The Natural History of Us (29 page)

“Pleasure Pier is right down the road.” I extend a finger in the opposite direction we came, knowing from my Google Maps check that it's about a ten-minute walk from where we stand. Technology is my new bestie.

Dark lenses shield Cade's expressive eyes, but a small smile plays upon his lips.
Finally
.

“Is that right?” he asks, casually leaning against his truck. “Huh. You know, if I remember correctly, I still owe you a funnel cake.”

“With extra sugar,” I confirm. “I won that puppy fair and square, and just because I was too stuffed to eat it then doesn't mean you're off the hook.” Playfully, I poke him in the arm and say, “I always collect my debts, Mr. Donovan.”

A tiny dimple pops in his cheek as his entire smile ignites. “And
I
always honor my promises, Miss Williams.” He covers my hand with his, and hope fills my chest.

This
is what I wanted. Cade literally swept me off my feet on our first trip to the pier. He was romantic and sweet—well, up until he tossed me in the waves, but even that was fun. He made me laugh, something I did far too little up until then, and was everything my stupid heart once wanted Justin to be.

We splashed in the waves, napped on the beach, and rode every single ride they had. Cade won me a stuffed elephant at ring toss, and later bet me a funnel cake over free throws at Big Shot Hoops. The silly boy really should've known better. I do have two older brothers, after all, and one seriously athletics-crazed dad. But he completely charmed me.

That trip marked a turning point for us. For three years, he'd been one of my best friends. We'd known each other even longer than that. I'd sworn off dating after Justin, having lost all interest in the prospect, but that day, touched by Cade's affection and sweet attention, I let him kiss me in the back row
of the Sea Dragon. When my tummy dipped, it had nothing to do with the freefall and everything to do with taking another chance.

Cade's patient tenderness healed my scarred, battered heart, and under a full moon, accompanied by childish giggles, excited screams, and the hypnotic lull of the waves, he promised he'd never break it. Trusting him that he wouldn't, I took a leap.

That's why we're here.

“The pier's not the only thing this place has going for it,” he says, gently brushing his thumb across the pulse point in my wrist. It jumps in response… even as a weird sinking feeling enters my stomach.

“It's not?”

“Nope.” He shakes his head with a slow grin then lifts his chin toward the house. “As huge as this place is, I'm betting there's lots of space for privacy. Hidden corners, doors with locks. Even with your baby project and a full house of guests, we should get plenty alone time.” The edge of his nail rasps the tender skin of my wrist and his teeth sink into his lower lip. “Especially at night.”

My breath catches, and my heart loses its rhythm for a beat. Feeling the change beneath his fingertips, Cade's eyes sharpen.

He doesn't know about…
before
.

From the look in his eyes, he has his theories, and I'm sure they're not that far from the truth. But he's never asked and I've never told him. I don't know, that's probably pretty telling in itself—couples share things, solid couples at least, and part of me wants to tell him some of it. But it's not that easy.

Sometimes… sometimes things happen that are too painful. The very thought of putting them into words, speaking them out into the universe, tears a piece of your soul.

My secret with Justin is one of those.

Cade's seductive grin slips and he releases my hand. I wrap it against my chest, guarding against a sudden chill, and watch him grab our bags from the truck.

“Who else is coming?” He shoulders his duffle and lifts the handle on my rolling case, then takes off for the tall staircase. Feeling a headache mounting, I fall into step behind him.

“I assume some of the guys from the team,” I say, scoping out the cars and trucks already parked on the driveway and in the street. An F150 with huge tires tells me Dad's pitcher is here. “Brandon, Drew, and Carlos are in our FACS class, plus they're Justin's best friends. They met up at school this morning to pick up our robot babies. Also my friend Mi-Mi should be here since she's Brandon's partner for the project.”

His girlfriend Aly is in our class, too, so she's a definite. That makes me happy. We only ever shared a class or two but she's super sweet and Dad adores her. Plus, her baking skills are legendary. I admit I was a
tad
jealous when she hooked up with Justin last year; she was the first girl who made him smile like he used to—not the fake one he wears in the halls, but the real one that reaches his eyes.

Unfortunately for Justin, they never had a chance. Anyone with eyes knew Aly and Brandon were inevitable.

“And what do you see?”

“Inevitability.”

I lose my footing on the stairs and grab hold of the railing.

In the barn, Justin seemed so sure that we belonged together. That I'll forgive the past, drop my boyfriend, and run back into his open arms.

Why is he so confident? Will what he's hiding really make
that
much of a difference?

I honestly don't know what I hope for more—that it will, or that it won't. That scares me.

We reach the top of the staircase, where the large terrace overlooks the Gulf, and Cade pops his neck, rolling it like he does whenever he's nervous. Not the best start to our weekend.

“Hey.” Reaching up, I slide off his sunglasses and find his dark eyes troubled. “Thank you. I know you don't want to be here, but you came anyway... for me. I appreciate it.”

I lean up on my toes and press a kiss across his mouth.

Cade exhales against my lips and presses his forehead to mine. “You're worth it.”

The way he's looking at me says he means much more than just this weekend. I nod, unsure of what to say, and he touches his lips to my nose. With a sigh, he turns and knocks on the door.

Considering how many people are here, I expected the door to instantly fly open. When it doesn't, he raps again, then tries the knob only to find it locked.

“Maybe try the bell?” I suggest, rocking back on my heels.

He presses it, sending a series of twinkling sounds into the air, and a nervous flutter tickles my belly. I always hate being late to a party. People stare and they whisper. It reminds me too much of my illness.

From inside, a female voice screams, “
Coming
!” and my heart jumps into my throat.

A BMW is parked below. It was the first car I spotted when we arrived, my eyes trained to seek out Lauren before I could be ambushed. Justin told me she was invited, so I knew about it coming here. She's Carlos's
wife
for the project, after all. But my plan is to avoid her at all costs. If she answers the door, that won't be avoiding. It'll be in my face. And nothing screams bad omen like an awkward door greeting by the other woman.

Thankfully, when it opens, a cute, tiny redhead appears.

“Awesome!” Aly pulls the door wider and waves us in eagerly. “Peyton, your timing rocks.”

“Uh, okay.” At Cade's questioning glance, I lift a shoulder and say, “You're welcome?”

Aly laughs as I step inside what suddenly feels like a cloud—or a home for the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Everywhere I look: white, white, white, white, white. The sofas—white. The walls—white. The rugs—you guessed it—white. I shake my head, wondering who would invite a bunch of crazy teenagers to a place so painstakingly immaculate, but then roll my eyes as I answer my own question.

This is Annabeth we're talking about. If things get messy, she'll just refurnish the place.

“I just finished a batch of brownies,” Aly says, wrapping her arm around my elbow like we've been friends forever. “The two of you are my new taste testers. Since the guys took the first baby shift, they're all down by the beach. Already we've had diaper changes, feedings, and burping. Plus, these things breathe, Peyton. I'm calling it now, y'all. They're gonna drive us crazy by tomorrow.”

Then to Cade she says, “Just leave those bags there for now, because dessert awaits!”

He gives her an amused smile and does as she says, sending me a subtle wink. Already things feel lighter between us… and I have Aly to thank for it. Releasing a relieved breath, I smile at my new friend and follow my nose into the kitchen.

Of course, it's beyond ridiculous. Marble countertops, stainless steel appliances, and more snacks than I've ever seen at one time. Aly's mom is a caterer, so I shouldn't be surprised, and as I said, the girl is known for her snacks. I spy the tray of brownies in question on the stovetop and my stomach grumbles.

Dropping my arm, Aly slides over to the goods. “Justin put me in charge of all things snackage this weekend since it's my thing, and I want you both to give me your honest opinion.”
She selects two giant squares and sets them each on a napkin. “Tell me if they're too bold or too much.”

“I feel like those two words will never apply to chocolate
anything
,” I confess and accept the gift of fudgy goodness.

The brownie is moist, that's obvious just from looking at it, and when I lift it to my mouth my fingers sink into the soft texture. My taste buds prep themselves for a happy dance. Then the rich scent of cocoa hits my senses and I close my eyes in bliss.

“Holy crap!”

A surprising burst of orange hits my tongue and I moan, taking another bite, hoping my sprung-open eyes tell Aly everything she needs to know, because I refuse to stop eating for something as silly as words. Seriously. Roll out a sleeping bag, call it a day, I'm good to go camping in the kitchen.

“You like it?”

I exaggerate a head nod, and Aly bounces on her sneakers. “Really? See, normally, I'm a brownie purist. Cookies, cupcakes, tarts; I go wild with those, but brownies are my religion. But the other day I saw a recipe on Pinterest and it sparked my imagination.” She raises an eyebrow and says, “That site is addictive… for realz.”

“They're incredible,” I mumble, mouth filled with orange-flavored chocolate. “What's in here? How did you get it to taste like this? I swear it looks like a normal brownie.”

Aly leans in with wide eyes. “The secret is orange marmalade. Fun, right?”

I nod my agreement and gather every possible crumb, pressing my fingertip into the moist morsels and licking without shame. I consider tonguing my napkin, too, but decide that may be too weird, so instead I break the edge off Cade's remaining sliver and smile around my bite. He laughs and hands the whole thing over, blowing me a kiss.

He's good people.

Aly watches our exchange with happy yet curious eyes, and I can't help wondering how much she knows. She and Justin parted as friends, surprising since other than me, I never knew him to have friends who are girls.

“These are delicious,” Cade tells her, and she smiles in gratitude.

“Thanks. When you have a wicked sweet tooth, you learn how to bake pretty quickly.”

Male laughter floats through the open window and Aly glances outside. She pushes off the marble counter and says, “We better get y'all settled. Girls take over parenting duty in thirty minutes. You ready to be a mommy, Peyton?”

No. No, I'm not
… “I can barely contain my joy.”

Cade links our fingers as we follow Aly back toward the door to get our bags.

“Is your baby-daddy here for the weekend?” he asks her, shocking me with his teasing. I'm almost positive if Justin referred to himself as my “baby-daddy¬,” Cade would go ballistic.

“Yep,” she says. “Drew's on the team with the guys.”

Catching her smirk I ask, “How's Brandon handling you being
married
to his best friend?”

“About as well as Gabi's handling Lauren,” Aly replies with a snort. “He knows nothing is going on, but sometimes, hmm, how do I put this…” She scrunches her nose and squints one eye. “Brandon's jealous tendencies tend to overrule his common sense.”

Somewhere inside a voice screams, “I so get that,” even as another voice yells out, “so not the same thing!”

Our situations are completely different. One, Drew and Aly never dated. Two, Drew is in love with his girlfriend Sarah, and Aly and Brandon are Fairfield's super couple. Three, Brandon and Drew don't try and send ocular laser missiles whenever they're within two feet of each other.

And four, I'm sure Aly doesn't get butterflies every time she thinks Drew's name.

Gah. I'm so screwed
.

“The rooms on this floor have been taken,” Aly says, motioning toward the second level as she continues up the enormous staircase, “but there's two still open on the third. The fourth is for his parents and is off-limits. Every floor has three bedrooms, two baths, and one central hang-out area.” She looks over at me and grins. “It's a pretty sweet setup.”

When we reach the third level, I stop on the top step to get my bearings. The space is dominated by a cozy nook in the center with a plush sofa, and bedrooms on either end. The two rooms to the right of the landing share a bathroom, and the larger bedroom on the left has its own.

“That's where Justin is staying,” Aly says, pointing to the master. “And Cade, you're over here.” The room she ushers us toward is large, with the same white driftwood walls as downstairs and two twin beds.

A black suitcase with clothes tumbling out already sits on one, next to a guitar case.

Cade looks at the bed, looks at me, and then frowns.

Aly glances between us. “Did Justin tell you the house rules? No couples are rooming together… girls are staying with girls, boys staying with boys.” She shakes her head and says something under her breath. “He really didn't tell you?”