Kresley raised herself back to a sitting position and gently smacked him on the chest, stating “you are so, so bad Mr. Grantham. What would Aunt Mae think?”, she asked with a look of amusement.
“She’d slap the back of my head for my less than chivalrous thoughts, then head slap me again if I didn’t create an excuse to see you or talk to you again.”
“As much as I want to continue to cuddle like this with you and forget about what’s going on outside of this building, I need to get up and grab a shower and get ready for my day. I’m dreading all of the phone calls I know we’re getting now and I’ll have to return soon.”
Cade nodded his understanding and picked Kresley up off his lap like she was a doll. He kept holding her as he stood up and had placed her back on her feet. He brushed her hair back from her face, straightened her shirt and wiped away some wetness glistening on her plump lips. Cade groaned loudly and bent down, kissing Kresley one more time. “Thank you for my morning kisses, baby. They will make my day more awesome, that’s for sure. Can I see you tonight? Not anything complicated. I can bring over dinner and we can watch a movie or something. That’s all, I promise.”
Kresley took a long moment to stare at Cade, which made Cade squirm like he was back in high school, asking a girl out on a first date. “I’d love to spend time with you tonight, Cade”, Kresley answered with a genuine smile. Cade felt like he had just won the lottery. He stroked his fingertip down her nose and bopped the tip. He then walked with her to her apartment door and told her he would text her later in the day to check on her. Kresley closed her apartment door back with a smile on her face and her heart skipping beats. She then grabbed her phone and text a group text to her sisters and Grace, who she knew would be clambering to come upstairs to see what happened,
Kresley: Cade left. Don’t come upstairs. Getting shower and getting ready for work. Will talk when I come downstairs. Field any calls and I will return those shortly. ILY guys.
Gertie: Get ready Kres and we’ll see you soon. We promise to be good and not shove questions down your throat. We are fielding calls and only sending through vital ones to your voice mail message.
Grace: Cade waved to us goodbye, but didn’t stop to talk. You know we’re all going to have to attend a “get to know you” dinner sooner rather than later. See you in about 30 sis by another miss.
Kresley locked her phone’s screen and went to shower to wash away the night before, mentally preparing and opening herself up for a new day today, one with endless possibilities and a man who was making her feel so many emotions that she could no longer name them all.
Chapter Eight
Cade left Kresley’s apartment and walked downstairs. He could feel the eyes of her sisters and Grace on him as he came into the warehouse front store area. He held up a hand in gesture of goodbye and left out the front door. He needed to get back to the office to write notes from his interview with Kresley. As he drove across town to the police department, Cade took in all that had happened to him in the past 24 hours. A hell of way to find “the one”.
He could almost picture the looks of disbelief that would be sent his way if he dared voice that thought. He could just hear the chirps of crickets from his fellow brothers in blue if he uttered any words of having feelings for a woman he had just met. Cade snorted to himself. Like he cared. His parents were long gone now. He laid them in the ground 5 years ago, 6 months a part. He knew what it looked like to die of a broken heart. His mom grieved for his dad so hard that it took her life. And Cade didn’t have any siblings, so now it was just him and his aunt Mae. She was all he had, until now. Now Kresley was in the picture. And she wasn’t just standing on the fringes. She was in the middle of the photo.
Cade wanted a marriage like his parents had. One full of love and laughter. Oh, his mom and dad had fought, but at the end of the day loving each other and forgiving was more important than being the one who was right. Cade hadn’t been on the hunt to find a woman that fit what his parents had lived, but he never overlooked any woman he thought might could fit into the storyline he had in his head for his future. There had never been a woman who fit until Kresley.
Cade parked his sedan and walked into the PD, greeted by the front desk clerk. He went through the locked doors, entering in the code. Once that door shut, Cade could hear the sounds of cops talking to each other or on the phone. He thought he’d miss the chaos and noise of his precinct in Nashville, but this was definitely more his speed. He worked his way through the maze of cubicles and offices. He walked into his and sat down at his desk. It was organized and clean since he had only been working for a few days. He hadn’t had time to make it messy yet, but he would. He pulled out his phone and opened it to his
