Total pages in book: 19
Estimated words: 17588 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 88(@200wpm)___ 70(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 17588 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 88(@200wpm)___ 70(@250wpm)___ 59(@300wpm)
A lot of people bring food and socialize after the service is done, and today is no different. In the back of the church, there’s a huge potluck going on. The Rowdys are still about, and I’m thankful that Carter isn’t going to make it hard for me to find him.
He’s at the gazebo behind the church, and I approach him as he leans over the side of it, a red cup in hand.
“Carter,” I say, building up the courage to talk to him.
He faces me, a bittersweet look on his face.
“That was beautiful, what you did in there. I knew you were a good singer, but I never imagined you could nail it that hard.”
He lets out a soft laugh. “You know what they say. Like mother, like son.”
“Don’t think I’ve ever heard it put exactly like that, but I guess people should say that sort of thing more.”
“If I could be half the person my mother was, I’d be happy.”
“You’re more than that, Carter. It’s not about comparisons, though. You’re your own person and I hate that I even remotely gave you the idea that I was only after you out of some misguided teenage rebellion.”
I lean on the rail of the gazebo right alongside him.
“You’re really someone special. I absolutely mean that, Carter. And hearing you bear your heart has made that clearer than ever. I don’t know how to convince you that I think you’re the man for me.”
He sighs. “I’m just trying to become a man who’s good enough for you, Cadence.”
“You always were good enough for me, Carter. Now you’re just showing off how good you are. We get it. You can stop.”
More chuckling. “I never felt like I was good enough for you, Cadence. I still don’t.”
“Isn’t that for me to decide? I say you are good enough. And I’m my own woman, so that’s that.”
He sips from his cup. “I guess I should confess I’m not being one hundred percent straight with you, Cadence.”
“What do you mean?”
“I sort of lied by omission when I told you what your father and I talked about in his study before our date.”
“You said he’d show you the wrath of God if you made me cry.”
“He did say that. But that was after he asked me what my intentions with his daughter were. He asked me what I was seeking. It added to my doubts about whether I was good enough for you, but I was honest with him.”
“What did you tell him?”
“That I only wanted to be good to you. That you were the sweetest girl on the planet and I wanted to take care of you. Then I agreed with him and said I’d team up with him to kick my own ass if I made you cry.”
I can’t help but chuckle. Carter is just so good at making me do that.
“Be good to me? Take care of me?” I echo his words. “I think I’d like that, Carter. I think I’d like that a lot.”
We shift from leaning on the rail to face one another, our eyes locking and never breaking. People were having conversations and doing things all around us, but none of them mattered. Only Carter and I did.
“I want to take you out again tonight. What do you say?”
“Absolutely, Carter. I’d love to go out with you again.”
“It’s a date then, beautiful,” he says, his shining smile captivating me.
“And then maybe I can come over to your place, Carter. Maybe you’ll let me stay the night, if you get what I’m suggesting.”
His eyes go wide and he nods along. “I think I’d like that a lot, Cadence. But what would your father think of you having a sleepover with a boy?”
My grin only grows. “His opinion only matters a little to me on this, Carter. I may be a preacher’s daughter, but I’m grown now. And if I want to spend the night with a beautiful man and perhaps do some things that’ll make the Devil blush? I think it’s all up to me, don’t you?”
He wraps his hands around my waist. “Then your wish is my command, beautiful. Tonight’s gonna be one hell of a night, don’t you think?”
7
CARTER
This date somehow has higher stakes for me than the first one. This one has to be exceptionally perfect after everything she implied she wants to happen during this one.
It’s important to her — and to me.
And what I’ve decided to do during it certainly doesn’t make me any less nervous.
I have to continue being a man worthy of Cadence Landon. It’s not just a one-time thing. I have to work hard at it, and that means more than just not getting in bar fights.
I decide to just cut right to the chase. When I asked her out on a second date, I thought about taking her over to another nice restaurant. But when she implied she wants to eat more than just food?