“I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.” My hands dropped to my sides, my shoulders slumping. There was only so much I could deny, but there was no way I’d tell him what I’d done last night. It was between Aria and me and had absolutely nothing to do with him. He had no right coming into my house and confronting me about something he knew nothing about.
He pointed at me. “Yeah, you do.” He moved closer to me and blew out a breath. “Jesus, Cade. If I noticed and I’ve only been around you both once, do you think no one else has?”
My breath stalled in my chest at his words. We’d done our best to keep it a secret, and we were sure that was what we’d done, but…what if we hadn’t? What if people had noticed? What if we were so inside our own bubble we didn’t notice the eyes around us, watching and waiting.
Fuck.
“I could see it from a mile away,” Ford continued and threw his hands up in the air. “What the hell are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking…I’m thinking…fuck.”
“I’ve seen that look before.” He let his head drop back and groaned. “That was the exact same look your dad had when it came to Lola. What the hell is it with you Easton men?”
“Don’t compare me to him,” I ground out and stepped forward, now only a few feet away from him. He raised a brow at me but didn’t say anything else. “The difference between my dad and me is I haven’t destroyed a fuckin’ family. I didn’t cheat on my goddamn wife with someone young enough to be my g
oddamn daughter!”
“No,” Ford said, his voice so calm it was making me more irate. “The difference between you and your dad is he didn’t break the law.”
I screwed up my features, having no idea what the hell he was saying. “What?”
“Lola was nineteen. Your little girlfriend—who I’m guessing is upstairs right now—is seventeen.”
“And?” I threw my hands up in the air, getting sick and tired of the way he was talking. He didn’t understand. No one would understand the way I felt about Aria. Hell, I didn’t fully understand it. She had me all out of sorts, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
“She’s underage, Cade.”
“No.” I gripped on to the counter. “State consent is seventeen.”
“Yeah.” Ford nodded and moved closer to me. “As long as there isn’t more than a four-year age gap.” He paused, his eyes drilling into mine. “There’s eight years between you.”
“What…” I blinked several times as the room started to tilt. My hands shook, and my knees started to give way at his words. That couldn’t be right, it couldn’t be…
“Statutory rape, Cade.” His hand gripped my shoulder, and I didn’t think he was aware he was keeping me upright. “Please tell me you didn’t sleep with her.”
“I…”
“Cade?” Aria’s voice called from upstairs.
“Shit.” Ford let go and paced back and forth. “You gotta break it off with her.” Aria’s footsteps echoed through the house as she came down the stairs. “I’m serious.” His brows pulled down into a frown. “And you better hope she doesn’t tell anyone. Shit, Cade.” His voice lowered. “This isn’t fuckin’ good. Not at all.”
“Oh,” Aria’s soft voice said, and goose bumps spread over my skin. I couldn’t deny the effect she had on me. Part of me wanted to tell Ford to fuck off, but he was only speaking the truth. I’d crossed a line I couldn’t come back from, no matter how much I tried. A line that wasn’t just socially wrong, but legally too. “Sorry, I didn’t realize…”
“No sweat,” Ford said to her and slapped his palm on my back, his warning loud and clear. He didn’t need to repeat himself because his words were still echoing around me over and over again. “I was just heading out.” His boots drummed over the tiled floor, the beat an ominous warning of what could happen if I continued what we’d done last night. “I’ll see you in a bit, yeah?” Ford said.
“Yeah,” I croaked out, too afraid to turn around and see the both of them. Everything I’d worked toward for years was flashing and dissipating in front of my eyes. Statutory rape meant jail. It meant I’d be on the sex offender registry, which would ruin everything. I’d never be able to coach. I’d never be able to teach. It would all have been for nothing. I’d lose everything, and all because I’d given in to temptation and not resisted it.
The door slammed closed as Ford left, and the sound had me pushing away from the counter and spinning to look at Aria. Her soft features drew me in, but as soon as she saw my face, she frowned. “Cade? What’s wrong?”
“I…” I couldn’t get any words out. How the hell was I meant to explain it to her? There was no way I could tell her after last night it was over, not when she was standing there in one of my T-shirts looking like a fuckin’ angel. “I need to head over to Dad’s. Get dressed, and I’ll take you home.”
I didn’t wait for her as I darted out of the kitchen and up the stairs. I grabbed some jeans and a T-shirt then headed into my bathroom. I could hear her milling about in my bedroom as I brushed my teeth and jumped in the shower.
I was being an asshole to her, but it was the only way to end it. I couldn’t give her any false hope, but more importantly, I couldn’t give myself any. If I left anything on the table, there was no way I’d be able to mark that line between us again. I was scribbling it in permanent marker to make sure it could never be erased.
By the time I was showered and dressed, Aria was sitting on the edge of the bed, her head down as she stared at the carpet. Her head snapped up at the click of the door opening, and she stood. “Cade, what’s going on?”
“Not here,” I told her, grabbing my wallet and keys off my dresser. I didn’t say anything else to her as I walked down the stairs and right out the front door. I waited for her on the other side of the door, refusing to meet her gaze. I couldn’t look at her eyes, not when I knew they’d pull me in and not let me go again.