“I take it you’ve overcome your fear of weddings.”
At the sound of Kofi’s voice, Caden pushed away from the balcony outside his bedroom window. The party continued downstairs with Kit and her friends. Aunt Em and Uncle Samuel sat at the center of the long table at the deck with a line of relatives waiting patiently to have a word with them. He guessed everyone wanted to pitch their ideas. Caden had seen enough when he watched his father try to dance with Kit.
“There you are,” Caden said at the sight of Kofi. “I thought we were going to watch the game.”
“I recorded it when I found out about the meeting being held today.” Kofi joined Caden on the balcony with one of the bottles. “I’m glad I didn’t miss it.”
Caden already knew what his best friend was going to say. “I have a plan.”
“Do you?” Kofi’s voice dripped with the same kind of sarcasm as Maggie’s. “Because it sounds more like you’re getting married.”
The usual chill that crept down Caden’s spine at that prospect wasn’t there, and that baffled him. Ignoring why, he furrowed his brows at his partner. “Why does everyone think that?”
Kofi shook his head. “Because that’s what people do shortly after announcing their engagement.”
The laugh that came from deep within his belly was so hard, he rested his hand on his abs. “You’re hilarious.”
“Caden,” Kofi said in his slow I-have-something-serious-to-say voice. “When you propose, a wedding follows. This is not a joke.”
“I take our business very serious, Kof,” explained Caden. What was the big deal? Why was Kofi not getting onboard? “And besides, you were the one who said we needed to get involved in the takeover.”
“Involved, not engaged,” Kofi gritted through his teeth. “How is this going to help A&O?”
Caden glanced down below where Maggie danced with Kofi’s sons. His heart swelled. Maybe he had had too much champagne earlier. “We can discuss this later. Right now,” he said, tearing his eyes away from the dance floor, “I’m going to take my fiancée home.”
As he passed by Kofi, he could hear a whispered, “God help us all.”
Instead of taking the elevator, Caden jogged down the steps. Barely winded, he caught up with Maggie after a song ended. With the suave dance steps learned in the ballroom lessons his mother had forced all the boys to take, Caden entered the makeshift dance floor and took over the spin Uncle Samuel twirled Maggie in.
“Well there’s my fiancée,” Caden said in her ear.
In jest, Maggie glanced around the area. “Is there someone else?”
“Nobody else but you, Maggie,” Caden whispered. She smelled like buttercream. He couldn’t wait to bring her to his home and maybe make some dessert. The pregnant pause between them lasted a few beats of the song played by the band. Her heart beat against his chest, and when he spun her under the moonlight, a lump formed in Caden’s throat. His brother’s laughter spoiled the mood when he started to dip his head lower. The moment had been perfect. Chase brought over a woman in a way too low-cut dress with a too-high hem. Caden knew his mother wouldn’t approve and was angered by his brother’s lack of respect.
“Want to get out of here?”
“I could go for a ride,” Maggie said.
Without a second thought, Caden led Maggie by the hand through the backyard to where he had his car parked.
“Your mother’s party is in full swing,” said Maggie. “Should we leave?”
Caden opened the passenger side door and then slid in his seat behind the wheel. Flashes from paparazzi cameras blinded him for a moment. Thankfully he was used to sneaking in and out of the property as a teenager. He knew this driveway blindfolded. Once out in the streets, Caden took Maggie through the lovely Garden District just to show off his beautiful city. Maggie leaned forward to turn on the radio. He liked the way she hummed to the tunes. If his memory served him correctly, Maggie made it to the top fifteen during her stint as a beauty queen with her talent portion devoted to a dance. He wondered if she would’ve won had she sung instead.
By the time Caden made it to his home, Maggie had dozed off. What a long day they’d had. Caden killed the ignition and turned to face her. Her long lashes fluttered against her cheeks when she realized they’d stopped.
“Where are we?”
“Don’t you want to come inside?”
Maggie offered a lovely sigh. Her eyes cut to his front porch. “The lights are off. No one is home.”
“Live a little,” Caden challenged her with a wink, letting her think they were at someone else’s house. He slipped out of the car and whi
pped around to her side. Hesitant, Maggie stiffly allowed him to escort her out of the car. Her strides along the cobblestone walkway were short and slow. Caden jogged ahead and picked up the fake rock that held his spare key.
“Caden.” Maggie stood at the bottom step. “I’m not sure what you’re thinking, but I can tell you now, I don’t have enough money in my bank account for bail.”