Their eyes remained locked for a while before Dru pushed his hands down from her face and took a step away from him.
“I just don’t understand any of this. Why are you doing this for me? You barely know me, and I have all these issues and problems?—”
“I know enough to know I want you and everything that comes with you, including your issues and problems. That ain’t shit for a man that’s a problem solver.” Caden’s hands lifted in surrender, and he took a step back himself, putting even more space between them. “I meant it last night when I said I wanted to be the one who took care of you. Whatever you want and need, I want to provide. If you want to be a stay-at-home wife or go back to school, or open your own gallery, or be an artist. Whatever you want to do. I’m here to cultivate you and make your life better.”
“And what do you want in exchange?”
“Just you,” Caden admitted with a shrug. “I only want you.”
While Caden waited patiently for a response, Dru considered his words. Her heart didn’t give her mind time to connect and agree before it directed her feet in his direction. Resting her forehead against his chest, Dru warned him with, “You can’t turn on me, Caden. If I’m going to stay here and let you in, . . . I wouldn’t be able to take you intentionally hurting or switching up on me. If I let you in?—”
“I won’t ever do anything to make you push me back out,” he declared, wrapping his arms around her.
“Okay,” she almost whispered. “This sounds so freaking crazy, but I’ll stay.”
“Yeah?” Caden asked, and though she wasn’t looking at him, Dru heard the smile in his voice.
“Yeah.”
Looking up at him, Dru smiled and wrapped her arms around him.
“You won’t regret it. I promise,” Caden assured her.
“For some reason, I know.”
With a smile, Caden lowered himself to her for a kiss.
And for what felt like the first time, Dru felt herself exhale.
It wasthe end of the first full day Caden had Dru in his home. While he may have appeared calm on the outside, his mind and heart had been working a mile a minute. He’d been thinking of everything he could do to make her life easier, everything he could do to make his home feel like her home. Because though Caden meant it when he told Dru that she could leave at any time, he was hoping she’d stay. He was hoping sixty days would roll by, and she would be so in love with him that she’d choose him willingly, regardless of any other options she had.
Today had been the first day Caden didn’t handle business, legally or illegally, in what felt like forever. It was nice waking up next to Dru’s warm, soft body and not having to rush out and handle business. While that wasn’t something he could do everyday, he did plan on taking at least one day off a week so he could have uninterrupted time with Dru. Seeing a future that included her and kids made him want to work less and enjoy life more. But before he could plan too far ahead, he had to make sure Dru would be on the same page as him. While he may have controlled the distance of their relationship, Dru controlled the pacing.
Tapping softly on the doorframe of her guest room, Caden gained her attention. She looked up at him with a warm smile, looking just as beautiful in his T-shirt as she’d looked every other time he’d seen her. In fact, he loved her in his shirt more. Her locs were flowing loosely around her flawless face, and Caden had to keep himself from walking over and kissing her freckles.
“I didn’t want to impose and assume you wanted to sleep in the same bed as me again, but if you decide later that you want company, my door will be open,” Caden told her.
“Sleeping next to you, I got the most peaceful sleep of my life.”
“Then whenever you’re ready, feel free to join me.”
A wide grin spread her lips before she climbed out of bed, grabbed her phone, and made her way in his direction. Caden chuckled as she skipped behind him to his room. As she climbed into his bed, he used the remote to close the blinds, cut on the ceiling fan, and cut the lights out. Without Caden’s urging, Dru snuggled up against him and laid her head on his chest.
“Sometimes, I feel like this is a dream and I’m going to wake up,” she confessed as he cut on the TV.
“Why’s that?” Caden asked, dropping a kiss to the top of her head as his arms wrapped around her.
“You swooped in, paid off my debt, brought me into this big, beautiful home . . . Stuff like this doesn’t happen in real life. Just in fairy tales. Urban fairy tales.”
Caden laughed as she giggled. “Maybe for others, but this is real for us, and it’s your life now. I’ll say it however many timesyou need me to. I’m here, I’m yours. I want you to use me to your heart’s content.”
“I don’t think my heart will ever grow full or tired of you, K.”
“I’m upgraded to nickname status now? How long till I move up to bae?”
Dru laughed as she shifted against him and tossed her leg over his. “Hmm, maybe over breakfast tomorrow. Will you have time to eat with me?”
“Yeah. If ya man don’t do nothing else in this house, he gon’ eat. I did want to talk to you about tomorrow and the days ahead though.”
