Chapter 14
As soon as Dru’s eyes popped open, there was a smile on her face.
For the first time, she went to sleep peacefully and woke up feeling the same way.
Caden’s arm was tossed around her, and as much as she wanted to snuggle up against him, she wanted to check on her sister and head home.
Regardless of the fairy tale she allowed herself to believe last night, reality was setting in.
She needed to go home, talk to her mother, and look for a job.
When she tried to climb out of bed, Caden’s grip around her tightened.
“Where you think you going?” he grumbled, tossing his leg around hers.
Dru chuckled as she relaxed against him. “I was going to shower and stuff and get ready to go. I need to try and figure out what’s wrong with my car and—”
“Ian had your car towed to a mechanic last night. I’m handling it.”
“Oh. Thank you?” The words came out more like a question than a statement. Quite frankly, Dru wasn’t used to anyone taking the initiative to do things for her.
“Relax, beautiful. The sun isn’t even up yet.”
Dru released a shaky breath and closed her eyes. “I don’t know how to relax. Not completely.”
She might not have shared the truth with him, but anxiety was what had her getting up so early. Usually, she would have slept in later if her alarm clock didn’t try to wake her up.
“You’ll learn,” he decided, placing a kiss on the back of her head that instantly soothed her. “There’s something I need to discuss with you, and I need you to promise to hear me out.”
“Oh God. What is it? Do you secretly have a wife? Kids? Are you gay?”
Caden’s arm unraveled from around her as he laughed. “The fuck?” Sitting up, he wiped his eyes and leaned against the headboard. “No. None of that.”
“Then what is it? Because it sounds bad.”
“Can we lay here a little longer, freshen up, and have breakfast before we talk?”
“I can’t lay here knowing there’s something we have to talk about, Caden. You might as well just tell me now.” Dru sat up and scooted further away from him in the extra wide king bed.
“Alright. Go ahead and freshen up, and I’ll do the same in my room.”
As quickly as she could, Dru used the bathroom, showered and handled her hygiene, then dressed in the shirt Caden laid out for her on the edge of the bed.
She made her way downstairs, speaking to the three women cleaning on her way down.
It didn’t surprise her to find Caden in the kitchen leaned against the counter, talking to Sidney as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
He was turning out to be nothing like she expected.
Her eyes focused on the way his eyes crinkled and lit up as he smiled.
He looked so innocent for someone so lethal.
“There’s my sweetheart,” he declared, extending a cup of coffee in her direction.
“Thank you. Cream?”
“There’s a few different flavors over there,” Caden said, pointing toward the wall where a coffee and espresso bar was set up.
“Ugh. You’re making it harder and harder for me to leave.”
“Good. I want you here forever.”
Like always, Dru tried to convince herself she couldn’t believe his words. That he was simply flirting. But so far, Caden had stood behind every word he’d spoken to her, and that was a different kind of scary, because for the first time in her life, she found it easy to trust a man.
Once she was done with her coffee, they went to the dining room, where Sidney had set up a breakfast feast. Dru resisted the urge to say she could get used to this as she sat next to Caden.
When he took her hand into his and prayed over their food, all she could do was stare at him.
They made small talk as they ate—nothing too heavy.
By the time breakfast was over, Caden’s handsome face was covered with unsurety. What could he have to tell her that had the usually calm and confident man so rattled?
“Yesterday, when I found out you’d gotten fired from the grocery store, I went to talk to Tina,” Caden shared.
“We discussed her debt and the one you had with Galloway.” Dru’s heart dropped.
“I’m holding her accountable for both. She owes me damn near two hundred thousand dollars.
When I made her aware of that, she told me I could have you instead. ”
Dru’s throat burned and eyes watered. Gritting her teeth, she shook her head as a bitter chuckle escaped her.
“Before your mind starts coming up with different scenarios, hear me out. I told her I would take you and that you’d live with me until she paid her debt. I gave her sixty days to pay up. I also told her I wanted Dreya to come with me, too, but since she’s a minor, I couldn’t swing that.”
“So you lied,” Dru mumbled, avoiding his eyes. “You said I wouldn’t owe you. You said I could trust you—”
“And that’s exactly what the fuck I meant,” he said gently yet firmly.
“You don’t owe me. She does. I only said I’d take you to get you out of her house.
As soon as she pays me, I’m giving that money to you.
If I felt like you’d take it, I’d give you the world, Dru.
But since I know there’s a cap on what you’ll let me do, I figured you’d be more comfortable taking the money from her. ”
“And what? You expect me to just . . . be your prisoner for the next sixty days?”
Caden chuckled and turned slightly to face her.
“You can leave right now if you want to. I won’t ever ask you to stay somewhere you don’t want to be.
” Caden stood and lifted her to her feet by her hand.
She closed her eyes, and he cupped her cheeks.
“I’m hoping you’ll stay and let me give you the life and love you deserve. ”
He kissed her forehead before continuing with, “I want to spoil you.” He kissed her nose.
“Cherish you.” He kissed her left cheek.
“Prioritize you.” He kissed her right cheek.
“Protect you.” He kissed her lips—softly, sweetly.
“I want to prove to you that you’re safe with me.
That you can trust me. That you belong with me.
I want to make you fall in love with me.
” He kissed her again. “And if after sixty days, you want to leave, or even before, you can leave. You won’t have to pay me anything, and I’ll still take care of your car and help you find somewhere else to stay. As far as Dreya is concerned—”
“She’s safe. For right now at least.” Dru opened her eyes as her tears fell and looked into his eyes. “I was finally honest with my grandma about what was going on, and she’s going to let Dreya stay with her indefinitely. I still want to get custody of my sister though.”
“Then that’s what you’ll have. I’ll help you, starting with getting you a lawyer.”
Their eyes remained locked for a while before Dru pushed his hands down from her face and took a step away from him.
“I just don’t understand any of this. Why are you doing this for me? You barely know me, and I have all these issues and problems—”
“I know enough to know I want you and everything that comes with you, including your issues and problems. That ain’t shit for a man that’s a problem solver.
” Caden’s hands lifted in surrender, and he took a step back himself, putting even more space between them.
“I meant it last night when I said I wanted to be the one who took care of you. Whatever you want and need, I want to provide. If you want to be a stay-at-home wife or go back to school, or open your own gallery, or be an artist. Whatever you want to do. I’m here to cultivate you and make your life better. ”
“And what do you want in exchange?”
“Just you,” Caden admitted with a shrug. “I only want you.”
While Caden waited patiently for a response, Dru considered his words.
Her heart didn’t give her mind time to connect and agree before it directed her feet in his direction.
Resting her forehead against his chest, Dru warned him with, “You can’t turn on me, Caden.
If I’m going to stay here and let you in, .
. . I wouldn’t be able to take you intentionally hurting or switching up on me. If I let you in—”
“I won’t ever do anything to make you push me back out,” he declared, wrapping his arms around her.
“Okay,” she almost whispered. “This sounds so freaking crazy, but I’ll stay.”
“Yeah?” Caden asked, and though she wasn’t looking at him, Dru heard the smile in his voice.
“Yeah.”
Looking up at him, Dru smiled and wrapped her arms around him.
“You won’t regret it. I promise,” Caden assured her.
“For some reason, I know.”
With a smile, Caden lowered himself to her for a kiss.
And for what felt like the first time, Dru felt herself exhale.