Lost in Time (Forever and Always #20) (15 page)

The gesture was lost on me and Monnique.

Ryan waved me away. “Just wrap this up.”

I turned back to Monnique. “Sorry about
that.”

She laughed. “It’s okay.”

“Anyway…I know we went through hard times,
but those obstacles only made me fall in love with you all over
again. You’re the only woman I would work that hard for, be so
patient for, and take heartbreak after heartbreak. There’s not a
doubt in my mind that you’re the only woman for me—forever. And
I’ll always work through the hard times—because you’re worth
it.”

Her eyes welled up at my words.
“Cortland…”

The official gave us a moment before we
spoke. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the
bride.”

I leaned in to kiss her, feeling the flash
from the cameras and the sound of clapping. Ryan whistled loudly
and Scarlet shrieked with happiness.

The first kiss with my wife was exactly how I
predicted; warm, soft, and full of undeniable love. I cupped her
face and felt her lips caress mine, never wanting the embrace to
end.

“Let’s save some for Greece,” Ryan said
sarcastically.

I pulled away then rubbed my nose against
hers. “Thanks for marrying me.”

She smiled. “You sound like I did something
simple, like handed you the potatoes across the table.”

“It’s definitely not simple. Any other guy
would jump at the opportunity to marry you. But you chose me.”

“You are special, Cortland. Very.”

I held her to my chest and heard my mom cry.
My dad comforted her and tried to keep her quiet, but she was
wailing loudly. Everyone I loved was in that room, sharing that
moment with me. Joy and happiness radiated through me. We may be in
a courthouse, something ordinary and plain, but everyone in the
room made it magical and unforgettable.

Chapter 9

Flynn

When I woke up the next morning—I mean
afternoon—I had a headache. The party after the wedding was a lot
of fun, but partying hard two nights in a row was taking its toll.
Hazel and I didn’t even have sex last night because I was too
exhausted.

I was surprised to see that Hazel was still
asleep. She was usually up at the crack of dawn no matter how late
she was up the night before. Looks like the tables have turned.
Quietly, I got out of bed then walked out, shirtless and only
wearing my sweatpants.

“Have a good time last night?” Cade asked
while he flipped pancakes in the pan.

He’d been quiet lately. I’m surprised he was
talking to me. I was even more surprised he wasn’t being an ass.
“Yeah. It was a blast.”

“Cool.” He slid the breakfast onto a plate
and handed it to me. “Hungry?”

I took it hesitantly. “What did you do to
it?”

He laughed. “Nothing, man.”

I eyed it suspiciously before I took it to
the table and sat down.

Cade sat across from me and ate quietly. “How
was your trip?”

I barely got home in time for the bachelor
party, and Hazel and I hadn’t spent much time together since then.
But when I walked through the door, she clung to me like I just
came back from a tour for three months. “It was good. I got a lot
done.”

He nodded. “Cool. That girl give you any
problems?”

“No. She knows I’ll quit the moment she pulls
anything.”

“Makes sense.”

Hazel hadn’t complained about Cade while I
was gone, so I assumed it went well between them. “You didn’t give
my girl a hard time?”

“No.” He stabbed his eggs with his fork.

“What did you do while I was gone?”
Other
than sit on the couch all day.

“Hazel and I went to the movies and out to
dinner. Just stuff like that.”

What? She didn’t tell me any of that.
“My girlfriend, Hazel?”

“How many other Hazels do you know?” he said
sarcastically.

“But, she didn’t mention that to me.”

“I asked her not to.”

I was growing suspicious. “Why?”

“Because I wanted to talk to you first.”

Where was this going?
“If you tell me
you’re in love with my girlfriend, I will kill you.”

He smirked. “She’s a great girl, but no, she
isn’t my type. You know I love brunettes.”

“What’s going on, Cade?”

“I’m ready to talk about why I’m here.”

I didn’t touch my plate, no longer interested
in eating. “Okay.”

“I got fired from the studio.” He said it
simply and with no emotion. “I had a shitty attitude, no one wanted
to work with me, and I was just an asshole. The IRS took all my
money because I didn’t pay all my taxes, and I don’t have a single
person in the world to help me—except you. I didn’t want to talk
about it because I was so embarrassed. I’m not sure how it got this
bad. I just kept thinking I was better than everyone else until the
point I actually believed it. But in the end, now that I’ve lost
everything, I really have nothing. I’ve been treating you like
shit, but you’re the only person in my life who let me crash at his
place. I’ve been here for months and you’ve never asked me to
leave. You’re…all I got.”

I had no idea all that shit happened to him.
I knew something was wrong, but I had no idea it was that bad. My
brother had lost everything. He hit rock bottom. “I’m sorry,
Cade.”

“Don’t be,” he said immediately. “I don’t
deserve your sympathy. I did this to myself. And seeing how much
Hazel loves you just makes me realize I’ve never known a love like
that. No one loves me like that, in a profound and unconditional
way.”

“I love you,” I blurted.

He looked down before he returned his gaze to
mine. “I don’t deserve it.”

Cade really pissed me off for the past few
years. He was mean and rude, a total dick. We used to be really
close until he let fame and fortune go to his head. I wanted to
gloat and tell him he deserved everything that happened to him. But
I couldn’t. Sympathy washed through me. I got no satisfaction out
of this. “Well, since we’re related, I have to,” I teased. “So,
that saved your ass.”

He smirked. “Thank goodness for the shared
bloodline.”

“Do Mom and Dad know?”

He shook his head. “I knew they would only
scold me then tell me to fix my own problems.”

“That’s true, but this is serious, Cade. I
don’t think they’d turn their back on you.”

“I know they would,” he said bitterly.

“So, how are your finances?”

“I don’t have any money,” he said simply.

“Nothing?”

“I have a few thousand dollars in my account,
but that’s it. And no one will work with me because of my
reputation.”

I figured. He really burned a lot of bridges.
“We’ll figure something out. Until then, you’re welcome to stay
here.”

“Thanks.”

“Yeah.”

He rested his elbows on the table. “I got to
know Hazel pretty well. She’s a really cool girl.”

“You’re telling me something I already know.”
I smirked. “And she’s awesome in bed.”

“I know,” he said with a laugh. “Walls are
pretty thin.”

I laughed. “I’m assuming you apologized to
her?”

“Profusely.”

“Good.”

“When are you going to ask her?” he
asked.

“Ask her what?”

“Don’t play dumb with me,” he snapped. “You
know what I’m asking.”

I smirked then took a bite of a piece of
bacon. “I haven’t decided.”

“You got a ring?”

I shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Come on, man. I won’t tell her.”

“I don’t know…you’ve been pretty buddy-buddy
with her.”

“Because she’s important to you,” he said
with a roll of his eyes. “Just spill it.”

I nodded. “I got the ring.”

“Seriously? Shit, that was quick.”

“When you know, you know. Why should I wait
when I feel this way? We’re already living together and I know
she’s my forever. I’ve been with enough girls to know the winners
from the losers. And so far, she’s the only winner I’ve ever met.
She’s the one.”

“You sound sure.”

“I am. You’ll see what I mean someday.”

“When are you going to ask?”

“I haven’t decided yet. I’m still in the
brainstorming stage.”

“Let me know if you need help,” he said.

“This is a solo project. I can’t really ask
for help.”

“Do you have any ideas?”

“One,” I answered.

“What is it?”

“It’s a secret.” I winked at him.

“You’re going to propose in bed.”

I laughed. “No. I have a little more class
than that.”

“None that I’ve seen,” he teased.

I finished my breakfast then sipped my
coffee. “That was actually good.”

“Hazel was surprised too. I cooked for her a
few times.”

“Thanks for taking care of her.”

“I had to. She was so damn sad.”

“She was?” I grinned like an idiot.

“You like your girlfriend being sad over
you?”

I shrugged. “I admit I’m pleased by it.”

“She moped around and did nothing the whole
time. She cried like a girl when you left.”

“She is a girl.”

“You know what I mean. She was
distraught.”

“I was miserable too,” I said sadly. “I
couldn’t sleep because I’m so used to having her beside me.”

“I wish someone would love me like that.”

“They will. Someday in the far, far, far away
future.”
He chuckled. “Thanks.”

“So, we need to get you back on your
feet.”

He sighed. “I’m not sure where to start. I’m
basically starting over.”

“We all start over at some point in our
lives. You aren’t alone in that.”

“No one is going to take a chance on me
again. I’ve screwed up.”

I had one idea. It was a stretch, but it was
all I could think of. “You could star in my show.”

“The one on HBO?”

“Yeah.”

He looked hesitant. “I don’t know…I doubt
they would even let me.”

“Well, I’m the writer so I get a lot of say
in the casting.”

“But the final decision isn’t up to you,” he
argued.

“But I have a lot of say.”

He rubbed his knuckles while he thought for a
long time. “I appreciate the offer but I don’t want you to stick
out your neck for me then regret it.”

“Why would I regret it?”

He shrugged. “Because I’m an ass.”

“You haven’t been one today.”

He grabbed the handle of his coffee but
didn’t take a drink. “I just don’t want to mess anything up for
you.”

“Then don’t,” I said simply. “All you need to
do is not be an ass, respect others around you, and for once in
your life, be humble. It’s really not that hard.”

He smirked. “You would think.”

“Come on. Let’s try.”

“And what if they say no?”

“You’ll have to get a real job.”

He cringed. “God, no.”

I smiled. “I have a buddy who’s a CEO of a
software company. Worse comes to worse, you could work for
him.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And he would just give
me a job like that? Without even meeting me?”

“Yep.”

“This guy sounds like he doesn’t know how to
run a company.”

“On the contrary, he’s just very generous. He
gave Hazel a job, and she likes it for the most part.”

“Wow. I don’t have a friend who would do that
for me.”

“Well, if you’re actually nice to him he can
be your friend too.”

He shook his head. “I admit I was an ass, but
you’re a cocky jerk.”

I shrugged. “I don’t have an argument against
that.”

Hazel emerged from the hallway, her hair a
tangled mess. She wore one of my t-shirts and my boxers. Judging
the squint of her eyes, she was hung over and searching for
food.

“Morning,” I said gently.

“Muh.” She opened the fridge then closed it
without grabbing anything.

“There’s still food in the pans,” Cade
said.

I got up and made her a plate.

Her eyes widened. “Oooh. Food.”

I smirked then carried it to the table. “Cade
cooked.”

“Good,” she said as she sat down. “He’s good
at it.”

I pushed the coffee to her. “At least he
makes up for the rent by feeding us.”

She rested her head on her palm while she
shoveled the food into her mouth.

Cade smirked. “Crazy night?”

“I shouldn’t have drank so much.” She rubbed
her temple then kept eating.

I grabbed the back of her neck then massaged
the muscle, making her sigh. “My baby gets down when she’s drunk. I
didn’t know you could dance like that.”

“I danced?” she asked incredulously.

“Yeah. You’re pretty good,” I said.

“Oh. I don’t remember that.” She stabbed her
eggs.

I laughed. “I guess you don’t remember having
sex in the bathroom either.”

“No…” Her cheeks blushed.

“Because my brother isn’t memorable,” Cade
jabbed.

Hazel smiled. “You two are getting along
pretty well…”

Cade shrugged. “I told him everything.”

“Good. I’m glad you guys are being brothers
again.”

“Who said I forgave him?” I gave her a
smirk.

“Because you forgive everyone.” She kept
eating.

I shook my head. “I only forgive you because
you’re so damn cute. Everyone else can go to hell.”

“Well, I’m glad I don’t have to,” Cade
said.

“I’m letting you get away with this one
time,” I warned. “And only because you’re my brother.”

“Phew.” Cade sipped his coffee.

Hazel finished her food then sighed. “I’m
going back to bed.”

“I’ll join you.” I gave her a cocky
smirk.

“I feel like I’m living with newlyweds,” Cade
said darkly.

“Pretty much,” I said.

Hazel stood up then walked back to bed. I
stared at her ass then followed her.

When we were in the bedroom, she grabbed a
towel then picked up her phone, seeing it light up. “Wow. I have
five missed calls.”

“You actually have friends?” I teased.

She threw the towel at me. “Don’t be a jerk
when I’m still half asleep.”