A Long Time Coming (Cane Brothers, #3)(123)

I hear him hop out of the car, and then within a few seconds, he’s opening my car door as well.

“Am I going to have to walk blindfolded?”

“No,” he answers as he reaches behind me and undoes the blindfold. It takes my eyes a few seconds to adjust, but when they do, I’m met with an underground parking lot.

“Where are we?” I ask and then that’s when I see his shirt.

It’s black and clings to every inch of his muscular chest, but it’s the picture of Jack Skellington on it as well as the saying, “Her Jack” that truly catches my attention. I glance down at my shirt, and it’s of Sally with “His Sally” on it.

“Umm . . . are we at Disneyland?”

He tilts my chin up, and I come face to face with his beautiful smile. “We are.”

My eyes well up, and I lean against the passenger seat chair as I say, “I can’t believe you remembered.”

He takes my hand in his. “Junior year in college, it was right after you went on that date with the squid eater. Perhaps one of your worst first dates ever. You came back to my dorm and bitched about how guys are such idiots, and they don’t know how to conduct a real first date. I asked you what would be your perfect first date, and you said Disneyland. You would test the guy to see if he would wear matching shirts. If he did, it was a check in the plus column.” He gestures to his shirt. “Pretty sure I’m doing pretty well so far.” Oh my God. Doing pretty well so far . . . I’m simply stunned. I’m also feeling so emotional because how did he remember every detail of that conversation? How?

A tear falls down my cheek, and he leans in and wipes it away.

“Why are you crying?”

“Because,” I say. “This is . . . this is thoughtful.” I turn toward him. “You’re the only person who has done something thoughtful like this for me. Ever.”

“Because you’re so special to me.” His thumb caresses my cheek. “I’d move mountains for you, Lia.” He wipes my tears again and then tugs on my hand. “Come on, no more crying. It’s time to have fun.”

I let him help me out of his car, and then as we walk and he holds my hand, I lean into his strong presence, into this man who has always treated me as if I’m his number one. The one who has remembered everything about me—from the type of coffee I love to my idea of the perfect first date.

I never imagined him like this, the doting man, yet it seems to fit him so perfectly. He seems to fit me perfectly.

I thought long and hard about why he’s pursuing me. About his point last night—why he’s never had a long-term girlfriend.

“I think it’s because in my mind, I’ve always been with you. You’ve always been mine.”

Those words, that declaration, floored me. From the moment something flicked on for Breaker, he has treated me as if I’m precious. Something I’ve never experienced. In fact, it’s lightyears away from how Brian treated me. Breaker’s treated me the same way I’ve seen Huxley and JP treat Lottie and Kelsey. And that has given me more confidence to take this next step with Breaker. Because I believe him. I believe in him. He’s not one to lie. You’ve always been mine. And if I’ve always been his, it’s starting to become clearer that he’s always been mine too.

Consider this your last first date ever.

When he said that last night, I wanted to believe it. As I cling to him, walking past row after row of cars, I believe it.

I can see it.

I can feel it.





“Breaker,” I whisper as I hold his hand tightly. “You got us the VIP package?”

“More like the Breaker Cane package,” he whispers into my ear.

The parking lot we parked in was some secret parking lot that lets you skip all the lines. We went straight to the VIP section where we were greeted with Mickey ears, Nightmare Before Christmas themed, of course, and the cutest part of all of it is that Breaker is wearing his with no shame.

Reminds me of the guy I met back in college. Couldn’t care less what anyone thinks about him, does what he likes, and doesn’t think twice about it.

“Mr. Cane, welcome to Disneyland. I’m Jorge, your guide for today.”

Breaker lends out his hand. “Jorge, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Please call me Breaker.”

“My pleasure,” Jorge says and then lends out his hand. “This must be Miss Fairweather-Fern.”

“Please, call me Lia,” I say as I shake his hand.

“Miss Lia, it’s a pleasure.” Gripping an iPad to his side, he says, “I understand it’s just your small party today. I received the planned schedule of events, and I have your reservations organized as well. It looks like we’re going to have a great day.”

“We are,” Breaker says.

“Wonderful, and please, if you want to stop for any food or need me to pick up food for you while you’re on a ride, I’d be more than happy to assist with that. I’m here to make your experience unforgettable.”

“Thank you, Jorge,” Breaker says.

“Well, if we’re ready, I think the first thing on our schedule today is to ride the Matterhorn.”

I glance up at Breaker, who is smiling because he knows—of course he knows—the Matterhorn is my favorite ride. I love how old and janky it is. Being tossed around makes me laugh more than the actual ride.