Well, I could do with a little topping.”

Quade’s eyes went wide, and he grabbed Caden’s hand and all but dragged him from the gym.

* * *

“Boo, are you okay?”Kieran got off the couch and rushed toward Caden, who held out a hand.

“Touch me and I won’t be responsible for your death.”

Matt chuckled. “Problem there, ray of sunshine?”

Caden held out an arm and pointed to the large purple mark over half his bicep. “See this? It’s the first in a set, and I collected the whole damn thing this afternoon.” He lifted his shirt, showing off the bruise on his side. “This is where Quade kicked me in the ribs.” Then he lowered the waistband of his pants. “This one on my ass? It starts at the top and goes all the way down to the bottom of my cheek. I got it when he tossed me on the floor. Twice. There are also ones on both legs and my back.”

“Well, youdidask him for it. Did he at least kiss them and make it all better?”

Heat rushed to Caden’s cheeks when he remembered what Quade had done to “make it better.”