Forbidden Desire

Prologue – Meeting Cassidy

Nathan Adams pushed the door of the Orange Café in a hurry. The addicting scent of brewed coffee and mellow music welcomed him as he entered the coffee shop, but he groaned when he noticed the time on the wall clock.

He was late.

He was supposed to meet Cassidy Summer Lopez at four, and the time on the wall clock screamed at him, reminding him he failed on his first goal. He was fifteen minutes late. Of all days, Nathan’s classic Rolex failed to do its job. He thought his grandfather would be happy in heaven, thinking he could finally put his grandpa’s wristwatch to rest, but he would not give up. After meeting Chloe’s grandmother and bringing her to dinner later, he promised to visit the service center to have his watch fixed.

It shouldn’t be hard to find an elderly person, he thought. His girlfriend, Chloe, did not give much description of her grandmother except that Cassidy would be in her blue cashmere, which matched the color of the frame of her oversize eyeglasses.

“Nathan, don’t be late because she is very strict with time. She won’t forgive you even if you’re just a minute late. Remember, we aim to get her approval for you and Evan.”

Evan is fifteen years older and Nathan’s brother from his dad’s first marriage. When his brother told him he wanted new furniture for his home, Nathan took him to Olivia Furniture to meet Chloe's mother without telling her. Olivia was forty, but when Evan, thirty-five, saw her, he fell in love with her.

Last night, at their mandatory Sunday dinner with their father, Evan announced he had proposed to Olivia. Since they were not getting any younger, they hoped to get married soon, which their father happily approved.

Sighing, he wandered his eyes around the café. His forehead creased, telling himself it was not hard to find an old lady in this small coffee shop. He imagined her to be in her sixties with gray wavy hair.

Chloe’s voice echoed in Nathan’s mind.

“Nathan, she has high expectations when meeting new acquaintances. Give your best. For her, first impression last.”

He sighed in frustration, thinking his girlfriend was more worried about meeting her grandmother than what would happen to their relationship when his brother decided to marry her mother that week.

Nathan was only twenty, but when he met Chloe for the first time, he fell in love with her and saw his future with her. Cassidy’s approval was crucial for Olivia and Chloe, so here he was, meeting the older woman himself for the love of his brother and girlfriend.

He squeezed his eyes shut, groaning in frustration when he could not find any elderly woman in the café. Cassidy must have left when she thought he was not coming. Fifteen minutes were worse than the thought of disappointing Chloe. How would he explain to his brother, Olivia, and Chloe that he did not meet Cassidy because he was late?

“Hi! Can I help you?” The staff, maybe the same age as Olivia, smiled and stood beside Nathan.

“Yeah,” he cleared his throat, glancing at the customers again. “I was supposed to…”

His eyebrows furrowed, and he narrowed his eyes at the far corner of the room. She matched Chloe’s description of cashmere and eyeglasses.

“She can’t be her,” Nathan chuckled, shaking his head and blinking to make sure his eyes were not deceiving him.

“I’m sure she is her,” she chuckled, crossing her arms over her chest. “If you’re looking for Cassidy Lopez, that’s her.” She raised her hand, her index finger pointing at the girl in braided pigtails. “The one sleeping is my daughter, Selena.”

Nathan opened his mouth, but no words came out. Chloe must have forgotten to tell him Cassidy aged in reverse. His brows furrowed again as he thought of Brad Pitt’s movie.

The woman stood before him, offering her other hand. “Hi! I’m Allie,” she said, introducing herself. “I’m Olivia’s twin sister.”

Nathan’s brow lifted, blinking at the woman who introduced herself as Olivia’s twin sister.

“We’re fraternal twins,” Allie explained briefly, realizing Nathan’s surprised reaction.

“Oh,” Nathan exclaimed, his face crimson in embarrassment, realizing he didn't know much about Chloe's family. “H-Hi!” he stuttered, shaking hands with her. “Chloe said…” he cleared his throat again. “I thought Cassidy is…” he craned his neck, irked at his girlfriend’s joke.

“You must be Nathan.” Allie smiled gently.

Allie and Olivia were not identical, but Nathan realized the similarities when she smiled.

“Yeah,” he nodded.

“Olivia called, telling me Chloe’s handsome boyfriend is coming to get Cassidy here,” she said, giving him the milkshake. “This is her second order of blueberry milkshake, so it means she’s not happy. Good luck!” She chuckled, tapping him on his arm. “A little warning, Nathan. She’s only ten, but her brain is ten times our age. That child is a genius.”

Nathan opened his mouth but closed it again when he was unsure if he wanted to protest or beg her to accompany him. He swallowed hard, watching Allie turn her back on him and return to the counter.

His heart pounded hard, never expecting to be this nervous in front of a ten-year-old girl. Nathan took a deep breath and gathered all his courage, walking anxiously toward Cassidy Summer Lopez, the girl he needed to win for him and his brother.

The girl had her head down, focused still on her notebook even when he stood before her. He wondered why she ordered another milkshake when her glass was only half-empty. He pressed his lips tightly, suppressing a laugh when he glanced at Selena, sleeping soundly, her head rested on the hardbound book of Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone.

“Hi!” Nathan greeted.

Cassie sighed softly, lifting her gaze towards her sister’s boyfriend. She narrowed her eyes as if the thick lenses of her eyeglasses were not enough to see him clearly. Chloe said Nathan was cute. She lowered her head, returning her gaze to her homework and hiding her blushing cheeks.

Chloe underestimated another person again. Cute was a term used for puppies and kittens. Nathan Adams was not cute. He was gorgeous. The first time she saw his picture on Chloe’s phone, she knew she had a massive crush on the man who was ten years older than her.

“I’m…” Nathan extended his hand.

“You’re late,” she muttered, trying to sound disappointed to hide her excitement at finally meeting her knight-in-shining armor.

She heaved a deep sigh as she put her pen down and took off her eyeglasses.

“I’m really sorry,” he said, pulling the empty chair and sitting without waiting for her invitation. “My watch stopped, so I… thought… it was… still early.”

Nathan kept pausing and stealing glances at Selena. Despite his presence, the cute girl was still sound asleep, as if nothing in the world could disturb her slumber.

It's okay,” Cassie muttered and then paused. She pressed her lips, suppressing a laugh as she noticed him looking at her cousin.

“Is she okay?” Nathan asked worriedly.

She nodded. “Whenever she starts reading, the words pull her to the Land of Nod.”

He lifted a brow, wanting to laugh. “Land of Nod?”

When the girl blushed, Nathan shook his head and thought quickly of changing the subject. Embarrassing Cassidy would make his chances worse. He had to win her. He tilted his head and pointed at her notebook.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“Homework,” she answered, curling her lips. “Our teacher wants us to think of words that rhyme with our name.”

Nathan pulled the notebook closer to him. “Hmm…” he mumbled as he read the words, then scoffed at some that caught his attention. “Acidy? Panicky? Plaguily?”

“I tried my second name, but I could not think of any,” she said, reaching for her notebook and flipping on the second page.

“Bummer?” His index finger pointed at the word she had encircled among other words she had written on the paper. “Dumber?” he scoffed, shaking his head.

Nathan leaned on his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. He squinted at the adorable girl before him. Allie could be right that Cassidy was a genius, but the child had some issues with her confidence. Chloe is beautiful, but Cassidy is… His brows furrowed as he thought of the word. Her round, deep brown eyes behind her eyeglasses were innocent and dreamy but intriguing. He had always admired Chloe’s nose, but there was something about Cassidy’s pointed nose. Her lips…

Nathan blinked, waking himself up. He cleared his throat and sat straight when he remembered Cassidy was only ten.

“Cimer?” He suggested, unsure.

Cassie’s lips curled and sighed in frustration. “Thanks for nothing.”

“Cimer is -”

“Thanks for nothing. That’s what it means,” repeated Cassie as she rolled her eyes. “Chloe’s much better. Flowy, showy, doughy… snowy -”

“I don’t like snow. I like summer,” Nathan interrupted and smiled when Cassie blushed.

“Everyone liked summer until global warming happened,” Cassie pointed out, but the way Nathan said it made her heart crazy, pounding hard in her chest.

Nathan curved his full lips into a beautiful smile that Cassie thought melted her heart. He narrowed his gorgeous blue eyes and took her pen, writing something in her notebook. When he was done, he pushed it toward her.

“Enchantingly sommer. For me, that’s a good rhyme for Cassidy Summer.”

Cassie raised her head and nodded briefly, agreeing with him. She sighed but paused momentarily, unsure if it was okay to say her thoughts.

“Someday, I will marry you,” Cassie muttered in her determined voice.

“Umm…” Nathan’s brows knitted, but he managed to smile. “I’d love that, but -”

“You are my sister’s boyfriend,” Cassie managed to say. “And you’re here to get my approval for my mom and sister?”

Nathan forced a smile, unsure how to react when Cassie knew why he was there.

“FYI, Nathan Adams, Mom can marry any man she chooses to be with for the rest of her life, and as long as she’s happy and she’s friends with my dad, she doesn’t need my approval. I just hope Evan will take care of Mom.”

Cassie narrowed her eyes as she thought of her sister. For her, Chloe was far more perfect than any woman she knew. At twenty, she looked divine and sexy. Her sister was a high school cheerleader, a prom queen, and every guy’s dream girl. She was nothing compared to her. Chloe would tease and call her Grammy because of the thick lenses of her eyeglasses and her love for books.

“We can be best friends,” Nathan offered, tilting his head as he looked at her. “You don’t marry your best friend, Cassidy,” he said, ending the child’s fantasy.

“Then you shouldn’t marry Chloe. That’s incest,” Cassie mumbled, her eyes on her notebook again. She knew it was crazy for her to say it. She had to pretend to write as she had no other way to hide her embarrassment.

Dumbfounded, Nathan opened his mouth but closed it again. He was twice her age but lost on his first attempt to win her heart for Evan and himself.

Cassie took a deep breath and stood up. “I’m just kidding, Nathan,” she offered her hand. “Cassie. Now that we’re officially best friends call me Cassie.”