Page 112 of Wilde Flame

She rolled her eyes. “What did you see?”

“Lilibeth, sitting next to me. She was smiling. And she was pregnant.”

My mother clapped her hands. “Oh! I’m going to have so many grandbabies running around this ranch! I can see it now!”

“Mom…”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! And it’s not witchcraft, Caden. What you need to do is get out of your head and start listening to your heart.”

“May I make a suggestion?” my father asked.

“Yes, of course,” I replied.

“Why don’t you ask Lilibeth out on a date?”

My mother beamed at him. “That’s a wonderful idea, Ladd.”

“A date?” I asked, my eyes bouncing between the two of them. I knew I was looking at them like they were crazy. The woman was already pregnant.

“Yes. It’s clear you both have very strong feelings for one another. If you’re not ready to dive in and admit how you feel yet, why don’t you do it the old-fashioned way? Start dating.”

“She’s having my baby, Mom, and you want me to date her?”

She nodded. “That’s exactly what we want you to do.”

When I looked at my father, he nodded. “Trust us on this one.”

I thought about it for a moment. Then hesitantly asked, “What should the first date be?”

My parents exchanged a look, and something silent passed between them. They both smiled, and my father reached for my mother’s hand. It was so evident how much the two of them loved one another. I wasn’t sure why I was so afraid to love again, but seeing all the love around me, my parents, grandparents, sister…I realized I was being a huge coward.

“Did I ever tell you kids that your father asked me to marry him on our very first date?”

I laughed. “You did?”

He nodded. “I knew the moment I first laid eyes on your mother that she was my forever.”

I thought about the first time I ever saw Lilibeth. She wore two braided pigtails with flowers wound into her hair. Her beautiful hazel eyes sparkled with joy as she smiled at me, and the way it felt like I couldn’t breathe was something I wasn’t used to. I think a part of me knew in that moment that she was special.

“Something tells me the look on your face says maybe you felt something the first time you saw Lilibeth?” Mom asked.

I nodded. “I did feel something, and at the time I tried like hell to ignore it. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way before…not even with Rachel. Maybe that’s why I’m struggling so much.”

“Rachel was familiar, Caden. She was a comfortable place for you to be. Love isn’t comfortable. It’s messy and beautiful. It’s complicated and easy at the same time. Love takes work, no matter how long you’ve been with someone.”

I knew my mother was right. Smiling, I asked, “So no asking her to marry me on the first date?”

They both laughed.

“I think you should take her out to dinner. Let everyone in town see the two of you together.”

An idea hit me in that moment.

“Dad…do you think you could talk to Mitch about renting out the theater?”

Mitch Larson co-owned the sporting goods store with my father. He also owned half of the buildings in River Falls, including the local theater.

“You’ve got an idea blooming?” my mother asked.