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Cole groaned out and pushed through the screen door to escape having to do any more heart to hearts. “No promises. You’d better take her out on that date fast, because someone in this town is going to spill the beans. I’m surprised they haven’t already.”
So was Porter, which was why this had gotten so out of hand. He nodded. His determination steeled through him, putting him in a much better mood. Angel was going to have the best date of her life.
He couldn’t wait. Strangely, he didn’t mind this solution, at all. Now to plan his grand gesture.
Cole let out a shout from inside. He’d found the bridal skull head again.
Chapter Eighteen
Cadence tossed and turned, smiling and frowning as the uninhibited spell of sleep had her replaying the memory of Porter’s kisses against her cheeks, her lips, her hair.
He hadn’t held back at all.
Still, something was missing that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She couldn’t shake it, but she guessed it might have something to do with what Porter wanted to tell her after their date. She’d just been too depressed and exhausted. She couldn’t bring herself to hear it yet. She had hoped that it would only be his confession about going on a rescue mission to retrieve West’s soul when he went to Nashville, but if she truly believed that was the case, then why had she put him off?
Maybe he isn’t ready for commitment.
Maybe he already has a girlfriend.
Maybe he just wants to play.
Yeah, she was driving herself crazy. She should really hear him out.
A knock on the door sent her shooting straight up in bed. Pushing past the layers of blankets that made up Emily’s bed, Cadence rolled off the mattress and threw on the bathrobe that she’d been using around the house.
Most of Emily’s clothes were just too uncomfortable to wear when sleeping. She staggered over the plush carpet to get to the door and opened it to find five packages stacked at the top of the staircase. Cadence definitely hadn’t ordered anything, but Emily might’ve. Her hand landed on the top package. She saw “Angel” on the address label.
Her heart scrambled for balance.
Had Lacy found her?
Peering down the stairs, she saw that the deliverer was long gone. She bent over, wrapping the bathrobe around her legs, just in case she wasn’t alone, and dragged the packages inside. They weren’t too heavy and not at all suspicious looking.
Ripping open the top of the first box, she found a dress inside. She gasped. It was so cute, a roomy summer dress that would flow around the knees—her actual knees, not her thighs. She appreciated that.
Under the dress, she found three pairs of shorts—whoever had sent them had guessed on the size, of course, but they were stretchy with adjustable waists and so they’d definitely work.
Uh oh. Did this giver know that she was pregnant?
Scarcely able to comprehend what she’d been given, her eyes drifted to the other boxes and she opened the next one, letting out her shock in a gasp when she saw the oversized T-shirts that were almost a replica’s of Sky’s throwaway painting shirt.
Now she had a hunch who these were from, and even more so, when she opened the next box and found a note tucked inside.“Hey beautiful, you left so fast that I didn’t have a chance to explain.”She groaned. What did Porter have to say that couldn’t wait?“It’s not what you think.”She sagged with relief as she read that. Maybe she should just let him say whatever it was and get it over with.“Also, I’m guessing on your sizes—hopefully they are just what you need, but you don’t need me to tell you that you look beautiful in everything. I want what’s best for you and the baby. I’ll see you soon.”
Her insides were already a gooey, unmanageable mess after Porter’s kisses, and now this? All weekend, her heart had skipped from dreamy to worried and back to dreamy again. Her mood dial was pretty much stuck on the “dreamy” setting again.
The last time she’d felt this way, Lacy had surprised her with roses in her office and followed that up with a weekend getaway to the Bahamas.
She frowned. Yup, and now she was back to worried.
But Porter was different! And he was right about her having more fun—life didn’t end just because things would change for her. She deserved some good and happy wholesome times, too. She giggled.
Porter’s kisses were wholesome?
Yeah! If he meant something by them. Well, she wasn’t a mind reader, so she couldn’t be sure that he did. But even if he didn’t, Cadence did! She could only control herself, and her kisses had been packed with intention. She was ready to see where dating Porter led, and if that was to marriage? She might just welcome that.
She took a deep breath. Yeah, she was freaking out again.Take this one step at a time, friend. Don’t feel desperate to make decisions now. Let things happen naturally. See who this man is. He will prove who he is in time.
She stared at the clothes after her little pep talk to herself. There were jean shorts in there, relaxed and made of Lycra with lots of room for stretch. She pulled out a burnt-orange gypsy shirt made of lightweight fabric and embroidered with polka dots. It was flowy and would go well with the shorts. No tugging necessary.
