Cade turned, immediately taking our drinks. His hair was disheveled as if he’d been running his hands through it all morning and there were dark circles under his eyes.
My heart clenched at the idea that I’d done that to him. “Thanks.”
“You didn’t have to buy lunch.” He sat on the bench before he placed the teas next to him.
“I’m sure you’ve been working all morning without stopping to eat, right?” I sat next to him and placed one of the wrapped crepes in his lap.
He looked sheepish as he quickly unwrapped it. “Yeah. I’m starving.”
I unwrapped my crepe more slowly, thinking of what to say to him first. I couldn’t eat yet, not until I explained things to him. I hoped it wasn’t too late. “Listen. I wanted to talk to you about last night.”
He placed his crepe back on the wrapper as he shifted to face me.
“I’m sorry for pushing you away. I get that it’s important for you to be there for me and I’d like that. I’d like you to come to New Orleans with me.”
He paused and looked at me. “Yeah?”
I smiled. “Yeah, I want to introduce you to my brother and my friends. I want to show you what I love about New Orleans.”
“I’d love to come. When do you need to leave?”
“My flight is at seven a.m. on Friday.”
He grimaced. “I have my reveal Saturday morning. The local media stations will be there. I’m supposed to speak.”
I didn’t mention that Nolan reminded me already. I got the impression he didn’t want Cade to know he’d interceded on his behalf. “You could still come on a later flight.”
Now that I’d decided to have him there, I would be disappointed if he couldn’t come.
“Yeah. I’ll look at flights when I get home.”
“Great.”
“I’m happy, but what brought on this sudden change?”
“I thought about everything important to me, you and our relationship, and I realized I want you there. Going to New Orleans isn’t just about standing up to my father. Kids Speak is important to me. You’re important to me too. I want you to share it with me. And I understand it’s important for you to be there for me.”
“It is. Thank you.” He placed his hand over mine and leaned over to place a light kiss on my lips.
“So, I’m forgiven?” I asked him when he pulled back slightly, his hand still on mine.
He smiled sweetly. “Yes.”
“Good. Because I think—I think I’m falling in love with you and I was worried I’d screwed everything up last night.” I sucked in a sharp breath. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
He smiled wider and brushed a few strands of my hair behind my ear. “Good. Because I am too.”
He kissed me again and all I could think was how my heart was bursting for him.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Hadley
The rest of the week, I talked to new clients, researched the law, and filed motions. In the evenings, we painted, first our offices and then the reception area.
“We did it!” Dylan exclaimed when she swiped the brush over the last dry spot in the reception area.
I stepped back to admire our work. We’d gone with taupe which was warm and inviting. I didn’t think things could get any better than Monday when Cade declared he was falling in love with me too, but the last few days were filled with more happiness. We were getting an influx of new client calls. Dylan even heard from interested donors. It would take time to expand Kids Speak, especially without my father’s backing, but hopefully, it would work out.
Glancing down at the carpet, I groaned. “Are you sure we can’t afford carpet?”
“I called someone in for an estimate and it’s too much. I swear they charge more for business than personal,” Avery said.
“Probably.” I sat in the receptionist’s chair and spun a little.
Dylan pushed a chunk of hair out of her face getting more paint on her face when she placed her brush in the tray. “I swear there’s more paint on me than these walls.”
“What time is your flight tomorrow?” Avery asked.
“Seven a.m.” Initially, I was adamant that I could face my dad on my own, but now that I would potentially be facing him alone, I was worried. I didn’t want to back down from the decisions I’d made, but I never knew what my dad would use against me next.
“Ugh. We can’t even go out and have a proper celebration.” Avery picked up her tray of paint before heading to the sink in the back.
“No worries. I brought champagne.” Dylan went to her office, returning with a bottle held high in her hands. She opened the door to pop the cork outside so it wouldn’t spill in our newly painted office. She poured a glass for each of us.
When we held our glasses up, she said, “Let’s toast to us and our firm, Arrington, Gannon, & Winters.”
I smiled. “To Arrington, Gannon, & Winters.”
“I’ll never get sick of hearing that.” Avery smiled, clinking her glass with Dylan’s.
“May we have so many clients, we have to turn them away,” Dylan added.
“That would be a nice problem to have.” I drank a small amount of the bubbly liquid, letting it slide down my throat.
“No, kidding,” Dylan muttered. “Now, who’s going to clean this mess?”
“I know you wanted to do this on our own, but we could have at least invited your boyfriend and his hunky brother to help us clean,” Dylan said.
“He has his big reveal tomorrow for Morrison Construction Rebuilds. I didn’t want him to be out late.” Whereas I didn’t want to go home. I was afraid I wouldn’t get any sleep tonight. The thought of facing my father was daunting.
“Hey, you got approval to paint from the landlord, right?” Dylan asked.
Avery was usually the organized one of all three of us, so I’d assumed she had before we started painting.
“Well—”
Dylan drank the rest of her champagne, before placing her empty glass on the desk
