by Shelly Davis
“Momma,” Dillon squealed. “Come swing with me!”
Wholly drawn out of my thoughts, my heart swelled as I approached Cade and Dillon. Cade chuckled every time Dillon giggled. Cade’s blue eyes were bright with affection for my son. That look made me fall just a little more. It was there in his eyes, he adored my son.
“Come on, Momma, swing.”
I sat down next to Dillon as he swept back and forth. Just as I was beginning to push myself off and start the climb, strong arms circled my waist and pulled me back. Cade had me in his arms, pressed against his chest. He held me for just a moment before pressing a light kiss to my neck. Without a word, he pulled back and pushed me high into the air. Dillon and I soared back and forth as Cade kept us both flying as high as he could.
Feet back on the ground and the sky turning shades of orange, pink, and purple, we made our way back to the truck.
“Thank you,” I said as we drove down the highway toward the track. I looked back at my son, sound asleep with a smile on his beautiful little face. “You made his day. He adores you.”
“Hopefully he’s not the only one,” Cade murmured, his voice deep with meaning.
Butterflies in my stomach began to build and flutter at an erratic pace. For once I was determined to show my spirit, the audaciousness that carried me around a track at two-hundred miles per hour without fear. I took Cade’s hand, my fingers laced with his, and I glanced his way. His fingers tightened around mine just slightly, giving me the rest of the courage I needed to say the words that were trying to explode from my chest.
“No, he’s not the only one.”
Chapter Sixteen
Cade
Never in my life was I as nervous as when Harlan and I drove up to her grandfather’s place to drop Dillon off for the weekend. It had nothing to do with seeing her grandfather as much as it did with him knowing what we will probably be doing with a weekend to ourselves without the little man. Also, up until she spoke with him, her grandfather had no idea that we were seeing each other.
“It’ll be fine,” Harlan said as we pulled in front of her grandfather’s house Friday night. She took my hand and squeezed, calming me just a little. I felt like a dumbass kid meeting a girl’s parents for the first time. It was pathetic.
I climbed out of the truck and immediately ran around the front to help Harlan down. I pulled the sleeping little boy from his car seat. Harlan detached the complicated system of anchors that secured the seat and pulled it from the back. Harlan led the way to the porch while I carried Dillon and the seat. The door swung open before she even had the chance to knock.
“There’s my girl,” her grandfather said, pulling her into a hug.
“Grandpa, you remember Cade?”
Placing the car seat on the porch, I reached my hand out to shake his. “How are you doing, Mr. Marshall?”
He shook my hand firmly, and let go. “Hello, Cade.”
When he heard his grandfather’s voice, Dillon looked up from where his head rested on my shoulder and smiled. “Papa!” he shouted, reaching out toward the older man.
“There’s my little buddy. You ready to spend the night with Papa?”
Dillon glanced to his mother, then to me, his little brow furrowed in concern. “Momma and Cade stay too?” he asked.
“No baby,” Harlan started. “You’re going to have a sleepover with Papa. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”
Dillon reached for his mother when his grandfather started talking to him. “Dil, I thought we’d go to the petting zoo tomorrow, and maybe the carnival. I also set up the tent, so we can camp out in the backyard and maybe make some s’mores. Have you ever camped out before?”
Dillon’s eyes lit up with excitement. “We camped out with Cade and he showed me how to make s’mores. We do it again?”
“See baby, you’re going to have so much fun with Papa.”
Mr. Marshall gazed at me with more curiosity. “Yeah, we’ll do it again.” He kept his eyes on me while Harlan reached for Dillon.
“Come on, baby. Let’s get you settled inside.” She took Dillon from his arms and went into the house, carrying his bag of clothes and toys.
I stood on the porch, feeling like some lame ass teenager. It had been a long time since I had to make an impression on a woman’s family. It was unnerving.
“You set up a camp out with Dillon and Harlan?” he asked.
“Yes, sir. I did. Dillon’s been askin’ to sleep in a tent, so I gave them the whole camp out experience in their backyard.”
“And you’ve been spendin’ time with them?” he asked, there was a warning in his tone.
“We see each other almost every day at the garage and we have dinner together a couple times a week.”
“And you sleep over?” he asked.
Well shit. The old man pulled no punches. A trickle of sweat slid down the back of my neck. I wasn’t sure if it was due to the August heat or how this man set my nerves on high alert. “No. Never. Dil knows I’m around, and he knows I’m his and his mother’s friend, but we don’t kiss, hug, or even hold hands in front of Dil.”
“He’s a smart kid, Cade. What makes you think he doesn’t already think something’s goin’ on?” He paused and when I was ready to speak again, he put up his hand to stop me. “That girl’s been through hell. What those people put her through in Ireland—” He shook his head in disgust. “People who were supposed to be her family; it was terrible. I won’t stand by and allow anyone to take anything away from her again. She’s a good girl, she deserves the world,” he said, his body rigid, his shoulders squared, and he stood straighter. His eyes narrowed as he stared me down.
Harlan had told me a bit about what happened after her parents died. Aunts and cousins came out of the woodwork to take what her parents had worked for. It pissed me off when she told me, and being reminded of it made me angrier. “Sir, I don’t know what you know about me, but I don’t need to take anything from your granddaughter. I co-own two successful businesses in Mooresville with my twin brother, and now I’m working on a pit crew. I’m not rich, sir, but I certainly don’t need anything from anyone. Especially Harlan.” My eyes stayed steady on his, and I leaned toward the older man. “I care about Harlan and Dillon very much, and if I have it my way, I’ll do everything I can to give them the world. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt either of them.”
He stared at me hard, and if I hadn’t grown up with men like my father, Mike, and Bobby, I probably would have been pissing my pants. But I’d seen that look before. It was the look of a man trying to decide if he could trust another’s intentions. Mike had given that look to Julius every time he came around Toni at first. He just wanted to know that he could trust me not to hurt the two most important people in his life. What he didn’t realize was, they were the most important people in mine as well.
Mr. Marshall hesitated for several moments before a grin stretched his weathered face. “You’re a good man, Cade, and I can see you’re serious about my granddaughter and great-grandson.” He put his hand out and shook mine firmly again.
“Thanks, Mr. Marshall.”
“It’s Frank, kid. Call me Frank.”
Once Harlan and I were back on the road, headed to Mooresville, she started to question me about my conversation with her grandfather.
“What did he say?”
“Nothin’, sweetheart. Let’s just say he loves you and Dil very much.”
She stared at the side of my face as I drove down the highway. I glanced her way and smirked. “What?”
“What does that even mean?”
“Harlan, he just wanted to make sure I’m good enough to be around you and Dil. He wanted to know that I’m not gonna hurt you,” I explained.
“Are you going to hurt me?” she asked, quietly. Her words hit me hard, and at that moment I decided that we weren’t going back to Mooresville tonight. We were going to sit somewhere quiet and talk, preferably alone. I needed to calm her fears and I didn’t want to wait
the hour it would take to get back home.
“Where are you going?” she asked when I pulled off the highway and into the parking lot of a small motel.
“We need to sit and talk. I’m not gonna have this conversation in the car, and I ain’t waitin’ until we get back home. We’re gonna stop for the night.”
Before she could argue, I was out of the truck and pulling her door open to help her down. I took her hand and led her into the blue and white building. As far as motels go, this was on par with all the others, nothing to make it stick out as being unique or different. It was clean, small, and easily accessible, that’s all I wanted.
“Can I help you?” an older woman asked, sitting behind a counter.
“We’d like a room for the night, please.”
“Well certainly. Welcome. We have one room left. Please, fill out this paperwork, and I’ll get your key.”
“Are there any restaurants around that you’d recommend?” I asked as I filled in the information. I pulled my credit card from my wallet and handed it over with the other information.
“There’s a great little place just down the road if you’re lookin’ for somethin’ quiet. There’s also a tavern that has great food if you’re lookin’ for a little more fun.”
“Great, thanks.” She scanned my card. I signed the receipt and took the key from the older woman.
“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Hanson. Hope y’all have a great evenin’.”
Harlan opened her mouth, probably ready to correct her when I tugged on her hand. She just followed me up the stairs to find our room.
She had been quiet since asking if I would hurt her. I didn’t know what she thought was going on, but her stiff posture, loose grip, and slumped shoulders indicated she was on guard. I hated all the people in her past who made this captivating woman question the sincerity of others. She deserved to be able to trust, not feel like she had to second guess
“You hungry?” I asked. “We could go check out those restaurants the lady was talkin’ about.”
“No, I’m fine right now.” She sat on the edge of the bed, eyes downcast and muscles tense. The room was small, only housing a desk, dresser and one queen size bed. I pulled the chair from the desk and sat right in front of her. I was going to convince her once and for all that she and Dillon were it for me.
“Honey, talk to me. What’s goin’ on in that head of yours?”
“It’s nothing.” She grinned and appeared calm, but I could see the sadness and worry in her eyes.
“That’s not true,” I pushed. “You have somethin’ on your mind. Please talk to me. Ask me anythin’ and I’ll tell you.”
“Anything?” she asked, surprise laced in her Irish accent.
“Absolutely.” I kept my eyes on hers, leaned forward and relaxed, like I could handle any question she asked.
“Why haven’t you been in a relationship since that woman three years ago?”
For a while, I was sure that I only attracted gold-diggers and women with issues. They either saw me as a means of being taken care of, or to stoke their egos. None of them seemed to want to be with me. They just liked how they felt on my arm.
“None of them was worth the effort,” I explained. “Every woman I’ve met all wanted somethin’ from me. But now I’ve met someone who is amazin’, who challenges me and makes me want to be with her as much as possible.”
She stared at me as if trying to read into what I said. The spark of hope in her eyes combined with the doubt that cast a shadow over the faith she had in me, angered and saddened me. The story about how her aunts and cousins behaved after her parents died, buzzed in my ears. It was no wonder she was anxious about our budding relationship.
I took her hand and held it to my chest. “You’re worth it. You have my heart, Harlan. It beats for you and only you.”
“Me?” Her eyes widened, and her voice hitched with that single word.
“Yes, Harlan. I’m in love with you.”
“You are?”
I chuckled. “Yes, of course, I am.”
“I love you too, Cade.” Those words in her beautiful Irish accent brought me to my knees.
Without another thought, I pulled her from the bed, into my lap, and I held her tight to my chest. My fingers laced into her copper locks, the sweet scent of vanilla was like a drug. She always smelled so good.
She sighed and relaxed into me, gazing into my eyes. With her in my lap, our size difference was almost gone. I wanted to pull her around until she straddled my legs, but I didn’t want to push. I just leaned in and pressed my lips to the crook of her neck, trailing my lips up her neck to her jaw. I nipped and kissed her jaw, then to her ear, and when I nipped just behind her earlobe, I felt a shiver move down her body. Smiling to myself, I continued to caress her arm and bare leg, wishing her short shorts weren’t in the way.
Harlan instantly swung her leg around until she had one leg on either side of my hips, straddling me, moving her body tight to mine. She slipped her hands from my shoulders, up my neck, and into my hair while pulling her body tighter to mine.
Her mouth was like a drug, and I was addicted to her. I couldn’t get enough. Just having her in my arms made me crazy with need.
Our hands moved, tugged at the clothing that separated us. My shirt was the first to hit the floor. And the feel of her fingertips, tracing the hard lines of my stomach and chest, kneading through my chest hair made me drunk with desire for her. In an instant, her shirt and bra were on the floor, and I was pulling her soft, perfect curves tight against my hard chest. Her body heat seeped into every pore, fanning the inferno blazing in my gut. Our lips moved slowly, tenderly, as one, as if we’d been doing this for years. Every nerve pulsed, like live wires, all over my body.
“God, I’ve wanted you for so long,” I whispered as I sucked and nipped at her collarbone and the hollow of her throat. I wanted to touch and consume every inch of her perfect alabaster skin. “All I’ve thought about since we met, is you.”
Harlan let out soft moans and I continued to move down her body to her breasts. My fingers trailed softly down the contours of her spine. I’d never wanted someone as much as I wanted this woman. Everything with her felt right, more than it ever had in the past.
My lips found hers once more, I stood from the chair, sweeping her up with me. Her legs instantly wrapped around my waist and her arms held tight around my neck, but she never broke the kiss. I placed her down on the bed and immediately started making a fiery path down her gorgeous body, kissing and touching every inch. I moved from her collarbone, over her breasts, and down to her stomach, stopping at the waistband of her shorts. Slowly, I slid my fingers into her waistband. She instantly lifted her hips, allowing me to remove the last barrier separating me from what I wanted.
My hands and lips were possessive and greedy for more. Her eyes burned with need, blazing hot with passion. I needed more. The moment my shorts hit the floor, her hands were on me, stroking and fueling my desire to bury myself in her soul.
I pulled back, so my gaze could burn down her body. I wanted to memorize every piece of her perfection. The flare of her hips, the slight convex curve of her lower stomach, that showed her beautiful body held life. She had a small, round birthmark on her hip, slightly darker than her creamy, white skin. Her flesh on my tongue was intoxicating and her scent completely consumed me.
I was like an addict, utterly dependent on her. I needed her; mind, body, and soul. I loved this woman. Completely.
Chapter Seventeen
Harlan
Cade’s touch sent waves of fire across my body. I wanted the heat to fuse us together, creating a chemical reaction that could never be broken. We couldn’t seem to get close enough or hold tight enough, as we explored. He lavished all his attention on me with his gentle movements, making me feel like the most precious being in his life. His gentle hands never strayed from me for even a second.
I raked my fingers down his tanned torso, completely lost in the rise and fa
ll of the muscles in his back and the feel of his chest pressed into mine. Never in my life had I ever felt more loved and cherished than I did in Cade’s arms. I thought my heart was going to burst from the sheer emotion of everything. There was nothing I wanted more than to be with him every day and every night for the rest of my life.
I curled into his side, his strong arm surrounding me, pulling me tight until I was sprawled across his chest. For the first time, I got a good look at the tattoo that I’d only gotten glimpses of before. It stretched from the hard mass of his pectoral, over his broad shoulder and down his muscled bicep to his elbow. A gorgeous, intricate design that seemed to fit his personality perfectly. It was amazingly detailed and the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Thick black lines crisscrossed across his skin. It appeared tribal with its interwoven threads around his shoulder. The more I gazed at the design, I could see the images within the twining marks. An illustration of a Celtic sun just above his pec, with a dragon flowing over his shoulder, and roses flowing between the talons of the beast moving down his bicep. All with dark edges and bold contours that encased the artwork. I traced my fingers along the design, feeling my eyes growing heavy.
“The dragon symbolizes wisdom, strength, and loyalty. The roses represent hope, while the sun stands for life. They’re all qualities I try to possess and share with those around me that I love,” Cade explained.
The image was beautiful before, now it held so much more meaning than I ever realized. “It’s gorgeous,” I whispered, then yawned deeply. I nuzzled into his chest, enjoying the iron grip his arm held around my body.
Cade ran his fingers through my hair, massaging my scalp and relaxing me even more. He kissed the top of my head.
“Sleep, sweetheart,” he whispered. “I love you.”
***