“I’m sorry about your mother. I suspected she wasn’t in the picture, but I didn’t want to bring up any painful memories.”
“You didn’t. It was so long ago I barely remember what it was like to have her in my life.” In some ways, I’d blocked that time so it would be easier to move on but I suspected Cade didn’t have that same luxury.
Cade
I wanted to support her, help her, and love her the way she deserved, but I didn’t know if I was capable of being that man. My mind drifted to my conversation with Nolan—how I needed to talk to my parents and include Hadley. It was a way to show her I was serious about her.
The light breeze tickled my scalp. We leisurely walked around the couples and families congregating by the water. Their laughter filtered out over the water.
Hadley wrapped her arms around herself, shivering.
“Here.” I pulled off my hoodie before handing it to her.
“Thanks.” Pulling the large hoodie over her head, it dropped down to engulf her. I grabbed her hand—the coolness of her fingers couldn’t alleviate the warmth in my body at the thought she was mine. I didn’t want to screw this up. I didn’t want to push her away. I wanted to absorb her goodness—her warmth, her smell, and the love she freely offered me. I wanted to be the man who deserved her.
I may not have talked to Caroline about moving forward, but I knew now she wouldn’t begrudge me happiness. I deserved to feel again—the breeze on my face, the warmth of her skin, and her soft hair. I stopped, still holding onto her hand as I brushed her hair behind her ear. She looked so small, almost vulnerable in my sweatshirt. My heart burst with emotion—with feelings I couldn’t name yet. But there was no need to rush. I could take my time. Get to know her and me again. I could reinvent myself.
“What?” She licked her lips, drawing my eyes down.
“I was just thinking about how beautiful you are.”
Her lips curved up. “Thank you.”
I dipped my head to her shoulder and drew her closer to my body. I barely registered the people who walked around us. It was only me and her standing in the moonlight. I closed my eyes. I never wanted this moment to end.
This moment was perfect. It was worth holding onto. Hadley had slipped under my skin as if she’d been there forever. “Hadley,” I breathed before my lips touched hers in the barest—lightest of touches.
“Cade.”
I opened my eyes to look into hers—worry and depth warred in the depths of her blue eyes. I stroked her jaw. I’d protect her. I’d do everything in my power to be worthy of her. “My parents have a family dinner every Sunday night.”
“Yeah?” She tilted her head slightly.
“I’d like you to come.”
She opened her mouth the answer, but I covered her parted lips with my thumb. “There’s more. I haven’t been as close to my parents since Caroline died. I have to apologize. To make things right. I should do it on my own, but I don’t want to. I want you with me.” For the first time, I wondered if she’d say no. Would she be uncomfortable?
“Of course, I’ll be there for you.” The worry cleared from her eyes until all that was left was yearning.
“Thank you. Sometimes, I feel like I don’t deserve to love again.”
“You deserve everything.” She didn’t hesitate. She said it with such certainty I wanted to believe her.
Instead of arguing with her, I kissed her. I kissed her until her lips were swollen and I forgot everything but her.
Chapter Twenty
Hadley
The next morning I was still riding the high of our perfect evening walk as I sipped my coffee. What he’d said was everything I wanted to hear so I tried to ignore the small voice in my head that told me to be cautious, to hold myself back. When I looked into his eyes, surrounded in the warmth and scent of his sweatshirt, his hand cupping my cheek, his thumb on my lips—I wanted to lean into him and soak in his words. I wanted to believe I was enough to overcome everything—both of our pasts and our future.
Cade walked into the kitchen, smelling of soap, his hair still wet from the shower. “You want to come with me this morning? Nolan and I are revealing one of the homes we renovated.”
I turned to face him. “The family won’t mind if I’m there?”
He placed both hands on the counter behind me and leaned in to nuzzle my neck before pulling back to answer, “No, I called yesterday and asked if it was okay. I said you were running your own nonprofit and hoped to gain some ideas.” Cade shrugged. “I know our nonprofits are different, but it might be beneficial to observe and I want you there. I want you to see what I do.”
“I’d love to come.” I smiled up at him. I was giddy he’d asked me to go with him.
He leaned down to kiss me before taking a few steps to pour his coffee. “I could get used to having you in my home every morning.”
“Me too.” I didn’t want to get too comfortable, but it was nice waking up to him.
“I’ll whip up some pancakes and then we can stop by your apartment for you to change.”
“Sounds perfect.” I sat on the barstool so I could observe him cook.
He grabbed pancake mix from the pantry, milk and eggs from the fridge and placed them on the counter between us. “It’s a mix from a box, but it will get the job done.”
“When are you planning on renovating the kitchen?” I asked, looking around at the room. So far, it looked like he’d taken down the wall between the two rooms but hadn’t touched anything else.
He poured the ingredients into a bowl. “So far, I’ve been in demo-mode in
