Chapter 34 I Chose You

...Cassandra POV...
I know of a certain someone's smile is so wide, if he did not have ears, his smile would be right around his face. Let us just hope that it stays there, for I do not know how this one is going to play out. He seems to have grown quite a deep disliking for my father. He looks like a man that does not easily forgive, never mind forget. The question begs, what am I going to do about it?
I quickly take my phone and send Anna a message, and then I turn my attention to Christian. As I watch him while he is concentrating, which is very rare when he is around me, I catch a glimpse of that deep brown eyes. This man, with that head of flawless messed up hair and chiseled features, has so much more to him than just a pretty boy face and an inch-perfect toned body. This man has a heart, and that is what makes me love him the most.
Just as I am about to speak, he catches me staring at him. His smile turns to one so wicked that even I would blush if I knew what he was thinking.
"Do you see something you like, princess?"
"Mmm, more like something I want. Please, will you pull the car over?"
"Again? Damn, I am a lucky man today."
"Hahaha. Not that lucky. Please, will you pull over?"
He lifts his one brow at me. I see that he is somewhat confused, but he still does as I ask. He pulls off to the side onto the curb off a very busy street.
"Now, it is my turn."
I nearly burst out in inner laughter to myself. If he could, then he has just fallen off his chair. He stutters for a few seconds before he manages to forms a few clear words.
"What? Here? In the middle of the day? On this busy road? Where everyone can see us?"
"Come on, Mr. Caine, I am sure you have done this before."
"In fact not. My god, are you serious?"
"Yes, why would I not be?"
"Shit, princess, but if you want to, then I will."
I softly chuckle to myself; if I thought that lap dance made him uncomfortable, then this by far surpasses that. But let me pull the poor man out of his panic state.
"I am just joking."
"Damm, I am not going to lie, but fuck, I am so relieved."
"I will remember that the next time IT needs attention."
"Well, that is if there is a next time because IT shall not be called IT."
"Ok, we are going off topic here."
"I did not even know there was a topic?"
I playfully punch his big muscled arm in that shirt that looks like it is maybe two sizes too small. As I go to pull my hand away, he takes my small hand and covers it with his big strong ones. For such a hands-on, down and dirty man, they are so soft and warm; it feels like big fluffy clouds are wrapped around my skin. As I look up from his hand, I can see the confusion and curiosity in his eyes. I just know there are so many thoughts spinning around in his head.
"What is wrong, princess?"
"What happened between you and my father?"
"Let us go meet with Anna first; then we can talk later."
"I told Anna I would let her know when we are there."
I can see he is hesitating to talk about it, but he made me a promise, and he is a man of his word. Even though it pains him because he knows that I might not like what happened, he still carries on.
"Well, to make a long story short..."
I immediately stop him, for I do not wish to hear the sugar-coated version. He is mad, and I want to know what my father had done that has got him seeing red.
"I want to know everything that happened, please."
"It is not so much what he did do but more what he did not do."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I did not think they took it so seriously. Maybe it was just me being unreasonable. But then again, your mother could have canceled her appointment."
"What? Her hair appointment?"
In an instant, a fire flares up in his eyes. If I thought he was mad before, then this is downright terrifying. That beautiful smile that was tickling his ears before is gone as if it was never even there. I watch him as he tries to calm himself down before he speaks, but there is no controlling this anger deep within.
"Princess, you know I don't like cursing in front of you but a fucking hair appointment. She had a fucking hair appointment that was more important than finding her daughter. You got to be fucking with me?"
"I am sorry to say, but I am not joking with you. They were going out for lunch after her appointment."
"I should have punched your father when I wanted to."
"Christian!"
"No, princess, they just carried on about their day. You were just a problem to sort out."
"What else happened?"
"I might have told him what an awful father he is for what he did to you. Needless to say, I do not think I am welcome in your parents' home anymore."
That is about enough to get my father to hate him, and of course, there is the part where he is a Caine. But what baffles me the most is that they wanted us to meet and then split us apart. What kind of a person does something like this...well, obviously my parents do? But then there is Foster that still does not approve of us. So whichever way you look at it, our love is forbidden by both our families. What do we even do with something like that?
"Christian."
"What is wrong, princess?"
"I know that I chose to stay with my father over you. But the thing is, I love my parents, but I just wonder what they are thinking."
"Well, that I cannot help you with, for sometimes I think my mom is the only one with a brain. Well, apart from me, when I am not around you."
Which leads me to this. This is one of those life-defining moments; what I say and choose now will affect who I am and who I am going to become. There is a time in life where we all must make one of the hardest decisions that we shall ever have to make in our lives. But this one is easy to make after everything that has happened. Just to get the damn words to come out of my mouth. I know what I want to say, but why is it so hard.
"Christian."
"Yes, princess?"
"I choose you."
"You choose me? I don't understand what you mean?"
"Over my crazy family, they are never going to approve of us. I want to be with you. I want to stay with you."
...Christian POV...
Well, my princess has just shocked me, but there could be two possibilities, I have fallen asleep and had a near impossible dream, or I do not quite understand what it is that she is saying. I reach on over to pull her hair away from her face so I can see those chocolate brown eyes. I am looking for the answers but are blown away by a deep clarity and sheer happiness in them. I don't know when this came to her, but it seems that she has found her resolve. And, of course, I lose my ability to think.
"Fuck...no shit...no goddammit...ugh. Do you really mean it? I mean, you are going to have to put up with my father, but my mother is fine; she really likes you."
"If it means it is the only way that I can be with you, then I shall try not to shoot your father."
"Hahaha...Oh...you are not joking."
"But I would ultimately prefer if we can move out of there."
"Will you seriously want to live with me? A man that has not left home since he was a baby? I would not even know what to do with myself."
"Lucky we will have me."
"I like how we will have you. Well, I like it more that I will have you all to myself. And let us not forget about IT."
"So we can call it IT?"
"No, only I can, and it was just a once-off."
And before she can even think of a clever comeback, my lips crash against hers. I have not had these lips in far too long. I have forgotten how soft and sweet they taste.
"Mmm, why do you taste like strawberries?"
"I am trying a new lipstick. Do you like it?"
"I like it; IT likes it even more."
"Keep IT in your pants, tiger; we still have this minor revealing to go do."
"Just five more minutes."
I rub my lips against hers, robbing her off, even thinking to protest. As I softly whisper to her between long, drugging kisses that are consuming my own senses, I cup her one cheek and stop for one second.
"I love you, princess."
"I love you, Mr. Caine."
I kiss her again with much more passion and hunger behind it; I growl low in the back of my throat. Her hands find their way into my thick, dark hair as she catches my bottom lip in her teeth, nibbling and licking at it until I thought I might perish from the intensity of the feeling. I whimper at the sensation and deepen the kiss. Then my hand finds its way under her skirt, caressing up the inside of her leg.
"Oh no, you don't."
"But princess, just once?"
"Tell IT that he can wait until we get home."
"You no fun. But guess I do need all my brain cells. And I can't particularly shake your father's hand if I smell like his daughter."
"Christian!"
"Hahaha."
...Cassandra POV...
Well, that did not go so bad; I thought I was going to die. I knew that he would be happy, but I was maybe hoping for him to say that he shall move out. Guess, as they say, baby steps at a time.
As for steps, this one is going to be a leap. I have just sent Anna a message that we are on our way. She shall wait just down the street then follow in behind us.
Christian has not asked many questions; he shall find out the rest just as the others are. I think he is looking forward to seeing my dad fall flat on his face.
As we turn the corner down the street of my mother's house, we see Anna is waiting for us. Maybe there is a piece that wished she did not, but she needs to do this for herself and, in a way, for her mom.
When we drive into the driveway, she follows us in from behind. This is it; all hell is about to break loose. But then I hear Christian curse to himself.
"What the fuck?"
"What is wrong?"
"My father is here."
"Oh, god! The more, the merrier, today we truly see the powerful Joseph Cummings fall on his ass."
With one quick peck on my lips, we get out of the car and make our way to the front door with Anna by my side.
Then I swing the door open, finding three very shocked people staring back at me. My father is the first to leap forward and give me one squeeze too many hug.
"Cassandra! Fuck! Where did you find her?"
"Oh, she had a lunch appointment with Anna."
I see what he did there, and he loved every minute of it. But wait, the question is about to come...
"Who is Anna?"
From behind me, Anna steps out...
"It is me, Anna, don't you remember me, dad?"