Chapter 7

Sunlight slants in through the windows as my eyes flutter open. When I see Cassie curled up beside me, I smile. Her breathing is even, the corners of her mouth curl upward as she sleeps peacefully. Reaching out, I gently brush a few strands of her deep red hair away from her forehead, marveling at her. There's an ethereal glow about her, and just looking at her makes my heart swell. She really does look like an angel.

As I watch her sleeping, memories of last night come rushing back in. After the shower, we moved to the bedroom where we couldn't seem to get enough of each other. We fucked until we were both exhausted and couldn't fuck anymore. After that, we just fell asleep, our bodies sweaty and sticky, and both of us wrapped in feelings of satisfaction. The air in the bedroom is still saturated with the scent of our sex. It was a good night. A great night. Honestly, I don't know that I've ever had a better night in my entire life.

I wasn't kidding though when I told Cassie that this was going to be complicated. Because as I revel in the feelings she inspires in me, the cold reality of the situation comes barging in. It really is the most insane coincidence in the history of the world, but the fact that she's my son's ex-girlfriend makes this entire situation more than a little tricky. I don't do relationships because I don't like complications in my life. And this is by far the biggest complication I've ever faced. As I stare at Cassie's sleeping form, admiring her beauty and thinking of all those things that drew me to her in the first place, part of me thinks it might be worth it.

Without question, Zane walking in on us yesterday has damaged my relationship with my son. But I saw a side of him I didn't know he had. A side that frankly, I'm not very fond of. In that brief moment, I saw exactly why Cassie ended up on my doorstep in the first place. It's no wonder she was so terrified that night. I understand that Zane was shocked by what he saw, and emotions were running high. But there is no world where raising his hand to Cassie—to any woman—is even close to being okay.

My hope is that once things settle down and passions aren't burning as bright, we'll be able to work things out. It's a big blow. We've spent the last two years trying to build a bridge between us. It's been halting and awkward, but I thought we were really starting to make some progress. That's all gone now. I don't know if we'll be able to fix what was broken yesterday, but I'm going to keep trying. Zane may have acted like an idiot, perhaps even like a monster, but he's my son and it's my responsibility to repair the damage and show him a better way.

Quietly slipping out of bed, I put on some clothes then pad into the bathroom and splash some water on my face. I run my fingers through my hair, trying to tame the waves, and brush my teeth. That done, I slip out of the bathroom and head into the kitchen. Putting on a little music, I lose myself in the lyrics and rhythms as I push away all the negativity of the last day, choosing to surround myself with the good things that happened instead as I fix some breakfast.

I hear her behind me a moment before her arms slip around my waist. A smile touches my lips as she lays her cheek against my back. Spinning around, I pull her close to me, and she melts into me as I give her a gentle kiss. Her hair is tousled, her eyes are still half-closed with sleep, and she's wearing boxers, a loose-fitting t-shirt, and mismatched socks, but she is still absolutely radiant.

"Not many people can sneak up on me like that," I say.

"I guess I'm special."

"You really are."

Her cheeks flush and her eyes shine as a girlish giggle bubbles out of her throat that I find absolutely endearing. It's insane that we haven't known each other very long but just standing here, our arms around each other, doing something as simple and domestic as making breakfast feels so natural and so right to me. Cassie has a natural gravity pulling me into her orbit that I can't escape. More than that, as I stare into her sparkling green eyes, I find that I don't want to escape. I find that I'm happy right where I am. Happier than I ever thought I could be.

"How are you doing this morning?" I ask.

"A little sore, honestly," she replies with a shy grin.

"Well, you did work out pretty strenuously yesterday."

Her giggle sets my heart racing, filling me with an affection that's completely foreign to me, but one that's only growing stronger by the moment. I'm still in disbelief that not only has this girl had such an impact on me but that she's come into my life by chance. I've never been the luckiest guy in the world, but staring into her sweet face makes me feel like I won the fucking lottery.

"Have a seat," I say. "Let's have some breakfast."

"And what gourmet feast did you make this morning?"

"Ham and cheese omelets. Nothing fancy."

"Fancier than I'm used to."

"Like I said before, breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

She gives me a smile and we tuck into our meals. As we eat in silence, my mind drifts back to Zane and the whole shitshow yesterday. I can't help but feel bad. From Zane's perspective, it probably does look like I stole his girl. That's obviously not the case. And if he'd just apply a little logic to his thinking, he'd see it. But as I look at the girl sitting across from me, I know better than anybody that when emotions get involved, logic is the first casualty.

"Penny for your thoughts," she says.

I give her a playful grin. "Is that all they're worth?"

"Well, tell me what you're thinking, and I'll let you know."

"Oh, is that right?"

She shrugs. "I'll give a fair valuation."

"That's kind of you."

"It is. Now, stop deflecting and tell me."

"Honestly, I was just thinking about Zane and this whole situation."

Cassie takes a bite of her omelet and chews, a thoughtful expression on her face. She sets her fork down and wipes her mouth, silent for a moment. After a few beats, she finally raises her gaze.

"Honestly, I feel guilty. I can't help but think this is all my fault," she says softly.

"It's nobody's fault," I reply. "Well, if it's anybody's fault, it's Zane's. If he hadn't acted so violently, you might have never showed up at my door that night."

"Maybe. But that was just the final straw. In truth, I've been looking for a way out for a little while now. I"ve thought about going home, but I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"Why not?"

"Because I moved out here over the objection of my parents. The last thing I wanted was to go home and have to look them in the eye again, you know?" she replies. "I want to get a job and go back to school. I want to finish my degree. When I go home, I want them to see that I actually accomplished my goals."

"I understand that."

"Do you?"

"I really do," I say with a nod. "And you're halfway there."

She cocks her head. "How so?"

"You've got a job now. And we'll get you back into school so you can finish out your degree. That way, you can go back home to see your folks having accomplished your goals."

"Yeah?"

"Absolutely."

Her smile makes my heart skip a beat and, for just a moment, allows me to forget about Zane and the things weighing me down. It's only a brief respite though as those thoughts come storming back in again and pull my lips down into a frown.

"I am sorry," she says. "I know that technically, it's not my fault. But I still feel like I bear some of the responsibility for this situation."

"You don't," I tell her. "I just can't help but think if I'd been in his life when he was a kid, he would know that you don't treat a woman the way he treated you."

"And that is not your fault. You didn't even know about him until a couple of years ago."

"I should have known."

"Unless you're a clairvoyant, there's no way you could have."

"I know that up here," I say, tapping my head. "But my heart refuses to acknowledge it."

"I get that," she says gently. "So, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to give him a few days to cool down. After that, I'll give him a call and hope he picks up. Hopefully, he'll want to talk."

"He will."

"We'll see."

She gives me a sly, sultry smile that nearly stops my heart. "In the meantime, how about we go and burn off some of the energy this amazing breakfast has given us?"

I laugh. "I love the way you think."