THE NEARER BELLA got to Caden’s house, the faster her heart raced. This was it. Her now or never moment. This was her life, and she was going to tell him exactly what she thought of his needing a break. She drove down Route 6 and turned down the side road toward his house. She was breathing so hard she had to pull over for a minute just to take a few deep breaths.
Okay. Okay. Okay. I can do this.
She tugged at the hem of her dress, then pulled at the flimsy ribbons holding up her top. With one last loud exhalation, she drove back onto the road and turned onto his street. His driveway was empty.
Shoot.
She hadn’t even considered that he might not be home. She blamed her error on the sugar rush from eating all the chocolate she possibly could. He could be anywhere—fishing with Evan, or at a beach, at work. This was supposed to be easy. Knock on his door, say her two cents, and either—
Caden’s truck pulled into the driveway behind her.
She couldn’t breathe.
She watched in her side-view mirror as he stepped from the truck in his uniform, looking exactly like he had the first night they’d met. When his eyes caught hers in the mirror, she felt her heart swell. Only this time the sadness in his eyes mirrored how she felt, but she couldn’t let that dissuade her from where she was heading.
His powerful legs carried him one sure step at a time toward her car. Her breathing became shallow, and when he reached for the door handle, she no longer felt like she was a woman who needed to roar.
She just felt like a woman, and that was enough.
CADEN COULDN’T BELIEVE his eyes. Bella was right there, stepping out of her car wearing—holy cow. What was she wearing? Some pink polyester number that hugged her breasts and hips and appeared to be held on by two thin ribbons that tied around her neck. There was a pink satin bow at her waist, and the fabric stopped above her knees in the front and hung to her heels in the back.
“Stop looking at me like that.” She crossed her arms, and her shoulders rounded forward. She drew them back and lifted her chin.
“I’m…Bella…” Come on, say something. “I’m sorry.”
“So am I.” Her eyes narrowed. “I’m going to tell you something,” she said with a serious tone. “And I’m only going to say it once.”
Caden touched her arm.
“I can’t think if you touch me.”
That made him smile, which brought a narrowing of her eyes. He stared at his hand before peeling his fingers from her skin.
“I’m sorry. But you’re here. Even if you’re annoyed with me, I’m happy you’re here.” How could he not smile? He’d missed her so much, and here she was, wearing some ridiculous outfit, angry and crazy adorable. The sound of her voice was like a new heart to a dying man.
“I missed your voice,” he admitted.
“You.” She poked his chest. “Hurt.” Poke. “Me.” Poke.
He grabbed her finger and pressed her palm to his chest. She tried to pull away, but he held on tight.
“Darn it, Caden.” Her voice trembled. “You hurt me. A lot.”
“I’m sorry.” He took a step closer and she peered up at him, then lowered her eyes to her hand, trapped beneath his. “I hurt me, too.”
At that, she lifted her beautiful eyes to his, and he could see her struggling to sound angry when he knew she felt as compelled to fall into his arms as he did to wrap them around her and hold her close.
“You waited too many days before you called me,” she said just above a whisper.
He shook his head. “I didn’t know if I should call.”
Her eyes narrowed again. “You should have.”
“I couldn’t be more sorry.” He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her, hold her, make both their pains go away, but before he could move, she spoke.
“You’re standing there all handsome and apologetic, and…hot in that stupid sexy uniform, with that look in your eyes like you love me more than life itself, and…”
“I do,” he said.
“You…”
“I do love you more than life itself.”
She clenched her jaw and looked away, and when she turned back, her voice was determined once again. “Oh. Wait. I have…I love you, too, but darn it, I need to finish.”
He smiled. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” She bit her lower lip and furrowed her brow, as if she was trying to remember what she was saying. “You let me be strong, but you also make me weak.” She shook her head. “But you don’t really make me weak. You love me in ways that make me feel safe enough to forget I’m strong, and that scares the daylights out of me—even though I love that feeling. I’ve never had that feeling before, but you, Caden Grant…” She fisted her hands in that silly pink getup, and a second later she poked his chest again. “You.” Poke. “Are.” Poke.
He grabbed her hand again and held it tight.
She drew her brows together. “You are the man that I want to be with. I like how you make me feel, and…I’m embracing it. See?” She swatted the skirt of her ridiculous dress. “I like how you take care of me. It makes me want to take care of you and Evan. But I won’t be jerked around. I won’t be treated like I’m expendable. You either take me or leave me, but there is no in between.”
He tightened his grip on her hand. “I don’t have a lot of experience with being in love or taking breaks.” His heart squeezed as her words took root, and he softened his tone. “Or realizing I was the biggest fool on earth.”
“You…” She hooked her finger into the waistband of his pants. “What?”
“I was an idiot. I blamed Evan’s hooking up with the wrong friends on my not giving him enough attention because I was so wrapped up in us that I couldn’t see straight.”
“You made a commitment to Evan, and I respect that.” She stared at his chest. He lifted her chin with his finger.
“I made a commitment to you, too, Bella. To us. I thought I needed to focus solely on Evan, but, babe, I was wrong. We need to focus on Evan. Together. I can’t be a good father when I’m spending my emotional energy missing you. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I can’t do a single thing because I love you, Bella, and without you, seeing straight isn’t even an option.” He paused to let his words sink in. “I made an impulsive suggestion because Evan is…”
“Everything, as he should be,” she said softly. “I overreacted. I was selfish and I’m sorry.”
“No. You’re wrong about Evan being everything. Evan was everything until I met you. He is my son, and I love him. But the space he fills in my heart is the space that only a child can fill.” He cupped her cheeks and took a step closer, so they were thigh to thigh, as they should be. “You’re my soul mate. My lover. My friend. The woman I want to spend my life with, and maybe one day, if you want to, you’ll be the mother of our child. That side of my heart that Evan fills has room for more, but the other side of my heart? Your side? It only has room for you.”