Page 160 of Kade

He barely gave her a glance before stepping past, a lazy grin on his face. “Yo!” He tossed me a smirk and head-lift but headed for my parents first.

I got it. I wasn’t insulted.

We had the rest of the night to hang out, but since the guys moved in with us, they had this thing with my parents. Adoration. They cared about my mom and dad, and it was reciprocated.

“Traine.” My mom got to him first, hugging him. She would gush over him for a little bit. He and the others. Then they’d move to give my dad a hug, who would ask how they’re doing. Do they need anything? Etc. My parents would take us to dinner before they would head back, but they hadn’t just made the trip to bring me here. They came up to also check in with these guys. When everything was getting close to being done with my room, my mom was going to slip away and check out the house. She’d probably fill the place with food and check on their laundry. She enjoyed being a mom to them, and the guys preened under her attention. Steele had the most normal parents growing up, and his were hiding from a secret society cult so go figure. That said a lot for Axel and Traine.

Axel appeared next. Steele was right after him.

My roommate’s jaw was officially on the floor.

More greetings were shared as everything happened that I knew was going to happen, complete with some extra hugs Steele got from my mom. He got all flushed, but he loved it.

Havana was frowning, watching the exchange.

I motioned to them. “That’s his big sister. Don’t pay him any attention. He’s been starved of attention from not having a normal big sister role model. His other one got stabbed—”

“Maddy!” Four different people shouted my name, with different varied emotions on each of their faces. Horror. Apprehension. Nervousness. My dad’s eyes narrowed with that same concerned look he got when he thought I was going to let one of my sociopathic tendencies show.

It’d been way over a year and it’d been all-hands-on-deck with my “situation.” I was doing a lot better and gave them all a cocky grin. “I was just going to say she’s been overseas since she was assaulted.” Different breaths of tension left each of them. I said to Havana, “I’m hoping she stays, but these two hope she’ll heal and get better. To each their own.”

She was blinking at me in confusion. “Wait.” Her eyes narrowed, skirting between my mom and Steele. The question was forming, if my mom was his sister that would mean Steele was my—but at that moment, two guys showed in the doorway and stopped in their tracks.

They were big and burly. Tan. Tattoos. Both had their arms full of boxes and totes.

One dropped his items and his mouth fell open with it, his eyes bulging out at my dad. “You’re–you–you,” he sputtered out, slapping the guy next to him. “Honey, it’s Mason Fucking Kade.”

Another guy yelped down the hallway, probably another dad.“What?”

It was happening. News started to spread that the Kades arrived. Of course, the news was camouflaged first as to who my dad was. NFL Hall of Famer. Mason Kade. My dad had fans allover so I knew it’d hit social media. My mom had her own fans, and since we were at Cain University, I knew my uncle was well known. Or well feared, depending on who recognized his name. He wasn’t exactly a wallflower.

It was my turn now. I was looking forward to everyone learning my name.

I was Maddy Fucking Kade.

Cain University was about to become my playground.