Page 24 of Caden

“I was.”

“And you’re one of those damned Kings?”

“Yes ma’am, but I think if you’ll let me explain—“

“You get dressed too. I’ll be in the kitchen.” She turned and didn’t bother to close the door behind her as she disappeared down the short hall.

“If we ignore her, will she go away?” Caden asked, his voice soft.

“No, I won’t,” came a voice from the other room. “If you’re not in here in five minutes, I’m bringing my coffee in there to have this talk.”

Olivia groaned and let her head fall face first back into her pillow.

“She will too, better off just to go face her,” she said as she pushed herself out of bed and flung the blanket back. She headed first for the bathroom, pushing the bedroom door closed on her way past, then stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.

Caden didn’t see any point in delaying. They were going to have to deal with her, might as well do it now. He got up and started searching for his clothes. He’d found his jeans, but had not yet found his shirt when the bathroom door opened, and Olivia stepped out.

“I knew this was coming, but didn’t think she’d do it while you were here. Sorry about that.” She stepped past him and went to the dresser where she pulled out panties and stepped into them.

When he finished in the bathroom, he had no trouble finding his shirt. Olivia was wearing it.

“As much as I like seeing you in my shirt, will it bother your mom?”

She lifted one shoulder and let it drop. “If it does, then maybe she shouldn’t burst in and demand explanations. She can wait until a decent hour or call ahead like a civilized person.” She didn’t wait for him, but opened the door and headed for the kitchen, still barefoot.

Caden wasn’t looking forward to this confrontation, but he wasn’t willing to back down either. He didn’t bother hunting down his boots or going for clean clothes, which he thought was still out in his saddle bags, instead he made sure his jeans were buttoned then padded barefoot into the kitchen to deal with what was probably an irate mother. She wouldn’t be his first but probably the first with a gun on her hip.

When he reached the kitchen, Olivia met him with a cup of coffee.

“Here, this one’s for you.” She pressed the mug into his hands.

“Thanks.” He took the cup and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, wondering what she was thinking. She blinked and yawned, then dropped her head against his shoulder. He wrapped one arm around her as he took a sip of the coffee and closed his eyes as the flavor did as much to wake his brain as the caffeine.

A throat clearing brought his mind back to why they were up, and in the kitchen just now. It wasn’t that he’d forgotten, only that he’d been distracted by the coffee and Olivia.

Olivia didn’t move away from him, just groaned. He tightened his arm around her, letting her know he wasn’t going anywhere as he turned to face her mother.

“How can we help you, ma’am?” He might as well start with polite manners. It couldn’t hurt and might help.

“I don’t want you or any of that club anywhere near my family.” Her voice was hard, as if she would brook no argument about this.

A knot formed in Caden’s stomach. Would this mean Olivia didn’t want anything to do with him?

“Mama, that’s not your decision to make.”

“They’re nothing but thugs and criminals,” Mrs. Duncan insisted.

“I understand why you might think so, ma’am. Especially after that trouble last year. But if you’ll look into it a bit more, you’ll find that other than the incident last year, no member of the club has gotten more than a speeding ticket. Not even a domestic call on any of us. And the ones involved in the trouble last year are no longer brothers.”

She didn’t respond, just lifted one brow in his direction as she continued to sip her coffee.

“The men involved in the trouble last year are not like the rest of us and when we found out what they were up to, they were stripped of their patches. We have a new president, and things are different.”

“I still don’t like it. I’ve had too much trouble with that club.”

Caden took a deep breath and tried to see things from her perspective. She had only encountered the worst of the brothers, not the best. And she was worried for her family. Her little girl. He was worried for her too, but for different reasons. Caden didn’t want Olivia to feel like she had to choose between her mother and him, and he didn’t want to lose her.

“How did you find out he’s part of the club anyway, Mama?” Olivia spoke to her mother for the first time that he’d heard.