More than friends

Chapter 24

BRIE

"They eloped?" I said, looking up at Kade after reading the note from Larissa twice and still trying to wrap my head around the words she placed on the paper.

Kade nodded while the corners of his lips curled up into a smile. "Yeah," he said, leaning back on the counter, his eyes on me. "I told them before to do it."

My eyes widened at his words. He had told them to elope. Why?

"Before you overthink too much," he said, which made me frown at him. He let out a laugh and continued. "Before you came back, your..." he said, but stopped himself by saying the words. I knew why, but after a short time, he cleared his throat and sighed. "The woman who caused all this. She was on Larissa and Dominic's back about everything."

That sounded like her.

My mind raced over the words, but the one thing I caught myself doing was, what the hell do I come over here now? She told me she wasn't my mum, that's what she said. They are the words that echoed in my head since I got back.

I shook my thoughts away and looked back at Kade, his face softening. He knew I didn't need proper answers. He moved away from the kitchen counter and stepped closer, placing his arm around my shoulders.

If there was a better place to be right now, that was in his arms. I wanted his touch more. I felt alone.

"It's okay," he said, squeezing my shoulder. "We will figure it all out when you are ready. As for what I was saying, the woman took over the wedding planning, which, as you know, Larissa wouldn't like. They argued repeatedly over the same thing. Many nights, your sister would come to my parent's house and tell us what was happening. When no one was around, except for Larissa and Dominic, I told them to elope. There would be no hassle, and they could celebrate when they return."

I looked at him while he smiled. He let his arm leave my shoulder, which made me miss his touch.

Kade took a step back and leaned on the counter. His eyes met mine while he spoke again. "Have some food," he said, looking at the soup. "And we can just rest. We can decide what happens next when you are up to it, even if it takes a few days for you to come up with something."

I said nothing, knowing he meant well.

Kade knows me too well and knows more than anyone that I need time to process it all.

My mind wanted to go there, but I couldn't let it. There were too many questions, and Kade was right about having some days to rest, but there was no doubt I would be thinking about the entire ordeal.

"Brie," Kade said, touching my arm to bring me back from my thoughts. "I know it's hard, but try not to think about it."

I pulled a face and leaned back slightly, but I let my face soften. Kade was trying.

Giving him a small smile, I looked over at the soup and then back at him. "Can I have some?"

Kade grinned and moved away. I watched his every move. He went over to the saucepan and spooned out some soup. There was a small amount, which I was grateful for since I didn't think my stomach couldn't take much.

Kade brought the soup over and placed it in front of me. I ate it but had to blow on it to help cool it down.

The soup was outstanding, and Kade had outdone himself. It was like something from a restaurant. "You should open your own food place?" I murmured, looking at him.

Kade grinned. "That good, huh?"

I smiled and gave him a nod.

"Yeah," I said. "You should really think about going into cooking or even owning a place."

Kade said nothing, but his eyes stayed on me for a moment. "I know talking is the least of what you want to do," he said, which made me tense somehow. "But I bought some things we could do to help take your mind off things. We can both have more soup later on when we get hungry."

I stared at him, liking this side of Kade that I had missed so much over the years.

"What did you get?" I asked, looking around the kitchen while Kade laughed and moved away to grab a bag from the side.

Kade came back over to me and handed me the bag. I looked inside and couldn't help but smile at what he had given me. He had everything we used to do when we were younger, right down to the chocolate and movie. "We could start with the movie," he said. "I also have a small collection over in the corner. Then, when you are ready, we can—"

"We can play Cluedo?" I asked, giving him a sly smirk.

Kade chuckled.

"I still remember that you owe me a game," I blurted, making him look at me with a mischievous grin. "You cheated the last time."

"I was ten!" he exclaimed with a smile. "You always beat me, and I wanted to—"

"So you admit to cheating," I said with a slight laugh.

Kade shook his head while smiling. I missed this so much, my best friend being by my side like all those years ago.

"How about a rematch?" he asked, looking at me.

I nodded.

"Sure," I said. "Best out of three."

Kade chuckled and moved toward me. He took the game from the bag and set it up before me. While he did that, I moved from my chair and grabbed my bowl. Placing it in the sink, I walked around and returned to my seat. I could feel Kade's eyes on me the entire I moved. It was like he wanted to know where I was.

I sat back down and grinned.

"Are you ready to get your ass handed to you?" I asked while Kade chuckled and moved the chair closer to me.

"You bet," he said, sitting next to me.

My eyes stayed on him for a moment, knowing this was all I wanted right now—letting my mind settle and not think. Sometimes it wouldn't be like that, but I had Kade with me—someone who knew me all too well, it seemed.