It was cozy and warm, and I never wanted to leave.
I woke up sprawled across a furnace made of smooth muscle.
Raising a hand to block the bright sun overhead, I blinked down at a sleeping Cade underneath me. He lay on his back with his arms wrapped around my waist—and Whiskey was curled up in the spot between Cade’s shoulder and the cushion. His tail twitched in his sleep, brushing Cade’s cheek and earning a quiet grumble.
My heart melted into a puddle of goo at the sight.
Not one to turn down a good opportunity, I traced Cade’s strong jaw with the tip of my finger, admiring the light scrape of his stubble.
A pointed throat-clearing interrupted my lazy perusal, and I jerked back in alarm, looking for the culprit.
To my horror, Cade’s mom sat on the couch across from us. Her legs were primly crossed, a gold-rimmed teacup in her hand. She didn’t speak—not out loud, at least—but the appraising way her gaze shifted between me and Cade spoke volumes.
Mortified, I quickly wiped my face to check for drool. All clear.
“Oh. Hello,” I croaked, pushing myself up and off her son. I pulled the robe tighter around myself and straightened to sit next to Cade. He shifted in his sleep, moving a hand as if reaching for me, and I shoved the blanket over him while blushing. Luckily, he settled back into sleep.
When I looked at his mom again, she was watching him with a soft smile. “I haven’t watched him sleep since he was a little boy. Even then, he never rested this well.”
I stared. That was…not at all what I’d expected her to say. Maybe a catty comment instead? A withering barb or two?
I kept my lips sealed, unsure what to say.
Mrs. Westbrook wasn’t affected by the same awkwardness that’d seeped into my bones, and she sipped her tea before setting it on its saucer. “My son looks at you the way Everett used to look at me.”
I blinked, not following. “…Everett?”
“Caden’s father. I haven’t been the same since he died. I know that.” Her smile turned sad, and it felt like the first real emotion I’d seen from her. She sighed. “Nobody tells you how to cope with losing the love of your life.”
Okay. I officially had no idea what was happening or what to say, so I moved to get up. “Um, if you’d like to talk to Cade, I can go?—”
“No, no.” She waved me back down. “You’re the one I came to speak with.”
“Me?” I froze halfway off the couch and glanced at Cade. How much lying would this conversation need? But I reluctantly sat back down. “About what?”
“Well, about my actions since I arrived onThe Valencia.” She cleared her throat again. “I may have been a little hard on you.”
I snorted before I could stop myself. “Alittle?”
Her lips twitched. “I assumed Caden had been lying about the engagement as some cruel prank to mess with us. But then…there you were. It was a shock, but I shouldn’t have taken my feelings of betrayal out on you.”
I fought down a nervous laugh, because her assumption wasn’t far off. The engagementwasmeant to trick them.
And even though she hadn’t said the words, it hit me that she was apologizing. I hadn’t expected that at all.
I narrowed my eyes, wary of how genuine she actually was. “Why the sudden change of heart?”
“Because I was wrong,” she answered matter-of-factly, tossing in a little shrug that only called more attention to her pearl necklace. “It’s clear my son adores you. Caden has always been indifferent to animals, but I heard he didn’t hesitate to jump in after your cat.”
I bit my lip, fidgeting with the edge of the blanket and glancing at Whiskey curled up in a ball. She was right. Cade hadn’t hesitated. But that didn’t mean headoredme.
Mrs. Westbrook sniffed and sipped her tea once more.
“He dotes on you, too. I saw it last night and thought he’d foolishly let himself be seduced by some common gold digger.”She took in Cade’s sleeping form, and her voice softened. “Now I see it was love.”
I immediately felt like trash, and I scratched my ankle underneath the blanket. “There definitely wasn’t any nefarious seduction.”
She shook her head. “Can you blame me for being cautious? Billionaires attract all sorts of opportunists.”
