“I think you help me to see what I’ve been missing. I’ve taken everything for granted. I lost one person, but I didn’t lose everyone. But if I’d kept going the way I was—I would have pushed my parents further away.”
“I’m sure your family understands that even if it was painful for them.”
“It’s you.” He kissed my temple. “You’re the reason I see things clearly. I want to keep seeing you. I want to be around you. You make everything better.”
His words flowed through my body. When had anyone said those words to me? My brother leaned on me. My parents pushed me. Layton wanted things from me. But Cade just wanted to be with me. My presence made his life better. “Thank you.”
“Do you want to come back to my place?”
I paused. I hadn’t expected Cade to invite me there. I didn’t know if he lived there with his late wife or if he’d moved.
“It’s not the house I lived in with Caroline if that’s what you’re thinking. I couldn’t breathe in that home. I sold it to her parents. They weren’t ready to let it go.”
“That was probably a good idea. I can’t imagine living in the same place—” I couldn’t finish my sentence because I didn’t want to say his late wife’s name out loud. It made her more real somehow, which was ridiculous because she was a huge part of him.
“Have you ever been in love?”
“No.” I hadn’t loved anyone the way he’d loved his late wife. It made me long for something like what he’d had.
“You seem pretty positive about that.”
“I see you, grieving your late wife five years later. I know I’ve never felt that way about anyone. I probably thought I was in love with one at the time, but I can see now, I wasn’t.”
I knew he’d always feel something toward Caroline, but I hoped he’d make room in his heart for me. Maybe it was naïve, but I’d never met anyone as real as him. Everything he went through made him the man he was today—the man I wanted to be with.
We stopped in front of his truck. He walked me back so that I leaned against the passenger side door his arms braced on either side of my head. “I can think of a few things that make me feel young.”
“Yeah and what’s that?” I liked this playful side of him.
He leaned in closer as he breathed his words over my lips. “You, for one.”
My arms wrapped around his neck before I pulled his lips down to mine. My fingers tangled in his hair as he kissed me.
He pulled back slightly. “Your body under mine. Your lips on mine. You naked in my bed.”
“Let’s go home then.” I smiled to see his face relaxed, the tension gone from his shoulders. The ever-present sadness in his eyes dissipated. I wanted him like this more often. I loved that I brought this out in him—that I’d made him see there was more to life than how he’d been living these last few years.
He pulled me away from the truck to open the door. “Let’s go.”
I climbed inside. I watched as he walked around the front of the truck. He wasn’t from a wealthy family. He worked hard and lived simply. He was someone I admired.
The idea that someone else’s happiness could fulfill you, not the amount of money in your bank account or the brand of your shoes, was intoxicating.
We drove in silence to his home. I tried to pay attention to my surroundings but quickly became disoriented since I hadn’t explored outside the city.
“Do you live on the water?” The light of the moon reflected off the water in the distance.
“I do. The house needed a ton of repairs, but the water sold it for me. I’d sit out on the porch and watch the water for hours.” He pulled down a long driveway to an older home with a detached garage and an overflowing dumpster.
I got out of the truck, placing my hand in his. Rocking chairs lined the wraparound porch. It was inviting. I could see him sitting on one, staring out over the water.
“I just started on the repairs. I meant to renovate a long time ago, but time got away from me.”
It was like this house told his story since Caroline died. He’d moved on in some ways and not others. It was his solace, his sanctuary, but still a reminder of what he’d lost and how far he needed to go.
“Can we see the water?”
“Sure.” He led me around the house.
The slight breeze cooled the air. It was more peaceful than my apartment because he had no neighbors. It felt like we were all alone. “It’s beautiful.”
“I love the view and the quiet.” His tone was more relaxed. He seemed at peace here.
He moved behind me, pulling me back against him. He nuzzled my neck. “I like having you here—in my space.”
My breath caught. I doubted Cade brought people here. My stomach flip-flopped at the thought of him trusting me, like when I drove too fast over a hill. That same thrill—excited, scared, and unsure, but determined to live in the moment raced through my body. I turned in his arms to cup his cheek. “Thank you for inviting me here.”
“Thank you for coming.” He pulled me tighter to his body. His eyes shimmered with emotion before he grabbed my hand, pulling me to the door. He unlocked it before pushing it open. We walked through the living room where a wall had recently been removed revealing the studs.
I wanted to explore his home to learn more about him, but he led me through the kitchen then up a set of stairs to the second floor.
“Are we on a mission?” I teased.
He stopped a few feet inside a bedroom. “You could say that.”
He hadn’t turned on any lights, so it was dark, but I could see he’d recently removed a wall. “I’m expanding the bedroom.”
Other
