Lei'd With Cupcakes (Cupcakes 3)

“Me and Alani,” Lena replied happily. “She’s a super good drawer.”

“And yellow?” I asked, looking at the piece that was still at the beginning of the board.

“Me and Ma,” Cade answered, turning his head to look up at me. “We suck.”

“Swear jar,” Elin said with a laugh. “They really do, Mom. Like, bad. Even Pops and I can draw better than Cade.”

We all laughed, but Cade didn’t get mad, annoyed, or pissed, like a lot of macho men would do when losing a board game he probably had no interest in playing. Instead, he looked around the table filled with people he loved, and looked utterly content.

I felt my throat burn at the thought, then the burn hit my eyes when he asked, “You talk to your girls?”

“Yeah, they’re good,” I replied, then, because I had to, I leaned down and kissed him softly on the lips. “Thanks.”

I don’t know if I was thanking him for understanding my need to connect with my friends, for his natural ease with my kids, or his obvious love for his family, but I could tell when his lips turned up, and his eyes crinkled, that he got what I was saying.

I was so excited; I was practically bouncing in my seat.

Sure, we were meeting up with some of Cade’s buddies to talk about Yusuf, the stuff I’d heard, and the logs we’d found about the docks. But, still, it was a night out. Just the two of us. And as much fun as I was having getting to know Cade’s family, and sharing Hawaii with the kids, once he said we were hitting a bar that night, I realized just how much I missed me and Cade time.

Time to be an adult. To kick back, have a couple drinks, and enjoy being on the arm of my man.

Elin and Elena were happy to get one-on-one time with Cade’s parents, who they’d definitely already adopted as their grandparents, so I didn’t feel guilty about bailing on them. And, Alani had some stuff to do at school for graduation, then she was hanging at a friend’s house.

I couldn’t help but worry that something would happen with Hannah, or Yusuf, but Cade had a heart to heart with her, told her we were looking into it, and asked her to stay away from the guy until we found out more about him.

She’d agreed.

I just hoped she was different than every other teenaged girl out there who was about to graduate and thought they knew everything and didn’t actually listen.

Cade seemed to think she was, and trusted her. And I trusted him, so, I was determined to enjoy the night and not worry too much.

“So, who will we be meeting tonight?” I asked, scooting as close to him as my seatbelt would allow and placing my hand on his thigh.

He looked hella good tonight.

Gone was his Hawaiian uniform of board shorts, tank tops, and slippers. Instead, I had mainland Cade with me.

Hair pulled back in a bun, beard just a touch wild. With dark jeans and a black vest over a cream-colored Henley … God. The only thing hotter than that vest, were those damn motorcycle boots.

As soon as I’d walked out of the bathroom with my hair sexily tousled, smoky eyes, and jeans tight enough to cause a car accident, and saw Cade lookin’ the way he did, my body’d revved up and I’d been ready to go.

“Ripper, Jun, and Chris,” Cade answered, placing his hand over mine, leaving one hand on the wheel.

“Tell me,” I prompted.

“Ripper and me played football together. He stayed here and went to school, then got married and had a couple kids. He’s working at the Toyota dealership now. Jun and I’ve known each other since we were little, but he always leaned to the bad. Boosting cars when I was playing ball. He did a few years in jail, then sorted his shit out and found a good woman.”

When he said good woman, his hand tightened over mine, causing my heart to squeeze.

“Chris was always like a brother to me. He lived two doors down from us, his parents still do, and we lived at each other’s places. Our parents always knew they’d find us at one house or the other, and we’d be together. He started working in high school, and kept on working. Now he owns the bar we’re going to.”

“Is Chris married too?”

“Divorced, but happy. He’s got two good kids, loves his bar, and gets along better with his ex now than they did when they were together.”

“When was the last time you saw them?”

“We get together every time I’m home.”