Begin Again (Again #1)(45)

Now Rachel looked at me, a bright smile stealing over her face. “Yeah, right? He’s become a real man.”

“You know I can hear you, right?” came Kaden’s voice from downstairs. And then I heard him drop our bags to the floor.

Rachel ignored her son and shook her head.

I laughed and followed her upstairs. We passed by a room that I figured was hers. She opened the second door at the end of the narrow hallway.

“This’ll be your room,” she said, after we’d entered.

It must have been Kaden’s bedroom. There were still a few traces of his teen years: blue walls with bits of old posters stuck to them and an old game console. Rachel obviously had gone to a lot of trouble to get the room ready for me. There was a vase of fresh flowers on the nightstand. She’d even put a couple of candies on the pillow.

I nearly broke into tears. Luckily I was able to control it this time.

“Thanks so much, Rachel,” I said. I’d wanted to give this warm-hearted, open woman much more than a mere “thank you,” but we’d only met a few minutes ago, and I didn’t know what was appropriate. So I just smiled and hoped it was enough for now.

“Kaden’s friends are always welcome here,” she answered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “And you are friends, of course.”

Grasping the subliminal question, I raised my hands in a reassuring gesture. “We’re just friends.”

Just at that moment the image of our first kiss replayed in my head, followed by our escapade last week. My cheeks flushed, and I swallowed. This kind of thing wouldn’t happen again. I’d made up my mind. It would be better to nip this flame in the bud before it could rage out of control. Because of our shared home, but even more so our new friendship, were too important to me—I couldn’t risk losing them.

“It’s been a long time since he brought a girl home. I’d be really surprised if you weren’t someone very special to him.” Rachel sounded cheerful and relaxed, but her eyes revealed that she was trying to size me up. “Just don’t hurt him.”

I opened my mouth to protest but then remembered Kaden’s reaction to the hearts scribbled across the CD. So I just nodded. “I don’t think I could, but I can assure you it’s the furthest thing from my mind.”

She looked at me again, paused, and put her hand on my arm. “I think we’re going to get along well, Allie.”

Then she swept out of the room and left me standing there.

Kaden and his mother were too damned alike.





Chapter 17


No sooner had Rachel gone than Kaden brought my bag up and put it down next to the bed.

“Thanks,” I said. And then I could only stare at his arms. He’d taken off his sweater, and his plain T-shirt revealed his tattoos, just as I liked it. Since he’d told me what they meant, I found them even more exciting.

Damn Kaden with his damn sexy arms.

“Sure.”

I tore my eyes away and smiled at him. “Your mom is great.”

Kaden rolled his eyes and sat down on his bed.

I turned to face him and saw that he was already smiling again. The awful truth dawned on me: No sooner was Kaden back at home with his mom, than he became almost tame.

“What are you thinking?” he asked right away, sensing a change in me.

“About how happy it makes you to be here,” I answered in all honesty.

Just a few days earlier I had doubted it was a good idea to go with Kaden to Portland. Now that I was here, I couldn’t imagine a more beautiful place to be.

We spent a wonderful day together. Kaden finished the house tour while Rachel cooked. Eventually we joined her, but since Kaden’s mother hated giving up control in the kitchen, we just handed her the tools she asked for, and tried to stay out of her way.

After downing an endless supply of mac ‘n’ cheese, we cleaned up. It was almost like being at home in Woodshill. I thought I could feel Rachel’s eyes on me, but didn’t pay any mind.

“Feel like taking a walk?” Kaden whispered as we dried the dishes.

“Are there mountains here that you want to chase me up? ‘Cause hiking shoes weren’t on the list of stuff to bring,” I teased.

He leaned back against the sink, his hands on the counter behind him. “I thought I’d show you a few spots where I used to hang out. We could get a coffee or something.”

Or something. I smiled. The Portland-Kaden was enchanting.

“Why not.”

He gave me a sidelong glance. “Why are you grinning like that?”

I pressed my lips together. But I still couldn’t suppress my smile.

He took his jacket from the closet and held the door open.

“Later, Mom!” he called back over his shoulder. And then we stepped out into the cool autumn air.

Portland in the fall was gorgeous and quite different from the other cities I’d visited so far.

Kaden had grown up in a nice, cozy neighborhood. Everything looked well-kept, and as we walked toward the main road we saw several families, their small children zipping around on bikes. I watched them until they turned the corner, glad to have an excuse not to look at Kaden.

I was ashamed. Not only because I would’ve been sitting alone in Woodshill if I hadn’t come here. To be honest, it was mostly because I couldn’t fight the tingling sensation that his nearness always triggered. The more I got to know him, the less firm my conviction seemed that we’d never be more than just friends.