One Funeral (No Weddings #2)(51)

“Okay. What’s going on, you two? Are you an official item, or what?” Kristen narrowed her eyes, propping her hands on her hips.

Cade laughed. “Sis, when you give me the glare-down in bright pink taffeta, you lose the power in your punch.”

Kendall pressed closer. “We’ve seen you two go off together in the middle of the parties. Don’t think we don’t know what you’re up to.”

Steeling myself, I stepped forward. “Honestly, we haven’t been—”

Acting the part because of our shared confidence, Kiki shook her head. “Oh, yes you have. I saw Cade carrying you away from Christian’s boathouse hours after you’d both gone missing. You were wrapped in a blanket.”

Cade slid his hands into his pockets and lowered his head a fraction, staring at his sisters from under lowered brows. “You all done with the accusations? Ready for the truth?”

Kendall and Kristen nodded but narrowed their eyes.

Kiki crossed her arms, a believable dubious expression on her face.

I was curious what version of the truth, if any, he would share. I stood right beside him, but I almost wanted to join his sisters to be able to fully face him and watch his expressions head-on. But nothing would pull me from his side. I stood proudly with him, no matter his explanation or how he told it.

“Hannah and I are seeing each other in a low-key, non-dating sort of way.”

Kendall snorted. “What the hell does that mean? You’re f*cking?”

Cade growled, his lip curling up on one side. Kendall’s smile faded.

“No. We’re not f*cking, not that it’s any of your business. We may f*ck, but that will be between me and Hannah. No one else. Right now, we’re great friends who want to explore more. Slowly. On our terms. And stealing time at the events, getting to know one another, has been one of the ways we’ve been doing so.”

No one said a word. I’m pretty sure his sisters continued breathing, but they all seemed taken aback by either what Cade had said, or the force with which he’d said it. Then one by one, their faces softened, like they’d fallen a little bit more in love with their brother.

And I didn’t blame them.

My heart warmed at his honest expression and clear protectiveness too. What had been unfolding between us was new and private, and only ours. He’d shielded me from their prying eyes, my valiant knight. I was so proud of him, at the strides he’d made. At finally having the courage and desire to stand up for us as a couple, sharing with them who we were to each other.

I no longer wanted to escape into a carriage by the twelfth stroke of midnight. I wrapped my hand in his, proud in the knowledge that he was the whole fairy tale—my prince and my pumpkin.

Cade squeezed my hand and gave a single nod to them. “When there’s more to tell, and we want to share, you’ll be the first to know.”

His sisters looked toward me, stupid smiles growing wider on their faces, like they only believed half of what Cade had let on. But he didn’t give them a chance to pry or deduce any further, because he turned, tugging me away. I gave them a weak smile over my shoulder and saw them break into laughter. And Kiki gave me a wink.

He led me away into another private alcove for some lip-on-lip time, and I laughed at his dead-serious expression. I furrowed my brow, attempting to mimic him.

When his face softened, I smirked. “So ‘we may f*ck?’”

He pushed me into a corner, devouring me with a lust-filled gaze. “Oh, we are so gonna f*ck.”





The day after Candie’s party was a special occasion. Cade’s official graduation day was today. Since Mase took their Jeep to pick up his girlfriend, Laura, Cade had insisted on driving Josephine.

And now I sat beside him in a nice dress, bouncing my knee for the first time since our semi-disaster of a date.

He glanced over before returning his attention back to the road. “Why so nervous, Maestro? I’m the one graduating.”

I laughed. “You have nothing to be nervous about. You’ve already aced your exams. Getting your diploma in a cap and gown is only a technicality.”

“Okay. So I ask again, why so nervous?”

I straightened out the folds of my silk skirt, taking a deep breath. “I’ve only been around Kristen’s husband once, your mom once, and I’ve never met your father.”

He slid his hand over mine, entwining our fingers together. “Do not be nervous about my father. Or any of them. I adore you, and they adore me. That’s all that matters.”

“But how exactly is that gonna go down? We’re arriving together. And your sisters know there’s more than only friendship between us now, no matter what we call it.”

He squeezed my hand quickly, then released it to grip both of his hands on the top of the steering wheel to parallel park into a newly open metered space on 33rd Street. I took a deep breath, watching graduate students cross to the walkway in front of the Palestra in their black caps and gowns.

He parked and cut the engine before twisting to face me. His lips curved into a tender smile. “You’re mine, Hannah. I’m no longer hiding that fact—I’m proud of it. Last night, I only gave the whole non-dating explanation to my sisters because their sudden inquisition caught me off guard. We hadn’t officially talked about what we wanted to tell everyone. I didn’t want to blurt out anything about us until we decided to do so, together.”