Page 93 of Becoming

“Forget it. Rand gave you a good reason not to like me.” Cass lowered her head. “I’m sorry I didn’t see what was going on. I should have known something.”

Connor shook his head. “There was no way I was going to let you see what she was doing to me. Hell, I denied it to myself until I couldn’t anymore.” He chucked Cass on the shoulder amicably. “Don’t worry too much about this shit. I know what I said earlier, but this isn’t on you.”

“Yeah.” Cass didn’t believe that, but now wasn’t the time or place to argue. “Keep me posted if you can?”

Connor agreed, thanking them again before escorting them out.

Cass stood outside of Rand and Connor’s home and breathed in the chilled air. Everything still seemed so normal—except how she felt.

“What now?”

Rebecca looked up at Cassidy, whose eyes were closed. The fatigue was obvious. So was the confusion. Rebecca knew when this all sank in, it would be difficult for Cassidy to accept the truth about Miranda. She anticipated some anger and sadness and silently vowed to be there for Cassidy every step of the way.

“Now we go home.”

SNAP! “FUCK!” CASS growled. That was the fourth damn brush today that she had broken. Not only was she ruining her fucking supplies—including her favorite brush—but she wasn’t liking any of the stuff she was putting on the canvas. Which was fucking perfect since her showing at Sumptor Gallery was in a couple of weeks.

The shrill of her phone only served to annoy her even more. Obviously, she had forgotten to silence it when she came in to paint and that wasn’t Rebecca’s ringtone, so fuck it. Though, Cass couldn’t blame Rebecca for keeping her distance lately. The stress of the opening had Cass a bit cranky. Perhaps Cass could make up for it by cooking dinner tonight. She snorted. Yeah, that’d probably make things worse.

A light knock on the door made Cass’s pulse quicken. Only one person in the world was allowed in this room. “Come in,” she called out.

Rebecca stuck her blonde head in and held up her phone. “Sorry, I know you’re busy, but there’s a call for you.”

Cass frowned. “Who is it?”

“Connor.”

“I’m, uh, trying to get this shit done. Can’t you take it? He called you.”

“No, he called you, but you didn’t answer. And I’m not your secretary, Cassidy.” Rebecca took a deep breath. After almost three weeks of this attitude, Rebecca was nearing the end of her patience. “You asked him to keep you updated. Deal with it.”

Cass caught the phone that Rebecca tossed to her. She is not happy with me. Damn it. “Yeah, hello?” Cass tapped her fingers on her easel as she listened. “No, no, it’s okay. I’ve just been swamped. What’s up… And you think that’s the best course to take… Well, that’s good, then, right?” She looked over a Rebecca who looked back with expectancy—and a hint of exasperation. “So, what does all of this mean for you… For how long… Yeah, I wish you all the luck, man. Thanks for the update.”

“So?” Rebecca asked after Cassidy stayed silent.

“If you wanted to know, why didn’t you just talk to him?” Cass watched as Rebecca’s nostrils flared. Oh, you are a fucking idiot, Cass.

“I promised myself that I would be patient as you went through this,” Rebecca said coolly. “I knew that you’d have to let these emotions run their course. I’ve even allowed you angry sex in hopes that it would help you move forward. But you are stuck on the anger. I love you, Cassidy. But I won’t go through this again.”

Cass’s stomach dropped. Her heart stopped. “Connor said that Rand finally agreed to counseling and a divorce as long as he didn’t release the photos publicly,” she said quickly. “At Connor’s request, the judge ordered her to stay in a rehabilitation hospital, instead of jail, for a minimum of three years and she’ll be fined $10,000. Connor has decided that traveling is his best option. He’s pretty sure her parents are going to blame him for everything that’s happening.” She stopped there. It all seemed so unimportant now. It didn’t matter what Connor did, or where Rand ended up. Not in Cass’s mind. In her mind, nothing mattered except convincing Rebecca to stay with her. “Please. Don’t leave me,” she whispered.

Rebecca stared at the woman in front of her, witnessing the fear in those incredible eyes. She was sorry for being the one to put it there, but something had to give. “I’m doing the best I can, Cassidy. I truly am. But how can I help you when you refuse to talk about it?” She looked around the room. “You pretend that it’s the stress of the opening. Yet, you’ve been like this since the night you found out about Miranda. Do you think I can’t see how it has affected you? Affected us? It’s ironic that the woman who taught me it wasn’t my fault, blames herself for something she had absolutely no control over.”

Panic rose like bile inside Cass when Rebecca turned to leave. “Wait! Where are you going? I can do better!”

The trepidation in Cassidy’s voice caused Rebecca’s step to falter. She turned her head to look at her lover. “I’m not asking you to get over it, Cassidy. I just need you to move past the anger. Now, I have to meet a client.”

“A client!”

Rebecca rolled her eyes. Oh, yeah. Her patience was quickly turning to nil. “A business client. I’ll be back later.” And with that, she was out the door.

Be back. Not home, but back. The only solace Cass could find in that was at least Rebecca was coming back. Unless she changes her mind, Cass thought grumpily. She blew out a frustrated breath. Rebecca was right. Cass was stuck on this anger and she needed to do something about it fast before she lost the most precious thing to her in the world. Rebecca’s love.

“CASS! THIS IS quite the surprise.”

Cass rubbed the back of her neck, feeling a bit self-conscious.

“Hey, Aunt Wills. Do you have a minute?”