The Bad Boy Bargain (Suttonville Sentinels #1)(53)

“Are we talking about Kyle Sawyer?” she asked. “Badass, I-bone-college-girls, loner Kyle?” Even saying it sounded fake.

Cade laughed. “One and the same. Anyway, I wanted you to know how sorry I am.”

“Don’t be.” Cade’s saying Kyle stuffed his feelings away matched her own suspicions. What could possibly be so bad that he felt like he had to shut everyone out—shut her out?

She sighed. No matter how frustrated he made her, she couldn’t stop caring. “Is he okay?”

Cade laughed again. This time there was a wry quality to it, like he was letting her in on a joke. “No, but after I’m through with him, he might be.”

He hung up, and Faith dropped her phone on the bed, feeling like pieces of a puzzle were falling into place, but also knowing she might never have the whole picture.





Chapter Thirty-Four


Kyle


Kyle was nearly home when Cade called. “Where the hell are you?”

He pulled into the long driveway leading up to their house, but stopped. “Home. Why?”

“You were supposed to come over. You’re not getting out of this.” Cade sounded more steamed than Kyle had ever heard. “My house. Fifteen minutes.”

He hung up before Kyle could give him an excuse. Kyle rested his head against the steering wheel. Why couldn’t he trust himself enough to open up to Faith? What was wrong with him? A corner of his heart beat out her name over and over and over, and he knew what he should do, but he couldn’t figure out how. No, that wasn’t right—he didn’t know how to do it without pain. Without saying, outright, that he’d lied to her.

Sighing, he backed out of the driveway. He’d wanted a miracle, right? Time to suck it up and see what his old friend had in store.

Cade wrenched the door open as soon as Kyle set foot on their porch. He was frowning. “Can you be honest with me? Before we go through this, are you really going to talk to me, or are we gonna dance? Because I gave you some specific instructions and you didn’t listen. In fact, you made things worse.”

Kyle’s bones ached, and he was tired all over. What was it his grandpa always said when he was being a cagey bastard? The truth will set you free. Yeah, it was time to lose his burdens. “I’m here to talk.”

Cade nodded sharply. “Step into my office.”



Cade’s mouth was hanging open. They’d stolen a bag of Chips Ahoy, a gallon of milk, and two glasses from his kitchen, and gone straight to the game room. When Cade asked why Kyle had walked out on Faith, something broke inside him. Cade had the kind of face that begged you to tell him your troubles, and the sum of four years of pain had come pouring out. Kyle had thought he’d feel ashamed, telling someone other than Grandpa, but Cade hadn’t mocked him, not once.

If anything, he looked like someone had bashed him in the face with a two-by-four.

“Wow, dude. That’s…that’s…” Cade shook himself. “Okay, you know me, right?”

Kyle snorted. “Yeah, I know you. I wouldn’t share this tale with a random stranger, not even if he brought cookies and milk. Thanks for the snack, by the way.”

“You looked…hungry when you got here. I had no idea why, but now things are making some sense.”

“I skipped dinner, too, you know.”

“There’s more to it than that.” Cade tapped a finger against his chin. “You know what I think you need?”

“If you say, ‘to get drunk,’ don’t bother. My gramps already tried that.”

Cade’s face lit up in a big smile. “I’ve missed that old man. He good?”

A pang of guilt hit Kyle in the chest. Why had he pushed Cade away? To make himself into something he wasn’t? What kind of douche did that? He huffed out a breath—the same kind of douche who dropped a girl for the same reason. “He’s great.”

“Excellent.” Cade settled back against the leather couch, where the two of them had watched superhero movies and played video games for hours in another life. Today, he was wearing an Arrow T-shirt and plaid shorts that clashed magnificently with both the shirt and his carrot-red hair. Yet Kyle knew Cade was the only guy comfortable enough in his own skin to dress this way. Unlike him.

“You were saying something about what I need?” Kyle said. “You know I have to remind you because you never finish a thought, man.”

Cade laughed. “True that. Okay, what you need is to try to get back together with Faith. Like, really try. Let nature take its course.”

“Oh, is it that easy? I’ll rush right out and try that,” Kyle muttered. “News flash—not going to happen. I’ve lied to her and everyone else for four years. Plus her ex hates me and he’s already making her life harder because of it. We stay together, he’ll keep it up. I’m the worst thing that could ever happen to her.”

“That’s bullshit, and the fear talking. You know it, I know it.” Cade stood abruptly. “Let’s go to my room.”

“On the first date? I’m flattered.”

Cade waggled an eyebrow. “Ha, you should be.”

“Oh, really?” He followed Cade down a hallway full of framed photos. A six-year-old Kyle peeked out of a fort next to Cade. A nine-year-old Kyle beamed with Cade in front of a comic book store. A thirteen-year-old Kyle hunched his shoulders and stared blankly, while Cade held up a fish in triumph on his dad’s fishing boat.