Reckless Regrets
Chapter 67

Kade

“So, how does it feel to be a married man?” Xander walked over and asked me.

“Surreal. I used to think that I’d never want this, but now I couldn’t be happier. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this good,” I replied. The ceremony was short, sweet, and to the point taking all of maybe five minutes before we were man and wife.

Morgan wore a smile the entire time that warmed my heart, and all I could think about was how proud my mom would be if she saw me today. She would have loved Morgan, and the two would have been best friends.

“Who gets married and calls their father ten minutes before the ceremony? Ten minutes, Kade! You didn’t think that your sisters and I would want to be here for something like this?” my dad questioned behind me.

“Sorry, old man. It was last minute, really last minute, so I didn’t have much time to plan. But you’re here now, so where are the girls?” I asked.

“Don’t try and distract me, Kaden. I’ve waited over twenty-five years for the day my only son would become some lucky woman’s husband, and I didn’t even get to see it happen. And on top of that, I heard that I’ll have not one, but two grandchildren soon. You have got a lot of explaining to do.”

Damn. I’d never told my dad about the adoption, and if he did know about the pregnancy, it was only because he heard about it in passing. I’d been a shitty son, and would probably be just as upset if Cameron were to do something like this to me twenty years from now.

“You’re right, and I’m sorry. How about we grab a drink and I’ll tell you about everything that’s been going on?”

“Everything, Kade, and I mean it. Just because you’re a grown man doesn’t mean I don’t still want to know about your life.”

“I’ll tell you everything, I promise. Meet me in my office in ten minutes; I just want to replace Morgan and make sure she’s alright,” I told him.

He nodded, and after speaking to Xander and the rest of the guys, he left the dining hall where we were all gathered and headed up.

“You’re such an a*****e, Kade. You didn’t tell him about the kids?” Matt stepped up and asked.

“I forgot! If you haven’t noticed, I’ve had more than my fair share of s**t going on lately, so excuse me if I haven’t had time to sip Bellinis and eat frittatas with him at Sunday brunch!”

“That’s a seriously stereotypical oversimplification of the time I spend with my parents, so I guess that makes you an even bigger a*****e. Even so, Uncle Peter should have at least been told Morgan was pregnant. It sucks that he had to hear it from someone else. You and the girls are all he has, remember that.”

Why did he always have to be so damn perfect? Sometimes I swore that Matthew Stone was placed on this earth to irritate the hell out of me; payback for some past wrong. He walked away, and I saw Xander grinning from the corner of my eye.

“What? Are you going to call me an a*****e on my wedding day too?” I asked.

“Nah, Matt’s taken care of that already. It’s just funny to see that you two still fight like little kids, no matter how old we get. It’s been this way forever, and it’s entertaining as hell.”

“That’s because the pretty boy is a d**k,” I replied.

“No, it’s because he tells you everything straight up, exactly how you are with me. We don’t have filters in our friendships, and that can be a bitter pill sometimes.”

“Whatever. I need to replace my wife, then calm my father down. I’ll talk to you later.”

I found Morgan seated at the table with a massive slice of pizza and her two best friends beside her. That same smile that she’d worn through the entire ceremony was still on her face as she talked, ate, and laughed with them.

“Hey, Sugar. I need to go talk with my dad for a bit. Will you be okay without me for about thirty minutes?” I asked.

“Of course, it’s not like I’m at some unknown location; we’re at home, babe. Is Peter alright?”

“He’s fine, I’ve just left him out of the loop a lot lately, and I’m trying to clean the whole mess up.”

“I told you to call him a few times, and you never did; make sure he knows that.”

“Not even an hour into our marriage and you’re already throwing me under the bus? I’m hurt.”

“No, you’re not. Go on up, don’t leave him waiting.”

She pulled me down for a quick k**s then flashed me a smile before she picked up with her conversation with the girls. I loved the fact that nothing seemed to have changed between the two of us. We were married, but we were still us; it was all I could have asked for.

When I got to my office, I found my dad standing by my bookshelf, holding an old picture of him, me, and my mom, taken a few weeks before she died. Dad and I were sitting at his desk, which was now mine, looking over territory maps, and mom was resting on the couch with her feet propped up, holding her massive belly. I will always remember that day because it was the day Lily and Rose were born. Maybe ten minutes after Aunt Katherine snapped the picture, all hell broke loose when mom’s water broke. That s**t scarred me for life.

“Your mother was so beautiful pregnant. She was already an angel, but when she was carrying my children inside her, that glow was magnified. I miss her every single day, and the one person on this earth who has her wit, her strength, and her kind heart forgets to tell me that I’m going to be a grandfather. Can you understand how much that hurts, son?”

“Aww, don’t do that, dad! I didn’t mean to cut you out, but it’s been one thing after another around here. Being Beta, then an Alpha, then nothing, then Beta again takes a lot of focus and attention; I know you understand that,” I replied.

“I do. But I also understand the importance of balance. Your wife is pregnant, and I do not doubt that you’ll get Cameron as well. Being a father to two small people who need your time and attention is tough, and as second in command, it’s easy to put work first and family second. Don’t ever do that; I did when your mom died, and it’s my biggest regret. I was at a summit when the girls said their first word, at the office when they took their first steps, and who knows where the first time they tried ice cream. I missed too much, and I don’t want that to happen to you.”

“I don’t plan to miss any of those moments, dad. Besides, Xander and Morgan would kick my a*s if I let myself get too buried with work. I know how to balance, I promise.”

“Good. So sit down and tell me what’s been going on. And next weekend, I want you and Morgan to bring Cameron to the house for a family dinner.”

He took a seat in the visitor chair and listened while I told him about all of the drama since we’d last seen each other. Talking it all out was freeing in a way; I was getting all of the negativity that Thorne brought into my life out in the open to be left behind. And when everything was said and done, I’d been given a lot of solid advice and felt closer to my father than I had in a long time. I’d really needed this.

“I’m so proud of you, Kade. You’re the best son a man could ask for, and you’ve done incredible things as this packs Beta, I don’t think I could have done any better myself.”

“Thanks, Dad. Xander, Matt, and I just took what you old guys taught us and ran with it. Different times called for different techniques, but we will always have the foundation laid by the three of you to stand on.”

“I’d love to take credit for your genius, but unfortunately, you were adopted, so I had nothing to do with that.”

The whiskey I was sipping shot down my throat then up my nose, leaving a fiery trail in its wake. I felt like I was back at the Oregon packhouse the way I was burning and coughing. I grabbed a bottle of water from my mini-fridge and chugged it, clearing the way for oxygen to flow again.

“What are you talking about? I look just like you, and a bit of mom too. How can I be adopted? Why didn’t anyone ever tell me?”

Dad folder over laughing; it seemed that my shocked reaction tickled his funny bone slightly more than expected.

“Oh, that was classic, and I needed that laugh, especially after missing your wedding. Don’t be dense; you’re not adopted, Kaden. You came out of my balls, just like your sisters did. That was just a little payback for being an a*****e and forgetting your old man existed the last couple of months,” he proudly replied.

I didn’t know what offended me more. The fact that he thought this was funny, that he referred to me and his balls in the same sentence, or that once again, I’d been called an a*****e on my wedding day.

“I don’t have to take this. I’m going down to see the girls and my wife, this is bullshit,” I mumbled as I walked out, leaving my dad laughing even louder behind me.

***

“Next to Morgan, you two might just be the prettiest things I’ve seen all day,” I said as I walked up to Lily and Rose in the dining hall. Out of all the twins in the pack, they were the only pair that were identical, and it was always fun to watch them try to trick people when they would swap identities. But I’d raised them from tiny squirmy babies; they couldn’t fool me if they tried.

“Hi, Kade! We’ve missed you so much; how come you haven’t come by to see us lately? You haven’t even met my boyfriend,” Rose advised.

“Whoa, pump the breaks. You do not and will not have a boyfriend until you’re eighteen. If this kid knows that’s good for him, he’ll stay the hell away from you for the next nine years,” I commanded.

“But why? He’s really sweet and handsome. He says he thinks we might be mates,” she stated.

“He can’t know that s**t! He’s full of it, and I’ll rip his hands off if he even thinks of touching you.”

Maybe he could feel something, Xayden and Alex sure did, but I’d used that same line on girls when I was an adolescent, and it worked like a charm. I refused to see someone use it on my sisters.

“You’re no fun anymore. You used to be cool,” she pouted.

“I’m very cool; I’m just not an i***t. No boyfriends, and I mean it. And don’t think I can’t replace whoever he is and pay him a visit.”

Lily stood next to us, wearing an evil smile on her face; she was way too happy about the conversation taking place in front of her.

“What? Why are you so smiley?” I asked her.

“Because. Chris was my boyfriend first until Rose pretended to be me and stole him away! And no one did anything about it, but I knew once she told you that you’d cut it off. And I was right.”

What kind of daytime talk show bullshit were my little sisters mixed up in?

“Did Dad know about this?” I asked.

“No. I knew Dad wouldn’t understand, but I thought at least you would,” Rose replied.

“Understand that you’re too young to even think about dating, that you lied, and that you stole your sister’s boyfriend? Why would I understand that?”

“Where’s Morgan? Maybe I’ll have better luck with her; siblings are a buzzkill, but maybe a sister-in-law won’t be so bad,” Rose stated.

“Ugh! Just give me a damn hug and stop trying to give me gray hairs, I’m still too young and good looking for that,” I said as I pulled them both to my chest.

“You could be a silver fox. I think with the tattoos, it would be a very good look for you,” Lily looked up and said.

“Hi, ladies! I haven’t seen you beauties in a while,” Morgan walked over and announced. The girls immediately squealed and rushed over to her side, showering her with hugs and k****s. They’d replaced me so quickly; I couldn’t believe it.

“Oh my gosh, Morgan, your skin is so beautiful! Can you do my hair like yours? What kind of perfume do you wear?”

The girls were so excited to see her, and I knew that, besides Morgan being perfect in every way, Lily and Rose just needed that female link they were missing with mom being gone. Dad and I made sure they never lacked love, but there was nothing we could do about that feminine touch; that was uncharted territory.

“Thank you, but I’m sure this skin is a result of your niece or nephew I’ve got cooking in here,” Morgan replied, patting her tummy. This made the girls scream at the top of their lungs as if they’d just seen their favorite boy band.

“You’re having a baby?! Kade didn’t tell us! Oh my gosh, I can’t wait to tell my friends that I’m going to be an aunt. Can I touch it?” Rose asked.

Morgan laughed and smoothed her dress over her bump, which was immediately touched and rubbed by the girls. I looked up at her for any sign that she needed to be rescued, but she seemed to be enjoying things as much as Rose and Lily were.

“This is so cool, and I can’t wait to meet them. Plus, it’s going to be a hybrid, so my niece or nephew will be double awesome,” Lily proudly announced.

“I think it’s a girl. I feel like I’m destined to have crazy women everywhere I look for the rest of my life,” I joked.

The twins rolled their eyes at me then went back to chatting with Morgan, ultimately dismissing me from the conversation. But I knew when I wasn’t wanted, so I left them and walked over to the guys who’d finally managed to sit down and eat. Xander was off to the side, mindlinking someone while everyone else sat at the table, stuffing their faces with Geoff’s famous pizza.

Alexi pulled out a seat for me, and Tyson sat a massive plate of food in front of the chair, successfully luring me in. I happily sat down, but before I could take my first bite, I heard Xander growl from his place in the corner.

“Uh oh, that can’t be good,” Matt said, voicing what all of us were already thinking. We waited patiently for the link to end, and when it did, Xander turned to us and scowled. His forehead was creased, and his usually ice blue eyes were more than a few shades darker. He was pissed.

“What’s up, Xan? This is supposed to be a happy occasion, what’s with the face?” I asked.

He looked around the room, then leaned over the table and lowered his voice. “Kade, I need you to be calm about this and try not to get upset, alright?”

“I can’t make any promises, especially since you’ve piqued my curiosity.”

“Just stay calm, we’ll fix it. I promise you.”

I stood up and pushed away from the table. A quick glance to my left let me know that Morgan and the girls were still deep in conversation and not worried about what I had going on.

“What will we fix? Just tell me, Xander.”

He stepped back to the corner, and all four of us followed. Clearly, whatever this was, he didn’t want the ladies to know. We all saw how well keeping secrets from them worked that last time, but I didn’t have time to dwell on that fact; I needed to know what had him so riled up.

“What is it? You’re killing me here!” I said.

“Cameron is gone, Kade. We think he’s been kidnapped, for real this time.”