Complicated Desire

Chapter Twenty-one

The last time she'd been in the guest house, Bianca had been questioning if there was a chance in hell of moving in there anymore. She loved it the first time she'd stepped foot in it, but after spending that night with Kade, it all seemed unobtainable.

She watched out the front door as Matt walked past Kade, who was on the phone with Kara by the pool. No scowl or glare trailed across his face as they crossed paths, and Bianca was still wondering how that was possible. He was the last person she expected to accept this relationship. She supposed it was their father's actions that allowed him to take pity on her.

Bianca opened the door as he approached, then went and sat in the same chair she'd found Kade in less than a week prior. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" She asked her brother when he entered the house, closing the door behind him.

Matt's footsteps paused only for a moment before he came over to sit. "Okay with you living here, or okay with you and him?"

"Okay with me living here while I'm dating him?" Bianca clarified.

"If I thought this was a fling for him, absolutely not," Matt admitted. "You might only be a few minutes younger than me, but in my head, you'll always be my baby sister, and you and I have always been close. Me standing by, knowing some guy doesn't have the best intentions for you, isn't an option for me."

Matt yawned, all of them exhausted from the lack of sleep the weekend brought them, and stretched his body out. "I really dislike Kade right now, but I know who he is, and who he isn't. The guy swore off relationships a long time ago and seemed pretty okay with living out the rest of his life alone. I've stopped by his house unannounced countless times, and there's never been a woman there. Hell, you're probably the first woman he's had in that house that wasn't related to him.

"Kade built a fortress around himself after his divorce, so the fact that he says the word 'love' means something. I don't like it being directed at you, but there's nothing I can do about it. Kade only breaks a woman's heart by turning down her advances. He stayed in a marriage twenty years too long because of his daughter, and because he'd made vows. He only broke those vows after years upon years of her breaking her own. Pretty sure he hasn't slept with a single woman since she moved out.

"You walked into his life, and all bets were off. That's all I could think about after dad left, while I was staring up at the ceiling all night. That's why I seemed okay the next morning. I was picking through everything, wondering how in the hell I let this happen, and I realized none of it was in my control, and Kade saying he loved you was something I couldn't just brush off, since he vowed to never love again.

"I know what kind of guy Kade is, and as angry as I am with him right now, I know he'll take damn good care of you. So answering your question, yes, I'm okay with you living here while you're dating him, because I know this isn't just dating for either one of you. Am I okay with him? Not really, but I know I will be. Kade's right. Once I'm ready to see this relationship, I know I won't be able to stay mad at him. But he does have to be in the doghouse with me for a while. It's only fair."

Bianca swept her fingertips below her eyes to rid herself of the tears that had been appearing randomly the last few days. Still, a laugh came out of her at her brother's words as Kade walked through the door.

"They just finished packing up my truck, so they'll be back in about an hour. Offers still on the table if you wanted to move in with me," Kade reminded her. "Kara and I are okay, and you and Matt are okay, which was the reason we were going to live separately."

Bianca stood from the chair and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his stomach. "I want to do this thing right with you, Kade. I want you to court me the old-fashioned way. Pick me up for dates, make out with me in the car when you drop me off." She heard her brother groan from the table, but continued on. "I don't doubt I'll be living with you soon enough, but right now I just want to enjoy this part."

Kade's smile lit up all the darkness that had come before this day. "Just as well. I've got my eyes on a few fixer-upper houses anyhow. I'll take you around to look at them once you're all moved in here. When you do decide you're ready for the next step, it will be in our house that you've helped design and decorate."

She stepped out of the embrace to look Kade straight in the eyes. He wasn't joking. "The house you have now is fine, Kade."

"Exactly," he interrupted. "It's the house I have. I bought it for me and only me. Small closets, small kitchen, since I didn't realize I'd be picking up cooking. I picked the smallest house in the area because I intended to live my life alone. Now that it's no longer my intention, I want to find a place that's belongs to us; somewhere out of the city so Brandon can run around freely, but close enough where we can all see each other whenever we want. Where I live is a house. What I want is a home, and I want that with you. And if you fight me on that, you will lose."

Matt was right. Kade had placed a fortress around his small house so he could live out the remainder of his life alone. Now he was talking about a home, and a forever after with her.

"I have no intention of fighting over starting a life with you, Kade. If this is what you want, it's what I want."

Kade's hand came up to her cheek. "Our life together will start soon, mi cielo. Until then, we'll enjoy all the little things."

"What the hell does 'mi cielo' mean?" Matt asked.

Kade turned Bianca around in arms, draping his hands across her stomach. "It's what I call your sister. It means 'my heaven', because that's what she is for me. Mi cielo y mi salvacion. She's my everything, Matt, and I plan on taking care of her for the rest of my life, and beyond."