Traction (The Driven World)

“She’s … I think she’s happier now than she ever was. As much as I love her, I know she wasn’t made for being married. The money meant far more to her than the love my father offered.”

Caroline gasps in shock. “That’s terrible,” she exclaims. But I’d rather be honest than tell them some happy story when there isn’t one. I can feel Haelee’s gaze on me, but I don’t look at her. Because the tension rolling off her is enough to stifle the conversation.

The thing is, if I had to be honest, I’m not ready to take Haelee to meet my mother. She won’t approve. But that has nothing to do with Haelee, and that’s the problem. Mother will most certainly scare her away, and that’s the last thing I want.

“What do you do, Caroline?”

“I’ve always been a home body. I work online teaching courses to students overseas. When I started work way back when, I taught at the local school, focusing on life studies rather than subjects that most kids won’t want to focus on.”

“And now?”

“Now, I teach those same courses online to international students who enjoy them, so they sign up a few times to cover all the topics. It’s not something I could ever give up doing.”

“A passion is a good thing,” I reflect as I finish the last bite of my dinner and go in for seconds. The food is incredible. I haven’t had a good homecooked meal in forever. I could get used to this.

Once dinner is over, we have dessert, and I join Haelee in the kitchen to do the washing up. I’m drying while she’s rinsing, but she stops, turns, and looks at me.

“What are we doing tomorrow?”

I set the plate on the counter before I meet her gaze. “I’ve decided you’re coming to dinner at my place.”

“You cook?”

“Oh, speedy, I’m going to knock your socks off. We’ll relax on the sofa and maybe watch a movie or something. I mean, don’t normal couples do that?”

“You mean Netflix and chill?” she taunts, stepping up to me and lacing her fingers through the belt loops of my jeans. I know what that means, and it makes my cock jolt at the thought of having her splayed on the rug in my living room.

“Behave yourself,” I whisper before pressing a kiss to her plump lips.

A small, seductive smile creases her mouth. “What if I don’t want to?” This woman is going to be the end of me.

“Tomorrow, I’ll make you pay for that,” I warn her, and I can’t help but grin when her eyes widen. The dark brown shimmers, and her lips part with a gentle grin.

“I look forward to it, Mr. Mercer.”

Yeah, fuck, this woman is going to kill me.17HaeleeThe morning has turned chilly with the sun hiding behind the clouds. I’m not sure if I want to be outside today, but with Kayden picking me up and taking me to his place, I’m sure it will be warm enough.

Shrugging on a hoodie, I zip it up and head downstairs. Mom is in the kitchen, sipping on her tea when I walk in. Her eyes follow me across the room, and I can almost feel her questions.

“Morning, Mom.” I smile, but the way she’s looking at me has me stopping short of grabbing a coffee. “What’s wrong?”

“I like him,” she announces suddenly, easing the tension that’s twisted in my stomach. I thought she was going to warn me against Kayden. “But I want you to be careful, Haelee. An older man will want certain things.”

“Oh, Mom, no, please let’s not have that conversation again.”

“I just want you to be careful.” I know she’s looking out for me, but I really don’t want to go down that road again. The last time she tried to give me the sex talk has been burned into my brain. Not in a good way.

“We’re not even on that level yet,” I tell her, looking at her, and I hope to god she believes me. Yes, we’ve teased each other, kissed, and touched, but when I am ready to take the next step, I know Kayden will be responsible. He doesn’t seem like the type who wants to be lugged down with an accidental baby.

“Okay, but if you ever—”

“Mom, we’re good,” I insist. “I promise.”

Seeing her smile is everything to me because I want her to be happy again. After Dad died, she was broken. Understandably so. But over time, slowly, I’ve seen the light flicker back in her eyes.

“He would’ve been so proud.” Her voice is soft, filled with heartache at the reminder that Dad isn’t here anymore. “You’ve grown into a beautiful young woman. I’m just happy you’ve found someone who puts that sparkle in your smile.”

“It was touch and go for a while.”

“That’s what makes it more exciting. Even though you may not agree on everything, if you can support each other, that’s the only thing that matters.” I know she’s talking more about her and Dad than Kayden and me. But if I can have even half the relationship they had, I’d be happy.