AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Got it.” I offered her a smile and walked her to the door. “Thanks again for all your hard work.”
She smiled broadly, pleased by the compliment. “There’s nothing I’d rather be doing than helping my best friend’s son find the love of his life.”
Little did she know…
After Willow left, I headed down the hall to my father’s office. We had some financial work to do for next year’s budget. I knocked on the door before entering and was greeted with a warm smile.
“Good morning, son. How are you today?” He leaned back in his leather desk chair.
Aside from finding my fated mate and knowing I could never have her?
“Great,” I said, forcing a tight smile and taking a seat across from him. Kayden might be off limits, but the part of me that wanted her—the part that was drawn to my mate wasn’t willing to accept my fate so easily. My mind was already racing with things I wanted to say on our date. And my heart held out an irrational hope that I could find a way to be with her, even if my head knew it was impossible.
“How are you holding up with the Contention? Any favorites yet?” His smile widened. “By this time in my Contention, I was already head over heels for your mother.”
I didn’t want to lie to my father. I loved and respected him. But how could I tell him Kayden was my fated mate? I’d rolled this over and over in my mind, trying to find a solution, but so far, I was coming up blank. He’d exile her immediately, and I refused to allow that.
I shrugged. “I need more time to get to know them all.” It was a safe, easy answer, all I could give him for now.
His smile dropped slightly, but he nodded. “You’ll figure it out. There are a lot of fine women that would make a good wife.”
“Agreed. So, about this budget…”
We worked all morning, and at lunchtime, I found Willow and gave her the details of how I wanted the date my mother arranged to go.
She smiled excitedly. “I’ll make it happen.” Reaching up and patting me on the cheek like I was still a child, she added, “You can pick Kayden up from her room at six. I’ll communicate with her assistant and ensure she’s ready for you.”
The rest of the afternoon went by in a blur, and soon enough, I was standing outside the door of Kayden’s temporary room, taking a deep breath to calm my nerves.
Being nervous about a date with a woman was a strange feeling. I’d never lacked for women throwing themselves my way. But Kayden had been different from the start in every way. My stomach was in knots as I lifted my hand to knock. If this didn’t go well, I didn’t know what I’d do.
I knocked, and Faye answered the door. “Good evening, Faye. I’m here to pick up Kayden for our date.”
Is this what it was like for regular guys who dated? Were these nerves typical? Or was it the knowledge that Kayden was my mate and I wanted her more than anything?
“Right on time,” Faye said with a huge smile, opening the door wide and gesturing for me to come in.
I stepped inside, and my heart leaped up into my chest. Kayden was dressed in a long, flowing white dress that grazed the floor, the thin straps exposing her toned shoulders and arms. She wore sandals and carried a lightweight wrap—perfect for what I had planned. Willow and Faye did well.
Kayden’s hair was half up, a braid crossing her head like a headband at the top, long silky waves falling to her waist.
“You look beautiful,” I said earnestly, never having meant the words more.
Kayden cleared her throat and glanced down, swallowing. “Thanks.”
I reached out my hand. “Shall we?”
Kayden’s chest rose and fell as she took a breath, and she didn’t quite meet my eyes as she walked to my side and took my hand.
I could feel her reaction, though, when we touched. She jerked, almost as if she’d been burned, and it confirmed she felt the same electric spark that I did.
“Have a good time,” Faye called after us.
We didn’t speak the entire way through the house and down the grand staircase, though I felt Kayden’s eyes on me from time to time. Nerves danced in my stomach, but hope flickered in my chest. This could be going so much worse.
When we walked through the front doors, the crisp early autumn air carrying the scent of the sea, she finally spoke. “Where are we going? Faye wouldn’t tell me anything.”
I laced my fingers through hers, and she tensed. I paused, glancing down at her. She was worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.
