Page 12 of Pretend it’s Forever

“How are the girls?” I asked, wondering where the hell those words came from.

Flynn looked at me like I had lost my mind, and maybe I had.

But Sophia’s eyes warmed. “They’re good. I still can’t believe they let you hold them. Without screaming.”

As soon as she said the words, I realized she’d had flashbacks, and I cursed under my breath. “I probably bribed them with candy. I don’t remember. Good to see you, Flynn. Sophia.” Again, her name came softly under my breath, and I shook my head before moving past them, grateful that I had let her go. Flynn could take care of his sister, as could the multitudes of Cages that were out there. I would get to my family and forget Sophia Cage.

Even if she haunted my dreams like no other.

I turned the corner and walked up to The Teal Door. Ironically, another Cage owned it. Theo Cage wasn’t working that day, since I had been texting him earlier, but I knew Luke Hodges, his best friend and co-owner would be in the kitchen. I would go and see him later, but first, I was meeting the person I loved the most in the world.

Cora stood up, her dark hair pulled back from her face, her smile wide. Her eyes were puffy though, and her lips wobbled after a moment, and I knew today was going to be a hard fucking day.

I pulled my sister into my arms and kissed the top of her head. She wrapped herself around me and sighed deeply. She didn’t shudder, she didn’t cry, no, the Woods family did not cry in public. But we stood there for a moment, ignoring the host and waiter hovering nearby. This was a fancy restaurant, with white tablecloths and mood lighting, and you needed a reservation to come for even lunch, however, they knew me here, and I was going to hold my sister until she needed me to let go.

She finally did and patted my cheek.

“You need to shave,” she said with a smile, before I pulled her seat back and gestured for her to sit. She did so, and I took the other seat, taking the menu from the grateful host.

“I already ordered some sparkling water. Did you want iced tea or anything?” Cora asked.

“Water will be fine.” Though I had a feeling I could use a drink a little bit harder after this conversation.

The waiter came by, again, with all the specials, and we ordered our lunch. Of course, anything at The Teal Door would be fantastic. The Cages knew what they were doing. Hence why I worked with them and was becoming friends with them.

“Thank you for meeting me for lunch, I know you have so many things to do during the day.”

I reached forward and gripped her hand. “You’re my number one priority. Always.”

There was a ten-year age gap between us, and she had always been my baby sister. I had taken her from the nanny more than once to hold her, to show her around the house and backyard. Then our parents would pluck her from my arms, and I would deal with the consequences for not listening to the nanny.

But Cora was my light. The reason that I didn’t fall into the abyss. One of the few reasons why our father still breathed.

“Why did you want to meet? And why have you been crying?”

“Mom and Dad sent back their RSVP for the wedding.” A heavy pause that would never lead to anything good. “They’re not coming.”

A lead weight settled in my stomach, though the news wasn’t a surprise. Hell, it wasn’t a surprise to Cora either. She should have known our parents wouldn’t be coming to the wedding.

After all, Cora and I had never once done anything that made our parents proud. So why would they display praise by showing up to some of the most important parts of our lives?

“Fuck them,” I said and held back a wince when the waiter came by. I might be uncouth sometimes, but I did know my manners.

“I apologize,” I said.

“I happened to hear part of the conversation ahead of time, so don’t bother apologizing. I agree.” The waiter winked at Cora, before dropping off our food, explaining a few things, and giving us privacy.

My sister gave me a watery smile, and I just shook my head.

“See? Even strangers are on our side.”

“There shouldn’t be sides. They should come to my wedding. It’s because I’m not marrying the person that they want me to marry.”

“They decided exactly who we would marry when we were toddlers. And neither one of us is doing that.”

I had said no because I wanted nothing to do with that family or lifestyle, and Cora would have never married the man that they had chosen for her. Not in a million years.

“What does Juliet have to say about it?” I asked, speaking of Cora’s fiancée.