by Parker, Ali
“Oh, sweetie, you’re not broken. You’ve been forged in fire.”
I smiled. “I like that.”
“It’s true. You went through a rough period in your life and you came out stronger than ever. Look at how well you’ve done for yourself. You’re excelling in your career. Your girls are happy, healthy, and smart as whips. You’re okay. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. You don’t have to protect yourself from life. You’ve been through hell and you’re still standing. You owe it to yourself to take this journey with Gabriel and see where it goes. If it goes to shit, oh well.”
I laughed at her very blunt choice of words. “I suppose that’s one way to put it.”
“It’s the only way to put it. What do you have to lose?”
I groaned. “I don’t want to be sad. I don’t want to be hurt.”
“Getting hurt and being sad is a part of life. Those moments will happen. It doesn’t mean you dwell on them. You don’t have to wallow in it.”
“I don’t know if he’s worth it,” I told her. “I mean, I could be missing out on Mr. Right by spending time with him.”
She scoffed, slapping her hand against the table. “Girl, it doesn’t get any more right than Gabriel. Look what he did for you and the girls. Seriously, that was not a cheap project. He put out a lot of money, time, and energy to put on that lovely display for us—for you. That gives him some leeway in my book.”
“What if that’s why he did it?” I asked her the very thing that had been weighing heavily on my mind. “What if he did all that to impress me? That’s why I feel manipulated. He could have just been upfront with me. I wouldn’t have minded going with him and pretending to be his girlfriend, but he was sneaky about it. I don’t like sneaky. Sneaky is manipulative and I cannot let myself get into something like that. Not again.”
She rolled her eyes. “You give yourself too much credit.”
“Mom! You’re being really mean.”
“No, I’m not. I’m saying I don’t think he would have gone to that much effort if his only intention was for you to be his pretend wife. He would have asked you. The guy doesn’t have a manipulative bone in his body.”
“You don’t know that,” I retorted.
“I’m confident in my opinion of him. I’m not saying you have to marry him, but you do need to give him a chance. I’ve raised you to be a compassionate listener. Give him a chance to talk.”
“I don’t want to.”
She laughed, getting up from the table. “You’re so stubborn. You get that from your father.”
I got up and grabbed my purse. She’d given me a lot to think about. I could at least text him and let him know it wasn’t going to work out between us. No matter how hurt I felt and how betrayed I felt, I knew deep down Gabriel really wasn’t a bad guy. I had seen him do too much good to believe he was a scoundrel.
That didn’t mean I was ready to listen to what he had to say, but I wouldn’t completely ignore him. I turned on my phone, waited for it to go through its thing, and then waited for the voicemail or text message indicator to light up.
It didn’t.
“What the hell?” I muttered, checking the last text from him. He had stopped trying to call or text me. At least if he’d called, he didn’t leave a voicemail.
I walked back into the kitchen and held out my phone. “He hasn’t even tried to call!”
“You turned your phone off,” she replied, rinsing the lunch dishes and putting them in the dishwasher.
“But he didn’t text!” I complained.
She rolled her eyes. “You’re acting ridiculous. You don’t want to talk to him but you’re mad that he didn’t call.”
“I was going to text him and let him know we were over. I guess I don’t need to do that. He’s already over me. I knew he was using me!”
“You don’t know anything of the sort.”
I put my phone down. “I knew it. I’m never listening to you again.”
“You have never been the type for high school drama, but right now, you are embracing your inner drama queen. You can sit here and be mad and sad or whatever you want. The girls and I had plans for today and I’d like to keep them.”
“What do you mean? What plans?”
“I promised them we would go see the new Frozen movie. I already bought tickets.”
“What?” I asked, suspicious of her motives. “Why didn’t you tell me this morning?”
She shrugged. “It slipped my mind.”
“I’ll take them. You can have your day.”
She put a hand on her hip. “I already bought the tickets and I promised them I would take them. You’re stingy when you go to the movies. I buy them popcorn and candy.”
“Because popcorn and candy costs twice as much as the damn movie ticket,” I complained.
She laughed. “Which is why I’m taking them. We’re meeting Betty and her granddaughters there. I wasn’t expecting you home.”
I sighed, a little sad I would be all alone. “Fine.”
She walked up to me, took both my hands, and looked me directly in the eye. “Choose happiness. Don’t let your past define your future. You can have it all if you take a leap of faith.”
She dropped my hands and walked away. I stared at her, wondering what the hell she was saying now. Sometimes, she reminded me of Yoda. Her sentences were structured right, but sometimes, the words just didn’t make any damn sense.
The girls had left their suitcases at my mom’s house, which I had a feeling was planned. I gave them kisses goodbye and watched them leave. I supposed being alone was perfect for my mood. I closed the door and looked around the empty living room. The tree was still up. I could take it down while I had nothing else to do.
I didn’t want to. Instead, I turned on my surround-sound speakers and pulled up a sappy playlist. I needed to get it all out of my system before I had to go back to work and resume my normal routine. Today was for me.
I walked back into the kitchen, making sure I had wine on hand for later. It was going to be that kind of night. I was already planning a hot bubble bath with a side of wine. I heard a knock on the door and figured the girls forgot something.
I opened the door and gasped. “Gabriel?” I said his name, but I wasn’t sure it was him.
“Hi,” he said with that sheepish grin that always made my heart leap.
“What are you doing here? How did you know where I lived?”
He shrugged. “I can’t reveal my sources.”
I shook my head. “My mother.”
It all made sense. She didn’t have tickets to the damn movie. She had set the whole thing up. Her little speech before she left was clear. The woman was a professional meddler.
“Can I come in?”
I should have told him to get lost and never darken my doorstep again, but instead, I opened the door and gestured for him to come inside like an utter fool.
Chapter 37
Gabriel
She let me in the door, which had to be a good sign. Her mother had promised me Cadence would be home. I was thankful to have an ally. After a quick Google search, I had found her mother’s address, and from there, it wasn’t hard to find her landline number. I didn’t know people had landlines anymore, but I was happy as hell Laura did.
She had called me when she left Cadence’s house, giving me the green light to go in with a very stern warning that she would personally fillet a particular part of my body if I hurt her little girl. I promised her I wouldn’t. Laura was a nice lady, but I could see her turning dangerous in a hurry.
“Thanks,” I said, taking a seat on the couch that she gestured to.
“Why are you here?” she asked, taking a seat in a chair across the room.
She was putting distance between us. Her actions spoke volumes.
“Are you okay?” I asked, taking in the puffy eyes and her usual spark was gone.
She gave me a dirty look. “I’m fine. I was up late or early. Whatever. I suppose I
don’t have to ask how you found my house. My mother?”
I smiled. “Yes.”
She sighed. “I feel like I’ve been conspired against—manipulated, again.”
“No. Please don’t feel that way. I was desperate to talk to you. I wanted to see you and explain what happened.”
“I think it’s pretty clear what happened. You needed a wife to get your money. I showed up at just the right time. You charmed me. I’ll admit it. I fell for your bullshit hook, line, and sinker. It’s on me for being so damn gullible. I should have known men like you weren’t real.”
“I’m real,” I insisted. “None of what happened between us was fake. That was all very real.”
She looked at me with contempt. “Really? You just happened to ask me to go along with you to New York to an event that required you have a wife? You introduced me as your wife. What was I supposed to say? Was I supposed to make a fool out of myself by denying it? No. I didn’t want to embarrass myself, so I went along with it. And gee, look what happened. You got your funding.”
I rubbed a hand over my jaw. “I’m sorry. I will tell you I’m sorry a million times. It was never my intention to use you. I wasn’t even going to ask you to go. It’s just, I wanted more time with you.”
“You mean, you wanted to have more sex and figured you’d get some mileage out of the fake relationship you created.”
“No!” I said, making my voice loud and clear. “That is not what happened. I get that you are pissed, and you have every right to be, but I didn’t use you for sex or anything else. I’m not like that.”
She leaned back, surprise on her face. “Why? Why would you do that?”
I shook my head. “I have no good excuse. It just came out. We were there in the moment and I was caught up in the little fantasy I had created in my head.”
“What fantasy?”
“That you and I were together. It all felt right. I’m not going to deny what I did. I fucked up. I didn’t know how to introduce you. Were you my girlfriend? I didn’t know. I didn’t want to say you were a friend. That seemed insulting to everything we had shared, and it would have been lying about what I felt.”
“It could have been so much easier if you just would have told me. If you would have let me know they were expecting you to bring a wife, I would have been better prepared. As it was, it took me by surprise.”
“I know,” I whispered. “I know.”
She was quiet for so long, I thought she might be done with the conversation. I didn’t want to be done. I wanted her to say it was all going to be okay.
“Gabriel, I’ve told you about my ex. He made me feel like I was an accessory when he needed one. He rarely acknowledged the girls unless he was trying to impress someone. What you did brought back a lot of old hurts and fears. It took me back to a time I don’t want to live in again. My girls as well. I can’t let you hurt them.”
“I would never hurt those girls. Or you. Never intentionally. What happened was a mistake. I won’t call it an innocent mistake because your feelings were hurt, but it wasn’t intentional. I didn’t try to hurt you. I would never want to make you feel any less beautiful or valuable. You mean everything to me Cadence.”
I saw her expression soften and hoped I was making headway.
“Why me?” she breathed. “Why are you interested in me? I have two kids and am nothing special. You could have any woman on this earth. I don’t understand why you would want me. I’ve learned if it looks and sounds too good to be true, it probably is. You are too good to be true.”
I slowly shook my head. “I’m not too good. It’s you who is way too good for me. You are a strong, beautiful woman. You make me want to be a better man. Every time I’m with you, I want to know you more. I do love the sex, don’t get me wrong, but that’s not what this is.”
She offered a small smile. It was the first real sign of hope. “But the sex is pretty good.”
I nodded. “It is, and I don’t want to give it up, but I will if you think that’s all I want you for. I assure you, there is so much more I want. I want all of you.”
She let out a long sigh. “And the kids?”
“Obviously, I love those little girls.”
“There’s something else I didn’t tell you about Trent,” she said in a soft voice.
I had to steel myself for what was coming. I swore if she told me he’d hurt those kids, I would find him. I didn’t care what continent he was on. I would hunt him down and tear him to pieces. I already hated the guy and that would only be the icing on the cake.
“What did he do?” I asked, my voice so low I barely heard my spoken words.
“It wasn’t what he did, but he did have some weird expectations. He wanted boys. That’s it. He didn’t want daughters. When Hazel was born, he was so disappointed. He refused to hold her. As she got a little older, he warmed up to her, but I don’t think he ever loved her. I purposely got pregnant with Autumn, hoping she would be a little boy. I thought if I could give him a son, it would fix what was wrong with our marriage. When she was born, it was the last straw for him.”
I scowled. “He’s the one that throws the Y chromosomes! What an idiot. Does he not understand basic science?”
She smiled. “No. He has some very archaic beliefs and refused to believe he could be the one producing girls. I love my girls. I’m so thankful for both of them. I think it was fate for me to have girls. They get to be best friends. They had each other to lean on during some pretty rocky moments in their young lives.”
I was a little confused about why she was telling me about the son thing and then it dawned on me. “You think I wouldn’t love Hazel and Autumn because they’re girls?”
She shrugged a shoulder, not looking me in the eyes. “It crossed my mind. You’re a very guy’s guy.”
I laughed. I had to. It was absurd. “Cadence, you have to know me better than that. I don’t care if they’re girls, boys, or anything in between. They are great humans. I love them. I love you.”
Her eyes darted up from the floor to look directly at me. “What?”
“You heard me. I love you. It shocks the hell out of me, but I know it’s love. I’ve never felt all-consumed by another person. I can’t stop thinking about you. It’s not an infatuation. It’s real. My heart knows what it wants, and that is you.”
She licked her lips. “You’re serious,” she said it as a statement.
“As a heart attack,” I said. “The girls too. I want to show them so much. I want to take them fishing and hiking. I want to play dolls with them and teach them how to start a fire. I know they aren’t mine, but I will love them like my own.”
“This is so much,” she whispered. “I’m overwhelmed. I don’t know what to say.”
I knew what I wanted her to say, but I wouldn’t push her. I had quickly fallen in love with her, maybe from the moment I met her. It was easy for me to fall in love because I had never been in love before and didn’t know what it was like to be hurt by love. She’d been scarred deeply by the last man she’d loved. I would handle her with tender loving care until she was healed enough to love me.
“Say you’ll give me a chance,” I whispered. “Please. I promise I will never do anything to make you doubt me again. I’m probably going to do stupid shit from time to time, but please know that’s just me being a dumbass. It’s not on you—it will always be on me.”
She was smiling. “You are so cheesy.”
I grinned, getting to my feet. She stood, meeting me in the middle of her living room.
“I like your house,” I said with a smile, pulling her into my arms.
“I cannot believe my mother told you where I lived. I really need to have a talk with her about her freedom of information.”
“I presented a solid case,” I said, resting my arms around her hips, my hands clasped behind her back. “Does this mean you forgive me?”
She let out an exaggerated sigh. “You really are going to be a problem.”
; “A problem?”
“You are going to be on my mind twenty-four seven. How am I going to work when all I can think about is you?”
I smiled, dropping my mouth to hers. I kissed her, grateful to have her back in my arms. The last twelve hours had been hell. I had tried to imagine going on with my life without her in my arms. I never wanted to think about that again. I was going to prove to her I could be a good boyfriend.
“I might have fudged the truth a little,” I whispered against her lips.
“How so?” she asked, stiffening in my arms.
“I don’t think I could give up the sex. I want sex with you all the time.”
She laughed. “I would never let you give it up. This is a mutual need we share.”
“Your mom said she was going to keep the girls overnight,” I said in a husky voice.
She smiled, that familiar spark back in her eyes. “She told me the same thing.”
“Are you going to invite me to stay the night?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t being too presumptuous.
Her lower body rubbed against mine. “Do I need to ask?”
“I won’t if you’re not ready for that. I will take this as slow or as fast as you want. There is no pressure. We do this on your terms.”
She reached around, grabbing my ass and squeezing hard. “My terms are you will be naked in my bed within the next five minutes.”
Her demand was like a straight shot of ecstasy straight to my cock. It sprang to life, hard and ready. I grabbed her and held her close while my mouth moved over hers. I had a whole five minutes to kiss her. I was going to use every second showing her how much I loved her.
Chapter 38
Cadence
If hearts could sing, mine was singing. It was dancing and partying in my chest. He loved me.
I was glad he was tenacious. I could have lost him for good with my stubborn ways. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him close. I wanted to be closer. The clothes were in the way. I needed full body contact.
“Bedroom,” I murmured against his lips.
