Rae of Sunshine (Light in the Dark 1)

“Really?” His eyes widened.

“Yes, sir,” Cade responded.

“Let’s go talk in the family room,” my dad clapped Cade on the shoulder, leading him out of the room. Cade looked over his shoulder, pleading with me to save him. I laughed, shaking my head. My dad was harmless.

“Can I help?” I asked, stepping up to stand beside my mom.

“You can frost those cupcakes for me.” She pointed to a plate of cooled chocolate cupcakes. “Frosting is over there,” she pointed again.

I took off my jacket, tied an apron around my waist, and went to work.

We were both quiet, focused on the task at hand.

Eventually, she asked, “So…Cade?”

“What about him?” I asked.

“How do you feel about him?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Honestly?” I smiled, tucking hair behind my ear. “I love him.”

She didn’t say anything for a moment, just stared at me, as if weighing her next words carefully. “I saw it, but I wondered if you were aware of how you felt about him.”

“Very aware.” I ducked my head, feeling a bit embarrassed. “I never thought I’d love anyone else after Brett, but then I met Cade and everything changed. He scared me but exhilarated me all at the same time. I told him the truth and…” I searched for the right words. “It didn’t matter to him. He still saw me as…well, me.”

“I like him,” she smiled. “I can see that he’s good for you, and that makes me happier than you’ll ever know. I love you, Rachael, and I’ve only ever wanted the best for you. I worried after the accident that we’d lost you.” She reached out, touching my cheek in a gesture that made me feel like a little girl again. “In a way, we had, but seeing you today…laughing, smiling, looking at him with so much love…it’s wonderful. I’m glad you’ve been able to move on.”

I reached out and hugged her, probably getting frosting on her shirt but she didn’t seem to care.

“Cade has helped me so much, just by being him. Kathleen, my therapist, has helped too. She’s the real reason I was able to come home, and because of her I’m going to say goodbye.” I didn’t need to elaborate further. My mom knew exactly what I meant when I said I needed to say goodbye.

She took a steady breath, and her eyes filled with tears. “You’re a strong girl, much stronger than you believe.” She reached up and tapped her forehead. “Mental strength is harder to come by than physical. You have it, and don’t ever forget it.” Touching her fingers to her heart, she added, “You feel deeply and care immensely, that makes you a beautiful person inside and out. I would’ve been more worried about you after the accident if you acted like you didn’t care. Sometimes we all have to suffer through terrible things to find the light in the dark.”

I couldn’t help looking over my shoulder, almost as if I felt him, and found Cade standing in the doorway.

Staring at him, I whispered, “I finally found my light.”

***

I wasn’t surprised when my mom put us in separate rooms that night. I was even less surprised when Cade snuck into my room a little after midnight.

“My dad might like you, but I’m pretty sure he’d still kill you if he found you in my room.” I warned Cade as he slipped into bed beside me. The bed was a queen size, but even then it felt too small for Cade’s large body.

Wrapping his arms around me he pulled me onto his chest. He ran his fingers through my still damp and tangled hair from my shower earlier. “We’ll just have to make sure he doesn’t find out.” He chuckled, cupping the nape of my neck and leaning up to kiss me. “Thank you,” he whispered against my lips.

I blinked my eyes open, and gave him a quizzical look

. “For what?”

“For trusting me, for loving me, for giving me you.” He rolled us over again so he was now above me. “I never knew what I was missing until you,” he murmured, nuzzling my neck. “You make me see the world in a whole different way.”

Warmth soared through my body. It felt good to hear him say that. I never wanted to be a weight tied around his ankles. I wanted to lift him up the way he did me.

He ran his thumb over my bottom lip, his eyes darkening with lust. “Thank you for showing me that my demons don’t define me.”

“Cade,” I reached up, putting my hand on his arm, “I didn’t show you anything.”

He shook his head. “You did. Before you, my life was so dull. I played the part but I didn’t live it. Now, I do. Everyone else saw what they wanted to see when they looked at me, but you? You always saw me.”