Page 122 of Wilde Flame

I nodded and attempted a smile. Vivianne took my hands in hers. “Stop doubting how he feels for you.”

Surprised, I asked, “How did you know that’s what I was thinking?”

“Because I’m a woman, first and foremost. And I’m Caden’s mother, so I know how stubborn he is, and I know how scared he was to open his heart again. Caden has always been my one child who wore his heart on his sleeve. He’s very much like his father in the sense that when he falls, he falls hard. He’s all in. Ladd’s grandmother once told me that when a Wilde man loves you, he loves you with everything he has. And a love like that can sometimes be too much.”

“Too much?” I asked.

She laughed. “I said the same thing, if I remember right. How can a man who loves you that deeply ever be too much?”

“I’ve never been loved like that,” I said softly.

Her hands squeezed mine. “I see the way Caden looks at you, Lilibeth. And I never once saw him look at Rachel like he looks at you.”

I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat. “I want to believe that. But he was destroyed when she left him.”

Shaking her head, she replied, “Destroyed? No. Hurt, yes. Very much so. I think, if I’m being honest, he was more angry than anything. Angry that he gave her so many of his years. But I look at it this way—every road we travel teaches us something new in life. The road Caden took led him to you, Lilibeth.”

Tears swam in my eyes. “Vivianne…I have to tell someone before I burst. I love your son more than I’ve ever loved anyone. I think I fell in love with him the moment he first scowled at me and called me Flower Child. I know I was in love with him before I found out I was pregnant. I’m terrified it’s my heart that’s going to get broken.”

She drew me into her arms and held me. The tears I’d been trying to keep at bay finally fell.

Stepping back, Vivianne looked at me and smiled. She reached up and wiped my tears away. “Lilibeth, I can tell you without a doubt, every heartbeat from that boy belongs to you.”

I let out a breath and closed my eyes as I tried to get my emotions in check. “My gosh, these hormones!”

Vivianne chuckled. “Come on, let’s splash your face with some water.”

When we finally made our way back to the theater, the table had been removed and replaced by a blanket with pillows. Ensley was putting a large bowl of popcorn on the blanket.

“Drinks are right here,” she said. “Popcorn here, and your favorite movie snacks. I had to call your mom and ask her what they were.”

I looked down to see a box of Sno-Caps and a box of Good & Plenty. The urge to grab the Sno-Caps was strong, but I resisted.

“I love Sno-Caps so much!”

“Word of advice, don’t try to eat the Good & Plenty. I’ve seen Caden do terrible things to Gatlin for taking his Good & Plentys.”

My brows shot up. “Noted.”

Caden walked over with a smile. As he got closer, the smile slowly faded. He stopped in front of me, cupping my face with his hands. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“You’ve been crying.”

I stole a quick look in Ensley’s direction. The expression she wore should have made me laugh. She looked both surprised and intrigued.

“They were happy tears, I promise.”

He searched my face. “My mother didn’t make you upset?”

“No! Oh my gosh, no. Not at all. I swear.”

“It’s the hormones, I’m sure,” Ensley said. “I’ve heard they’re a beast.”

Something in Ensley’s expression caused me to look at her a bit harder. Was that sadness in her blue eyes? “They’re crazy, that’s for sure,” I agreed.

Clearing her throat, Ensley said, “Okay, well, we’re going to head to the kitchen and clean up. You guys are on your own from here on out.” Turning to her brother, she asked, “Do you need anything else?”