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“Everyone gets cold feet, right? It’s fine. I’ll be fine.”
I nodded to myself, straightening my shoulders as I murmured the assurances. My mother cocked her brow, her head tipping to the side as she studied me.
“Leo, what happened with Cadence?”
She’d asked the same thing when I had announced my engagement to Tasia, but I’d brushed her off without answering. She hadn’t pushed, but I could tell by the look she was giving me that she wasn’t going to let it slide this time.
“We—We’re too different. I’m not right for her. She doesn’t know our life, and she’s safer without me.”
My mother crossed her arms, her eyes hardening with the look she used to give me when I’d disappointed her.
I swallowed and reminded myself I was an adult.
An alpha.
“Those sound like excuses, Leo. Did you ask her what she wanted? Did you explain and give her a chance to decide for herself?”
I opened my mouth to respond but snapped it shut again. Shoulders sinking, I shook my head, but tried to defend myself.
“She didn’t say anything when I told her it was better this way.”
Her snort caused my own brow to rise in mirror of hers.
“Of course she didn’t. You probably plowed in there telling her how it was going to be without letting her get a word in. She’s a sweet girl, and yes, very naive, but that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t be willing to make changes to be with you. There’s always a way to compromise.”
Her hand pressed against my forearm as I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“I’m sure you thought you were doing the right thing. And I’m sure you think you’re doing the right thing now by marrying that horrid girl to make your father happy. But it’s not right to abandon the mother of your child, especially if she’s the one you love.”
I’d lowered my gaze, but it snapped back to her face, the small smile she wore loosening the fist in my gut.
“You love Cadence, don’t you?”
I sighed, rubbing my face again.
“Of course I do. That’s why I can’t have her. She’s safer without me in her life. Her family needs her, and I can’t ask her to give them up for me.”
My mother’s hand moved to my cheek again, forcing me to meet her eyes.
“Leo, her mother died two weeks ago. The funeral was last Thursday. The poor girl is on her own, preparing to welcome your baby into this world all by herself, while still taking care of her brother too. Maybe you should think about what you’re willing to give up for her, instead of what she’d have to give up for you.”
My breath rushed out me as if I’d taken a blow to the stomach. Cadence had told me her mother had Broken Bond Syndrome, but she was younger than my own parents, and it was a shock to hear she’d passed. Cadence had never mentioned any other family besides her younger brother, which meant she was the one who’d had to shoulder the burden of dealing with all the crap that came with handling a death while suffering through the loss.
My hands curled at my sides, and my mother gave me a warm smile as she pulled away.
“I’ll take care of your father and Dimitri. Don’t worry about them, or this so-called business you’re willing to give up your baby for. Consider yourself a free man, but if I don’t get to see my grandbaby when it’s born, you’re going to answer to me, and I’ll make your father look like a chihuahua.”
Her slim finger waving in my face made me smile despite the heavy conversation. Her small stature had never stopped her from standing up to alphas twice her size, and I realized she was the reason I’d looked for the same in a mate. She was proof Cadence had the strength to survive in this life, if I stayed in it.
I took the first easy breath I’d had in months. I was dedicated to my father and the men who worked for us, but marrying Tasia was a step I couldn’t take to support them. My heart had already been won, and I couldn’t simply push the one I loved away to marry another.
No matter how much smarter it would be for Cadence to live her life without me.
Giving my mother a quick hug, I opened the bathroom door and rushed out, ignoring everyone in my haste to go make up for the time I’d wasted. I had already missed so much, there was no way I was delaying another moment to find Cadence and prove I still wanted her.
I only hoped she’d take me back.
Chapter Thirty-Five
