AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Hallie swallowed, guilt eating at her like a poisonous virus from the inside out. “Caden…” she started. She’d been aching to tell him for weeks. There was no one in the store now. Maybe she could just tell him and get it over with. She hated seeing him suffer like this.
He stroked her face with the pad of his thumb. His steel gray eyes, clouded with the shadows of his past, gazing into hers. “I’ll be okay.”
It hurt just hearing him say those unconvincing words. She had to tell him. “Caden,” she started again, determined to get the words out.
“Will you let me take you somewhere special tonight?” He asked, interrupting her, as he pulled something out of his pocket.
“Of course. But there’s something -” She stopped abruptly, noticing the key in his hand. “Is that -?”
“The key to my new house.” Caden said with a huge smile. “Garrett and Luke helped me move everything last night.”
“Ahh!” She threw her arms around him in a big hug. “Congratulations! I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks, but I want to share it with you. I want our first night together to be there.”
Hallie nibbled on her bottom lip. She wanted to be with this man more than she wanted anything else in the world, but she couldn’t put off telling him another day. “I’d like that too, but before we do anything, there’s something we should talk about first.”
“If you’re not ready or if you don’t want to -”
“I want to,” she rushed to say. “I really want to. But first -”
He kissed her deeply, dazing her mind and almost making her forget what she was saying. “Not now. Not here. Whatever you have to say, I want to be holding you in my arms when you tell me, and I don’t want anyone walking in and interrupting us.”
“Okay, but tonight,” Hallie insisted.
“Tonight,” Caden agreed, his warm gray pools locked on her gaze. “I’m making you mine.”
***
As dedicated as Caden was to his job, being caught up in ongoing cases at the bureau had kept him away from Hallie for far too long. He called her every night, messaged her every chance he got, and stopped by her store a few times when he was actually in town and could escape the craziness of the bureau, but those few and far between stolen moments just weren’t enough to soothe his ravaged soul.
This last week had been especially brutal, and by the time Friday rolled around he was exhausted. Darla had called him a few days ago to let him know that the house was officially his, and he’d stopped by her office on his way into work to pick up the key. After Garrett and Luke helped him move in last night, Caden planned out his first night with Hallie at the new house, down to the LED candles, rose petals, and even dinner from the same Italian restaurant they’d gone to on their first official date. He wanted to make tonight perfect.
He had no idea what Hallie wanted to talk to him about, but whatever it was, he could tell it weighed heavily on her mind. He wanted to wait until they were alone, so she wouldn’t feel rushed or pressured. No matter what she had to tell him, he loved her, and he would always be her safe place.
Hallie Owens was like a balm to his battered heart and mind, and he found himself needing her more and more. Her smile brightened his day, her sweet voice soothed his nerves, and absolutely nothing compared to the feeling of her arms around him or the way her kisses set fire to his soul. He was an addict and she was his drug of choice. He’d never get enough.
But he needed to put his past behind him, once and for all.
Ethan’s file had sat on his desk for weeks now. It was starting to feel more like a boulder on his shoulders, and Caden was finally ready to let it go. He wasn’t sure how he was going to put the circumstances of his brother’s death behind him, but he knew it was the only way to move forward. He had a great thing going with Hallie and he didn’t want to jeopardize it by living in the past.
After leaving the office, Caden stopped by the police station and returned Ethan’s file to Luke.
“You okay?” Luke asked, taking the file from him like it was fragile.
Caden nodded. “It’s time.”
“If you ever want to talk -”
“No. It’s done. The security cameras at the liquor store were busted. There were no other witnesses. I have to let it go before it eats me alive.” What more could he do? He’d looked into every possible scenario and came up empty every time. Maybe it went down exactly the way Tyler said it had - Ethan and the shop owner exchanged gunfire, killing each other, while Tyler tried to fight Ethan for the gun.
But if that was the case, then what was Jorge talking about, and why was Tyler always hiding behind his lawyer whenever anyone tried to talk to him about that night? Caden had so many questions. The worst part was living the rest of his life knowing none of them would ever be answered.
He wasn’t sure how he was going to get past that, but tonight was about him and Hallie. Whatever she wanted to tell him was important, and he planned on giving her his undivided attention.
Chapter 25
Hallie was just about to close for the day when Caden walked in with that swagger that made her face split into a huge grin. He pulled her into his arms with a sweet kiss to her forehead and said, “I’m here to pick you up and whisk you away.” The shimmer in his eyes made her belly tingle with anticipation, but knowing what she had to tell him almost turned that excitement to dread.
