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My throat dries as I look up at him, catching sight of that slow, sexy smirk spreading across his face. I’m not even embarrassed to be caught ogling. Caden’s eyes darken as our gazes meet, and his voice is low as he says, “Keep looking at me like that, and we’ll never make it to the party.”
Fine by me.
I step out of the apartment, shutting the door behind me because I don’t need Bianca or my daughter hearing or seeing me practically melt in front of him. “You make it sound like a bad thing,” I say with a small grin, grabbing the lapel of his jacket and pushing myself close. His body is warm and solid against mine, and when his hands grip my hips, I swear the touch sears through my dress.
Caden lets out a quiet groan. “You’re killing me, honey,” he mutters as his head dips, lips connecting with mine in a kiss that instantly quickens my pulse.
His tongue teases the seam of my lips and I part my lips, core throbbing as his tongue slides against mine lazily, lovingly. God, I could just stay here like this, holding him and kissing him, getting lost in him. The butterflies in my stomach are in a happy frenzy, never wanting this to end.
But Caden pulls away and murmurs, “We should go.”
I sigh as I open my eyes, smiling a little as I see the reddish-brown shade of my lipstick smeared on his mouth. Raising a hand, I use my thumb to wipe at his lips and chin, cleaning it off and knowing I need to fix myself, too. But he beats me to it, copying my actions and gently rubbing at my chin and around my mouth, careful not to ruin the rest of my makeup. Heat explodes across my skin at his gentle touch and intense gaze.
When we’re both fixed up, we head down to the garage, and I pull out my keys since I’m the one driving. We’re almost to the hotel, the speakers playing music from my playlist, when Caden asks, “You okay?”
I blow out a breath. “I’m going with zero expectations,” I tell him. “They can’t disappoint me if I don’t have any expectations, you know?”
I see him nod from the corner of my eye. “I get that,” he says. “So, what’s the plan? Do you want to stay for the whole thing?”
I chuckle as I make a right turn. “Like I said, no expectations. We’re gonna stay until theyreallypiss me off,” I say with a wry grin.
Caden lets out a dry chuckle of his own, his hand sliding over to rest on my thigh. The touch eases some of the tension I didn’t know I was holding. Glancing at him, I see the muscle in his jaw feathering, and I have a feeling Caden isn’t a fan of me walking into the proverbial lion’s den, since that’s what it feels like.
“Thanks for coming with me,” I tell him softly.
He squeezes my thigh, his touch warm. “You don’t have to thank me, Ria,” he says, his voice a deep rumble. “I’ve got you.”
It’s those three words that boost my confidence when we arrive at the hotel. With the valet taking care of parking, Caden and I walk through the lobby, his hand in mine, and I don’t even care that I can notice people taking notice ofus. Caden attracts attention wherever he goes, and instead of cowering at his side like I feared I would before we got together, I walk with my shoulders straightened, unafraid to be at his side.
And with that same confidence, I walk into the party without any reservations.
* * *
“Daria.”
It took about fifteen minutes, but in this moment, I’m finally face to face with my parents after a few years. When Caden and I arrived at the party, we were immediately hounded by my extended family, and it made me smile that they were equally excited to see me as they were to meet Caden. If he was aware of the eyes on him—which I’m sure he is—he didn’t let it show, probably used to it.
Part of me wants to immediately reach out and grab Caden’s arm, who has been schmoozing my younger, starry eyed cousins and my uncles, but instead I just lift my chin and turn to face my parents.
They look the same. Just a little older, with grey blending into their blonde hair. Both of them are the picture of dignified wealth, poised like they have never done anything wrong in their life—like cutting off their only daughter for choosing a life they didn’t approve of. When I look at my mother, I see some of Elaine in her. All of my life, I’ve had people tell me that I look exactly like my mom, so it’s no surprise that I see Elaine in her, too. It makes my heart tighten.
“Mom. Dad,” I greet, setting a cool gaze on them despite the nerves tangling in my stomach. Over their shoulders, I see Cody watching us, eyebrows raising in silent question if I need backup. I appreciate it, but I don’t need it right now. Looking back at my parents, I note their amicable smiles that don’t reach their eyes. It almost makes me shiver. They didn’t used to be like this, so robotic. “Happy anniversary.”
“Thank you,” Mom says with a tight smile. “We’re glad you could make it.”
I feel a shift next to me and my parents’ gazes slide over, and I know Caden is now standing next to me. I feel his warmth seep into me, relaxing me, and I introduce politely, “This is Caden. Caden, these are my parents, Heather and Archer Riley.”
Caden nods at them. “Nice to meet you.” He sounds polite enough, but I know him well enough to know he doesn’t mean the words. He doesn’t even bother to shake my dad’s hand and, honestly, I’m trying to suppress a smile because I know it grates at my parents. I know I should want Caden to try and keep the peace, but I already have a feeling my parents won’t do that, so why should we?
Petty or not, I was already the bigger person by showing up. It’s not like I’m outwardly being a bitch—even if they’d deserve it.
I see the subtle way my dad’s eyebrows raise at the sight of Caden, like he knew Caden Bennett was at his anniversary party but didn’t believe it until he was in front of him. Wonder what he thinks of Caden being here with the daughter he pushed away.
Mom looks at me once more and asks, “Where’s Elaine?”
“At home,” I say. As if I was going to bring her here. “She’s doing fine, by the way.”
“I would hope so,” Dad says, unbuttoning his suit jacket. He looks at me disapprovingly, an expression that rattles my heart, especially as he adds, “You should keep a better eye on your child, Daria.”
