No, she couldn’t. She wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
“Okay, Caden. I’ll marry you.”
After dinner, Caden and Savannah retired to the porch to finish the wine he’d brought. He was still on cloud nine, unable to believe Savannah had actually agreed to marry him. After all these years of wondering, wishing, hoping they’d get a second chance, fate had intervened. He was finally getting the woman he’d always known should be Mrs. Caden Mitchell.
Earlier, when they’d been in the kitchen, Caden had used every method at his disposal to get her to agree to his proposal. She hadn’t been wrong when she’d accused him of seducing her. He had, and he intended to do more tonight if she’d let him. Liam was now sleeping soundly upstairs, and Savannah’s room, the master suite, was on the first floor. No one would hear them.
“It’s getting late,” Savannah said as she stood up.
“Yes, it is,” Caden said, walking toward the front door.
“Tonight was good,” Savannah said as she faced him. “Gave me a glimpse of what life could look like with the three of us.” She licked her lips. “I liked it a lot.”
Caden’s eyes darkened as he watched the movement of her tongue. “I’d like this even more,” he said. His head descended, and she craned her neck to meet him halfway. He let out a deep sigh when their lips met, but it didn’t take long before his tongue was in her mouth taking full possession of hers. Savannah moaned and didn’t resist when Caden pressed her further, pushing them both back into the house.
Savannah halted the kiss and glanced at the stairway. “Liam—”
“Is upstairs sleeping soundly,” Caden whispered in her ear. “Ask me to stay, Savannah.”
Her eyes fluttered closed, and when she looked at him again, desire lurked in those hazel-green depths. “Stay.” Then she lifted up on her tippy toes and kissed him deeply. Her breasts pressed against his chest, and Caden’s erection jerked to life. He groaned out loud, and before she could say another word, he lifted her into his arms and walked down the hall to her bedroom.
The room was dark with only the moonlight spearing through the curtains. Caden didn’t care. The minute the door swung shut, he pulled her into his arms, unable to disguise his hunger. He bent down and claimed her mouth in a slow kiss. She kissed him back with equal fervor. But he wanted her naked and writhing underneath him. Maybe then he could forget the empty years of having other women in his bed. Women who weren’t Savannah.
“Do you have any idea how much I want you?” he asked when he finally lifted his head. He wanted her more than anything or anyone he had wanted in a long time.
“As much as I want you,” Savannah murmured.
Quickly, they undressed each other, eager to be together. When she was finally naked and lying on the embroidered bedspread, Caden allowed his gaze to rake over her. He loved her voluptuous body, from her full, luscious breasts to her curvy bottom.
He began to stroke her, tracing an erotic pathway over her naked skin. She writhed her hips impatiently, and Caden knew where she wanted him to touch her most, but he was making her wait.
“Caden,” she moaned.
“Hmm?” he murmured as he watched the rise and fall of her bountiful breasts. “Is this what you want?” He slipped his hand between her thighs, parted them, and hovered his finger over the sensitive bud.
“Yes.”
“And this.” He teased her quivering flesh with a flick of his finger.
“Yes!”
He laughed softly and began to strum Savannah until she almost shot off the bed. His rhythm was slow and steady as he lured her closer and closer toward the peak until eventually she shattered completely, crying out his name.
He loved Savannah’s passion. She had been that way from the start when they’d been together in New York, and time had only seemed to strengthen their connection. It was more potent now.
While Savannah still spasmed, he reached for his pants and donned a condom. He returned and slipped on top of her, and she opened her legs, allowing him entry. He took it, pushing inside.
When her body clenched around his rigid length, he groaned. “You feel incredible.” Then he was moving inside her, thrusting deep.
“So do you.” Savannah wrapped her legs around his waist as he established a hard rhythm that she quickly matched, undulating her hips to go with him stroke for stroke. She clung to his sweat-soaked back, and then her orgasm struck and she screamed out his name as he bucked within her. He took flight soon after as he too reached the peak and fell over the edge.
Chapter 14
“Okay, let me get this straight. You not only have an eleven-year-old autistic son you never knew about, but you also want to marry the woman who kept him from you?” Jack asked when Caden shared his plans with him the following day. Caden knew he had to tell him sooner rather than later.
“That’s right.”
Jack shook his head. “What the hell? How could you keep something like this from me? This is integral to your campaign.”
“Don’t look at me like that, Jack. I had no idea when I asked you to find Savannah I’d be thrown for such a loop. I was searching for closure on a relationship that has dogged me for years. It’s been the reason I haven’t been able to fully commit to another woman. Can you imagine my surprise?”
“I’m sorry. It’s just that this is quite extraordinary, and I’m trying to figure out how to spin it.”
“There’s nothing to spin. I’ve discovered I have a child, and we’ve both decided we want to give our son a two-parent home. End of story.”
“C’mon, Caden. You’re not that naïve. The press is going to have a field day with this. They’ll spin it like you abandoned him and are now marrying Savannah to keep your image squeaky clean.”
“That’s not true.”
“Yeah, but voters might believe it. You have to be prepared to answer the tough questions because trust me, you’re going to be under a microscope when this comes out.”
“I have nothing to hide. Or at least I don’t.”
Jack’s eyes narrowed. “Meaning someone else close to you has a secret? If so, tell me now so I know what we’re dealing with.”
“My mother—she set this whole thing in motion by interfering in my life.”
“How?”
“Twelve years ago before we graduated, she went to West Point, told Savannah not to weigh me down with a wife and kids. She offered her money, but Savannah didn’t take it. Instead she left, leaving me to wonder what I did wrong.”
“You must be very upset with your mother.”
“What do you think? I’m furious with her. She altered the course of my life, my son’s life, by interfering when she had no right to. I’m only trying to make things right.”
“And what about you? I get it. You want to claim your son, but you don’t have to marry Savannah either. You’ll never get those years back you lost, Caden.”
“Don’t you think I know that? But I can forge a new life and get to know Liam. There’s so much I’ve missed. I don’t want to miss another minute. I want to be there for him.”
“And Savannah?”
“What about her?”
“So Liam and Savannah are a package deal?”
“Marriage, to me, benefits everyone. Savannah will no longer have to struggle to make ends meet taking care of Liam and her grandmother. I get to have a relationship with my son. And well, the rest is just icing on the cake.”
“The rest meaning your feelings for this woman? The woman you’ve never truly been able to get over? Have you examined why you’re so eager to put a ring on it? Are you still in love with her, Caden?”
Caden wasn’t prepared to answer that question because he didn’t know the answer. His emotions were all over the place. He was angry with Savannah for her deception in keeping Liam from him, but he remained eq
ually enamored with her. Their marriage would ensure that he would have twenty-four-hour access to his son and as a result, Savannah would be in his bed, where she belonged.
“I’m not in love with Savannah, but I do feel as if we have unfinished business.”
“And marriage will clear that up? That’s doubtful. I think your head is in the clouds, my friend, or you’re letting another one rule you.”
Caden laughed. “I don’t deny the sexual chemistry between us is off the charts, but I’m doing what’s best for my family.” And if he should benefit personally, then Caden saw it as a win-win.
“Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Marrying Savannah will bring new challenges and obstacles you’ve never faced.”
Is Jack right? Am I headed for a fall?
“So what do you think?” Caden asked when Savannah and Liam sat down to his dining room table two days later. He’d invited them both for dinner so they could reveal their marriage plans to Liam. He’d had a personal chef he’d met a number of years ago prepare a home-cooked meal of baked salmon with a buttery golden breadcrumb and parsley accompanied by asparagus and herb-roasted potatoes with a hollandaise sauce.
He’d given Liam and Savannah a tour of his resort-lodge-style home nestled on a hilltop with lush woodlands and a large backyard and infinity pool. When they arrived, Caden had swept his lips across the softest pair of lips he’d ever kissed. If he’d had his way, he would have swept his hands across her generous backside, threaded his hands through her glossy hair, and molded the firm swell of her breasts in his hands. Instead, all he could do was look.
“It’s very big,” Liam said, placing his napkin in his lap. “Why do you have so many rooms if you live alone?”
His son had not understood why he had six bedrooms and five full bathrooms along with a large kitchen that would make any person dream of creating culinary delights, including Savannah. She’d oohed and aahed over the professional appliances, abundance of counter space, and butler’s pantry. And she’d sighed with pleasure at the thought of refreshing herself in the deep-soaking tub in the master suite.
“Well, that’s the thing, son,” Caden said as he added some salmon, potatoes, and asparagus to a plate and handed it to Liam. “I was hoping I wouldn’t live here by myself.” He glanced in Savannah’s direction, hoping for an assist.
“That’s right, Liam,” Savannah added. “Your dad and I were thinking we could all live together. Would you like that?”
“Live here?” Liam questioned. “But we live with abuela. If we leave her, she will have no one to take care of her.”
“Abuela is getting older, and it’s harder for me to take care of her,” Savannah replied. “Caden and I have found a really nice home for her so she can have around-the-clock care.”
Liam frowned. “But that’s what we do. She would get lonely and miss us.”
“Oh no.” Savannah shook her head. “Abuela would have lots of friends because people her age live in this community. It would be good for her.”
“But I would miss her,” Liam stated.
“Which is why we would visit her as often as you want,” Savannah offered, glancing at Caden.
“The facility is really close by, only five miles away,” Caden added.
Liam paused as if his brain was calculating the route. “It would take us approximately ten minutes to get there from this location.”
“So, what do you say, Liam? Would you like to come stay?” Caden asked. When he and Savannah had met for lunch yesterday, she indicated if Liam wasn’t on board then all bets would be off and they’d have to take their relationship slower. Caden attributed her reluctance to cold feet, but now as he sat across from Liam waiting for his answer, he was as nervous as a kindergartner on his first day of school.
“If we live here, what does that mean? Will you and Mom share a room like other moms and dads?”
“That’s exactly what that means,” Savannah replied. “Your father and I would get married, and we would live here as a family. How does that sound?”
“A family.” Liam mulled the words over on his tongue. “A family.” He looked at Caden and then at Savannah. “I think I would like that.”
Liam’s acceptance of their marriage arrangement is how Savannah found herself seated in Caden’s BMW with Liam in the back seat as they drove to meet Caden’s family for the first time on Saturday evening. Liam was completely oblivious as he sat playing a video game on his iPad, a gift Caden had given him as a welcome home present at his house last night. Liam was enthralled and, besides the several hours they had spent at Legoland today, he had done nothing else but play with the device.
Savannah wished she could be as lucky as Liam to immerse herself in a gadget instead of what lay ahead: facing the Mitchells.
“Are you nervous?” Caden asked, glancing over at Savannah as she wrung her hands in her lap.
Savannah inhaled deeply. “Yes. Wouldn’t you be? Your family has cause not to like me.” Though Savannah was determined to put her best foot forward, she anticipated a chilly reception from Caden’s family. She’d kept Liam from them. She doubted they’d greet her with open arms, especially not Camilla Mitchell, who Caden was still quite angry with. He told Savannah he hadn’t spoken to his mother in nearly a week despite her repeated requests for an audience.
“I’ve warned all of them to be on their best behavior or face my wrath,” Caden said. “I refuse to let anyone upset Liam.”
“Of course.” Savannah plastered a smile on her face, but as Caden drove through the wealthy part of Baltimore, where the rich folks had large amounts of money to live the American dream, she felt as if she was way out of her depth.
The imposing house, surrounded by oak and magnolia trees, soared up from the sunset evening. The lawn was expertly manicured, and dotted around the front door were beautiful antique pots filled with bright flowers. Caden came around to her door to help her out as she exited the vehicle. As she stood straight, Savannah glanced upward and prayed to God for inner strength tonight.
How difficult could this be?
Liam alighted soon after, following her and Caden up the front steps, where a sharp-eyed housekeeper met them at the entrance.
“Rosa, good to see you.” Caden bent down and kissed the middle-aged Spanish woman.
“You as well, Mr. Caden. The family is waiting for you in the parlor.”
“Thank you.” Caden turned to Savannah. “Ready?” He glanced over at Liam, but his head was still in the iPad. Savannah was glad for the distraction because she never knew how Liam would react in a new place.
She nodded and he linked his fingers with hers and they headed down the hall. As she walked beside Caden, she marveled at the gleaming marble floors and artwork on the walls, which she knew weren’t prints … that’s until they arrived at a formal room and several sets of eyes landed on her.
“Mother, Father, I’d like to introduce you to my fiancée, Savannah, and our son, Liam.”
“Fiancée?” The older woman stood up. Savannah noted that Camilla Mitchell hadn’t changed a bit in twelve years, except for her hair. Now, it was a sophisticated bob rather than straight and shoulder length as she’d worn it long ago, but her fashion sense remained the same. She wore tailored slacks with a pink silk shirt, and diamonds dripped from her earlobes. She was sophistication and good breeding all rolled into one.
“That’s right, Mother.” Caden turned and smiled at Savannah, making her knees go weak. “We’re getting married.” He only had to look at her to make an ache unfurl low in her belly. Today, he’d chosen to wear dark trousers and a black shirt with the top two buttons undone.
“Congratulations, son.” Cal Mitchell walked toward them, and Caden released Savannah’s hand just as his father swept her into a firm hug. “Welcome to the family, Savannah. And is this Liam?” He glanced down at his grandson, who’d failed
to look up since they entered the room.
Savannah walked over to him. “Liam, would you like to meet your grandparents?” Finally, he glanced up from the device, and Savannah breathed a sigh of relief.
Liam looked at her and then around the room at all the new faces. Then he resumed playing.
Savannah looked at Cal, but he shook his head. “It’s alright. This must be very overwhelming for Liam. Please come in and have a drink, and when he’s ready, Liam can engage with us.”
She smiled at Caden’s father. He’d done his research. They couldn’t force Liam to participate. He was in new surroundings. They had to allow him to come to them.
“That’s right.” The fair-skinned man she’d met at the fundraising ball came toward her with his hand outstretched. “I’m Cam—Cameron, that is,” he said, shaking her hand, “Caden’s brother. But we’ve met before, yeah?”
Savannah grinned. “Yes, at the fundraiser. It’s great to officially meet you.”
“You as well.”
Their conversation was cut short as a big bear of a man set upon Savannah, extending his hand.
“Carter Mitchell,” he said. “I’m glad to see Caden is doing the right thing. Welcome to the family.”
“Grandfather …” A warning issued from Caden’s tone. “Don’t start.”
Carter shrugged. “What?” He looked at his grandson and then turned to Savannah. “Have I said anything to offend you?”
“No, sir.”
“See?” Carter said. “If anyone should be on the hot seat right now it’s Camilla, not me.”
At the sound of her nemesis’s name, Caden’s mother stepped into the circle. “Savannah.” She inclined her head.
“Mrs. Mitchell.” There was no way she was calling this woman “Mom.”
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