Chasing Cassidy (17 page)

When I enter the bedroom, she’s curled up in a reading chair, so engrossed in
The O Factor
she doesn’t even notice me.

“I don’t see any Post-its on that book yet.” My cocky tone has her blushing immediately. The fact that she had so much romance on her Kindle sort of surprised me but even though I mess with her, I know it’s not all mommy porn. Besides, if reading happily ever after love stories makes her happy, I’m all for it as long as she remembers she’s living one herself.

“Uh, no, not yet. It’s more of a self-realization book, anyway. If there’s romance, I haven’t gotten to it yet.”

Stalking toward her, I pull the book from her hands and mark her page with the cover. Taking her hand in mine, I place it over her breast and squeeze. Lowering myself over her, I guide her hand between her legs and she releases a sigh. Placing my lips against hers, I kiss her gently as I continue to move her hand in small circles against her clit.

“Zack.” The single word falls from her lips like a prayer, and all I want to do in this moment is make her come. Instead, I move her hand against my cock and squeeze. My mouth finds hers and she opens to me immediately. Cassidy always talks about the tingles she gets when we kiss. I feel them, too, but I’ve never told her—somehow, it doesn’t seem manly. Her tongue meets mine stroke for stroke and her grip on my cock gets tighter.

Fuck.

Even though I don’t want to, I pull back and lean my forehead against hers.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, Zack, but that was
far
from innocent,” she replies with a giggle.

“Yeah, I know. I was just trying to prove a point.”

She’s laughing even harder now. “What point would that be? That we suck at going slow?”

“No, smartass, the point was that you don’t need a book to teach you about self-discovery. It’s a subject you’re already well-versed in. And you had a most excellent teacher, if I do say so myself.”

“Is that so?” she asks with a cocked eyebrow and a smile.

“Absolutely.”

“Arrogant much?”

“There’s a difference between arrogance and confidence. I’m confident I’ve taught you self-exploration well. I mean, you have to admit, when you do that thing to your clit that sets you off almost immediately, that’s talent.”

“Zack!” She’s completely embarrassed, and I don’t understand why.

“Cassidy, it’s fucking hot. You’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about. Just watching you do that has me practically coming in my pants, and men should not come in their pants. They should come buried balls deep in a warm, wet pussy as it clenches and squeezes them tight.”

“Is that so?” Her words are whispered huskily as her fingers find their way into my hair.

“Fucking hell, that’s so,” I answer, taking her mouth in mine once again. But as much as I’d like to fuck her mouth with my tongue for the rest of the night, we have company coming. As I pull away, I tug her lip between my teeth and get lost in her hooded gaze for a moment. When those baby blues of hers glaze over in lust, it makes me lose my breath every fucking time.

“You know, I actually had a reason for coming up here. My dad is on his way over with pizza and beer. He wants to talk to us.” The look of fear on her face is heartbreaking.

“Your dad is here? In Hawaii? Rylee said he took off, but why would he come here?” The high pitched tone in her voice would be cute if she wasn’t truly freaked out. Taking her hand in mine, I pull it to my lips for a kiss.

“Yes, he’s here. He said he wanted to be here in case I couldn’t find you. That and he needed some time away from my mom. He said there are some things we all need to get out into the open.”

“He really wanted to help you find me?” Her words are soft and her eyes are shining brightly as if she’s holding back tears.

“Of course he did, he’s one of your three biggest fans. He loves you, Cassidy, we all do. Come on, let’s go downstairs, he’ll be here any minute.”

“Okay.” After helping her up, I pull her in for a gentle hug and place a kiss on the top of her head.

“You know, Ms. Pope, you agreed to be my girlfriend today. There are certain responsibilities that come along with that title.”

“Such as?” she asks, playing along with a cute little smirk on her face.

“Such as accepting and believing you are not only loved but
worthy
of that love.”

“Zack…” she says as she tries pulling away from me.

“Not so fast.” Holding her tightly to my chest, I continue, “It also means you accept and believe with your whole heart that you are
exactly
the woman I need. You let go of your ill-conceived notions that you don’t belong in my world and realize
you
are what makes my world go ‘round.”

Her eyes close and her grip on me tightens. “Don’t shut me out, Cassidy. I’m right here.”

When she opens her eyes and smiles at me, my heart races. “I’m not shutting you out, Zack, I’m finally letting you in.” She softly brushes her lips across mine at the same time the doorbell rings. I’m at a complete and total loss for anything to say. Her words just lifted my soul into a state of euphoria I’ve never experienced before.

Keeping her hand in mine, I lead her down the stairs so we can answer the door. She keeps glancing at me and smiling, no doubt because of the biggest, cheesiest smile that’s ever been plastered on my face.

Pete and Mike are both outside the door with my dad. Oops, I forgot to let Mike know we were expecting company.

“Good to see you again, Paul,” Pete tells my dad as he turns to leave.

“You, too, Pete. Thanks for coming to my rescue.” Pete laughs and Mike purses his lips. My dad pats him on the shoulder. “It’s okay, young man, I know you were just doing your job.” Mike nods and Cassidy closes the door behind my dad.

“What’s with the guard dog? Anything I should be aware of?” he asks, concerned.

“Nope, just keeping unwanted people out and
wanted
people in.” Cassidy blushes and shrugs her shoulders when my dad looks at her and laughs. I take the pizza and beer from him and he wraps Cassidy up in a hug.

“You know, you had us all a bit worried, young lady.”

“I’m sorry for running, but I just…” She’s grasping for the right words to say without offending him since my mom was her reason for fleeing.

“You were just run off by my wife. No apologies are necessary, sweetheart. Just promise me you’ll rethink your very bad decision. Priscilla might think she knows what’s best for Zack but in my experience, love finds us, we don’t find it, and no one can stop what’s meant to be.”

The far off look in his eyes reflects all the sadness he must be feeling. My dad loves my mom just like I love Cassidy—with his whole heart. Right now, he’s having a hard time reconciling her actions with the woman he loves.

“Come on, let’s go outside. I already set the patio table. Babe, do you want me to open some wine for you?” She shakes her head no and I’m not surprised. Cassidy isn’t much of a drinker, for obvious reasons. I do love when she drinks with me, though, because she loses her inhibitions.

“No, thanks. I’ll just have some water.”

My dad opens the French doors since I have my hands full and we all take a seat at the table. The sun is setting and it’s another gorgeous night. A big part of me wants Cassidy to say she’d like to live here for good. Being a Stafford comes with expectations and one of them is working for Stafford Investments, but I’d honestly love to do family law. Actually, I’d love to be an adoption attorney. I’ve never admitted that to anyone but maybe I should.

Cassidy serves us all pizza and my dad opens the beers and passes me one. “You guys have an amazing view here. Have you decided if you’re going to stay here or go back home yet?”

Cassidy chokes on her pizza and I pat her back and pass her a bottle of water. “Cassidy, dear, you should know Zack confides in me often. As much as I hate to admit it, because I’d miss the hell out of you both, I think you need to consider staying here. You have your entire lives in front of you and the things holding you back from being happy aren’t things that should matter.”

Again, that faraway look takes over my dad’s features and he sighs. “It’s time I tell you kids a story that’s long overdue.” He’s looking out into the ocean, but I know whatever he’s about to say is significant.

“My mother was very uptight and not very emotional. She loved me, but in her own way, and I swore my kids would know love the way I wanted to be loved. The way I saw my friends being loved by their parents. My dad worked long hours and for most of my life, he and my mom never even shared a bedroom. It’s probably why I was an only child.”

Pausing briefly, he takes a long draw from his beer. “Being an only child came with certain expectations. I didn’t have choices. I had to take over the company, had to travel in the proper social circles, and was expected to marry a girl with a similar background.”

He turns to look at us and smiles. “Did you know your mother grew up in a trailer park?” Before I even answer, he shakes his head and continues, “Of course you didn’t. Priscilla Stafford doesn’t want anyone aware of what she considers skeletons in her closet.

“When I met your mother, I swear it was love at first sight. I was lost and driving through her park, looking for someone who could give me directions. She was covered in dirt, helping her mother plant rose bushes. As I pulled up in front of her house, she stood up and wiped the sweat from her brow, leaving a streak of dirt in its place.”

He chuckles with the memory. “The sun was shining on her and I swear she looked like an angel. It was so refreshing to see a girl her age just digging in the dirt without a care in her mind. When I got out of the car and asked if she could help, your grandma saw the smile that filled her features and asked if I’d like a glass of lemonade since it was so hot out and I’d been lost for a while. Your grandma admitted to me later she’d never seen your mom smile so brightly before and she recognized the love-struck look on my face immediately. She thought we were a match made in heaven. That woman was a saint, God bless her soul.”

My grandma was the best. Even as a young boy, I always wondered why she and my mom were so different.

“After that day, your mother and I were pretty much inseparable and I’d never been happier in my life. It didn’t matter to me that she didn’t have money or hadn’t grown up with a large social standing. The only thing that mattered to me was I loved her and she loved me. Priscilla and I wanted the same things from life. Love, happiness, a family, and stability.”

Taking a long pause, he looks over at Cassidy. “I’m going to get off track here for a moment but indulge an old man for a minute. Cassidy, you’ve been a part of our family since you were six years old. We’ve always treated you like one of our own kids. Now, I know you have your own issues and we’ll get to those in a bit, but right now I want to tell you what I told Priscilla when I found out how she had been shaming you for not being ‘of proper social standing.’ ”

Cassidy’s eyes grow bigger and she clutches my hand for support. “You come from a wealthy family, you just weren’t raised like it other than your education. However, young lady, you’ve been included in every upper crust function known to man for as far back as I can remember. You’ve been a guest of ours at every event we’ve ever had. And no, you’re not snooty and you don’t have your head stuck in a fashion magazine, nor do you worry about having the latest in designer merchandise. That’s what makes you refreshing and unique. You’ve got more experience with the ins and outs of society than Priscilla had at your age. For your own reasons, and unfortunately, for reasons my wife implanted in your mind, you feel like an outsider and for that I’m truly sorry. There’s absolutely no reason you wouldn’t belong, not only as part of our family, but also the ridiculous high-class society we’re a part of because you always have been.”

A tear falls from Cassidy’s eye and I brush it away before softly asking her, “Do you believe me now?”

With a shrug of her shoulders, she replies sweetly, “I’m getting there, I think.”

My dad smiles and nods then proceeds to open two more beers for us. Once opened, he takes a sip and leans back in his chair, getting comfortable before continuing his story. I’m finally learning some of my parents’ history and eager for him to keep talking.

“Now,
my
mother was a formidable opponent. She detested Priscilla from the moment she set eyes on her. She was also quite vocal about trailer trash not being good enough for a Stafford. My father didn’t care. He knew I had a good head on my shoulders and told me to do what made me happy. In a drunken stupor one night, he admitted that had he followed his heart instead of his parents’ wishes, he would have never married my mother. But he also begrudgingly admitted he was glad he did because I came from their union. So I went and bought the ring I knew Priscilla would love and I proposed to her. Like you, Cassidy, she was hesitant to accept at first.”

I’ve never seen my dad be so reflective before; it almost seems as if this is painful for him.

“Priscilla was determined to have a better life than the one she’d been raised in. I’d never understood it because I’d have traded in all the money in the world to have love like her mother gave to her. And it’s not like she was dating me for my money, not at all, we were in love. She just came to realize she could have all the things she never did growing up, one of those things being a college education. So Priscilla became a worthy opponent and countered my mother at every turn. She learned etiquette, fashion, how to act like a snob at parties, you name it and she learned it. At first it was a joke between us, how she was beating my mother at her own game. When she wasn’t trying to win my mother’s heart, she was the girl I’d fallen in love with.”

“As time passed by, my mother relented and we were married. We bought our own home, decorated it together, traveled a bit, and lived in a blissful love. A few months after we married, I brought up school but your mother decided she didn’t want to go to school anymore. To say I was shocked was an understatement. She simply said she wanted to make a home for us and be a stay at home mom once we had kids. In the meantime, my mother was introducing her to the country club and different women’s functions as well as charitable organizations. I let it go because she seemed happy, but after so long of butting heads with my mother, she was beginning to act like her and I started to worry.”