Chapter Twenty-Three – Caden #2
My mother smiled when she saw me. “Good morning. You must have been exhausted. You fell asleep last night about ten minutes into the movie. Your father tried to wake you up, but you were out.”
“I guess I was tired. Do you know where my phone is?”
She motioned with her head. “Charging. I called Lilibeth to let her know you fell asleep watching a movie with us last night.”
I stopped and looked back at my mother. She was placing the bacon on a plate. “You called Lilibeth?”
Without looking at me, she replied, “Yes, this morning. I didn’t want her to worry if she realized you hadn’t come home last night.”
I felt the corner of my mouth twitch. Mom called so that Lilibeth would know I’d been here all night, not with someone else.
Making my way over to my mother, I drew her to me and hugged her. “I love you, Mom.”
Her arms wound around me, and she held me tight. “I love you more, Caden.”
Kissing the top of her head, I said, “Thank you.”
She took a step back and winked. “I’ve got your back. Always have, always will.”
“I hope you didn’t do all of this for me?” I asked, as I took in the bacon and pancakes.
“I wish I could say I had, but Emeline, Levi, and the kids are coming over. It’s for them.”
I was suddenly filled with so much joy, I could hardly contain myself. I laughed, kissed her on the cheek, and said, “I’ve got to go, Mom.”
“I figured as much. Kiss Lilibeth for me.”
Winking, I said, “I will.”
Rushing out of the house, I jumped in my truck and started for my place.
It was strange; the moment I’d decided I wasn’t going to hide any longer, I couldn’t wait to get to Lilibeth.
I pulled up and parked next to her car. I got out and jogged to the front door, unlocking it and rushing in.
I threw my jacket on the floor and made my way toward the kitchen.
When she wasn’t there, I headed upstairs but was stopped when I saw Misty. I reached down and picked her up. Staring into her blue eyes I said, “We are not going to let her go little one. Not if I can help it!”
Setting the cat down, I headed up the steps. As I reached the top, I heard music coming from the room that would be the baby’s. I crept down the hall and stopped at the doorway. Then nearly laughed at the sight before me.
Lilibeth was dressed in pink overalls, her hair pulled up in a ponytail with a blue ribbon tied into a bow.
She danced to “Boogie Shoes” while using a paintbrush to dab different colors of paint on the walls.
I leaned against the doorjamb and watched.
If I’d thought I was falling in love before, seeing her in this moment only confirmed I was in love already.
She still hadn’t seen me. She lifted the brush to her mouth as she sang loudly, “I want to put on…my, my, my, my, my boogie shoes!”
I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face if I tried. The song ended and another began. It was Janet Jackson’s “Escapade,” and the only reason I knew that was because it was one of my mother’s favorite songs.
Lilibeth danced in a little circle before using her paintbrush again. I’d backed out of the doorway so she couldn’t see me. I peeked in, and she was back to painting samples on the wall, all the while, singing her lungs out.
Finally, I made my way into the room. Before she could spot me, I grabbed her hand and started to dance.
She was soon laughing as I spun her around the room.
The paintbrush fell to the plastic-covered floor as we danced like two silly fools.
The song changed again, to a slower one this time.
I drew her to me, and she wrapped her arms around my neck as I put mine at her waist.
We danced without saying anything for a few moments, before I asked, “What’s this song?”
She looked up at me with big bright eyes. “It’s called ‘One More Night’. Phil Collins sings it.”
I nodded. She lay her cheek against my chest as we slow danced in the middle of the room. This felt so fucking right. I wanted to pick her up and take her to my bedroom and make love to her, but I was going to do this the right way.
The words of the song penetrated my mind as I listened to them. When they came to an end, Lilibeth stepped back. A fast country song started, and she turned and grabbed her phone off the windowsill. She stopped the song and slowly turned back to look at me.
“I was just trying some samples on the wall. I wasn’t sure if we should do gender neutral or choose a color once we find out the sex of the baby, or…”
Her voice trailed off as I walked up to her once again. I cupped her face in my hands and smiled. “Will you go on a date with me tonight?”
She blinked in confusion. “A date?”
I nodded. “Yes, Lili. A date.”
“I thought you didn’t want anything other than friendship?”
I ran my thumb gently over her cheek. “I’ve been denying my feelings for you, Lilibeth, and I’m so tired of trying to pretend that every time you walk into a room, you don’t take my breath away.
I’m tired of pretending that your smile doesn’t make my knees weak.
I know you’re nothing like Rachel, and I’m so sorry about last night—”
She shook her head and pressed a finger to my lips. “I’d love to go on a date with you.”
Smiling, I leaned down and brushed my lips gently across hers. “My next question. Is this paint safe for you to be using?”
Laughing, she nodded. “It is.”
I looked at the colors on the wall. “Okay, we’ve got pink, blue, yellow, mint green, and gray. I don’t think I’m liking the gray.”
“Me either. Caden?”
I turned back to her. Her beautiful face glowed, and her cheeks were a faint shade of pink. “What happened between last night and this morning?”
“I talked to my parents.”
Her brows rose in question.
“We had a good talk about my feelings for you, and how I was being a complete ass.”
“Your feelings for me?”
I nodded. “Lilibeth, from the first moment I laid my eyes on you, you made me feel something I’ve never felt before.”
Her gaze narrowed. “Not even with Rachel?”
“Not even with Rachel. Not with anyone. I’ve been denying it because I knew this was different from anything I’d ever experienced, and it scared the hell out of me.
I thought getting over my ex was hard. But with everything I was feeling for you, I kept thinking, if I gave you my heart, and you broke it…
Let’s just say, that idea was utterly terrifying.
When my father suggested I start slowly, by taking you on a date, I laughed at first. But then it made sense. ”
“It’s kind of going backward.”
I smiled. “It is. But I’m tired of wasting time because I’m afraid to open my heart again.
And I’ve never had this kind of relationship with a woman.
No, I don’t mean because you’re pregnant.
Don’t tell Levi I’m about to say this, but…
you’ve slowly become my best friend. And it’s been killing me to avoid you, because all I want to do is tell you about my day, or how a stupid cow got stuck in a water trough, or how Gatlin thought he could ride a stallion and it threw his ass so far in the air I was sure he was going to break both legs when he hit the ground.
Instead, I haven’t been sharing any of those things because I’m an idiot. ”
Her eyes filled with warmth. “You’re not an idiot.”
A humorless laugh slipped free. “I am an idiot. But I’m tired of hiding, pretending I don’t have feelings for you. I want to see where this goes.”
She chewed on her lower lip before she asked, “Are you really sure?”
I took her face in my hands once more. “I’ve never been so sure of anything in my entire life.”
When she smiled up at me, that last wall around my heart crumbled to the ground. I leaned down and kissed her. It was a slow, sweet kiss. Her hands came up to my chest, and the heat of her body made mine feel like I’d caught on fire. Lilibeth had a way of lighting a flame inside of me.
She drew her head back after a moment. “What time is our date?”
“We need to leave here by four. If you’re feeling up to it, I’d also like to show you something on the ranch first. We have to ride out to it, though.”
Excitement danced across her face as her eyes sparkled. “I’d love to go for a ride. Give me like fifteen minutes?”
“Take your time. And dress warm, it’s cold outside.”