Page 60 of Fierce-Michael
“No,” Cade said. “I won’t tell her. I sure the hell won’t tell my mother; don’t worry there. Everyone looks at me as the last to know and it’s fine. I would have been if I wasn’t in the right place at the right time. And though I slip with secrets at times, I’ll be out a few weeks and my guess is someone else will figure it out by then.”
Cade wasn’t wrong there.
“Your mother has brought up setting me up for years. I’m not interested. But I do know that Kelly has asked her in the past and said she was seeing someone now when Jolene went to her office.”
“That’s right,” Cade said. “And she won’t rest until she knows who that person is so she can put her stamp of approval on it. With me out, she won’t bug me and will go after others in the office. Ella won’t say a word.”
He didn’t like hearing that. He didn’t need Jolene’s stamp of approval on anything in his personal life.
He didn’t even care if he got his parents’ approval though it was nice they were supportive of him dating and willing to take Ty when needed.
“Not my concern,” he said.
“I knew you’d say that,” Cade said. “I’m just giving you a heads up. My mother likes to pester me. She’ll be distracted with the baby for a bit so you’ll have a reprieve, but if I overheard it, she’s likely to find out sooner rather than later.”
“Thanks for that,” he said. “Alex doesn’t know?”
“I didn’t see a reason to tell her when I found out yesterday. She doesn’t need another thing on her mind. She worries you do too much as it is here, and though she appreciates it, you’re a single father with no life.”
“I’ve got a life,” he said, smirking.
“Now you do, but you haven’t had one for a long time. She’ll be happy for you, but she’ll worry that now she’s putting more pressure on you with work and you might lose what you just found. She might want to rush back and I’m not letting that happen.”
“I’m not worried about that so no one else should be. Make sure you are clear with Alex about that. You know Kelly well. She’s pretty accepting and understanding of things.”
“She is,” Cade said. “She’s a great person. For what it’s worth, I think you two are good for each other and good together.”
Michael was oddly touched Cade said that, but Cade always was the more sentimental of the Five, that he’d learned. “Why do you think that?”
“Because you’re more serious at times and she’s not. She’s always happy and bubbly. A people pleaser.”
“I don’t want her to be that way with me,” he said. “If it’s not what she feels inside.”
“She isn’t,” Cade said. “There I go putting my foot in my mouth and shouldn’t have. I’m just saying she likes being around people and having a good time. She likes to bring it out of them too. You don’t get out all that much.”
“I don’t,” he said. “But I’m trying to more.”
“What are you two talking about in here?” Alex asked. “Making sure that Michael doesn’t work too hard for the next two months?”
“Yes,” Cade said, turning to look at his wife. “I told him to not put work first all the time.”
“I try telling him that too. Glad to know I’m not the only one. And here I am ready to go and you’re gabbing like always.”
Alex had her laptop with her and Cade stood up to take it out of her hands. “Just double checking on a few things,” Cade said. “Now we can go home and you can look over all your lists to see you’ve got everything set before we bring the twins to my mother’s.”
“I thought for sure your mother would get them tonight,” Michael said to Alex.
“No,” Alex said. “I’ve got to be at the hospital by six thirty. Birth is planned by eight or earlier. My mother will be there by seven for sure and Jolene will bring the kids to school, then come over with most of the rest of the family.”
“I’ll be by after work tomorrow with Ty to say hi,” he said. “Unless you’d rather I wait until you’re home. Cade can let me know. I know the family is big and you’ll be tired.”
“I’ll text you after Jordan’s birth,” Cade said. “Along with all my employees too.”
It was the smirk on Cade’s face that said Kelly would know at the same time so he would have found out that way.
“Don’t forget some of the women here,” Alex said. “Don’t leave it on Michael to spread the news. Guys don’t always get all the information that the women want.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Cade said. “We are out of here.”