Page 24

"Jesus, I'm beat. I can't wait to go home and crawl into bed."

I snorted, tossing the rag into the sink. "We cleaned the kitchen, Cayden. It isn't like Ayden asked us to run twenty miles. And I did most of the work."

"Feels the same if you don't sleep at night," he said, taking a seat on a chair. He leaned onto the counter, grabbed his soda, taking a drink of it.

"You guys still packing?" I asked as I opened the fridge and pulled out a water bottle.

He blew air out of his mouth with a shrug. "I have no idea. We were packing last night, and then Riley started crying, saying she didn't want to move. Then we packed again and then unpacked. And about an hour later, fucking because she was so excited to move."

I couldn't help but smirk. It would appear that Riley was having some strong emotions. "So, her emotions are pretty much all over the place with the hormones still?"

He nodded and rubbed his eyes. "Yeah. I've seen the other gal's pregnant, but she certainly has more mood swings than I was expecting. She will be perfectly fine one moment, and the next, she's crying about screwing something up."

"You don't remember Wendy's mood swings? She came in and told Ayden if he didn't fuck her in the office, she was going to start breaking some plates.”

"What?" Cayden looked shocked. "How have I not heard about that? Where the hell was I?"

"I honestly don't think she realized I was there. Everyone else was outside cleaning. But yeah, Wendy had some extreme mood swings."

He snorted. "Well, I'll take that in mind. I think Riley is just extra worried about April, which doesn't help."

I frowned. I had thought our conversation had helped with that, but maybe now. "She's still worried?

He nodded. "She is. With us not knowing where Ivan is, she's been panicking more. She's worried something is going to happen, and I try calming her down, but she always brings up Brad and how that entire situation ended. I'm trying not to think about that as much, considering how you two have been doing, but it still bothers me. It bothers both of us."

I frowned, understanding why they would worry. I still remember the mess that their apartment looked like afterward and how out of it Riley was. I was honestly shocked they didn't move right away.

"That isn't going to happen with April." I didn't want to say it couldn't, but Riley was…rougher. She protects herself. And I wasn't saying Riley couldn't, but out of the two, April had a bite to go with her bark.

"I know what you mean," Cayden said, giving me a soft smile.

As alike as the girls were, it was clear that April was the protector of the two. April had the quick remarks and the sharper looks. Well, she had all that before. Besides, I hadn't seen it when she yelled at us the other day.

"How is she doing?" Cayden asked. "Since you got us in trouble."

I glared at him. "How the hell did I get us in trouble? You punched me first, if you remember correctly. Actually, several times before I hit back."

Cayden glared back. "You fucked her in the closet at Ayden's house. You seriously couldn't keep it in your pants until we got home?"

I leaned back slightly, raising an eyebrow at him. "Big talk for a man that was caught with his dick out at Mile's house."

Cayden scuffed. "That was four years ago when none of us were married. We were all horn dogs then. And it wasn't a closet. It was a bathroom, which normally people knock before stepping into."

I snorted, shaking my head because so much had changed since everyone was finding the person they loved. Our lives had all been turned upside down and for the better. I don't think any of us expected to be here four years ago.

"She's good?" he asked, looking worried.

I nodded. "She's doing great. She's been more herself since everything. I think she's finally feeling at home here."

He nodded and softly sighed. "Well, my days up. So I'm going home to my wife. Fingers crossed she's happy."

"Do you mind taking a trip with me first? I want to get your opinion on something."

"Sure."

We took my truck and drove across town towards the older part. There were a lot of old houses, and we drove past the one that Cayden and Riley were buying.

Cayden raised an eyebrow at me. "You wanted to drive and show me my future house?"

"No, smartass." I continued driving down the road, taking a left turn onto a gravel road. The road spiraled a little around trees until we got to a huge opening. The lot was 2 acres, with lots of trees and open space. There was a huge greenhouse that sat on the land, looking beautiful. It had a front porch and a beautiful landscape that went around the perimeter of the house.

Weslie's eyebrows rose as I parked. He stared, looking around and then back at me. "Nice lot. Big house."

"You think? Honestly? Don't lie to me."

He nodded. "No, seriously, looks nice."

We got out, and I watched as he walked around a little, looking at the grass and the view. Near the back of the lot, there was a river that traveled, and across was a huge meadow with a walking path.

I could still hear the realtor's words.

"Beautiful view and this old neighborhood is getting popular. People want the old houses and bring back the character they once had. There are a lot of families living around with children, and it's quiet. The house is mostly remodeled with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. A loft upstairs could be changed into another bedroom, but otherwise, it's been used for an extra living room."

"You buy it?" Weslie asked, stuffing his hands into his pocket.

I nodded.

"Are you trying to one-up me here?" He asked with a laugh as we walked closer to the house

I laughed. "Why? You think Riley is going to be jealous?"

He laughed again and nodded his head. "Yeah, considering the house we bought needs a lot of work, and this one looks like it's put together."

"It's a three-bedroom house. It was just recently remodeled. The wood floors were sanded and coated. The windows were all replaced, and the roof was redone. There are two bathrooms, and laundry is upstairs. The basement is unfinished, but there is lots of space to add to it. Plus a big loft."

"Jesus, how much did this cost you?"

I stuffed my hand into my pocket. "Four hundred thousand."

"Fuck!" Cayden turned to me. "You can afford that?"

"I had some money set aside." I'd been saving since I moved here. The apartment I had was pretty cheap, and I didn't have a lot of other expenses, so I put aside a lot of money. With the down payment, the house was in our price range.

"I had money set aside, too, but not that much!" Cayden shook his head, looking at the house.

"So, you think your sister is going to like this place?"

He nodded. "She's going to love it."

I pointed to the front door. "You want to see inside?"

He nodded, and we walked over, and I unlocked the front door. It opened into a large entryway with a spiral set of stairs and an open floor plan. There was a living room and dining room to the left of us and the kitchen next to it. The kitchen was a little outdated, but nothing paint wouldn't fix.

"Bedrooms are upstairs." I pointed to the stairs.

We headed up the stairs and looked at each room. The large windows flooded the space with light, making it feel warm. The laundry room was connected to the bathroom, and the master bedroom had a small patio to step out on.

"Fuck," Cayden said as we stepped outside. "The view…"

The view from the patio was of the town. The sun was just starting to set, so the sky was colored in hues of pink and blue.

"You did good," Cayden said as he looked at me. "She's going to love it. And if she doesn't, I'll gladly buy it for a discounted price."

I laughed. "I hope so. She said she wanted the house and the marriage. I know it seems like a lot, but it was too perfect to pass up."

Cayden fell quiet for a moment before he looked at me. "Why did you date her? Back in the old pack. She said it was a joke at first."

I nodded. "She asked me out when you pissed her off one night. It was a joke. And I did take her out for dinner. We ended up hanging out a few times. You left soon after, and we continued to see each other. It filled the hole you left."

He frowned. "I have a lot of regrets."

I shook my head. "Cayden, we get it. I get it. I regret leaving her, too."

He took a deep breath in. "You treated her well?"

I nodded. "I did. We spent a lot of time playing games and talking. And sometimes we didn't talk at all. We just did whatever we wanted in silence."

He ran a hand through his hair.

"I regret not telling you, and mostly because I knew how you would react, but I don't regret spending time with your sister. I don't regret falling in love with her and wanting the best for her. I don't regret finding her. And I want to make up for leaving her. I did it to protect her, and I'm part of the reason she's in this mess to begin with."

"I am as well," Cayden said, walking over and leaning onto the railing. "I wish I had just told her why I left. I could have taken her with me."

I had thought the same thing myself when I left. Why don't you just take her with you? But I didn't think I would make it, let alone bring her with me. I wouldn't want to take her down with me if I failed.

"I want to give her the life she deserves, and she deserves this."

"I know…and I know you'll treat her right. While you might have been a guy that fucks everything that moves, you've always been respectful."

I scowled at him. "Yeah, I didn't tell Riley how much of a whore you were. Do you really have to bring up how bad I was?"

He smirked. "Yeah."

I rolled my eyes, looking back at the view. I could see a future here, and I had thought that the second I stepped onto the lot.

"You'll make a perfect husband and brother-in-law," Cayden said.

I glanced at him. "Aren't I already your brother-in-law?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but this is for real. I know you won't be leaving here as soon as Ivan is out of the picture." He patted me on the back. "I'll have Riley pick me up. Call her. Let her know you have the house."

Cayden left, and I pulled my phone out, dialing her up. I smiled as I looked at the view, eager for her to show up. I wanted to see her reaction when she saw the house.

"Hey," April answered, "Where are you? I just got home."

"Out, I actually have a surprise for you. Can I send you the address of a place?"

"A surprise?" April laughed. "What is it?"

I smiled. "You'll have to come and find out."

She laughed, and I could hear rustling in the background. "I'd love to, but I was actually going out for dinner with the girls. Do you mind if we do this tomorrow?"

I nodded, knowing this could wait. The house was ours. I already bought it, so it didn't disappear overnight. I could bring her and watch her react as we pulled up.

"Yeah, that's fine. We can do this tomorrow. You have a good time with the girls, tell them all I say hi. Let me know if you need me to get you when you're done."

"Sounds good, I'll let you know."

I ended the line and took a deep breath, feeling at peace. I turned back, staring into the bedroom, and I could picture it. I could see us lying in a bed and the kids climbing in with us. I suddenly grew giddy about the future.