Hearts in Darkness Collection (Hearts in Darkness Duet) Page 14

  “Wanna guess?” her father asked as he pulled two cookie sheets of appetizers out of the second oven. He settled them on the counter.

  “No!” Makenna said. “Spill already.”

  Her dad smiled and scooped the southwest egg rolls, pigs in a blanket, and spinach-artichoke pockets onto a platter. “Collin.”

  Her little brother brought a date? Holy crap. “Someone from grad school?” Makenna asked.

  Her dad nodded. “Shima. She’s a real sweetheart. You should go make sure she’s surviving your brothers and introduce Caden.” He took a cautious bite of one of the egg rolls. “And take these down for me?” he asked, tapping the edge of the dish.

  Makenna grabbed a stack of paper plates and napkins. “Did you know she was coming?”

  “Nope. It was a surprise.” Her dad shrugged. “The more the merrier at the holidays, though.”

  Nodding, Makenna reached for the appetizers.

  “I got it,” Caden said.

  “Great to meet you, Caden,” her dad said. “Mi casa es su casa. So while you’re here, make yourself completely at home.” Makenna gave her dad a grateful smile for welcoming Caden, not that she’d doubted he would.

  “Appreciate that, Mike,” Caden said, following Makenna across the room and into a hallway.

  At the top of the basement steps, she turned to him, smiling. “Just remember, I am in no way responsible for the cretins you’re about to meet.”

  “Duly noted,” Caden said, giving her a wink. If they were anything like Mike, he might actually make it through this weekend. He followed her down the steps.

  The basement family room was a big, comfortable space with overstuffed sofas and chairs grouped in front of a large flat-screen television. At the far end sat an old air hockey table. But he didn’t have time to take much more in before five pair of eyes settled on them.

  “Hey,” Makenna said to a big round of greetings. Her brothers—clear from the various shades of red hair—all got up to give her a hug. Which left a fourth guy with blond hair and Ken-doll good looks who Caden didn’t know. Makenna took the tray of appetizers from Caden’s hands as she said, “Uh, guys, this is Caden Grayson.” She introduced her brothers, but seemed suddenly nervous.

  “I’m Patrick,” the first brother said, holding out his hand. He was the oldest James brother—seven years older than Makenna if Caden remembered right. Tall with reddish-brown hair and a close-trimmed beard, he wore a friendly smile as they shook.

  “Nice to meet you, Patrick. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Caden said.

  “I’m Ian,” the next brother said, his expression not as friendly. He stepped back from their handshake fairly quickly and fell into conversation with the mystery blond man—who Makenna was staring at, a frown on her face.

  The last brother had the brightest red hair, so red it was almost orange. “Caden, I’m Collin and this is my girlfriend Shima,” he said with a friendly, open smile. Caden shook both of their hands.

  Shima pushed her sleek black hair over her shoulder and smiled conspiratorially. “We can stick together today if the James clan decides to gang up on the newcomers.”

  Caden chuckled. “You’ve got a deal.”

  “Dad made some appetizers,” Makenna said, holding it out to everyone before settling the tray on the coffee table. “So, Cameron, hey. Wow. How long has it been?”

  The blond-haired man stepped up to her with a smile Caden didn’t really like. An interested smile. Who was this guy and why did Makenna seem unhappy to see him? “Too long, Makenna. You look great.” He gave her a big, long hug. When the guy finally let her go, he tugged playfully—familiarly—at the end of a strand of her hair. “You haven’t changed a bit.”

  With a chuckle, Makenna stepped back. “Oh, I don’t know about that.” She held her hand out to Caden. “Cam, this is Caden Grayson.”

  Cameron gave him a quick, assessing look that immediately set Caden’s teeth on edge. They shook in a quick perfunctory greeting, and Caden couldn’t help but wonder why it had just gotten so frosty.

  Standing with Ian at his side, Cameron asked, “So what do you do, Caden?”

  “I’m a paramedic,” Caden said. “You?”

  “I’m a cardiology fellow at Penn,” he said.

  “That’s impressive,” Caden said, taking a drink from his can of Coke. A doctor. And not just any doctor, but a specialist. Of course he was.

  “Thanks. You have any interest in medical school?” Cameron asked.

  “Nope,” Caden said. “Emergency medical services is exactly where I always wanted to be.” Which was the truth. When he was younger, he’d thought about pursuing a medical degree for about five seconds, but what he most wanted was to be there for people in crisis the way someone had once been there for him—out on the streets where things were messy and situations were still evolving and pre-hospital treatment was the difference between life and death. Plus, he hadn’t wanted to spend all those years in school. He didn’t have the patience for it.

  “Huh,” Cameron said with a shrug. “Well, good for you.” His response plucked at Caden’s last good nerve. Why did the guy make him feel like there was some competition he didn’t know he was competing in?

  Patrick joined their group. “You’re in Arlington, is that right?”

  Caden nodded, glad for the break from Cameron. “Yeah.”

  “Any chance you know Tony Anselmi? Arlington County police. I went to high school with him,” Patrick said.

  “Yeah,” Caden said with a smile. “Our paths cross. I last saw him probably three weeks ago.” As he and Patrick fell into a conversation about Tony and their respective jobs, Caden kept half his attention on the conversation between Makenna, Cameron, and Ian.

  “You still crunching numbers?” Cameron asked her, his tone borderline condescending. Or maybe it only sounded patronizing because the guy rubbed Caden the wrong way. Caden frowned, knowing Makenna loved her job as a forensic accountant.

  “Yup,” Makenna said. “You still playing with people’s hearts?”

  Cameron burst out laughing.

  “Geez, Makenna,” Ian said.

  “What? He’s a cardiologist,” she said.

  “It’s all good, it’s all good,” Cameron said. He tilted his beer bottle toward her as if in salute. “Touché.”

  Smiling, Makenna shook her head and sipped at her sangria.

  Soon, they all settled onto the couches and chairs to watch football, which had never really been Caden’s thing, though he didn’t mind watching. Patrick sat in one of the big leather armchairs, and Ian, Collin, and Shima took one of the couches. That left him, Makenna, and Cameron for the other couch. She sat down first, which put him and Cameron on either side of her. Fantastic.

  “So, how long have you two been dating?” Ian asked.

  Makenna put her hand on Caden’s thigh, and he appreciated the hell out of the claiming gesture. “A little over two months,” she said, giving Caden a smile. Over her shoulder, he saw Cameron and Ian exchange a look. What the hell? Was he imagining this shit? Who was the guy, anyway?

  “How about you two?” Makenna said, looking at Collin and Shima. “How long have you been dating?

  The couple exchanged smiles, and then Collin said, “Since the end of the summer. We’ve known each other since we both started the Master’s program, but got together at the welcome-back party in August.”

  “It’s good when grad students date other grad students,” Shima said. “Because then we don’t bore other people silly with all our foreign policy shop talk.”

  Caden smiled. He liked Shima and was really glad she was there. “So, Ian, Makenna told me you’re an engineer. What kinds of things do you work on?” he asked, hoping to get the middle James brother to warm up to him.

  “I’m a civil engineer for the city of Philadelphia,” he said. “I focus primarily on road, bridge, and tunnel projects.”

  “So it’s all your fault,” Patrick said with a grin.

  Ia
n flipped him the finger as everyone laughed.

  “Seriously,” Patrick said, holding a hand out to Caden. “Have you driven around Philly much?” Caden shook his head. As a kid, his family used to roadtrip everywhere, but since the accident, Caden hadn’t traveled much out of the DC area. “Well, trust me, driving in Philly sucks. I would know since I do it every day.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Ian said, glaring at his brother. “Same shit, different day.”

  “Cameron,” Shima said, “what’s your connection to the Jameses?” Caden wanted to high five her for asking.

  “This knucklehead’s my best friend,” Cameron said, pointing at Ian. “Has been since grade school.” Pause. “And Makenna and I dated for what?” He looked at her with a smile. “Three years?”

  Dated? Three years? Caden looked at Cameron, who was wearing a satisfied expression that said he knew Caden hadn’t known about their past. And he was right.

  “Uh, yeah,” Makenna said. “Three years.”

  Three years. Caden had never dated anyone for three years. Hell, Caden had rarely dated at all before Makenna. He took a long drink of his soda.

  “We started dating my senior and her sophomore year of college,” he said. Makenna just nodded. Caden ran the mental calculations. She would’ve been about nineteen when they started dating and twenty-two when they broke things off. Which pretty much meant there was no way in hell they hadn’t slept together. Whiiich explained the way the guy had been looking and smiling at her, and how he’d hugged her longer than necessary. He was still into her.

  “God, that seems like a million years ago,” Makenna said with a smile. She took a long drink of her sangria.

  “Nah,” Cameron said with a wink. “Hey, do you remember that time when we—”

  “Can I get some help setting the table?” came Mike’s voice down the stairs.

  “I’ll help,” Makenna called, grasping Caden’s hand. “Wanna join me?”

  “Yeah,” he said. She could’ve asked him if he wanted to help her clean toilets with toothbrushes and he would’ve agreed. Anything to take a break from Cameron’s smug face, and from the way the man’s eyes followed Makenna’s body as she rose from the couch.

  Chapter Four

  Upstairs, Makenna dragged Caden into the hall bathroom and shut the door. “I didn’t know he was going to be here,” she said. From the moment she’d looked up and seen Cameron Hollander standing there, she’d worried about Caden’s reaction. Why hadn’t Dad warned her? Although, she wasn’t sure what she could’ve done even if she’d known.

  “Okay,” he said, and then he shrugged. His expression seemed unconcerned, but she knew he was capable of throwing down a shutter over his true feelings when he didn’t want to confront them. Hell, separating himself from his emotions had been half of how he’d survived the aftermath of losing his family, so he was damn near an expert at it. “It’s fine.”

  She dropped her forehead against his chest, wrapped her arms around his waist, and breathed him in. “It’s awkward.”

  Caden chuckled as he stroked the back of her hair. “Only because he’s still interested.”

  Groaning, Makenna shook her head, totally confused by Cam’s presence and annoyed that it might make Caden uncomfortable. Finally, she lifted her gaze to meet Caden’s. “Well I’m not interested in him, in case that needs to be said.” It had been three years since they parted ways, and she’d been over Cam for a long time. He’d made his choice and she’d made her peace with it.

  Caden’s dark gaze studied her for a moment. He gave a small shake. “It doesn’t, Makenna. Don’t worry. Although if he stares at your ass or plays with your hair one more time, I won’t be held accountable for my actions.” The pierced eyebrow arched playfully.

  She chuckled, but God, she really didn’t want anything to mess up this visit or make Caden feel any more uncomfortable than she knew he already did. She was going to kill Ian, who knew that Makenna was bringing someone home. What the hell had he been thinking? “Would you like to know the story—”

  The door handle jiggled.

  “Someone’s in here,” she called.

  “Okay,” came Ian’s voice.

  “Let’s go help with the table,” Caden said. “We can talk later.”

  She nodded, and thrilled when he bent down and gave her a long, slow, wet kiss full of heat and passion and tongue. From the first time they’d kissed in the darkness of that elevator, his kissing skills had totally owned her. “I’m sorry, what were you saying?” she asked in a breathy voice when he pulled away.

  The smile he gave her brought out his dimples. “I don’t know, but you taste like apples and cinnamon.”

  “It’s my sangria. You should try some.”

  “I think I will.” His big hand slipped behind her neck as he kissed her again. A deep, exploring kiss. “Mmm, that’s good,” he rasped.

  “God, I could kiss you like that all day,” she whispered.

  His grin was full of smug masculine satisfaction. “Could you now?” With a wink, he turned and opened the door.

  Down the hall, they ran into Ian. “Were you seriously in the bathroom together?” he asked.

  Makenna glared, not appreciating his standoffishness toward Caden downstairs. “Did you seriously bring my ex-boyfriend to Thanksgiving?”

  “He’s my best friend,” Ian said, stepping past them. True, but it had been a lot of years since Cameron had celebrated a holiday with them. When they were all younger, it hadn’t been unusual for Cameron to be at their house for meals and sleepovers, including the holidays. But he hadn’t last been there since before she and Cam broke up.

  When her brother closed himself in the bathroom, she turned to Caden. “Sorry about him. Not sure what his problem is.”

  On one level, she wasn’t surprised that Ian was the one to cause trouble where Caden was concerned. Because Patrick was so much older, she’d always idolized him and he’d always been an awesome big brother to her—they always got along great. And because Collin was younger and generally the easiest-going person you’d ever meet, she usually didn’t end up having issues with him. But her and Ian—the two middle kids—butted heads over just about everything and anything, and always had.

  “Loyalty, I’m guessing.” He kissed the top of her head. “Stop worrying.”

  “Okay,” she said. They went into the kitchen to find her father pulling the turkey out of the oven. “How can we help?”

  “Collin and Shima started on the table. See if they want help and, if not, you can start plating everything. We’ll be ready to eat in about twenty minutes. Just need to make some gravy.”

  “Okay,” Makenna said, leading Caden into the dining room that hosted every meal whenever the whole family got together. Collin and Shima were setting out plates and silverware around the big formal table.

  “Wait. You forgot Mom’s runner,” Makenna said.

  “Oh, shit,” Collin said. “Sorry.”

  “It’s no problem,” Makenna said, going to the glass-fronted hutch that sat on the far wall. She found the decorative cloth in the bottom cabinet. “When my mom died, my dad was really good about sharing all the traditions that had been important to her. My grandmother made this and gave it to Mom as a present, and Mom apparently used it every Thanksgiving.” She unfolded the long rectangle with embroidered leaves and pumpkins and acorns. “We still like to use it.”

  Caden helped her spread it out down the length of the table between the place settings Collin had already set out.

  “It’s beautiful,” Shima said. “It’s really special that you still honor her this way.”

  “Yeah,” Makenna said. “Collin and I were too young to really remember much of her, so it’s nice to have things like this.” She shrugged. “I’ve always felt like, if I can’t have her, I have to hang on to whatever parts of her I can have. I don’t know.”

  Caden’s arm fell around her shoulders and he hugged her against him. “Shima’s right. It’s a specia
l thing to do.” The sweetness of his words unleashed warmth in her chest. God, she loved this man.

  They made quick work of setting the rest of the table and then Makenna and Caden returned to the kitchen to help with the rest of the food. One by one, Makenna filled serving dishes and platters and Caden took them out to the table for her.

  She and Caden had made a million meals together over the past few months, but there was something really special about the two of them working on a meal in the house where she grew up. It made Caden feel like part of the family, because to her he already was. Finally, the turkey was carved and the gravy was ready, and it was time to eat. Her father called everyone to the table.

  Her father and Patrick sat at the ends, and Collin, Shima, and Ian sat on the far side. Cam went for the middle seat on the close side, which would put him between her and Caden. Not happening.

  “Hey, Cam? Would you mind moving down one so Caden and I can sit together?” she asked, perturbed that he’d made her ask. She wasn’t sure what he was up to with this visit, but she wasn’t playing, whatever it was.

  “Sure,” he said, sliding over.

  “Here you go,” Caden said, pulling out the end chair for her so he’d end up between them.

  She hid her grin as she sat next to her father and Caden took the middle seat. Score one for Caden.

  Her father held out his hands, and they all followed suit. Out of nowhere, sitting at Thanksgiving dinner holding the hands of the two most important men in her life made her throat tight with gratitude and joy. Dad bowed his head. “Thank you, God, for fulfilling all our needs and blessing us with this food. Thank you for each person who shares this meal with us today. May our lives never be so rushed and busy that we don’t remember to stop and be grateful, to see all the things we have in this life. Our family, our friends, our homes, our health, our jobs. And may those who are less fortunate get everything they need this Thanksgiving, and may we always do our part to make their lives better. Amen.”