Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

DOM

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 5:30 P.M.

After our amazing day, I'm surprised to see a frown on Cage's face. I check to make sure it's not Xander. But there's no medallion. Lunch and everything that happened on the stairwell was amazing. Is he now regretting it?

I got a text from Paxton but ignored it. He's attempted in the past to get me to see reason and talk Xander out of taking over Vinni's. That will never happen.

Cage sits at a booth in the crowded restaurant with a woman I don't recognize. She's older, with blonde hair and eyes that seem familiar. The way she holds herself, her shoulders straight and her chin slightly raised, commands attention. She seems cold until her gaze settles on me. The warmth and affection in her eyes stop me short, and a server—Raul, of course—almost runs into me.

"Careful, cutie," he says with a wink, expertly balancing the tray of drinks and not spilling a drop. As he rushes around me, his free hand presses into my lower back.

Cage and the woman stand. He glares at Raul as she reaches out a hand to me. Cage is the one who speaks. "Dom—" He stops, and his cheeks turn pink. Is he remembering the stairwell? The woman's eyes dart from Cage to me and back.

"Dom?" she asks, her words laced with confusion. She wiggles her hand impatiently, and I force my feet to work again. When I'm within reach, she grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. "How are you, darling?"

Darling? Does she know me? "Um, fine."

She nods and lifts my hand. "No polish today?"

Is she talking about nail polish or the fact I threw on joggers instead of dressing up? "No. Not today." Or any day.

Another server rushes past, and she sighs. "Please sit down, Tor." She nods at Cage. He scoots to make room for me. I swallow my nerves and wipe my hands on my joggers. I want to sit next to Cage, but it seems risky with someone else watching. How can I hide how much I want him? The pull is there even from this far away. Even with him not looking at me.

"Is there a problem?" the woman asks with a snap in her voice. "Have you two been fighting again?"

"No," Cage responds. "We're good. Right, Tor?"

I nod and sit next to him. When have we ever fought? Although things have been tense during the competition, it's been with Xander. Not Cage. But aren't they the same person? Reminding myself of that doesn't help. I don't believe it. Can't believe it. I would never make out with my actual brother.

"Something's going on," she says mostly to herself as she picks up the menu.

I am so lost right now. Who is this woman? And how does she know me? I risk a glance at Cage. His smile is fond and quick. He squeezes my leg, sending heat to the last place I need it. Grabbing his hand off my leg, I put it back on his own. My hand doesn't linger like it wants to because we need to get through this meal.

"Are you hungry?" he asks. I honestly think he's trying to make conversation, but the words sound seductive to my desperate mind, and I suck in a breath. The woman glances over her menu and raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. She obviously has them professionally done.

"A little." I grab my menu and hide behind it. When Raul comes to take our order, I give my usual because thinking with the heat of Cage within reach and this woman's eyes on me is impossible.

"No mozzarella sticks?" Raul asks in his flirty voice he uses mostly with me.

"Did he ask for mozzarella sticks?" Cage glares at him, and I slap his leg, ignoring the looks from the woman across from us.

"Not today. Thanks, Raul." I smile a little too warmly to make up for Cage's rudeness. Cage pinches my leg, and I rub at the spot while ignoring him. He doesn't get to be jealous. Although if Raul had been flirting with him, I might have reacted the same. Or worse.

The woman is still watching us. "What is going on?"

"I could ask you the same, Lucinda." Cage leans closer. "Why are you here?"

"Your mother. She's depressed?—"

"She hates the fall."

"Don't interrupt, Cage. It's rude."

He squirms in his seat, and I hold back a smile. But what he's saying is true. Mom always gets sad around this time. As a boy, I thought it was the end of summer that made her sad. I didn't want to believe our birthday was the reason. That she might regret having us.

Cage and I have talked about how it's worse now. The tornado. The one he knew about, and I didn't.

"She's tired of running a business," Lucinda says, sipping her coffee. "She's thinking about selling."

"She can't sell." The words burst out of me. Xander would be devastated. "Why wouldn't she let us take over for her?"

She folds her hands and stares at me. "You were never interested in taking over. Why would that change now?"

True. But how does she know that? Who is this woman?

Our food comes, causing a distraction. I don't have an answer to her question, but hopefully, she'll drop it.

Lucinda cuts her veal parmesan into little pieces and delicately takes a bite. After a few more bites, she clears her throat. "I don't think it's a good idea to sell. She does need to step away. Too many memories." Just for a second, her lips tremble and her eyes are filled with pain. Then she lifts her chin, and it's gone. Did I imagine it? "But selling at this moment when she's not thinking clearly…is a bad idea."

"What does Pax say?"

Her brows furrow and Cage gives me a strange look. "Pax?"

"Never mind." Alternate universe. Keep up, Dom . In this world, Paxton doesn't exist. Xander would love that. I laugh at the thought.

"Tor." Her voice is sharp. "Can you please take this seriously?"

"I am." After that, I focus on my food. Their conversation washes over me. Mom. The tornado. Several things stand out, but I'm too confused and weirded out to question them. Erik. The bakery. Ren. Hadn't Xander mentioned Erik and Ren?

"Are you okay?" Cage asks, his voice low and full of warmth. I glance at Lucinda, but she's not there. "She went up to her room. You zoned out on us."

"It's too much. I don't understand any of this."

He takes my hand, and I feel better. Grounded. And more confused.

"Especially this." I lift our hands. "How can this ever work? We're brothers."

"Don't give up on me?—"

The table jostles as someone slips into the booth. I expect Lucinda, but it's the guy who was all over Xander that first day. "I see you didn't wait for me." His face pinches with anger as he glares at our clasped hands and then at us. "What's going on?"

Cage releases my hand and scoots closer to the wall. "Nothing."

I ignore the hurt twisting my gut. We're brothers. Everyone says so. We can't be seen holding hands. The guy tilts his pretty head and the glitter on his eyes sparkles in the light from the table lamp. He scoffs. "Nothing. Right."

"Ren, Lucinda was just here," Cage says, distracting him. He explains Lucinda's concerns, and Ren shrugs.

"Erik will flip out, but maybe it's a good thing."

"It is not a good thing." Who does this guy think he is? I glare at him, which is not like me at all. He laughs, and I think about smashing his pretty face into the sturdy wooden tabletop. And that definitely isn't like me.

"Since when do you care? About anything?" he asks, waving at a server. Once he's ordered, he turns back to me with a self-satisfied grin.

I glare at him. I am not a fan of this guy. "Rude. I care about lots of things." And wow. That sounds lame.

"My mistake. Other than your brother."

"Stop, Ren." Cage's jaw is tight, and he looks ready to jump over the table. I'm not proud of the jolt of satisfaction that gives me.

"Right. This is the problem in our relationship, Cage. You always choose your brother over your boyfriend."

Wait. Boyfriend? Cage has a boyfriend? Xander hasn't ever dated that I know of. But this isn't Xander, right? I'm so confused. I jump out of my seat. "I'm going back to the room."

"I'll join you." Cage tries to take my hand, but I pull it out of his reach.

"Ha." Ren's shout startles me, and I turn and knock into a server. Plates of spaghetti and salad fall to the ground with a clatter.

My hands cover my mouth. "I'm so sorry." But I'm not sure the woman can hear my words. She cleans up the mess, and I should help her, but I'm done.

"Wait, Dom," Cage says, but I ignore him.

And Ren's confused, "Since when do you call him Dom?"

I rush out of the restaurant and up to my room, hoping no one follows me.

Once in the room, I throw myself on the bed and hide my face in the pillow. How can I be this upset that Xander has a boyfriend? I've been encouraging him to meet people. But not this Xander. Not my Cage. And then I remember, he's not my Cage. He didn't even try to deny it.

He kissed me when he was with someone else.