Hadley chewed her lip thoughtfully. “I don’t know about that. I think he was ready, and I came into his life at the right time.”
“We’re both grateful to you, Hadley, and we’re happy to have you back, son.” Dad turned the TV back up, effectively ending the conversation.
I wasn’t expecting the conversation to be so easy. Maybe I’d built things up in my head too much.
We made small talk for a while until I stood. “We’re going to head home.”
“Of course. Let me get your leftovers.” Mom went to the kitchen while we gathered our jackets. Hadley handed Dad her card.
Mom handed me the container of food before taking Hadley’s hands in hers. “It was so nice to meet you, Hadley. I can’t thank you enough.”
“You’re welcome, Maureen. It was nice to meet you as well.”
When I hugged Mom, she whispered in my ear, “She’s lovely.”
Mom’s approval spread through my body, giving justification for my decision to see where this thing with Hadley could go. She was special.
Dad slapped my shoulder and said, “It’s good to have you back. We hope to see more of you, Hadley.”
Hadley smiled. I knew she loved hearing that.
Opening the truck’s passenger side door, I helped her inside.
When we were on the road back to my house, I said, “That was not what I expected.”
When she was quiet, I glanced over at her. She seemed to be thinking about her words. “You were grieving, and I think they’re just happy you’re here now and on the path to recovery.”
I was the only one not so willing to forget my actions for the past few years. “I guess.”
“I just can’t get over how my family would be different if my mother had lived. Would my family be more like yours?”
I sighed. The pain in her voice was a living breathing thing in the air between us. “What I’ve tried to remind myself over the years is that when someone dies, it was meant to be. That future I thought I’d have with Caroline was never in the plans for me. It wasn’t meant to be. I fought that idea for years and it gave me nothing but pain.”
“You’re right. Most of the time, I’m fine with the way things are, but sometimes when I see a loving mother like yours, it comes back.”
“I think that’s natural.”
“Maybe, that’s what I was trying to do by moving here and starting over. It wasn’t just to find out who I was. It was an acceptance that I wasn’t happy living the life my dad wanted.”
Her father wasn’t living the life he’d planned for either. “Maybe he’s wallowing in his grief too. He can’t see past it to see that you’re hurting. Or that Colin is hurting. He’s holding on so tightly to the control over his business and his kids. He doesn’t see that it’s pushing you away.”
I felt Hadley’s eyes on the side of my face, so I looked over at her. “What?”
Her eyes were filled with respect and admiration for me. “You’re amazing, do you know that?”
“Only with you.” Our eyes connected and a current of awareness shot from her to me sending a shiver from my scalp to my neck and down my spine. I turned my attention from Hadley to the road, tightening my grip on the steering wheel.
Those words. They’d flowed out of my mouth without thought. They were the same words Hadley said in my bed. Maybe this woman was meant to be my future.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Hadley
When he said those three words, a charge passed between us, sending tingles through my body. Was he the only one for me? I settled back into the seat, turning my head so I could study him. His fingers tightened around the steering wheel—his eyes focused on the road, but what was he thinking?
The words were heavy with expectation, but when I’d said them to him—they’d felt true. When he told me—they felt right. Was Caroline his past and I was his future? Was it fate? Was it possible for Cade to love two women in his life? Did he have enough space in his heart for me?
Would he make space for me in his life? Could he hold onto his memories of Caroline and make new ones with me? The idea filled me with such hope I felt jittery. I shifted in my seat and played with the strap of my purse.
I was bursting with love for this man. Was it too much to hope he’d love me back?
We were building something, however tentative. I wanted to see it through. If he were the one for me, then I’d be patient. I’d give him time to grow with me. I’d allow for setbacks when it became too much and perhaps, one day, he’d feel the same way I did.
“About last—”
My phone buzzed in my purse. “Sorry, let me turn it off.” I sifted through my bag until I found my phone. It was my dad calling.
“Do you need to get it?”
I chewed my lip. Wasn’t this a good opportunity to set some boundaries with my dad? I was with Cade and I should be focused on him—not whatever thing my dad thought was important. “No.”
I let it go to voicemail. When I looked at my missed call list, I had three missed calls from Dad and a couple of unread texts from Layton. The phone immediately started ringing again.
“You’d better get that.”
“Sorry.” I swiped answer on the phone and lifted it to my ear. “Dad. Is everything okay?”
“You haven’t answered your phone all night.” Anger filtered through the line.
“I was busy.” My shoulders tensed.
“When I call, you need to answer.”
I bit my lip to stop the retort on my tongue. He didn’t pay for my phone anymore, so threats like that fell flat.
“What’s so important that you needed to speak to me?” My jaw ached from clenching my teeth.
Cade’s
