Page 38 of Cage
Her eyes are watery, and now mine are burning with tears as I sniffle and use the back of my hand to wipe my nose.
“It was a long time ago. After that, I never tried to play again. The only toy I have is my stuffie, and I keep him hidden as much as possible.”
Even though my heart aches from reliving the past, I feel lighter than I have in a long time. I’ve never told anyone the entire story before. My father only knew bits and pieces because I was too ashamed to tell him everything. It was an irritation for him to have to pull me from that school and move me to another one. I barely remember my mom, but my memories were always of the three of us spending time together. After she died, it was like I was this thing he had to take care of but didn’t want to.
Linking her fingers with mine, Rowie pulls me over to the tree trunk opening. Together, we crawl in and prop ourselves up against the pillows.
We don’t speak for a few minutes, instead, we stare up at the twinkle lights and faux tree limbs hanging from the ceiling.
Finally, Rowie breaks the silence. “I’ve never had a best friend, either. I’ve never hadanyfriends actually.” She pauses and turns onto her side to face me. “Would you maybe want to be my best friend?”
Rolling my head to the side to look at her, tears fall from my eyes, and a lump forms in my throat. As I stare at the small woman beside me, part of my sad, broken heart heals right here in the middle of the playroom. I smile. “I’d like that.”
“Hey, sleepyheads.”
The voice is deep and smooth. Gentle. It’s not his voice, though.
I furrow my eyebrows and hide my face. Whoever it is, I’m not waking up.I’m warm and cozy, and I want to stay here forever because it’s just that perfect.
“Rowie,” the voice persists.
“My name isn’t Rowie,” I mumble.
A soft chuckle and then another. The second one sounds familiar. I like that one.
“No, baby girl. Your name is Firefly.”
I’m so warm and comfy, I don’t want to move. Yet I can’t help but peek out of one eye.
It’s not just Cage who’s looking back at me. Both he and Theo are squatting down just outside the tree. And Rowie is stirring beside me.
Huh. We must have dozed off after we declared we were going to be best friends.
“You two need to wake up so you can sleep tonight,” Theo says, nudging Rowie’s foot.
She kicks his hand away and curls up into a ball. “Go away,” she mumbles.
Theo grins, then reaches in and grabs Rowie by the ankle. As he drags her out of the tree, he tickles the sole of her foot, sending her into a fit of giggles. I grin and peek at Cage again, expecting him to be watching Theo and Rowie, but he’s not paying them any attention. Instead, he’s focused on me, his gaze heated. A twinge of arousal shoots through me, and I quickly squeeze my thighs together.
“Hey, pretty girl.” Cage smiles at me. Gosh, he’s handsome.
He may be a difficult man to deal with at times, but I think that smile might make up for it. Hell, all he has to do is flash me those pearly whites and I’d probably do just about anything he wanted.
“Hey.”
“It’s almost dinner time,” he tells me.
Oh, right. They eat together every night. Like a family. I can’t remember the last time I sat down for a meal with my father. Christmas last year, maybe? I imagine it’s nice knowing you have people to come together with at the end of the day to share a loud, messy, loving dinner with. These men might be a bit unusual, but they certainly love each other. And they are all practically over the moon for Rowie. It’s obvious she means a lot to them, and I get the feeling they mean a lot to her, too.
Together, Rowie and I crawl out of the tree and stand. Then she looks up at Cage and shoots him a mischievous grin.
“Ember and I have decided we’re going to be best friends, so I think she should stay here forever.”
Something flickers in Cage’s eyes. Worry, maybe? Guilt? I’m not sure. It’s there and gone in a heartbeat.
“You two can be best friends, but Ember can’t stay here forever,” he replies tightly.
His words are like a knife to the gut. Why does it bother me that he said that? That he doesn’t want me here. I don’t care how he feels about me. He’s my bodyguard. Just because I’m attracted to him or the fact he knows my deepest secret and gave me a pacifier doesn’t mean he has any interest in dating me. Or in being my Daddy.