13. Cade
Chapter thirteen
Cade
For the last several years, I’ve reasoned that dating and me didn’t mix. It never truly had, even when I was growing up. It was never difficult for me to attract women; keeping them was the hard part. I never thought of myself as the type of person who could settle down, either because I had too much going on or my priorities didn’t align with whoever I was dating. I never expected to fall in love, especially not in my line of work.
In time, I want to tell Sloane all of this, but for now, I’m happier being in our ignorantly blissful bubble. I’ve spent enough time grieving the life I once had that now I think I deserve happiness again.
Is that so wrong?
Tonight is a step in the right direction. We needed this moment to talk and air out all of our grievances. Being away from Sloane made me see how important it is to be more communicative. Even I, Cade Hart, have insecurities. There is only one other woman I’ve been able to let my guard down with, one who has also challenged me in the most combative yet crucial ways. It’s because of this vulnerability that I fear if Sloane gets too close, I’ll risk losing her again. Especially now that there’s a potential stalker in the mix.
But despite all that, I think Sloane is worth the risk.
We spent a good part of the night on the lake, enjoying each other’s company while watching the sunset. We talked about the little things, things that seem so minimal and mundane, but the important part was just being together. It feels like we’re finally in a good place, especially now that we’ve addressed the details I initially wanted to avoid.
Despite our finding common ground, I think I’ll always be hesitant to let someone new into my life. Yes, Sloane has been a major part of my life for many years, but we are completely different people than we were a decade ago. By all accounts, the people we once were wouldn’t fit any more than we do now, but for some reason, we both feel the need to try.
The sun completely set, leaving us with nothing but the moon and the stars to guide us back to the marina. It wasn’t ideal to use the marina, with the repairs I need to approve, but I couldn’t bear the thought of Sloane leaving before we got to enjoy the sun setting behind the lake. Things were too perfect right now to let the moment pass.
Sloane walked to the marina, so I offer to drive her back, allowing us to settle in a comfortable silence. For once, the lack of talking doesn’t feel like a dark cloud looming overhead, threatening to split open and let out a catastrophic storm. It feels hopeful, like the storm’s aftereffects paving the way for beautiful tomorrows.
When we get to the house, I pull into the property across the street, not wanting to draw attention to her parents. It’s one thing for us to see where things can progress between us; it’s still a whole other thing to share that with the rest of her family when we’ve barely started.
I cut the engine off, and she turns to look at me. Her smile glows in the moonlight, and I welcome it.
“Come out with me tomorrow,” I say to her. I’ve grown accustomed to not asking but telling her I want to spend time with her. It isn’t a command, nor is it intended to be, but I want her to know that I value our time together, and I want to show her as much. Plus, it’d be nice to show her the life she could have with me, even if the monetary parts don’t matter as much to her.
“I have to see,” she says.
I look at her, confused. Is that a rejection?
“You forget I’m here for a wedding, not to run off and do whatever I want,” she says.
I sigh in relief, nodding. After tonight, I’m not sure why my mind would assume the worst, but I can’t help it. Sometimes, the mind likes to play tricks on us.
“I understand,” I reply, looking away. I’m not angry or dismissive, just bummed.
I feel her shift in the seat next to me, and her hands stroke my face so I can look at her. She smiles lovingly at me. “I’ll figure it out,” she says softly before pressing a kiss to my lips in a slow, agonizingly warm embrace.
I sigh contently into the moment before pulling away. We exchange smiles once more before she pulls back and gets out of the car.
I sit there and watch her make her way back to the house, scanning the area to be sure that no one is around. Despite how well everything went tonight, I haven’t forgotten about that letter. Whoever sent it knows Sloane is in Rose Valley. This person could very well be in Rose Valley themselves.
All I know is whoever it is will have a tough time getting to her now that I’m around.
As I’m about to put the car in drive, I get a text. I pick up my phone, and a smile reaches my face.
Where are we going? - Sloane
I shake my head and leave her on read, allowing her to mull over our next excursion. It’s no private jet to Denver to see an exclusive art exhibit accompanied by a Michelin-starred meal, but I have a feeling it will please her.
…
The next morning comes, and I tell Sloane to meet me at the estate. I may have given her the tour of the important things, like the house and the neighboring pieces of it; however, there is one other place I never showed her: my private hangar and runway. Because Rose Valley and Meadow Falls aren’t accessible to any flight traffic, an airport was never built in the region. I’ve thought about buying land and building one myself, but I didn’t want to ruin the natural parts of either town, so I decided to build my own on my land.
It’s been better for me, anyway. I don’t have to overthink my flight arrangements or go through security. On top of that, I don’t risk ruining the beautiful ecosystems of Rose Valley and Meadow Falls through unnecessary construction.
I stand on the tarmac and wait for Sloane to arrive. I hope she likes what I have planned. I wring my hands nervously as the wheels of the car crunch the pebbles as she arrives.
When the car pulls up, the driver comes around and opens the door for Sloane. I wait for her as she gets out and walks over to me. I wrap my arms around her waist as she kisses me gently. It almost feels like we’ve been doing this for months, if not years.
I hold my free hand out to the helicopter beside me with my other arm still secured around her. “What do you think?”
She takes it in. I don’t expect her to have much of an opinion on the helicopter itself. Just the surprise I’ve planned for later.
“Are we going in that?” she asks, and I nod excitedly. “You know how to fly a helicopter?”
I nod again, and I’m glad she doesn’t ask me when I learned or how. Prior to starting my business, I was in a different line of work—work that afforded me to gain formal training, including piloting both helicopters and planes.
There will come a time when I know my past will come up, just like hers will. For now, I don’t want to ruin the good thing we’ve established, especially not after what we managed to work through last night.
I guide her to the door and pop open the cabin before helping her inside. I run around to my side and hop in, helping her secure the headphones over her ears so we can communicate as needed. She fastens her seatbelt with shaky hands, then nervously drums her fingers on her knees as if trying to find something, anything, to distract herself from thinking about going up in the air.
I’m reminded again that there is so much that Sloane doesn’t know about me, so every new discovery she does learn must be difficult to tie to the guy she once knew. I imagine as we dig deeper into her, she may begin to reveal who she is behind that facade, too. But I know it will take time.
I place my hand over hers and give it a gentle squeeze for support. She looks to me for guidance, and I nod to her as a sign that everything will be okay. Then I pull my hand away and start the engine.
As soon as we’re up in the air, Sloane’s nerves seem to dissipate as she takes in the massive landscape of the two towns below. Seeing them from this point of view makes everything feel a little less chaotic. The beauty of Rose Valley and Meadow Falls stretches on for miles, despite how small the towns themselves are. Between the open pastures and lake, the entire town holds such a special place for me—and I know for Sloane as well—that can’t be measured.
Seeing it from this view also reminds me of all I’ve done to keep it afloat. Everyone being appreciative of my efforts is what I do it for, not for the glory or the support, but simply because this town has always been there for me when I needed it. And since I have the means to give back now, I think it is only right to do so.
“It’s beautiful up here,” Sloane says.
I look over and note that her eyes haven’t left the view below us. That’s high praise, coming from an artist like Sloane, but I recognize that I could come off a little biased in agreeing with her.
“Sometimes I’ll take this out to come here when I need time to think,” I tell her as I return my focus to what’s in front of me.
“Most people have a place they like to go, like a park,” she says wryly. “Cade Hart likes to take his private helicopter into the sky.”
I laugh and shake my head. Sure, having the ability to take a private helicopter up in the sky to get away from the chaos on the ground is as “first-world problems” as it can get, but I remind myself every day that I earned this privilege. It humbles me and reminds me of where I came from.
“Say what you want, but even a billionaire needs to get away from the world’s problems from time to time,” I say as I turn us around and head back to the estate. It wasn’t just getting up in the helicopter that I wanted to show her, but something else I’ve set up.
“If only you’d let me into your problems,” I hear her say, and I look towards her. She’s staring at me, waiting for me to let her in and truly allow myself to be vulnerable.
I take a deep breath. As much as I want to will myself to open myself up completely, I’m just not ready to do that.
“Soon,” I tell her.
It’s the best I can give her, but it isn’t just an answer; it’s a question, too. I’m not the only one holding back on being vulnerable. While she is willing to open her heart up to me and let us explore this connection, I can feel herself holding back as well. If neither one of us is willing to be open with one another, then I fear this thing will end.
She stares at me and lets out a shaky breath, understanding the implications of my response. Finally, she nods. “Soon.”
That seems to be the mutual understanding we needed from each other. And for now, that’s enough for me. I don’t need to complicate this or establish what we are, even. I’m happy just knowing where we stand on our feelings and if this thing between us has the potential to grow, even if it doesn’t have the usual labels.
After I land, I help her out of the headphones and her seatbelt. When I take her hand to help her out of her seat, she gasps when she sees what’s in front of her: a little picnic for just the two of us.
“I never knew you to be such a romantic,” she says, and I chuckle, walking hand in hand toward the setup.
“Then you don’t know me very well,” I tease.
We sit on the blanket overlooking the pond on the property. We take turns trying the different finger foods I prepared earlier while enjoying the peace and quiet around us. It’s simple and serene, and the way she’s lit up today makes all of this worth it.
“How is your collection coming along?” I ask.
She groans as she eats a grape, and I chuckle. “That good, huh?”
“Artist’s block is real,” she says as I lean back against my elbows. “I think I have something, and then suddenly, it goes away when something terrible throws me off.”
I wonder if any of that has to do with me. Have I been distracting her and causing her to struggle with her art?
“Remember when I told you to just paint what comes to mind?” I ask, and she nods. “Art is a feeling, is it not? So feel the art and let it inspire you to make a cohesive collection.” I say it as if it should be obvious, reiterating to her what I’ve said a few times already.
After that, we fall into silence. She nibbles slightly on her bottom lip in thought. Suddenly, she gasps like she’s had cold water splashed on her.
“I need to get back home as soon as possible,” she says breathlessly.
I nod frantically, though I’m still confused. “Is everything okay?” I ask as I get up, concerned about why we’re leaving so abruptly.
She smiles widely at me. “Just that I think I know what my collection will finally be about. And it’s thanks to you.”
She presses a kiss to my cheek as she visibly buzzes with excitement. All I know is, whatever the theme of her collection will be, I’m confident it will be perfect. Just like her.