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If Cade didn’t have to try to score with chicks, Adrian put in no effort whatsoever. All he had to do was flash that incredible smile of his and panties literally dropped at his feet.
Through the years, Adrian and Cade’s relationship hit highs and lows. Sometimes they were on good terms, other times they were at each other’s throat. But in the end, they were always there for one another. Especially when we were younger and Cade would get bullied. Adrian was the king of getting into fights. At one point, it seemed like it was all he did.
Ignoring my question, Cade exclaimed, “Hayley knows how important you are to me, Paige. She wouldn’t care if you slept in my bed.”
I opened my mouth to reply how ridiculous that was, but a deep, familiar voice rasped, “What if she wants to sleep in my bed?”
Our gazes darted toward Adrian. He was leaning against the doorframe of Cade’s new bedroom, looking every bit the playboy he was.
I’d known the Drake brothers since I was seven years old. After my parents got a divorce, we moved from Kentucky into the house next door to them in Tampa, Florida. My mom was hired as the new emergency room doctor in the Bay area—working fifty, sometimes sixty hours a week. I was alone a lot. Mostly after I was old enough to stay home by myself. Her career had always come first, but I was a close second. It was the reason for their divorce to begin with.
My father wasn’t in my life. Not for lack of trying on my part. He didn’t care to have me in his world. I couldn’t remember the last time I saw him. He was a workaholic like my mother. His business was the only thing that mattered to him. He stopped paying child support after the first year of their divorce. My mom didn’t care. We didn’t need his money. She made more than enough for the comfortable life we lived.
Sometimes I thought about him. Although, I tried really hard not to. It hurt too much.
I remembered the day as if it were yesterday. I met Adrian before I met Cade. His bedroom window was parallel to mine and two days after we moved in, I was sitting in the nook by my window, drawing in my sketchbook. I loved to draw, still did.
Then all of a sudden, I heard a door slam and looked up.
“Adrian Michael Drake!” The door to his bedroom flew open. “How many times have I told you that you can’t slam the door to your bedroom?”
“But, Mom—”
“Don’t you, ‘But, Mom,’ me, young man. You got in trouble at school again for fighting.”
“It’s not fighting when he doesn’t hit you back.”
“How could he? You tackled him to the ground.”
“He deserved it.”
“Adrian…”
“What was I supposed to do? He was bullying Cade.”
She took a deep breath, looking at him the same way my mom did when she was disappointed in me.
“I appreciate you defending your little brother, but you need to learn to use your words.”
“I did.” He nodded. “I warned him last week that if he stole Cade’s lunch again, I was going to beat him into the ground. You’re always saying I don’t follow through on my promises, so I was just doing what you wanted.”
She pointed at him. “Don’t you dare twist my words. That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
“Can you just ground me and get it over with?”
She shook her head, backing away. “Just wait till your father gets home.”
“Mom—”
She didn’t let him finish. She turned around and left, closing the door behind her.
I didn’t realize I was staring at him until he caught me, which made me slightly gasp.
Neither one of us said a word for what felt like forever until he finally asked in an annoyed voice, “What are you looking at?”
My eyes widened. “I…I…I…”
“You…you…you…what?”
