The Bonds We Break by Becca Steele

TWENTY-EIGHT

“Thanks for meeting me.” Caiden leaned against one of the pillars at the front of Alstone Town Hall, hands in his pockets. “Want to take a walk?”

“Okay.” I gave him a cautious glance, and his lips twitched. Barely, but there was the hint of a smile there. A tiny bit of the tension seeped from my body.

He pushed off from the pillar and headed around the side of the building. I fell into step next to him, both of us silent until we reached the gardens behind the town hall. He looked around, then crossed the grass to one of the benches that dotted the space, lining a long, wide avenue with huge trees on either side.

I took a seat next to him with some trepidation. All I knew was what Winter had told me—that he wanted to have a word with me and I had nothing to worry about. Clearly, it had something to do with Cassius, but other than that, I was in the dark. Caiden and I hadn’t had the best relationship since Winter had appeared in his life, so whatever he had to say, it probably wasn’t anything good.

“Before I say anything…” He paused, picking at a frayed bit on his jeans, his head lowered. “I want you to know that no one forced me to do this. It was my idea.” Now he met my eyes, defiance in the stormy depths, as if he was daring me to challenge him.

I didn’t know how to reply, so I stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

Lowering his gaze again, he scuffed the toe of one of his trainers against the ground. “I never thought I’d see the day where Cassius fell for a girl.”

“And I bet you didn’t think it would be me, either.” The words just came out, and I held my breath.

Although he kept his gaze fixed on the ground, a small smile tugged at his lips. “Yeah. I definitely didn’t see that coming.” He shook his head. “We have a lot of history. All of us do. We’ve grown up together, and whatever bad shit went down between you and me and Winter this last year, we’re going to be in each other’s lives for the foreseeable future. Our dads work together—fuck, your dad’s socialising with mine and Cass’ dad half the time these days.”

“I know I already apologised for everything, but—”

Putting his hand up, he shook his head again, finally looking at me. “This isn’t about apologies. That’s all over as far as I’m concerned, and the past is in the past.”

Opening my mouth to reply, I paused when he cleared his throat. “I didn’t realise how serious Cass was about you to begin with. We had a talk, and…yeah. A lot of things have become clearer to me.”

There was silence for a moment, and I wasn’t sure what to say.

“He told me how he can switch off with you, and…fuck.” He scrubbed his hand over his face, a frustrated sigh falling from his lips. “All of us have slipped into our roles over the years, I guess. If there’s a part of him that feels responsible for always being the one to bring the mood up, then that’s something we need to work on. I know I feel pressure to act a certain way sometimes…” Trailing off, he frowned. “Anyway, that’s something that me, him, Z, and West need to talk about. The point I’m trying to make here, although I’m clearly fucking it up, is that I know you’re here to stay. You’re important to Cass, and that means you’re important to the rest of us.”

I stared at him. This wasn’t at all what I’d expected. All I could do was offer him my truth. “I love Cassius. He means everything to me. And I-I really like the rest of you.”

He looked at me in silence for a minute, and then he groaned. “This is so fucking awkward. I’m no good with words—just ask Winter.”

“I think you’re doing alright,” I offered softly, earning me another small smile.

“Okay. I guess this is the part where I say ‘welcome to the family.’” He affected some deep, unidentifiable accent, which made me laugh.

“What accent was that supposed to be?”

“Not sure, actually. It felt like we were in the mafia, so I was trying to get into the role.”

“You are all so weird. What have I got myself into?” I muttered to myself, biting my lip to hide my own smile.

“Yet you’re the one reading dodgy porn books.”

“For fuck’s sake, why does everyone have to keep bringing that up?” There was no hiding my smile anymore.

Caiden stood, grinning, and then he held out his hand to me.

I took it, and he pulled me to my feet.

It felt symbolic.

It felt like a new beginning.

* * *

Back inside the town hall a while later, the afternoon networking event was well under way in one of the function rooms. Well-dressed members of the Alstone elite mingled while waiters circulated with trays of champagne and canapés. Caiden disappeared off to talk to his dad, and I looked around, trying to spot Cassius, but I didn’t see him. I did, however, see my dad, who made a beeline for me as soon as I caught his eye.

“Jessa. Thanks for coming.” He placed a hand lightly on my back, leaning down to kiss my cheek.

“Of course.” I smiled. “How’s it going?”

“Good, I think. We have a couple of potential orders, big ones at that, which I’ll follow up when I’m back in the office tomorrow.” He chatted to me about the business for a while, giving me a proud smile every time I chimed in with a suggestion or opinion.

We were interrupted by Arlo Cavendish, Caiden and Weston’s dad, who gave me an apologetic smile, steering my dad aside, and I took my chance to escape. I hadn’t gone more than three steps when I was pulled back against a familiar, firm body, a tattooed arm sliding around my waist.

“Where are you running off to?” Cassius murmured in my ear, following up his question with a soft kiss to the side of my head.

“I was looking for you, actually.” Turning my head, I lifted my face for a kiss.

He smiled against my lips. “Come with me.”

With his arm around me, he led me over to where his parents were standing. Paul and Estella Drummond were part of the Alstone Holdings legacy, and although they were both extremely powerful and influential, there was a warmth and genuineness about them that had always made me feel completely at ease.

“Mum, Dad. Meet Jessa De Witt.” Cassius waved his hand in my direction.

“Were you out in the sun too long today, Cassius? We already know Jessa.” Paul raised a brow.

“Poor boy. He’s sun-addled.” Estella shook her head at Paul.

Cassius attempted to glare at them. “I know you know her. I wanted to introduce her officially.” He paused dramatically. “As my girlfriend.”

Both of them gaped at us, although Estella was quick to hide her surprise, recovering with a genuine smile on her face. “Jessa. How lovely. We must have you both over for dinner soon. Does a day next week work?”

I glanced at Cassius, who gave me a small nod. “That would be great. Thank you, Mrs. Drummond.”

She laughed. “No need for formalities. Call me Stella.” Stepping closer, she placed a hand on my arm. “Forgive my surprise. It’s just that Cassius has never had a girlfriend before, and I was beginning to lose hope of it ever happening.”

“He was always too busy sowing his wild oats,” Paul interjected with a smirk, and Estella elbowed him in the ribs.

“Thanks for that, Dad,” Cassius mumbled.

“Cass has a girlfriend.” Lena suddenly appeared at my side, and I didn’t miss the huge, exaggerated eye roll Cassius gave her.

“They already know.”

Her face fell. “I wanted to be here when you told them.”

“Why?” He frowned, and everyone turned to look at her.

She slipped her arm around me, and now I had both her and Cassius hugging me. It was nice. Really nice.

“Because I’m part of this family, too, and Jessa’s my friend. She might’ve needed me for moral support.”

“We’re not that scary, are we?” Paul laughed.

“You’re not, but have you met your son? I was worried he’d embarrass Jessa or scare her away.”

Paul nodded. “Fair point. But I think we can all agree that everything went well. Cass has exceptional taste. Takes after his dad, of course.” He shot me a tiny wink. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to catch Thomas before he leaves.” Lifting a hand to catch the attention of someone behind me, he stepped aside, and when Lena moved away from me to speak to Estella, Cassius leaned down to kiss my cheek.

“Was that okay?” His voice was soft in my ear.

“Yeah.” I nodded, turning to press a kiss to his jaw. “Of course it was.”

“Good.”

Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and we both turned to see Caiden standing with Zayde and Weston. “Are you ready to leave?”

“Yeah.” Cassius’ voice was relieved. “I’ve done enough networking for one afternoon.”

“I’d done enough in the first ten minutes of being here.” Caiden shrugged at him, then turned to me, his gaze warm and open. “Jessa? Coming home with us?”

I stared at him, a smile slowly spreading across my face, which grew wider when Zayde spoke up, looking directly at me. He only said one word, but it was enough, especially when I saw his lips tilt up at the corners. “Come.”

“Yeah, come on. I wanna show you an idea I had for those buzzer cameras.” West threw me a grin as he slung his arm over Caiden’s shoulder.

Cassius pulled me into him, ducking his head, and I could feel his smile against my neck.

What else could I say?

“Okay.”