From This Moment (12 page)

With a frown and ignoring my yummy comment, Elise asks, “So I hear Jake has been taking you around town?”

Grinning.  “Yes, we went up on the ‘Big Red’ the other day.  It was pretty terrifying really, but I stayed burrowed in Jake’s chest the whole time.”

“Will you excuse me?”
  Elise says, on her way out of the room.

“Hi Rona, how are you?
  Join us in the kitchen?” Beth says, on her way through the lounge.

“Hi Beth.”
 She has already gone.

Just then my phone starts to ring, answering, because I know it’ll be Cade, “Hi handsome, you still missing me?”

He laughs, “I sure am.  What are you up to?”

“I’ve just arrived at Anna’s house, a girls’ get together.
  Beth and Elise are here as well.”

“
At least you’re not on your own. I’ll be back sometime tomorrow evening, earlier if I can swing it.”

 
“I’ll be waiting.  How’s everything there?”  I ask, closing my eyes, listening intently to his voice.

“Everything is going as planned up to now; I have another meeting in about five minutes.
  What did you do this morning?”

Heck, I certainly wasn’t going to tell him now, while at Anna’s house. “I just hung around and made lunch, nothing interesting.”

“I need to go love.  I’m thinking about you and will call you later tonight.”

With a husky voice, “Okay.”
 Then in a whisper, “I love you Cade.”

“I love you too, stay safe.”
  Then he was gone.

I hope Cade won’t be too upset later when I tell him about Nick.
  Bringing my mind back to the present, I head towards the kitchen where I can hear the others chattering away.

“Rona, come join us, the coffee is to your right.
 I came to get you but you were on the phone, so I thought it best to wait.”

“T
hanks Anna.”  Pouring coffee into a cup, I take a seat at the table.  “So when does the snow usually start?  I love the snow and didn’t get enough while living in Ireland.”

Anna grins, “Snow is actually forecast for tomorrow afternoon.”

Oh no, I hope Cade makes it home.

“So realistically, I’ll be able to make a snowman the day after tomorrow?” I ask with glee, realizing Cade will be fine.

“That’s a given.”  Elise replies. “Jake likes sledging.  Perhaps you can get him to take you.”

Not quite sure h
ow to take that response, “Perhaps I will after I’ve made a snowman.”

Anna and Beth were laughing, but Elise was just staring at me.

The afternoon was pleasant enough, but by the time Elise was leaving I had a headache; all I want is to go home and to have Cade there to hold me.   I actually feel rather tearful. I’m guessing the stress from this morning is starting to catch up on me.

Not wanting Elise to carry on with the wrong assumption about me and Jake, as I have my answer, I follow her outside to her car, “Elise, wait up.”

She stops and looks at me, “I’m not sure what’s going on, but there’s no Stheeight="2%"need to be jealous about me and Jake, because there isn’t a ‘me and Jake’.  Jake really is only a friend, more like a brother really.”

With tears in her eyes, “I saw you kiss him when you arrived.”

I sigh, “I saw you in the window and I guess I wanted to see whether you still have any feelings for him, and you do.”  As she wipes her eyes, I continue, “If you are still in love with Jake, which I think you are, you can’t marry Tom, it isn’t fair to him and it isn’t fair to Jake either.”

Leaning against her car, “Jake doesn’t care about me anymore.
  He doesn’t even talk to me,” she tells me, crying now.

“I think if you tell Jake how you feel you will be very surprised.... that is of course, if he doesn’t put his foot
in his mouth, I mean he is a guy and you make him nervous.”

Moving the tissue
from her face, “I do?”

Laughing now, “You have no idea.
  I’ve never met Tom, but you can’t marry him when you’re still in love with Jake.  Think about it.”  I then turn away, heading back towards the house.

Walking back inside, “Anna, would you mind if I ask Jake to drop me off at the house when he gets here?
 I really don’t feel too good.”  I rub my temples.

“No that’s fine.
  What’s wrong?  Do you want any painkillers?” Anna asks looking concerned.

Going to my purse I retrieve a painkiller, “I have a tablet, a glass of water would be good, please.”

I must have only been resting on the sofa for about fifteen minutes when Jake appears.  I’m sure he’s early.

Jake comes in and crouches down in front of me, “Hey, what’s wrong?
 Anna rang and said you were unwell and want to go home.”

“Oh Jake, I just have a headache, probably everything from this morning catching up on me.”

“Come on, I’m going to take you home.”  Jake helps me up.  I love it when Cade and Jake call it home to me.

“I think I’d better stay home with Rona,” Jake tells Anna.

“Jake, you don’t need to stay with me, I’m going to go to bed and I’ll probably be there all night.  You might as well come back and eat.”

Arriving back to the house Jake insists on accompanying me to my room.
  Once inside he starts fussing over me.  Pulling Sbsp’tthe bedspread down, so I can get into bed, going to the bathroom for a glass of water and setting it down on the table beside the bed.  “Do you need anything else?”

“No, that’s fine.
 I really will be okay after I’ve had a sleep, please don’t worry.”  Picking my pajamas up, I head towards the bathroom, stopping to hug Jake, “Thank you, now go eat with your sister and her family.”

“If you’re sure you’ll be okay, then I will.”
  Jake hesitates by the door.

I wake up a few hours later to my phone ringing.
  Knowing its Cade, I try to compose myself, “Hi Cade, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, but what about you, did I wake you, you sound sleepy?”

“I was asleep.  I had a headache earlier so Jake brought me home and after him fussing over me, I climbed into bed to sleep it off.  It’s gone now so don’t worry.”

Sighing down the phone, and probably running his fingers through his hair, which he does when he’s worried, “Are you sure you’re okay love?
  I wish I was there with you.”

“I’m fine, please don’t worry.
  I get stress headaches now and again.”  I snuggle into the duvet.

After a pause, “Why are you stressed?”

On a nervous sigh, I realize I need to tell Cade about this morning, “Nick paid me a visit this morning, at the house.  He had a friend follow us from the hotel yesterday.”

Cade is really quiet now on the phone, so I continue, wanting to get it all out.
 “He forced his way in and I guess he really frightened me. Luckily, I had my phone in my pocket.  I managed to speed dial Jake so he came to the rescue, and punched Nick in the face just as the Sheriff arrived.”

I wasn’t going to tell him over the phone what was said.

Cade is still quiet.  “Please say something!”

“I’m not sure what to say, I
’m so angry and upset right now.” Cade sounds all choked up.

I feel tears come to my eyes, “At me?”
 I ask softly, crying now.

“God, love, I could never be angry with you.
  Please don’t cry.  I’m angry that happened to you and that I wasn’t there to hold you, but never at you.  I love you and I’m really worried about you.  I wish I was there with you.”

Managing to control my tears, “I love you too, and I can’t wait to see you tomorrow, but please don’t worry about me.
  I’m just going to sleep until morning and then you’ll be home later.”

“Where’s Jake?”

“I insisted he went back to Anna’s for dinner, because I was going to sleep.  He may be back by now.”

“Rona, you shouldn’t be alone.”

“It’s okay.  Nick was arrested, he’s not around and Jake deserves a good meal at his sisters.”

“All right,” sighing heavily.
 “Hell, I want to be there with you, just to hold you all night and keep you safe.”

At this, tears well up again.
  Knowing I’m about to have a very big cry, “Oh Cade, I want that as well, but you’re in Denver.  Please don’t worry. I’ll be fine until tomorrow.  I really need to go back to sleep now.”

“Alright
love, I’ll see you tomorrow night
.”

“Love you, goodnight.”

Hanging up the phone, I can’t hold my tears back, I know Cade is upset.  I could hear it in his voice.  I hadn’t wanted to hang up, but I don’t want him to know how upset I am.

~~ Cade ~~

Arriving home at two in the morning, exhausted and worried about Rona, I only just remember to switch off the security system, before I wake the house up.

After Rona’s phone call, I knew I couldn’t stay in Denver, so as it happened I had enough time to get on the next flight home.  I left a voicemail for John, my boss at the law firm, grabbed my bag and left.

Going upstairs desperate to see Rona, I make a quick detour to my room and change into t-shirt and sweats before heading to her room.

She’s left the small lamp switched on by the desk. I can just make her out asleep in the bed.

The last thing I want to do is give her a fright.
  I walk over to the bed and crouch down, stroking the side of her face, “Rona, wake up for a minute.”

“Cade,” she says, very sleepily, with her eyes still shut, “Good dream.”

Smiling now, “Love, it’s not a dream.”  At this her eyes fly open.

“Oh, my god.”
  She sits up, then bursts into tears.

“Oh love, don’t cry.
  I’m here now.  You’re okay.”  I hold her while she cries.  After several minutes she calms down and dries her face with a tissue.

“I can’t believe you’re here.”

“It’s okay, lie back down.  I’m sleeping here and going to hold you all night. If that’s okay?” I ask climbing on the bed.  Once settled, “All I could think about was getting home to you.” I kiss her on the forehead.

Taking her into my arms, she turns to face me, wrapping her arm around my waist and our legs tangle.
 “Thank you, for making me feel loved and cherished.  I didn’t want to admit how much I wanted you here with me, holding me.”