Cassy POVI saw my mother’s pupils dilate as her eyes widened in shock when she saw me kneeling on the floor and resting my hands on her lap. I used to do this when I was a kid. I was a recalcitrant child, often disobeying my mother when she wanted me to act like a girl, insisting that I should be one of the boys and following after my big brother, much to our mother’s horror and dismay. Ellen Burke wanted a lady for a daughter, but what can I do? I love being with my brother and his friends. We often climb trees, play in the sun, and hose each other down to cool off on hot summer days. She finally gave up when I was often lonely, spending time alone in our mansion. “Sorry, Mrs. Burke.” I heard Caleb say.To my astonishment, Caleb joined me. He knelt beside me with a pleading expression on his face. He squeezed my hand, assuring me that we were both in this together. “What are you two doing?” Ellen Burke gathered herself and exclaimed in shock. She wanted to leave her seat, b

Cassy POV“I am sorry, Mom,” I said, walking near her, leaving Caleb by the door.Mother looked at my father, who cleared his throat. The action distracted me as my gaze went from Mom to Dad.They were making cute little faces with each other like they were on to something. A secret maybe?I had no time to dwell on that when Father beckoned to us to sit on the couches lining the children’s beds.“Sit here.” He told us.I took my seat, and not long after, the cushion beside me sagged under Caleb’s weight.He held my hand when he joined me.The action gave me extra courage. It was a silent message that we are in this together.Caleb’s thumb caressed the indent between my thumb and forefinger. The action was soothing and did something to my insides that distracted me.“I am sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Burke. I am taking responsibility for what happened. You should blame me, not Cassy. I had been too eager to advertise to the whole world about my family that I neglected the most important people

Cassy POVCaleb threw me on the bed. I let out a shriek and a giggle. He followed by diving onto the bed, landing straight on my body, but he was careful with his weight. He supported his weight with his arms propped up on the bed while our bodies connected. "Sheez!" I saw him shiver. Goosebumps popped on the skin of his arm. I was laughing, lifting my head in invitation. Caleb's eyes darkened. "You are a w*tch, sweetheart. I couldn't explain what you did to me. So addicting." He said, shaking his head in confusion. "Was it a good thing or a bad thing?" I asked dubiously and compounded it with a peck on the tip of his nose. He groaned. "Kiss me!" He challenged. I gladly obliged. I lifted my head, pressed my lips to his waiting mouth, and undulated my body so our lower half bodies pressed tighter. A growl escaped Caleb's lips, cueing me on the state of his control. He grabbed the back of my head and smashed our lips together. I moaned, prodding him to deepen the kiss.

Caleb POV“Daddy, we have to stop by Felicity’s to buy Aunt Tory's cake."Oakley reminded me after we strapped ourselves to our seats, and I started the engine. I looked at her in the rearview mirror. “Yes, baby.” I concurred, and the car rolled away. As usual, Joachim pulled out his Rubik’s cube from the front pocket of his jacket and started fiddling with it while Oakley looked on. Cassy’s mom sat with them at the back while Cassy occupied the front passenger seat.While on the road, Cassy nudged me to call my attention to something. She was being discreet about it so as not to attract the attention of our companions or cause alarm. “Someone is tailing us.” I nodded to confirm. “We talked about that last night, remember?” I saw her nod in remembrance.Then, her eyes glued once more on the cars behind us. “How many?” She asked again. “Four. Also, Glenn’s following with a bigger car to drive you back.” I told her. I glanced at the rearview mirror and found Ellen Burke list

Cassy POV“It’s Sunday. Where’s Caleb off to?” Mom asked while we were in the elevator.“He’s going to talk to his father,” I told her.Mom nodded and did not say anything more. My eyes went to the kids, checking whether they were eavesdropping on my conversation with Mom. I noticed they were busy talking but could not get heads or tails of it. “What were you talking about, kids?” Oakley looked at me. She was pursing her lips. “Well, I wanted to know if the baby in Aunt Tory’s tummy is a girl. I want a girl playmate, mommy.” I tugged at her pigtails. “The baby is still small. We cannot know its gender yet. In a few months, maybe.” I told her. The elevator dinged, signaling that we already reached our destination floor. We got ready, waiting for the doors to slide open. Then, we got out. We were a bit crowded inside with two of Caleb’s security details accompanying us. The first two already got in before us and were waiting outside the elevator.“Where’s Aunt Tory’s house, M