She tipped her head. “So…”
“So I wanted the company and not for the best reasons … until … you. Now I just want you happy, and if that means looking into your brother’s past and his inability to run the company instead of you, so be it.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it again. “Derek.”
He placed a finger over her lips. “Shh. Let it go. If there’s anything I think you need to know, I’ll share it. Fair enough?”
She nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered, tossed the pillow, and tackled him to the mattress, pressing kisses over his face, his neck, and moved lower.
They almost missed dinner being delivered.
Chapter Eleven
Cassie was nervous. She and Derek were on the way to meet with his mother, and butterflies had taken up residence in her stomach. Although Marie West had been a warm, wonderful woman and Cassie doubted that had changed, what she now knew about her father’s behavior made today awkward. Cassie wasn’t responsible for her dad’s choices, but she felt sick anyway.
“Hey.” Derek reached over the center console of his SUV and placed a hand on her jean-clad knee. “What’s wrong?”
“What if she blames me? She should blame me. She should hate my whole family!”
“Cass, my mother doesn’t have it in her to hate anyone. Least of all the woman who makes her son happy.” He turned toward her and winked before returning his gaze to the road.
She breathed out and tried to relax. Thirty minutes and some traffic later, he pulled off at the exit. They ended up in a nice neighborhood with an eclectic mix of homes, some old, others renovated with new windows and siding.
He pulled up and parked in the driveway of one of the newer-looking homes, with white clapboard paint and black shutters.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yep.”
He came around to the side of the car and walked with her up the walk, ringing the doorbell. A few seconds later, a familiar woman opened the door. Marie had a few more wrinkles on her skin, a couple of strands of gray in her dark hair, and a wide, welcoming smile on her face.
“Derek, Cassandra! Come in, come in!”
After they stepped in out of the cold, Cassie found herself enveloped in a big hug. “It’s so good to see you again,” Derek’s mother said.
“I feel the same way.” She stepped back and smiled at Marie.
She hugged Derek next. “Let me take your jackets.”
Marie hung their coats in the front hall closet and led them back to the kitchen. The inside of the house was a new as the outside, a beautifully decorated dark wood kitchen with state-of-the-art appliances. Marie had always loved to cook, so Cassie assumed this room got a lot of use.
The three sat at the kitchen table, a slice of homemade lemon meringue pie and coffee in front of each person. Good memories returned, of Marie giving her homemade treats after school, with milk instead of caffeine.
She dug into the pie. The lemony tart taste exploded on her tongue and she moaned. “Delicious.”
At the sound, Derek shot her a warning look.
She snickered to herself. She hadn’t meant to make an arousing noise, especially in front of his mom, and she cleared her throat.
“Mom, I thought I’d go change some of the higher ceiling lights while you two talk.” He rose and took a long sip of coffee before starting to walk out.
“Be careful on the ladder,” Marie said.
Derek all but rolled his eyes. “I will.” He winked at Cassie and disappeared out the kitchen entry.
This man, she thought, well aware of the growing feelings she had for him. And just look how far they’d come, her sitting in his mother’s kitchen.
Cassie knew how hard it was for him to leave her alone with his mother. But he had. Which meant he trusted her, she thought, her heart full.