Page 143 of Their Cruel Play
“Okay, just behave.” Mom rubs her temples like I’m giving her a headache.
I hug her quickly before walking with her into the hallway. When she continues with me down the stairs, my nerves start totingle. We just did this with Luke. Why do I get the feeling we need to do this with Caden too?
She stops at the island, and when I get to the door, I turn to look at her. She smirks and gestures for me to open the door. I swallow hard.
Fun.
I open the door and Caden stands on the step. His green eyes meet mine, and my heartbeat quickens even more for a whole new reason.
“Hey, little?—”
My eyes widen, and I shake my head fiercely.
He grins and kisses my forehead. “Girl.”
Not the best save, but better than what he could have said. I back into the kitchen, and he follows me in. That nickname will definitely get us into trouble and an economy-sized box of condoms.
“Good evening, Jennifer.” He nods at my mom as he sets his backpack on the floor. He turns his attention to me. “I parked behind you. That’s okay, right?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” I draw in a breath and turn to my mom.
“I have a few minutes, if you’ve got time.” Her eyes never leave Caden.
Yup, this is the not fun part of having an involved parent.
Caden takes my hand and brings me to the island, sitting and holding the chair for me to sit on.
“Whatever you need.” When he sits next to me, he takes my hand and puts our hands on the island. Yeah, he’s not one for hiding anything. She’ll appreciate that. Maybe?
“So I’ve been thinking about the rules of these little sleepovers.” Mom rubs her hands together. “I trust my daughter.”
“Meaning you don’t trust me?” Caden isn’t saying that like it’s a bad thing. He’s just accepting it. I squeeze his hand.
Mom smiles. “It doesn’t matter if I trust you or not. Harper does, and that means everything. The minute she says she needs some rules, there will be rules. Until then, I’m happy to let her navigate this how she wants.”
My mouth definitely wants to drop open, but I’m not about to let it.
“So if you disrespect my daughter, I will know.” She narrows her eyes at Caden.
“Understood.” Caden squeezes my hand. He meets my mom’s eyes. “Jack is coming over to install that alarm system you talked about getting.”
Mom’s mouth falls open like she’s going to protest.
“I’m concerned about your and your daughter’s safety, so I’ll take care of it. I’m not trying to force my way into your home. But if for some reason, we aren’t available to protect your daughter, we want to make sure she’s taken care of.” Caden rubs the ring they gave me.
Mom closes her mouth and nods. “I’m glad you want to take care of Harper, but I can take care of the cost.”
From the stubborn set of my mom’s mouth, Caden won’t win this one.
“I’ll get you the billing information after it’s set up.” He nods to her. “We respect Harper, but we also respect you. Not all of us have the best families, but we can tell how much you love Harper. We’re grateful you’re accepting of this relationship.”
Mom softens a little. “We may be soft and caring, but if you burn either of us, we’ll rain hellfire down on you.”
Caden grins and nods. “Understood.”
I roll my eyes and stand. “Have a great night at work, Mom.”
I give her a hug and sink into her embrace.
