Chapter 19
As nervous as Dru was about meeting Caden’s family, they welcomed her in with open arms. The day started with church and a message that felt like God was speaking directly to her through Bishop Patterson.
Then, they went to Caden’s parents’ house and had been there for the last three hours.
Dinner was already prepared and warm, so when they arrived, his mother made her way to the kitchen to set the table.
Though Dru offered to help, Candace insisted she rest, because her first visit would be the only one that she’d be considered a guest. And as well as they were getting along, Dru was already looking forward to coming back.
Caden’s father, Nikolai, looked like an older version of him.
He was quiet and serious yet had his playful moments.
He took the time to welcome her into the family, give her his number, and make her promise to call him if Caden ever hurt her and made her cry.
That alone softened her heart and turned it to mush.
Niko was lively and hilarious, mostly because everything he said was serious yet still funny. He was a bit more wired than his older brother, and she was sure he was a charming ladies’ man, but other than that, he was cool as hell.
Lorenzo had joined them as well, and Dru was as comfortable with him as she always was.
But Candace? Candace was touching a place in Dru’s heart that had never been touched.
A soft, warm, nurturing space that had yearned to be filled over the years.
From her heart to her natural affection, to the way she talked to Dru with kindness, warmth, and respect .
. . all combining to give her an experience with a woman—a mother—that she wished she could have had with her own mother.
All day, Dru had thoroughly enjoyed being around Caden’s family. She thought she’d make it through the day without getting in her feelings until Candace asked her to come to her she-shed while the guys were outside drinking and smoking.
“I hope you don’t mind me stealing you away for a while,” Candace said, turning on the TV.
She had a nice setup, with a large gray sofa and orange accent chairs.
There was a bar, basket of snacks, and mini fridge on one side of the wall, and a set of wall shelves with her puzzles and crocheted items and materials on the other.
“Not at all. You have puzzles which I love, snacks, and you’re putting it on Lifetime Movie Network. You’re speaking my language.”
Candace laughed. “Well, help yourself to anything I have in here, and if you have a particular taste for something, one of the boys will get it.”
That command confirmed Caden being a giver and server was authentically in his blood.
“Yes, ma’am. I’m still full from dinner, so I think I’ll be good with just some chips.”
Candace found a movie and waited until they were both comfortable to say, “Cade didn’t tell me all your business, but he did tell me that you have a very toxic situation with your mother. That you don’t really have a relationship with her at all.”
Dru nodded her agreement. “Well, I’m your mama now.
I’ve always wanted a daughter, and I promised myself I’d have a close relationship with my sons’ wives to fill that lack.
You coming around, . . . you’re giving me the daughter I never had, and I get to love on you a little extra hard because of what you lack.
“So though I hope you and Cade get married, give me grandbabies, and have a long life together, from this day forward, regardless of what happens between the two of you, you and your sister are now mine.”
Dru’s head hung as her eyes watered. She’d never been emotional in a good way. Most times when she cried, it was because of sadness, anger, or frustration. Being around Caden, and now his mother, had changed that.
“We can go slow until you get comfortable with me, but I’m ya mama now,” Candace continued. “I got you, and I love you already. You’re safe here, baby, and your sister will be too.”
That broke the dam. Her tears started, and they did not let up.
Candace sat next to her and pulled her into her arms, and that only made her cry harder.
Because the sad truth was, Tina had never held, hugged, or comforted either of her daughters a day in her life.
The more Candace held her and hummed, alternating between praying and affirming that she’d done nothing wrong and deserved all the love in the world, the more she cried.
But eventually, her tears stopped, and she rested in the weight of Candace’s embrace, feeling just as safe there as she did in Caden’s arms.