Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 5

rooms.
    "I can't reach the lifejackets," the girl said. There was a bit of a whine in her tone, but nothing outrageous.
    "Well, maybe our friend here can help you," Warren said. He turned his face to Cade, and it wore an expression Cade couldn't decipher. A dare, almost, a calmness that challenged Cade to disturb it. "Do you mind, Cade? The lifejackets are in the boat house, and she's right, they are hung up pretty high. Check the tags to be sure you have the child size." Then he turned back to the lake, dismissing Cade just as he had when they'd known each other before. The arrogance was infuriating, but Cade reminded himself that fury was the least of his concerns, and he obediently followed the little girl to the boathouse and reached the lifejacket she needed. He helped her get buckled in and watched her scamper down to the dock. She seemed too pure to have any association with that man, but Cade figured she wasn't really at risk. Just because someone liked his whores young and pretty didn't mean he was a pedophile. Cade really had no idea what it meant.
    But that wasn't something Cade needed to worry about. It wasn't something he could afford to worry about, not if he was going to survive the week with Aiden's family. And after that, after the week was over… Cade couldn't worry about that , either. He couldn't wonder whether the rest of his life with Aiden was going to be fragile, waiting for a careless word to tear everything apart.
    God damn it, he hated this place! He was trapped. He couldn't leave without offering some explanation, and whatever he said would either be the truth, destroying everything he cared about, or it would be a lie, setting him up for more hiding and potential destruction down the road. He let himself fall against the side of the boat house and sag down until he was crouched just above the ground, his back leaning on the building and his head hanging forward.
    He heard the soft sound of footsteps approaching along the forest floor, and had a moment's inclination to run away. He knew it was pointless to try to hide; if the person was close enough to be heard, Cade was close enough to be seen. So running away was the only way to avoid contact. Sure, he'd get a reputation for being a reclusive freak, but he'd probably already established that with his dock-sitting the night before. But it would make things awkward for Aiden if Cade seemed any weirder than he already did, so he forced himself to stay still, and when the footsteps stopped in front of him, he looked up.
    "You okay, son?" Mr. St. John made honesty seem like a viable option, but Cade knew better than to walk into that trap.
    "Sorry, yeah. I'm fine. Just not feeling too well, I guess."
    Aiden's dad nodded. "Raw egg in a glass of tomato juice, that's what always worked for me."
    It took a moment to understand that the man was offering a hangover remedy. "Uh… I think that might make me throw up."
    "That's the whole point," Mr. St. John agreed. "You throw up, you get it over with, you get on with your day. The option, spending all day trying to keep something in your stomach that you'd be better off without… that's not a good idea."
    "I'll think about it," Cade said.
    "Okay. And there's breakfast at the house, when you're up to it. Everyone gets up at different times, so it's just a help-yourself situation. Cereal, bagels to be toasted, fruit. It's a good assortment. Just wander in when you're ready and see what will stay down."
    "Yes, sir. Thank you."
    And that should have been it, but instead, Mr. St. John leaned his back against the side of the boat house and slid down until he was sitting next to Cade. He was quiet for a while, then said, "You make Aiden happy."
    Cade didn't know where to go with that. "He makes me happy, too."
    Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mr. St. John nod. "For Aiden and me, that's all that matters," the man said. "For Allison… she's a planner. She wants things to make sense. It's the way she's always been."
    "Aiden says that's my problem. He says I need to let go sometimes, and just let things happen."
    "Does he?" Mr. St. John sounded amused. "That sounds familiar. But, okay, maybe you can understand where she's coming from, then. Because I'll tell you right now, I certainly can't. For me, if the two of you are happy, that's it, we're done, welcome to our lives. But Allison can't let things be that easy. She wants to plan ten years down the line, and then twenty and thirty."
    "That's why she