Stephen was standing in front of Angelina, panicking. “Angel, don’t hyperventilate. It can…” he had started to speak. The people in the car remained wide-eyed as the fragile-looking Angelina tugged at Stephen’s t-shirt, catching him off guard and making him stumble.

Angelina’s lips were on Stephen’s and the two started to make out without consideration of the fact that they were in public. If Katherine had to guess, all their kisses so far were in front of an audience and they would probably continue to do so until they were arrested for indecent exposure.

Jared had taken to looking at his phone and Cage was simply smiling as he stared out of the window and looked at the cars that passed by.

The girls kept looking, feeling too happy because someone had come to stand by Angelina. They were especially happy that it was a steady man like Stephen.

They didn’t know how long the whole thing lasted. Angelina looked like she needed him and both her friends knew that she wouldn’t admit it out loud. They feared that she wouldn’t admit it to herself. The fact that he offered her a family had brought Angelina to tears. What Stephen had offered was exactly what she needed.

Eventually, the two broke apart and they scurried back to the car. Angelina shifted in her seat uncomfortably, her eyes pink. Stephen cleared his throat, trying to break the silence.

“Well, can we go now?” he asked.

“Yes,” Angelina said strapping in and actually smiling at Stephen. “Thank you for sharing your family with me so freely. It means a lot to me.” The wistful look in her eyes caught Stephen’s attention and he couldn’t help but reassure her.

“What’s mine is yours from now on.” Katherine wanted to laugh when she saw how smitten Angelina looked at that moment. If she had a camera, she would have taken a picture and shown it to her. Hadn’t Angelina commented on how inseparable Cage and she were? That would show her!

Angelina’s smile broadened. “I know you have a Porsche. Even that?” she asked with a sweet smile.

Stephen broke out into laughter. “Yes, even that. Glad to hear my collection of cars is more enticing than my family.” While he was joking, Angelina’s smile faltered before it dropped.

“No! It’s not. That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.” She held out her hand to him, almost looking lost for a second. Stephen saw it and grasped it firmly.

“Angelina is holding hands with a guy,” Lily whispered to Katherine.

“She’s done more. But this is a first,” Katherine replied in an equally hushed voice.

“So, it’s settled. I’ll bring my mother, too,” Stephen said happily.

“I didn’t say yes to that,” Angelina muttered. “But thank you for your word.” She looked so happy. Her friends were thrilled. “Okay. We have a long drive ahead. Let’s go.”

The engine came on. “Yes, we do,” Stephen said. And they were on their way.

– – –

When they were around half an hour from their destination, they finally stopped to eat at a restaurant. The traffic had thinned down and there were barely any cars coming their way. The restaurant was desolate as well, but there was also a supermarket attached to it. Cage, as usual, couldn’t come out because there were quite a few patrons, probably locals eating at that moment.

Katherine took a picture of the menu and sent it to him. She asked the server to pack their food and let the others eat inside. Katherine went back and slid into the car, sitting right beside Cage. She kissed him softly before handing him his meal. They spoke about nothing and everything in as they ate. It was about fifteen minutes when Stephen came to them.

“We are shopping for groceries, anything specific you want? We’ll have come down another day to get produce again,” he said.

Katherine nodded, she listed off the necessary vegetables and meat that they would need. Stephen had told them that the cabins were self-sufficient and furnished with all the gadgets. So, they would make their own meals.

“What do you want?” Stephen asked Cage as he prepared to head off into the supermarket.

“Apples,” Cage said with a snicker. Stephen looked at them weirdly.

“I feel like this is a sexy doctor role play in the making and I want nothing to do with it. Sorry, no apples for you,” Stephen said.

“Take my card,” Katherine offered instantly, handing over the card before Cage could say anything. Katherine needed to pay for something before she felt like she was taking advantage of people. Stephen nodded and went away.

Finally, some alone time with Cage. It was a good thing that they had not sat beside each other during the ride or they might have jumped each other. It had been too long and despite the awkward situation, they were happy to see each other.

“What do you think about Angelina and Stephen?” Cage said out of the blue.

“He offered her a family, which she hasn’t had for some years. Her parents wanted her to be just like them if not better and they couldn’t condone that she wanted a different career. She flourished in the modeling industry but they just don’t want to see it. They haven’t even wished her or visited her in years. They barely speak to her on the phone.”

Cage shook his head. “I don’t know how a parent can be so cruel to their child, especially when she is so amazing.” His face twisted.

“Well, no child deserves that,” Katherine said with a sigh.

“Knowing Stephen, if Angelina said yes, he would invite his grandparents over to meet her, too,” Cage said with a laugh.

“Don’t joke about it. It would overwhelm her and she would run for the hills.” Katherine stopped. “What about Stephen’s dad?” she asked suddenly. She hadn’t wanted to ask Stephen so she chose the second-best option. She was nosey, okay?