When Stars Collide (Light in the Dark 2)

I toss my head back and laugh. “I think I’ll survive.”

He grins at me and reaches for my hand. He grows quiet again and I think the conversation is done, but then he surprises me yet again. He stops in the middle of the sidewalk and I’m forced to stop too. Prue looks up at us quizzically, wondering why we’ve stopped, but she promptly shakes her head and starts smelling the ground.

“I wasn’t lying,” Xander begins, swallowing thickly, “when I told Cade that I love you—but I’m really sorry that’s how you heard it. I should’ve told you first.” He lets go of my hand and glides the backs of his fingers over my cheek before tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “I love you,” he says again, more firmly this time. “I always have, and I always will.”

My heart pitter-patters in my chest. When your dream guy says he loves you it feels pretty damn good. “I love you too,” I whisper and my chin quivers. It’s stupid to cry over this, but the love I feel for him honestly scares me. It’s intense and all-consuming. The kind of love that has the power to destroy you if things go wrong.

He grasps my chin. “Why are you crying?

”

I breathe out. “Because I’m scared.”

“Don’t be.” He presses his lips to mine softly. It’s just a simple meeting of lips but it feels like so much more. It feels like the final seal on a deal we didn’t have the right to make.

He steps back and calls to Prue who has run as far as her leash will let her.

We start walking again and then circle back to the house.

Rae and Cade’s cars are both back in the driveway and I stop. Fear holds me prisoner but it’s stupid to be afraid of my own big brother. He’s always been my protector. He won’t hurt me.

I turn to Xander. “Would you mind walking Prue some more? I want to talk to Cade.”

He nods. “Sure thing. I need to run to the store so I’ll do that instead.”

“Thanks.” I smile and stand on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek before dashing in the house.

The house is eerily quiet when I step inside and search around, looking for the two of them. I come across Rae first, sitting in their bedroom fiddling with her camera.

I knock on the open door and she looks up. “Where’s Cade?”

“He’s out back.”

“How was he when you found him?”

She frowns. “In one word?” I nod. “Sad.”

My heart breaks and I duck my head, nodding. “I’m going to go talk to him.”

I quickly turn away and head downstairs. I open the back door and step out onto the small deck. It boasts a grill and a small table with two chairs. Cade sits in one, a beer bottle dangling loosely from his fingers and he sits, watching the sunset over the trees.

He hears the door open and his shoulders flex, but he doesn’t turn to look.

I tiptoe across the small space and pull out the chair across from him. He lifts his eyes to mine and I wave awkwardly. “Hi.” I bite my lip. I have no idea what to say.

“Hey,” he says gruffly, looking away.

My fingers wring together. This is my chance to speak to him. To pour my heart out and get him to understand. “I’m sorry,” I say after a long moment. “I’m sorry for not telling you about Xander and me, but I’m not going to apologize for how I feel about him.” His head flicks up at this. “I think you’ve known for a long time that we’ve had feelings for each other and it’s why you warned him from me, but that wasn’t your place.” He opens his mouth to speak. “I know you’re my brother and you’re only trying to protect me, but Cade,” my voice cracks on his name, “you were only hurting us.” He looks away and shame flickers across his face. “Xander’s a good guy. A great guy, actually. Why wouldn’t you want us to be together?”

He sighs. “Xander’s like family. I guess I always thought if you guys dated and broke up, I’d be forced to pick sides, and I don’t want to do that.”

I give him a reassuring smile. “I get that, but now we’re both adults who can make our own decisions. If it doesn’t work out, those are our consequences to deal with, not yours.”

Cade sips his beer and sets the bottle down on the table. “Yeah, I see that now.” He sighs heavily and then chuckles, but there’s no humor in the tone. “I’m still fucking pissed, though.” I open my mouth to protest and he holds up a hand for me to wait. “At myself and Xander. At myself, because I made you guys feel like you couldn’t tell me, and at Xander because he’s my best fucking friend and he didn’t tell me first. Tiptoeing behind my back in my house …” He pauses and shakes his head. “That’s fucking low.”

I flinch. “I’m the one that made him keep it a secret.”

He shakes his head again. “Regardless, he should’ve told me. But again, I realize that’s my fault.” He sighs and scrubs his hands over his face. “It all comes back to me, but I just need time, Thea. I need time to wrap my head around this. Okay?” His blue eyes meet mine, pleading for me to understand.