Geri made sure James wasn’t told about Austin. She was by far the most understanding person when the news came out to my family. When Dad called me, furious, I could hardly speak.
“Cadence, you better explain yourself to me.”
Being home on my own, I curled up on the couch to whisper, “It’s complicated. Please, it’s not—”
“You’re cheating!” he yelled. “It’s not complicated. Being lonely is no excuse, since you’re the one who left.”
A lump formed in my throat.
“How long has this been going on?”
“Dad—”
“No, I don’t want to know. But it ends right now. How could you do this to James? How could you lie to all of us?”
I covered my face as I cried. “I’m not doing this to anyone. I’ve tried—”
“You most certainly are! You will end this affair tonight, do you hear me? Before that boy finds out what you’ve done. He’s been nothing but loyal to you, and this is how you repay him?”
I sobbed. “I didn’t mean to.”
The line fell silent as I cried onto the throw pillow.
“Cadence?” he said gently. “Don’t be that girl. If this is about you finding yourself, about knowing if James is right for you or not, then you’re doing it all wrong. When things get hard between me and your mother, we resolve it between us. We never step out on one another. That’s not an appropriate way to solve things.”
“I know,” I whispered.
“Then end this. Promise me.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. I could’ve easily agreed and kept going, but that would’ve been lying. I had to figure out on my own—in my own way—what I needed to do. Who I needed to choose. “Dad . . .”
“Yes?”
“I’m so confused.”
“There’s no need to be.”
“But there is. There’s so much . . .” My voice cracked. “You don’t understand. I don’t even understand everything. I won’t break up with Austin. I have to sort out my feelings on my own.”
His rage exploded. He yelled all kinds of foul things at me, demanding I end it with Austin. Mum was sorely disappointed in me, and later would only reply to my emails in short, single sentences. I never heard from Harper, so I wondered if they even told her.
Austin was incredibly understanding. One night, after another huge fight with Dad, he took my hand while I cried and drove me to his family home. When we arrived, he parked in the driveway and waited as I gained control of myself. “Cadence?”
“Yeah?” I rubbed my eyes.
“Do you . . . I mean . . .” He sighed. “I’m here for you no matter what, so if you feel like you need some time to help your family adjust, then I’ll step back.”
I gasped as my gaze shot up to him. “You wanna break up with me?”
Alarm flashed through his eyes. “No! That’s not what I meant. I just . . .” He sighed again. “I love you so much, and I feel like I’m causing you grief.”
I clasped his hand. “You’re not causing me grief. You make me happy.”
He smiled and squeezed my hand. “That’s all that matters to me. I hate seeing you so sad all the time.”
I took a sharp breath. “I’ve been a real downer, haven’t I?”
He leaned forward and caressed my face. “No. Just, when your family gets on your case, you hurt for several hours afterward. I wish I could take it away and just see you smiling all the time.”
I smiled, which made him smile.
“Come on. Mum’s making stroganoff. I’m sure that will cheer you up.”
Oh! Linda’s stroganoff! I shot out of the car.
Austin rushed up behind me, chuckling. “Wow, you’re eager.”
“I love stroganoff!” Especially Linda’s.
We entered his home, and I smiled at the warm, cozy, familiar feel of it. They lived in a lovely home in South Fremantle with three bedrooms, a living room at the entrance, and a kitchen that opened up to a family room with a huge flat screen and a pool table. A large, brown leather couch sat against the wall facing the TV, where George worked on his laptop.
Linda noticed us enter first as she pulled the stroganoff out of the oven. “Oh, Austin! You’ve brought us a lovely guest.”
I smiled and rushed over to her. She set down the dish and hugged me. “Hello, sweetie.”
“How are you, Linda?”
“Wonderful. Austin tells me you’ve been having some troubles with your family.”
I slumped. “Yeah.”
“Not to worry. When they meet him, they’ll see what a good boy he is and everything will be fine.”
She smiled up at me, making my heart fill with hope. Yes, I’d always loved Linda.
“Austin, have you set the table?” George asked, not looking up.
“Dad,” Austin huffed, but hurried to do his chore. “You know, I’m not a kid anymore.”
Linda chuckled and kissed his cheek. “You’ll always be my boy.”
I smiled warmly at their interaction.
We sat together at the table and fell into an easy conversation about school. Austin was doing very well, which wasn’t surprising. He was far brighter than me, and the only reason I earned better marks in my own course was because I already knew it. I felt so proud of him as he explained things way beyond my comprehension. Linda’s pride in him sparkled in her eyes.
Once I finished my first plate, I dug in for seconds. “Linda, this is divine!”
She laughed. “Thank you, Cadence.”
“No, seriously, you should sell it.”
She beamed. “I’m very flattered.”
“You need to show me how you make it, because wow!”
Austin laughed. “I’d sure like to have you . . .” He stopped and shook his head.
George glanced at him and changed the subject. “So, Cadence, what do you hope to do with your degree?”
I swallowed my mouthful so I could answer. “A lot of people become PE teachers or coaches, but I wanna get on staff with an AFL team.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “You should try to get in with my team, the Dockers.”
I grinned. After I graduated before, I was put on staff with the Fremantle Dockers. “I can certainly try.”
“Dad is obsessed with them,” Austin said. “A few weekends ago, when they played Sydney and lost, he told me I had to break up with you because he didn’t want a Sydney girl around!” Austin laughed merrily. “Mum slapped him and made him apologize before she reminded him it’s just a game.”
George grunted. “Stupid Swans. Buncha cheaters.”
I smirked. “At least they don’t have the refs on their side like the Melbourne teams do.”
George raised his eyebrows and laughed. “True! Oh, those Melbourne teams―”
“Look what you’ve started,” Austin grumbled. “This is one of his favorite soapboxes: unfair refs. He goes on and on about it every time one of the Melbourne teams plays the Dockers.”
“Well, it’s appalling.” George folded his arms.
“We know, dear,” Linda said, patting his arm.
George met my gaze and nodded. “I’ll take you to a game sometime. Would you like that?”
I grinned. “I sure would.”
George’s eyes gleamed, and I knew he was sold on me.
Austin wrapped his arm around me. “Are you trying to steal my girl?”
George waved his fork at him. “No, I’m trading in kids. At least she’s interested in football. All you ever did was complain, when I took you.”
“But I never complained when you took me diving.”
George smirked. “Ah, you have me there. Okay, I guess I’ll keep ya.”
I smiled as they continued their friendly banter, and after a short while, Linda returned to the kitchen. I decided to follow her, and found her preparing a bowl of custard while heating a sticky date pudding.
“Oh!” She smiled as I entered. “What are you doing in here?”
“I thought maybe you’d like some help.”
She shook her head. “No, this is very easy. Go back in with Austin.”
I leaned over the counter instead. “How much has Austin told you about what’s going on with my family?”
She met my gaze and sighed. “All of it, dear.”
My gaze fell. “Oh.”
“But”—she touched my cheek so I’d look at her—“I know you love him, and he loves you. Once they see what you have, they’ll be as happy as George and I are for you.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.” Her gaze lifted over my shoulder. “She’s still here, Austin, don’t worry.”
I looked back as he wrapped his arms around my waist. He smiled as our eyes met, and my heart melted.
Later, we went into his room. The decor, with everything ocean-based, was very different from James’s: his books were all about coral and marine life, his bedding was dark blue, and the one picture hung on the wall was of a yacht. On his bedside table rested a small picture frame.
While he talked about the time he and George found themselves diving with a great white shark, I turned the picture around to look at it. “Oh!”
He turned to me. “What?”
I lifted the picture of me grinning in a wet suit after my first diving lesson with him. “You framed this?”
He plucked it from my hands and blushed. “Yeah, it was a good day, and you look gorgeous in it.”
I hadn’t known that in the first timeline. I stepped toward him and slid the picture from his hand. “You think I’m gorgeous in a wet suit with ratty, wet hair?”
He smiled down at me as his breath grew shallow. “You’re always gorgeous, especially when you smile like that.”
I leaned closer to him and wrapped my arm around his waist. “Like what?”
His hands shot to my face and he planted his lips firmly against mine. I moaned as I pressed against him, my feelings for him pulsing through me. I broke away and asked softly, “Austin, why do you love me?”
He met my gaze. “How could you even ask me that? Cadence, you’re everything I’ve ever dreamed of and more.”
He tried to kiss me again, but I pulled back. “But why? I’ve never understood how someone as amazing as you could love me.”
He stroked my cheek. “Because you’re smart, and sweet, and charming, and have this crazy side to you that completely throws me off guard.”
I leaned forward to kiss him, but he continued. “Sometimes, I wonder that about you too. How could someone like you love someone like me? Then I just feel grateful that you somehow do.”
I ran my fingers through his hair as he shut his eyes and sighed. “Austin?”
“Mmm?”
“I love you so much.”
A wide smile spread across his face as his eyes opened to meet mine. “Cadence, I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving you.”
He leaned down and kissed me.