Page 14 of Reckless Single Daddy

He smirks suggestively as he gets closer. He licks his bottom lip and takes in my outfit. “You look nice,” he says.

I roll my eyes, annoyed. “I look like I’m team boy at a baby shower, not a bridal shower.” He lets out a little laugh. “I just wish I could get away for a bit,” I add.

He shrugs. “Why can’t you?”

I look at him like it should be obvious. “Maid-of-honor duties.”

He shrugs again. “They can stand to be without you for a little bit,” he says as he backs away, turning towards his car. I watch him as he looks up from his door, smiling wickedly, that handsome grin that could make any woman swoon. “You coming?”

I look back at the house and sigh deeply, knowing this goes against my better judgment, but screw it.

Only an hour.

Chapter seven

Cade

Dating has never been easy for me, especially not after the immense success of Hart Incorporated. When I developed the plan to open my business, I never imagined I’d receive the success I have, but with the right backers, I was able to secure incredible funding for my biggest projects.

I’ve been hiding the truth from Sloane because I know what it’s like to try exploring things with someone who only sees the relationship as a financial gain for them. I don’t believe Sloane is capable of that level of betrayal, but I can’t help the doubt that grows inside me. I’ve been burned enough times than I can count by women, especially ones I allowed near my son, and thatis something I refuse to do again. It’s one thing to hurt me a dozen times over, but it is a whole other thing to hurt my son.

No onehurts Liam.

But as she sits in the passenger seat of my car, I can’t deny the guilt that washes over me. Mike, Mia, and her parents know about Liam, but Sloane doesn’t. I wish I could place the blame on her, but I did tell them not to mention anything about my son to her due to certain reasons. My past is riddled with some complicated things—things that I make a habit of not bringing up due to safety concerns. So the less I reveal about myself and my past, the better off everyone close to me is. But that also makes dating sometimes impossible, especially when it comes to honesty.

I don’t expect everyone to have a clean past when mine is anything but. My problem in the past was that I would find a good woman, but keep certain information close to my chest. They took it as me not being interested.

So, there are many factors why I’m still single. No woman could hold a candle to the one I lost, and it’s something I’ve taken a lot of time coming to terms with.

Well, not until now…

I can’t think like that. Sloane and I live very different lives, and I can’t get past the feeling that she’s hiding her own darksecrets. It already wouldn’t work between us for that reason, but something about her makes me want to try harder to change that. I may not be ready to share everything, but perhaps dropping my walls a tad for her wouldn’t be the worst thing.

“So, where are we going?” she asks.

I glance over at her to acknowledge her. I like to believe she has some idea of how successful I truly am, but I think there’s a part of her that is repressing that idea by asking the question, like she’s attempting to form her own conclusion before getting confirmation.

“To my home,” I tell her.

She looks at me, confused. I turn to point in the opposite direction, smirking as she realizes that where I just was wasn’t actually where I live.

“Wait… whose house did you just leave?” she asks.

I sigh softly at her impatience. “Be patient, will you?” I laugh as we pass just outside the Rose Valley town limits and into Meadow Falls, another tiny town, but just as quaint and beautiful. Part of the reason I moved out here was the land. Rose Valley has tons of land, too, but most of it is shrouded in grapes for the Rose Winery. The history of the winery is quite interesting, but to make a long story short, the Roses are the oldest family in Rose Valley—hence the name. If not for theirwinery and their contributions to building the town, it wouldn’t be standing today.

But not every history has a happy ending.

We turn off a dirt road and through a patch of trees, and I can already sense the tension building from Sloane. “You’re not bringing me out here to kill me, are you?” she asks. She sounds like she’s only half-joking.

I laugh loudly as I shake my head. “Sloane, never change, please,” I reply as my estate comes into view, causing Sloane’s eyes to widen in awe. I smile a little, but I can only hope that this doesn’t backfire on me. I don’t enjoy making a habit of flaunting my wealth, hence the seclusion of this place, but I wouldn’t mind spoiling my woman if it was the right one.

We pull up to the front door after driving around the circular driveway, her eyes never leaving the mansion that stands before her. It’s an elegant farm-style home spanning fifty acres, allowing for privacy and the biggest backyard my younger self could ever imagine.

I step out and open Sloane’s door as she takes in the scale of my estate outside of the car. She turns to me, speechless. “You live here?”

I nod firmly, watching her eyes dart to anywhere and everywhere they can see.

“Come on, I’ll show you around,” I tell her, taking her hand in mine so we can walk up the steps to the large front door. Inside, we’re met with the double-sided stairway that opens up to the loft and leads to a few bedrooms.

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