Page 26 of Caden the CEO
“I wish you wou?—”
Dru slammed the door, silencing her mother’s voice. Ian’s face twisted in concern when Dru rushed past him to get into the car, but he didn’t say anything, which she appreciated. As he drove, Dru busied herself with finding and booking a moving company to get the rest of her and Dreya’s things. She wouldn’t put it past her mother to throw everything out before the weekend, just to be spiteful, so she hoped she could find someone with availability this week. An incoming call interrupted her search, and at the sight of Caden’s name and the picture she’d taken of him while he was sleeping, she smiled.
“Hi,” she spoke after answering the call.
“Wassup, beautiful? I was just checking on you. How are you?”
Dru sighed. “Are you really just checking on me, or did Ian send you a smoke signal?”
Caden chuckled. “He might’ve texted me before y’all pulled off and suggested I check on you.”
With a smile, Dru closed her eyes and relaxed her head against the headrest. “I’m okay. Frustrated. I almost had to fight my damn mama again. She told me to get the rest of my things out by the weekend, but I don’t trust her, so I’m looking for a company that can get me and Dreya’s things before then. It’ll be her kind of petty to throw our stuff out just because we’re not there anymore.”
“Let me handle that. Text me your grandmother’s address, and I’ll have someone get everything this evening.”
Her brows wrinkled and eyes watered, that time from gratitude, not sadness. “Are you sure, bae?”
“Positive, sweetheart.”
“Okay. Just let me know how much it’ll cost and?—”
“Get off my phone before you insult me, Dru.”
“Oop. Yes, sir,” she replied with a light laugh.
“And since you aren’t used to dealing with a man like me, I’ll tell you now that you should never be consumed by stress or frustration. You really don’t even have to think and try to figure shit out on your own if you don’t want to. Whatever you need, I’ll take care of. Do you understand?”
“Mm, yes, sir,” she moaned, squeezing her thighs together. Because the truth of the matter was, the more Caden showed up for her and took care of her, the more she craved him. Respected him. Felt herself wanting to love him.
“Good girl. I’ll let you know when they’re on the way.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“Always.”
Caden disconnected the call, and Dru held the phone to her heart for a while as she smiled. When she opened her eyes, she told Ian, “Thank you.”
“Huh?” He looked at her through the rearview mirror before smiling himself.
“I said thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Ms. Dru.”
“Just Dru.”
“Got it.”
Relaxing in her seat, Dru looked out of the window as the peace she felt before she interacted with her mother returned. After texting Dreya and telling her she was on her way, Dru decided to take a quick nap. Dealing with Tina for just that short amount of time had drained her.
It took a little convincing, but eventually, Sidney agreed to let Dru cook that night. She wanted to do something special for Caden. Ever since they met, he’d been showing up for her in big ways. Buying him flowers, setting up a romantic scene in the dining room and his bedroom, and cooking for him seemed like a small but special way to show her appreciation.
Like Caden said he would, he hired a four-man crew to pack up her and Dreya’s things, and they’d had everything packed and dropped off at his place and her grandmother’s all within a four-hour window. Tina called cursing her out, and at that point, Dru blocked her number. She felt as if she could never win with her mother, and that kind of lack of satisfaction and disrespect had no place in her life anymore.
By the time she’d gotten her things set up in the guest room, Caden called, as if he knew what she was up to. He told her it was cool if she used that room as her dressing room and closet, but he still wanted her in his bed every night. Caden had no idea. That was exactly where she wanted to be too.
As Dru looked herself over in the mirror, the alarm system chimed, letting her know Caden had arrived. Her eyes scanned the blue silk gown and fluffy heels one last time before she made her way out of the room. Her heart raced, but that time from excitement, as she descended the stairs. Not only could she not wait to see Caden, but she couldn’t wait for him to see what she’d done for him.
“Wow,” he muttered at the bottom of the staircase as he stared at her, and quite frankly, she could have said the same inresponse to seeing him. It felt like ages had passed since she’d seen him that morning, and she forgot how good he looked.
