Complicated Desire

Chapter Eighteen

Kade walked into the house freely, a bottle of scotch and a red wine balanced in his grasp, as he noticed everyone had already arrived. As ludicrous as it was, he'd taken forever to get ready for tonight. It wasn't as if he was just meeting her family, and yet he was joining them tonight in an entirely different capacity. That, and he didn't want to wear something he'd be concerned with being stained by his blood.

As he looked around the house, however, he did notice the absence of both Bianca and his daughter.

"Kade," Michael called out, "I didn't know you'd be joining us tonight!"

Kade forced a casual smile on his face and handed the two bottles over to Bianca's father. "Last minute invite," he lied. It wasn't a complete lie, as no one outside of Kara and Bianca was aware he'd been a part of this gathering since it was organized. "We realized it's been far too long since we've all gotten together. Not since Brandon was born."

"Well, happy to have you here. And I agree, it's been too long." Michael set down the bottles and gave him a slap on the back. "My apologies if Jackie drinks too much and flirts with you again."

Kade scratched at his five o'clock shadow. "I don't predict that will happen this time."

Jackie would most certainly be drunk tonight. Just as he imagined Kara would be, Kade guessed he'd lost his appeal in Jackie's mind.

"You're just in time for dinner," Matt called out from the kitchen.

The man was all smiles, which only caused his stomach to churn. It'd taken Kade a bit to warm up to his son-in-law, but by the time they'd made it down the aisle, he trusted him completely, and had grown quite fond of him. Now the only hope Kade had was them eventually getting to the point they could be civil with one another.

"So, Kade, how's retirement treating you?" Michael asked. "I've got to admit, I'm a bit envious. Retirements a good fifteen years down the line for me. Of course, I didn't pick as lucrative as a career as you did."

Kade smiled as he sat across from the man at the dinner table. "You were able to eat breakfast with your kids every morning, and be home for dinner every night. That counts more than we give it credit for. The rest is just fancy window dressings, in my opinion."

"Fair point," Michael conceded. "I suppose I never thought much about the sacrifices you had to make for a more comfortable lifestyle. Grass is always greener, and all that. Heard you were finally able to meet my daughter this last weekend. Honestly, I can't believe it took so long."

Kade was aware of the reason it did take so long for Bianca to walk into his life. She'd suffered a miscarriage just after the engagement, and then went through a stillbirth just before the wedding. The woman had gone through hell and back, only to watch as her marriage fell apart around her.

The way Kade saw it, one man's loss became his gain. Whatever pain she'd felt in the past, he wanted to erase from her future.

"She's lovely," he spoke honestly, and in a quiet tone meant for just the two of them. "I enjoyed spending time with her, and getting to know her. I think Bianca will enjoy living here."

Michael nodded his head slowly. "So, you think that's why we're here tonight? Think she'll be accepting the offer to move here?"

A pang of guilt stabbed Kade's chest, but he wouldn't show it. Not until it was time. "She seemed happy last weekend. With the difficulties she's had to face over the last year or two, I think that means a great deal. Happiness is all anyone here wants for Bianca, and I think this place, and the people in her life, can bring her that."

Jackie let out a dry laugh from behind Michael and chugged her glass of wine dry.

"You don't agree, honey?" Michael asked his wife as he turned.

Jackie shrugged. "I think she's making a big decision too fast, but it's her life to lead."

"It is her life to lead," Kade repeated. "And again, she will be happy. And that's all we want as parents, isn't it?"

Michael laughed as he opened the bottle and poured them each a glass. "I'll drink to that. And I'm sorry about Jackie. She's been in a bit of a mood all week."

"It's absolutely fine," Kade reassured.

"I'm not so sure Bianca's going to be accepting Matt's offer, though."

The words cut into Kade just as the glass reached his lips. "What makes you think that?"

Michael gave him a shrug. "Seems my daughter's started seeing someone. She's been wandering off all week, and when she gets back, it's like she's walking on air. Even snuck him out of her bedroom window Monday morning. Not sure she'll be as interested in moving anymore. She's probably happier now than she was on her wedding day."

Kara and Bianca walked into the room, a slight flush appearing on her face when she saw him sitting across from her dad.

"Hey, dad just told us you were dating someone," Matt rang out when he noticed his sister.

Bianca tucked her pale brown hair behind her ears, seeming to avoid looking at him. "Uh, yeah."

"Why don't you sit down and tell us about him?" Michael offered.

Those doe eyes of hers grew, and darted around the room at each person, landing on him last before looking down at her feet. "I was sort of hoping to wait on that until after dinner."

"We've got a few minutes to kill before it's ready," Matt offered up.

Kade knew if they talked about it now, there would be no dinner. Appetites would be lost, plates possibly thrown, and food very much burnt by the time someone remembered it was still in the oven.

After giving Kara one last look, and noticing his daughter squeeze her hand in support, Bianca stepped further into the room. "We haven't been seeing each other that long, but I'm pretty crazy about him."

"Crazy," her mom repeated. "Good word for it."

Kade's eyes landed on Matt as he shook his head at his mom. "So that means you probably won't be moving here then."

"I would be," Bianca clarified. "Not here exactly, but in the city. I'd be getting my own place."

Matt dropped some utensil in the kitchen before making his way into the dining room. "That's stupid, Bianca. You'd have your own place here. There's no point in wasting money like that. Plus, I really don't care if you have male company over."

Bianca wrapped her arms around her body and moved away from Kara, and closer to Kade, keeping enough distance but allowing the small amount of extra nearness to provide her a feeling of protection. "I don't..." but her words faded off.

Kara coughed in the kitchen, giving him eye contact when she did so.

"Her male company would be me, Matt, which I imagine would change things for you. So we decided the best option would be for her to have a place of her own."

Kade turned his attention from one man to the next. While it hadn't yet sunk in with Matt, he couldn't say the same for Matt's father. He watched it happen by the second, and Kade could only hope to get the words out before Michael's rage kicked in. "You agreed that all we can want for our children is their happiness, and you admit that she's been happier than you've ever seen her.

"I know I'm not the man anyone would have chosen for her, and I know this may feel like the worst sort of betrayal, but walking away from what I feel for her wouldn't have been an option.

"I promise you, I do love her. I never thought it possible to fall in love with someone so quickly, but it happened, and I don't regret it. Any anger you have about this, I ask you to take out on me, not Bianca."

Still silence, and he'd never heard anything quite as deafening.