Chapter 18
All weekend, Dru had been on a cloud, thanks to Caden spoiling her.
Friday, he paid for her and Stevie to be treated and pampered at the spa.
Saturday, he took Dru shopping. The experience was yet another reminder that she wasn’t with a normal man.
He asked her what some of her favorite stores were in the mall, and Dru couldn’t really answer him.
She couldn’t remember the last time she intentionally shopped for herself, let alone spoiled herself to the point where a store became her favorite.
Upon hearing that, Caden had the entire third level of the mall shut down just for her.
She was able to go into one designer store after the next.
By the end of the day, Chanel crept its way up as her favorite store in the mall, and thanks to Caden’s generosity, she ended up getting almost every bag on the shelves in the store.
New bags meant new shoes and jewelry to go with them, and new shoes needed new clothes.
Her wardrobe had gotten a much-needed update, and for the first time in her adult life, Dru experienced shopping because she wanted to, not because she needed to.
When they made it back home, her emotions consumed her when she saw her things had been moved from the guest room she was in her first night there to one further down the hall that didn’t have any furniture in it.
By the end of the day, delivery men had set up wall shelves, a large island, a floor-to-ceiling length mirror, and a vanity that had the brightest and most natural looking lighting she’d ever seen.
All her clothes, shoes, and jewelry were put in their proper place in her dressing room, and by the time Dru was done setting everything up, she cried.
There was a part of her that could admit she loved being spoiled and having a man spend money on her.
That aroused her and made her happy. But on a deeper level, it was Caden prioritizing, considering, and caring for her that continued to make space for him in her heart and made it easier for her to trust and yield to him.
As long as he kept that up, Dru didn’t think she’d ever want to leave him or his home.
“How will I know how to dress if you don’t tell me where we’re going to go?” she asked sweetly as Caden pulled into the parking lot of her favorite bookstore, Booked and Brewed. It was Saturday, and Caden told her not to make any plans because he was going to take her out.
“I’ll pick your outfit out,” he offered. “Will that work?”
“Yes.” She approved with a smile.
“Uh . . .” Caden squeezed the back of his neck as he cut the car off.
“Also, my mama would like for you to join us at church and for dinner tomorrow. It’s a weekly thing, and I didn’t go last Sunday because I wanted to make sure you were adjusting well.
She’s not going to let me miss two Sundays in a row.
” His boyish smile made Dru smile. “Will you accompany me? If it’s too early for you to meet my family, that’s cool too. ”
Dru thought about it for a while before nodding. “It is kind of soon, but things have been moving fast between us since the beginning. Why stop now?”
“I can admit I’ve been very active in my pursuit of you, and I don’t want to hit the brakes. But if you ever feel like things are moving too fast and you want me to slow down, just tell me, and I promise I will.”
Looking over at his side profile, Dru smiled and shook her head. Caden was disrespectfully handsome with his dark eyes, tattoo covered, muscular frame, cinnamon-brown skin, and juicy lips.
“Just being honest, it probably would have been a little difficult for me to trust you had we not met the way we did. The first time I saw you, you were buying groceries for hundreds of people, and you got me two aisles worth of flowers from the store. It didn’t give me the vibe that you were flexing your wealth; it gave me the vibe that you were caring, giving, and very intentional when it came down to what you did .
. . and who you wanted. I’m not going to let time rob me of the opportunity to be with such an amazing man.
Time will catch up to how we feel and what we’re building sooner or later. ”
A low, sexy chuckle escaped Caden before he licked his lips, gripped her chin, and tongued her down. “If you want me to fuck you in this parking lot, just say that.”
Dru smiled as she wiped her lip gloss from his mouth. “I mean, I’d never say no to that, but you brought me to my happy place, so I kind of want to go inside now.”
Caden groaned and unlocked his door, making Dru laugh.
The volume of her laughter increased when she noticed him adjusting his hardened dick as he walked over to her side of the Dark Horse Mustang.
His eyes scanned her frame as she got out of the car.
For their impromptu lunch and bookstore visit, she was dressed casually in shorts, a tank top, and heels.
The feel of Caden’s hand smacking her ass when she passed him had Dru tugging her bottom lip between her teeth.
Yeah.
She was going to fuck him as soon as they got back home.
In the bookstore, they grabbed lattes before Caden let her loose.
He told her she could get however many books she wanted.
Feeling like a kid in a candy store, Dru took her time going from one aisle to another.
She ended up filling up three hand baskets with genres ranging from romance to thriller to fantasy before she was done.
Her eyes wouldn’t leave him as he checked out, completely unbothered by how many books she’d selected. Whether it was something small or big, day by day, Caden was proving it when he said he wanted to give her everything she wanted and needed, and that he only wanted her in return.
That Evening
“What do you think?” Dru asked, doing a slow spin so Caden could see how she looked in the outfit he’d chosen for her for the evening.
The September air had dropped to the mid-sixties for the evening.
Caden selected a monochrome burgundy outfit for her that included a thin blazer that she’d put only a lace bra underneath, high-waisted leggings, and heels.
“I think you’re going to be the most beautiful woman in the room. Wow, sweetheart. You look absolutely beautiful.”
“I have to if I’m going to stand next to you.” Dru cooed as he walked over to her, looking quite handsome in a tailored charcoal gray suit. Instead of a button-down shirt, Caden had on a V-neck T-shirt that was the same burgundy shade of her blazer.
Caden took her hand into his and spun her around slowly, giving himself a close-up view.
When he was done, he pulled her back into his chest and wrapped his arms around her.
Dru grinned as she looked at their reflection in the mirror, unable to deny how happy she looked or how good they looked together.
Her body melted against his when he placed a kiss on her neck.
“Damn what my heart says. You even look like you belong to me,” Caden declared, staring into her eyes through the mirror until she turned in his embrace.
What started as a sweet, slow kiss turned deep and passionate the longer they remained in each other’s arms. The only reason they pulled away was because Ian called Caden to let him know he’d arrived from getting the Bentley detailed for their date night.
They exited Dru’s dressing room hand in hand, and she couldn’t hide her excitement over what he had in store for her.
She’d gotten so comfortable following his lead that she didn’t even bother asking questions or try to figure out where they were going, so when they pulled into the parking lot of Divine Art Gallery, Dru sat up in her seat and gasped.
“Yayyy!” she cheered, clapping her hands.
“If you’re this excited about just coming here, I can’t wait to see how you’re going to react once we get inside,” Caden said as Ian opened his door. Like always, he made his way around to open Dru’s door himself.
“God, I can’t remember the last time I came to an art gallery or museum. I’m so excited,” Dru shared as they headed toward the front door.
“I’m going to make a note in the Notes app and add you to it. I want you to put everything you’ve ever wanted to do, everywhere you’ve ever wanted to go, and we’re going to make it happen. Life is too short to not make the most of it, Dru.”
“I know, I know. It’s honestly easier now that I’m not working so much.
Literally all of my days were spent working to take care of my family.
Well, my sister. I didn’t give a damn what Tina wanted or needed.
The only reason I paid her bills was because my sister was living with her.
Now that I don’t have that weight, I can’t describe how free I’ve felt. ”
“Speaking of which,” Caden said, opening the door. He took her hands into his and turned her to face him before they stepped into the gallery. “I am loving having you in my home, and I really don’t want you to leave.”
“But?” Dru urged with a smile that he mirrored.
“But I know you still want custody of Dreya. How do you plan to navigate that? Should we start looking into getting the two of you an apartment, or would you prefer I buy you a house?”
Her head tilted as she considered his question.
“I hadn’t really thought about that. I know I’m going to have to show and prove I’m a better guardian than Tina, so I do need to start looking for another job and a house as soon as possible.
I’d be okay with an apartment or house. I want to talk to her and see if she wants to stay enrolled at Rose Valley High or go somewhere else.
I ended up transferring my senior year and hated it, but she’s kind of had a hard time because of Tina, so she may want to leave.
Either way, where we move will be dependent upon if she wants to change schools or not. ”