Authors: Natalie Frost
It was much too hot to cuddle, so Dana ran her hand over his bare chest.
He tilted his head toward her and smiled.
CHAPTER FOUR
Cade managed to continue pestering her parents for several more weeks. Whether his father was foolish or in denial in regards to whatever job that Cade was supposed to be doing, Dana never asked. She had just been pleased that Cade had stayed around much longer than anticipated.
And then, the next thing she knew, she was alone in her bathroom with a positive pregnancy test.
Regret felt more like self-loathing in that moment.
Her lungs constricting, she dropped the pregnancy test into the waste basket. She saw, from her peripheral vision, her reflection in the mirror, but she couldn’t bring herself to look straight at it. She did not want to see her fear—her anger—directed at her.
She had been so, so stupid. They usually used condoms, but sometimes—amidst intense passion—they didn’t.
Dana shut her eyes tight, her hands pressing against the counter. She licked her lips and tried to think things through.
Being a mother wasn’t a problem in itself, but Cade…he was fun and charming, but he wouldn’t stick around to raise a child with her. He had once told her that he thought his father’s biggest regret was having a child.
Her heart twisted, a frenzied kind of grief coming over her. She blinked hard to fight back her tears.
She should have ended this sooner, before she got so attached. So addicted. Before she got pregnant.
She gave herself several minutes to breathe deeply. This was one of her days off—no one would bother her unless someone asked her to cover their shift, which rarely happened. Though her heart continued to throb with a burning ache, her mind managed to set aside the more panicked thoughts. Resolve stiffened her form then, as well as hardened her heart.
Dana exited the bathroom, grabbed her cell, and called Cade. If she did this quickly, then perhaps it wouldn’t hurt.
“Hey, darling,” Cade answered. “I was just about to go visit your folks. What’s the special for this week again?”
Her chest tightened. “Listen, Cade, I have had a really good time with you and everything—”
“Uh-oh,” he said with a sigh. “Your tone is giving you away. You want to end things.”
“It just seems like the right time,” she choked out. Conflict warred within her then, but she didn’t have time to focus on it.
“Say no more,” he said, casual and charming as he always was. “I know what this was. It’s been fun, sweetheart.” He blew out another sigh. “I guess I should be dealing with dad soon, anyway. Can’t put off the inevitable forever.
“Goodbye, Dana. Take care of yourself.”
“Bye,” she said, blinking owlishly.
He hung up immediately afterward.
Dumbstruck, she leaned back on her haunches and lowered the phone. It had been so easy for him. It was both hurtful and comforting, his quick departure reassuring her that she had made the right decision not mentioning the baby—ending things, moving on.
Still…she had never met anyone like Cade Major before. Longing already bloomed in her chest, and she was tempted to call him back and mend things.
Dana put the phone on the nearest surface she could find. Then, taking several deep breaths, she got ready to go visit Abel’s Bar and Grill.
Being with her family would help calm her and accept reasoning. Though they could never know about her affair with Cade, they would surely be supportive of her bearing a child by herself after having a one-night stand.
The lie, not even told yet, stabbed her conscience. She hated lying to her parents—usually never did. But being with Cade would be seen as a betrayal, and she didn’t want that. It had just been for fun. She hadn’t meant to—
Dana shook her head, dispelling her inner rantings. She made herself move quicker as she continued to get ready.
She just needed to leave the apartment. Just for a little while. And then everything would be fine.
It probably would have been fine. Even if she came out with the truth right away, her family helping her raise her child without Cade would have probably ended up being fine.
By four days after their breakup—her pregnancy still a secret from everyone—an urgent knock on her door in the middle of the night had Dana leaping out of bed and rushing to the front door. Her heart hammered, her hands quivering as she looked through the peephole.
She assumed someone was coming to tell her of some tragic news. But Cade stood on the other side of the door, a nervous look on his face. He fidgeted, glancing about.
Dana’s heart leaped to her throat. She threw open the door then and there, despite the fact that she was only wearing a thin nightgown.
Cade jolted, his eyes flicking up and down her form before he flinched. He almost seemed…guilty. “Hi, darling. Sorry to come here so late, but I…you get to the bar and grill so early, and I didn’t want to do this in front of an audience.”
Hope and fear shot through her at once. She tightened her grip on the door, swaying a bit. “What?”
He opened his mouth, and then a startled laugh jumped out. “Sorry, I’m nervous.” He ran a hand through his hair and swore. “I’m usually good at these things, but this is different. It’s special. And I want to do the speech justice here, but I keep messing it up.”
“Just talk to me, Cade,” she said gently, squashing the temptation to reach out for him. “You can tell me anything, alright? It’s okay.”
He swallowed, his eyes glazing over as he stared at her more intently. “You’re sweet. And sincere. And kind. And feisty.” He smirked a little at that before his expression stiffened again. “And passionate. And I could list out all of your wonderful qualities right now, but the point I’m trying to make is…” He hesitated, opening and closing his mouth. Clearly frustrated, he released a tight huff. “Okay, look, here’s the thing.”
“I went to see Dad like I said I would. He was pretty mad at me for using up so much valuable time, and he got even madder at me when I said I couldn’t get the lease to your family’s place. He ranted at me about how spoiled I was, blah, blah, blah, and then he asked me why I didn’t get your folks to sign over the place. Now, what I should have said was that it was because your parents are the most stubborn and most possessive people I have ever met and that they would sooner eat their own limbs than sell their restaurant. But instead,” Fear flashed on his face, even as he eyes gleamed with an entirely new emotion, “I told him that it was because I was in love with their daughter.”
Dana’s breath caught in her throat. Her grip on the door loosened, hope flaring and affection coursing through her.
Cade smiled. “I’ve never been in love before. I won’t lie about that. But the way I feel about you…I tried to shrug it off—I tried to act nonchalant and move on with my life. But I couldn’t, Dana. I—” His voice trembled, so full of warmth and need. “I love you. And I want to make this work. If you’ll have me, of course.”
She moved forward and cupped his face, the feel of him—the scent of him—everything making relief wash over her. She ached to hold him and kiss him, but her conscience demanded her to make things right force.
He gently held one of her wrists, his eyes softening.
“Cade…I’m pregnant,” she blurted.
Cade paled.
Her face fell, disappointment and rejection piercing her. The spiteful part of her tried to be reassuring—tried to make her believe that she had been right about him all along.
But her chest felt like it was caving in on itself, her fears coming alive before her.
She swallowed thickly. There was no point in trying to save face now—what, with her tears heavy on her eyelids. Voice wrought with pain, she said, “I ended it because I figured you didn’t want to be father. Otherwise, I would have tried to keep you for as long as you would have me, Cade.” A bitter kind of joy squeezed her, nearly making her laugh. “You have made me so happy, so reckless. You made me be a little different, and it felt so good to be a little different because it made me more
me
.” She shook her head and glanced away. “It’s okay if you don’t understand that—I barely do—but I just…I love you, too. But I know that having a baby makes this even more serious, and I understand if you want to walk away right now and never come back.”
The following seconds were the worst ones of her life. Tense anticipation was tainted with dread and a sense of loss. Worse, it fueled her hope yet again when it was clearly pointless now.
His fingers cupped her face in such a gentle manner that at first she did not feel them. But then he was guiding her face upward, his lips pressing to hers.
Dana froze, her eyes shutting and tingling warmth flowing through her veins. God, she had missed this. She dared to deepen the kiss, just a little. If this was his way of saying goodbye, then she would savor every last second of it.
When he pulled away, she nearly followed him—nearly tried to kiss him again. But she was grateful for the surge of pride that held her back and kept her steady.
“I love you,” Cade repeated brokenly. “And, yes, I am terrified about being a parent—especially now that I’m homeless. But I want to make this work with you and our baby. I want to try, at least. That may not be enough, but it’s all I have now.” His hands trailed down to her neck, and then her shoulders. “I’ll get a job. I’ll find one and try to be the normal, hard-working man every woman wants and every child needs. I’ll try, Dana.”
Her eyes widened, too many emotions overwhelming her for her to think straight. She grabbed the front of his shirt and tugged him toward her, as if she feared he would change his mind and bolt at any second.
“You’re staying,” she blurted, voice a feeble thing now. “You’re staying.”
Joy broke out on his face and he nodded before leaning closer to her. “I’m staying.”
They kissed once again. Lips parted, hands stroking one another—tears crawled down her cheeks, Love bursting from her heart and soothing past hurt away.
When they parted, Dana gasped for breath. Her head spun, making her realize she had forgotten to breathe for a while there.
Cade rubbed her cheek, his fingers tangling in her hair. “I am…I thought I had pushed you away for good.”
Her smile wobbled. “Me, too.”
He pressed his forehead against hers, his body sagging a bit as he wrapped his arms around her. “Oh, your parents are going to kill me, but it’s worth it to have you back.”
She groaned with exasperation, though she could not get rid of the wide smile on her face. “They will be…angry, yes. At both of us. But when we give them some time, they will forgive us.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that. They’re my family.”
He snorted fondly. “Let’s just say my family is a bit different. I may need your help in becoming a more respectable man.”
“Later,” she said, grabbing his hand and dragging him into her apartment. She smirked back at him. “Right now, let’s be a little less than respectable for a while.”
His eyes lit up, his eyelids lowering. “Sounds perfect, darling.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Confessing everything to her parents early the next morning had gone as well as could be expected. Her father stormed around the restaurant and waved his hands about, his voice too soft beneath its frustrated growls to be heard.
Her mother had simply sighed with exasperation. “I should have seen this coming. Everyone’s spirit gets restless and reckless from time to time.” She gave a patient smile to Dana, and then she sneered at Cade. “Hurt my baby girl and my grand-baby, and I will end you.”
Cade, rather dutifully, nodded. “Understood, ma’am.”
“Good.”
Her father had circled around back to them, his finger stabbing Cade’s chest. “You-you—” Her father’s words were contorted by more snarls.
Cade cringed, a sheepish smile spreading his lips out awkwardly.
This tension between them and her father carried on for a few days until his anger softened considerably. He was able to make his threats clearly to Cade after that, though the words did not have much heat behind them anymore.
Cade, during all of this, has been applying for all kinds of jobs nearby—janitorial, bartender—Dana was proud of his effort.
They were both surprised and relieved when her father hired Cade as their new bartender.