5. The twin brother
1692 Words
Chapter Five.
Sloane's pov
Who does he think he was, barging into my house, unpacking my groceries, acting like we were old friends? I'd come to Ghost Ash for peace and quietness, not to be adopted by some motorcycle club that apparently ran the entire town like their personal kingdom.
"Mommy, is it time for school yet?" Cade asked for the fifteenth time since we woke up this morning, despite the preparations.
"Almost, baby. Finish your eggs first."
He shoveled them into his mouth so fast I was worried he'd choke. The drive to school was short, and I gripped the steering wheel the entire way with my knuckles white. What if the kids were mean to him? What if the teachers treated him differently once they found out about his strength? What if this turned into the same nightmare as before?
Maybe this would be okay.
"Good morning! You must be Cade!" An elderly woman with kind eyes stood at the entrance. "I'm Mrs. Palmer…Come with me, sweetheart, I'll take you to your classroom."
Cade looked up at me, suddenly uncertain. I smoothed his hair back and kissed his forehead. "Go on, baby and have fun. Make lots of friends. And remember what you promised me."
"I remember." He kissed my cheek. "Bye, Mommy!"
He took Mrs. Palmer's hand and started walking toward the entrance. My heart squeezed watching him go, so small and brave in his dinosaur shirt with his backpack almost bigger than he was.
Then I heard heavy footsteps behind me.
"That must be Cade Holloway right?"
The voice crashed deep into my veins, it's so achingly familiar that my entire body went rigid.
No…it couldn't be.
I turned around slowly, and when I saw his face, the air left my lungs in a rush.
It was him.
The man I had dated from five years ago. The man who'd listened to me cry about my dead-end job and my lonely life. Who'd taken me back to his hotel room and made me feel things I'd never felt before. Who'd whispered my name in the dark and held me like I was precious.
The same man who'd disappeared without a word or a note. I'd discovered six weeks later that I was pregnant.
"Hi!" Cade broke free from Mrs. Palmer and ran straight to him, wrapping his arms around the man's legs. "Are you my teacher?"
I couldn't move or think. My vision was tunneling, everything going dark around the edges.
The man looked down at Cade with surprise, then up at me. "Is this your son, I know we were expecting a Cade but I wasn't expecting a gorgeous eyes with a pretty face?"
Something snapped inside me and I crossed the distance in two strides to yank Cade away so hard he stumbled. "Don't you dare touch him."
The man held up his hands, confusion written all over his face. "Whoa, hey….I wasn't going to hurt him. I'm just here to supervise the morning routine for the school before I head out for the day."
"Who are you?" My voice came out low with confusion, his voice was different.
" I'm Damon….Damon Crowe." He said it like it should mean something to me. "I'm one of the Ghost Riders. Part of my job is overseeing the school, making sure everything runs smoothly and the kids stay safe."
Damon, that's not his name, his name was Kade but he was practically wearing Kade’s face. This voice was smoother and more controlled. The man I remembered had a rougher voice that was gravelly and dark like whiskey burning down your throat.
Still, the face. God, the face was identical.
He stood slowly, watching me with open curiosity. "You're really protective. That's good but I promise your son is safe here. I'll personally make sure of it."
"He's my son," I said through gritted teeth. "I'm supposed to protect him."
"Of course you are." Something flickered in his expression. Understanding, maybe. "I'll make sure Cade has a great first day and if you want, I can even pick him up this afternoon so you don't have to drive back and forth."
"I can pick up my own son."
"I know you can, princess. I'm just offering to help."
I took a shaky breath and hated the name instantly, that's the same word Kade usually refers to me. "Don't call me that."
"Sorry, You just look like royalty" He held up his hands with that devilish smile.
"I need to go." I started walking toward my car.
"Wait . ." He followed me not aggressively, but persistently. Like he had all the time in the world.
"Look, we got off on the wrong foot. Let me make it up to you. How about I drive you home? We can talk more, and you can tell me what you need to feel comfortable here."
"I said I need to go, I don't need any talking to to feel comfortable around you.."
"Mommy!" Cade's voice called from inside the school. "Don't forget! You're going to bake me a cake before I come home! The chocolate one with the sprinkles!"
Damon's face lit up. "Cake? You bake?"
"That's none of your business."
"Come on, that's not fair. You can't mention cake and not offer me a piece." He grinned, and it was so charming and easy that I wanted to punch him. "Tell you what….You bake your son that cake, and you save me a slice. As a thank you for watching over him today."
"I don't bake for strangers."
"We're not strangers anymore. We're neighbors and community members." He stepped closer, and I caught his scent. "Everyone in Ghost Ash is family. You'll learn that soon enough."
"What is wrong with you people?" My voice rose despite my best efforts. "Why can't you just leave me alone? I don't want to be family. I don't want to be neighbors. I want to be left in peace!”
I reached for my car door handle, but before I could open it, his hand closed around mine.
The touch sent electricity shooting up my arm. His hand was warm and rough with calluses, and for one insane second, all I could think about was how those hands had felt on my bare skin five years ago.
I ripped my hand away and glared at hi.. "Don't touch me."
"Come on." He pulled open the passenger door instead. "Get in. I'm driving you home."
"The hell you are."
"Your hands are shaking and you're upset. I'm not letting you drive like this though I don't know what's giving you the triggers." His voice went firm to a Commanding tone. "Get in the car, Sloane. I'll have someone bring your car back later."
"How do you know my name?"
"Riley told the whole town about you. Word travels fast here." He gestured to the passenger seat, He waited until I climbed into the passenger seat, then shut the door and walked around to the driver's side.
As he slid behind the wheel, I studied his profile, his body, his eyes, everything about him that seems so strange.
"You keep staring at me," Damon said as he pulled out of the parking lot. "Is it because I look like someone you know? Or because you're trying to figure out if you can trust me?"
"Both."
He laughed with a low rumble that did things to my stomach I didn't want to think about. "Fair enough….. For what it's worth, I'm only looking like my brother, you'll definitely meet him soon.”
He pulled up in front of my house and turned off the engine. "You want me to come in? Make sure everything's locked up and secure?"
"No. I want you to leave."
"Okay." He didn't move. "But I meant what I said. I'll pick up Cade this afternoon. Bring him home safe and sound. And maybe by then you'll have calmed down enough to have an actual conversation with me."
"I don't want to have a conversation with you. I don't want to see your face ever again, is that so hard?"
"Can't do that, princess. We practically live next door and besides, you owe me cake now. Your son promised." He gave that infuriating smirk and I slammed the door and stalked up to my house without looking back but I felt his eyes on me the whole way and felt the weight of his stare like a physical touch.
When I finally got inside and locked the door behind me, I leaned against it and tried to catch my breath.
What were the odds? What were the actual odds that the man who'd gotten me pregnant five years ago had a twin brother living in the exact town I'd fled to?
My phone rang, jolting me out of my thoughts and I answered without thinking. "Hello?"
"Sloane." The voice on the other end made my blood run cold. "Did you really think you could run from me, I said taking a break…I didn't say leave the goddamn country! I'm coming to get you."
It's Garrett….My ex-husband and I scoffed.
"How did you get this number?"
"It doesn't matter. What matters is that I know where you are. And I'm coming to get my son back. You can't hide him from me and can't protect him from what he is."
"He's not yours anymore. The divorce—"
"The divorce means nothing. Cade belongs with the Holloways. We're the only ones who understand what he is. Where are you Sloane?”
He asked with that authoritative tone that irritated the hell out of me.
“It's none of your business! Stay away from my son Garrett, we're fine without you.”
His voice dropped to something dark and threatening. " He's my responsibility and I'll track you wherever you are. When I get there, you're going to hand over my son. Or I'll take him by force."
The line went dead and I stood frozen in my kitchen with the phone slipping from my numb fingers. Why the hell is he suddenly interested in Cade?
- Writer
