“Good to see Cassandra is calmer than usual,” Kaden murmurs sarcastically.
“She’s engaged?” I can’t hide my disbelief.
We continue into Parker’s room, where he has already started undressing, throwing his clothes everywhere. I scoop them up and toss them in the hamper.
“Really?” Kaden looks confused.
“She’s wearing a huge diamond ring.”
“No one said anything to me. It must’ve just happened.”
I sit on the edge of the tub to turn on the faucets, running my hand under the water to check the temperature before taking the bottle of bubble bath from Parker, who’s waiting impatiently to get in. “Who’s the guy?”
Kaden shrugs. “I wasn’t here when they arrived. Honestly, this is the first time I’ve met him. Although, now that I think of it, that was shite of me not to introduce myself.”
I grin. I love when his British-isms sneak out. He doesn’t have an accent, but every once in a while, he’ll slip in a British expression. It’s adorable.
“Don’t feel bad. I didn’t introduce myself either. It was hectic with us arriving and sitting down to dinner before we even settled in. Cassandra has a way of stealing everyone’s attention.”
Kaden bends down to speak directly into my ear, “Will you be able to stay with me at the cottage tonight?”
I blush. Last summer, I wasn’t needed as much to care for Parker and had quite a bit of free time. They brought me to the island for when the adults needed time to themselves or to occupy Parker when Mrs. Harrison had work to do. There were many nights toward the end of the summer, after it became obvious just how in love Kaden and I were, when I’d sneak down to the cottage to be with him. I don’t know if Mr. or Mrs. Harrison knew, but if they did, they never said anything.
“I don’t think I should,” I say regretfully. This summer, as Mrs. Harrison’s stomach has continued to grow, she’s been relying on me more and more to look after Parker since she’s less able to keep up with him. And he’s full of endless energy. “But I can come see you after Parker’s in bed. And stay late.”
Kaden grins, knowing what I mean.
I turn off the tap, and Parker practically jumps in.
“I’ll go see if Isaac needs anything,” Kaden tells me as I wipe bubbles off my bare legs.
After tucking Parker in and having his parents kiss him goodnight, I read him his favorite story … three times. Once I’m certain he’s asleep, I slip away to my room across the hall. As much as I want to rush down to the cottage to be with Kaden, I really need to unpack and change into something more comfortable—or easily accessible. My cheeks redden at just the thought of it.
I’m not a prude exactly. But I’m not sexually liberated like Maggie, who has no problem sharing her torrid hook-ups and drunken exploits. I don’t drink. And Kaden is the only person I’ve been with—and plan to ever be with. I wasn’t saving myself for marriage, but for the person I loved. Whenever that was. I didn’t want to cheapen the act by losing my virginity with just anyone. I wanted him to love and respect me and for me to love and respect him in return. I didn’t think that was a huge ask. When Maggie discovered why I was a virgin at the beginning of last summer, I thought she would never stop laughing.
But it happened exactly as I always dreamed it would. Slow. Gentle. Caring. A moment of love shared between the two of us. And, yes, there was passion. So much. I blush again, recalling that night at the beginning of August. A night I will never forget.
We weren’t the only ones staying at the Harrison household that weekend, and I had no idea about the drama happening behind closed doors. I was so swept up in being with Kaden, I was oblivious to everything else. Until it became too obvious to ignore. But at first, our time together was as magical as it had been the last time we were together.
Is he asleep?”
“I think they all are, except Niall. But he never sleeps.” I ease the door closed behind me like I’m still sneaking through the main residence despite being in a completely different house.
Kaden wraps an arm around me and swings me around. I yelp in surprise as I collide against his firm chest. He twirls us, easing into a slow, rhythmic dance. I slip my arms around his neck, laughing, and sway with him, our bodies pressed close. I run my nose along his neck, inhaling the clean, fresh scent of him. Kaden stills when my mouth follows the same path, sucking on his tender skin, eliciting a low rumble in his throat.
I know this is his spot. The sensitive place that drives him crazy.
“Are you trying to kill me already?” he moans, squeezing my waist.
“It’s been the longest two months of my life,” I murmur with my lips still connected to him, my tongue darting out to taste the salt on his pulse.
“Maybe …” he falters in his words, distracted by the heat of my mouth. “We … go on the roof. Talk … first.”
I sigh, easing into a hug. The fireworks of want settle into sparks dancing in my belly. “Okay.”
Kaden leads me through the cottage. It’s quaint and comfortable with its worn, wide plank floorboards. The kitchen was updated sometime within the last ten years, not nearly as new as the main house. But the original wooden cabinets and counter bases were kept, keeping the authenticity of when it was built seventy or so years ago.
The space that’s intended to be a dining room is being used for a family room with a broken-in couch set in front of a television displayed on a distressed grey console. It’s meant to look like it’s aged, but I know that it’s not. The expense of it is evident every time I sit in that room. There’s not much space for anything else other than the old leather trunk converted into a coffee table.
There’s a small guest bedroom on this floor as well, the door cracked open. It’s the only feminine space in the cottage with its white wrought iron bed draped with an eyelet duvet. The standing oval mirror and matching dresser are as old as the house. Their age adds to their elegance. It’s one of my favorite rooms on the property. With the long window that nearly reaches the floor, letting in the sunlight through the sheer curtains, it’s a cheerful space. I spent many hours of my free time reading or writing in my journal in that room last summer while Kaden busied himself with other things. It was nice, being under the same roof as him but having my own space.
I follow him up the narrow staircase to the loft level with its slanted ceiling. The space opens up into a study, occupied by a dark-stained antique desk, distressed leather couch and built-in bookshelves filled with leather-bound books and picture frames. It even smells masculine, the leather mixed with the scent of aged pages. It’s Kaden at his essence, thoughtful and comforting. Studious and pragmatic. Yet a dreamer. A heart filled with devotion and love.
The door to his room is ajar, as is typical in a house where everything hangs askew. The metal latches don’t always catch quite right, so I’ve learned that nothing is never really closed, even when I expect it to be. The rumpled quilt and sheets on his bed tempt me—I can practically smell the clean scent of his soap and natural fragrance infused in the threads. He’d often find me with the blankets pulled up over my chin the nights we spent together, just so I could inhale him, even when he was lying right beside me. He would tease me, but I found comfort in the feel of him wrapped around me within the fabric.