Page 5 of Broken Love (Love 2)
Carter laughs. "You're so full of it. Jules got engaged last month."
"To who? How long has she known this guy?"
"To Todd."
"From college, Todd?"
"Yeah, once you and Pike stopped being friends, you sort of dropped out of--"
"Whatever. How did they end up together?"
"She stayed friends with Pike. So did Todd. They were all at a party together, say they both knew, and got engaged after just a few months of dating. They're crazy about each other." He smirks at me. "There goes your plan."
"You're one to talk. What if Vale is seeing someone else? What if that guy acts first?"
He shakes his head. "I don't even want to think about it. Same could be said about Palmer. Maybe I should invite her to join us, too."
"Don't you fucking dare," I reply, with a pointed look. "It's our family vacation. I don't want to ruin it."
Cash leaves his bride and joins us on the deck, setting down an ice-filled bucket of beers and saying, "Can you believe Mom booty-called Dad?"
We all laugh.
October 25th
Cade
We're at a quaint little Mexican restaurant, getting ready to have a late lunch when Palmer walks in.
"What the hell is she doing here?" I mutter.
"She's in town doing a photo shoot for a designer," Ashlyn answers.
"No one talk to her," I say. "Maybe she won't see us."
"Don't be ridiculous, Cade," Mom scolds. "I raised you better than that."
"Palmer," Dad says, standing up. "How wonderful to see you again. You look well."
Palmer turns and looks toward our table and says, "Thank you. So do you."
"Retirement suits me. Are you meeting someone here?"
"I, uh--"
Ash leans over and whispers to Cash, "She's rambling. It's cute."
"It's not cute," I disagree. "It's awkward."
"Then why are you looking at her like you're a dog and she's a bone? No, actually, like she's a bacon, barbecue, and meat-sauce-smothered bone," Cash asks.
"I am not," I snarl, wondering why I'm so worked up about her being here. Probably because I'm pissed. Not one single person in my family looks surprised to see her.
"Is Palmer who you were texting yesterday?" I ask Ashlyn.
She ignores me, instead getting up and giving Palmer a hug.
"I'm so glad you could join us," she says, confirming what I thought.
What the fuck?
I glare at Cash and Carter, who both give me smirks. If Mom and Dad weren't sitting here, I'd wipe those smug looks right off their faces.
"I didn't realize the whole family was here," Palmer says, her eyes landing on me. She was clearly blindsided too. "This isn't your usual week."
"With the engagement, planning, and wedding taking place over such a short period, we didn't have time for a getaway," Mom says, standing to greet Palmer. "Cash and Ashlyn are just back from their honeymoon. You must join us." She points to the seat she just vacated. "You can sit here."
"Oh, I don't want to intrude," she says to Mom, even though her eyes are locked on mine. "I'll just sit at the bar and grab a quick bite. Ashlyn and I can catch up later."
"Nonsense, Palmer," Mom says in a firm tone. "Sit."
Ashlyn grabs Palmer's arm and pulls her into the seat next to her, putting her directly across from me and sitting with Carter on her left.
Palmer's wearing a long, flowing dress that would reveal very little if it weren't for its very low cut, displaying her cleavage.
Carter gives her a little elbow bump when she sits down, and she smiles back at him in an intimate way.
What the hell? I stand up so quickly that I bump the table, causing my margarita to splash out of its glass.
"Carter, will you come with me for a second?" I say, trying to hide my temper.
"Why?" he asks, looking confused.
"I just got a text from a client, and I need your help with something," I reply cryptically.
"No work on vacation," Mom scolds.
"It will just take a minute," I reply, walking around the table, grabbing my brother by the shirt, and practically dragging him out of the restaurant.
"What the hell is your problem?" he says, pulling out of my grip.
"What the hell was that smile?"
"What smile?"
"The way you elbowed Palmer. The way she looked at you. Are you Cartering her?"
"What the fuck? No. I told you last night I haven't been with anyone but Vale."
I ball up my fists. "Have you ever? I pray your answer is no, because otherwise I'm going to kill you."
Carter pushes his palm into my chest, knocking me backwards. "You need to calm the fuck down. First of all, I'm your brother. You should know better than to even ask that question."
"Cash was sleeping with Ashlyn behind my back."
"To my knowledge, you had never slept with her. Big difference."
"Are you saying you've never slept with anyone I've slept with?"
"Only once, but I didn't know it until after."
"What do you mean?"
"She said, Two Crawford brothers down, one to go. I was pissed."
"Did you warn Cash?"
"Yeah, I did. Because that's what brothers do. If my elbowing Palmer upsets you that much, you need to do something about it."
I narrow my eyes at him. "You weren't surprised to see her."
"No, I wasn't," he says, leaving me standing in the street.
I follow him back inside and to our table.
"Did you get your business done?" Mom asks in a way that lets me know I better have.
"Yeah," Carter says, taking his seat. "One of his clients desperately needed box seats for one of the playoff games. I was able to help."
"Well, since we all have our drinks, let's toast." Cash holds up his cactus-stemmed margarita glass. "To family."
"To family," everyone says.
I touch my glass to Palmer's and meet her gaze.
Palmer
Cade gets up to use the restroom. I wait a few moments, then excuse myself to use the ladies' room.
I lean against the wall in the hallway, thankful it's hidden from the table's view.
"I had no idea you were going to be here," I tell him when he walks out of the mens' room.
"I could tell by the look on your face," he says, his presence making the hallway seen smaller than i
t is. It's hard to be this close to him and not just sink into his arms.
"I think Ashlyn is trying to play matchmaker," I confirm.
"It's that damn garter. It literally fell into my hand. I wasn't even trying." He leans closer to me. "You, on the other hand . . ."
"My competitive side took over," I admit, shaking my head. "Or maybe it was the tequila shots."
He laughs. It's deep and sexy.
And way too familiar.
I'm lying in bed, tangled up in the sheets, the morning after my twenty-first birthday with none other than Cade Crawford. After years of lusting after him, after years of excuses--you're too young, your brother is my best friend, you're my client--it finally happened.
We were both a little drunk when we got back to my place, frantic with need, our desire great. As the night progressed, the sex seemed to morph from a hot-mess hook-up to sweet lovemaking, the likes of which I have never experienced.
He stirs, wraps his arm tightly around me, and pulls me closer. His lips are against my temple as he whispers, "You better remember last night, because I'll never forget it."
"I don't know, Cade. I was pretty drunk," I tease.
He chuckles, deep and sexy, but looks at me seriously. "Tell me the truth."
I let out a contented sigh, still basking in the beauty of it. "It was the best night of my life."
"Palmer?"
"Uh, what?"
"I said we better get back out there before anyone gets any ideas about us."
"Oh, yeah. Right."
After a delicious meal and quite a few pitchers of margaritas, Mrs. Crawford says, "Palmer, dear, you must come back to the house with us."
"I, um--"
"I'm making brownies."
Ashlyn, who's a bit tipsy, wraps her arm around my neck. "She's teaching me how to make the Crawford family secret recipe."
"You always loved my brownies when you were a girl, Palmer," Mrs. Crawford says. "Although, I try to keep the recipe in the family, I do occasionally make exceptions. And since you caught the bouquet at the wedding"--she goes on, while I silently curse the damn thing--"you know what they say."
"What do they say?" I ask. I'm a little tipsy myself.
"The way to a man's heart is through his--"
"Dick," Chloe says under her breath, causing Ashlyn and I to giggle.
"--stomach," she continues.
"If it means we get three batches of brownies," Carter says, herding me down the beach and toward their house. "I'm all for it."
The sun is hot, and by the time we walk through the sand the few blocks to their house, I'm sweating. Although, technically, it may be because Cade just took his shirt off.
