Before That Night: Unfinished Love Series: Caine & Addison, Book 1 (18 page)

He cupped her cheek gently.  “And this, sweetheart,
I know
is right.” He placed the box in her hands. “Open it. And before you panic, know that I fully intend for us to date first.”

When it was clear that she just plain wasn’t gonna open the box, he did it for her.

She gasped.

“I told you not to panic.”

After whacking him soundly in the arm, she gave him a brilliant, wholly moved smile as she carefully pulled out the three oval-shaped keychains he’d put in there earlier today, each engraved with an exact replica of the Easter Egg designs she and the kids drew for the diner. Caine had asked one of the gun restoration guys that worked for his parent’s antique arms shop to do a rush engraving job on these for him. The results were just as he’d envisioned.

While Addison was busy gushing over the details in Kylie and Tanner’s keychains—like every mom who saw their children’s artwork as the next Picasso—he reached in his pocket and pulled out a fourth keychain, identical to theirs, and flipped it over so she could see he’d had it engraved with the star and laurel wreath design she’d drawn on the egg message she’d left for him. “The keys hanging from the keychains are the keys to the lobby, and this apartment.”

The meaning of that seemed to sink in fully for Addison then. “Wait, why are you giving me a set of keys too?”

“Because you’re part of the package,” he said matter-of-factly. “You, Kylie, and Tanner can have my room and treat it like your own apartment. With the master bath in there, you’ll be all set. You and Kylie can take the king size and Tanner can take the air mattress. I’ll sleep on the futon outside. I already asked my social services friend if that was a problem, and she said it wasn’t.”

“Caine, you don’t have to do this. I told you, I can afford to get an apartment. I was already planning to this summer.”

He shook his head firmly. “Save your money and get the best attorney you can to make sure you win your custody trial. Besides, you’ll be devastated if you’re not living together with the kids. And so will the kids.”

She shook her head just as firmly. “No. Foster funding from the state for
just
the kids.”

“Woman, I kid you not, I’ll cuff you to my bed if you try to live somewhere other than right here with us.”

Her reaction to that was not at all what he was expecting.

He groaned. “Sweetheart, could you pretend to not be so curious about my cuffs.”

“You started it.” Her eyes drifted to his headboard.

Oh lord, they were getting seriously off track. With considerable, near-herculean effort, he got them back on topic. “If you’re worried how it’ll look to the kids or social services, don’t worry, I’m already looking into a two-bedroom unit in this building. Once we get it, same thing, you and the kids will take the master, and I’ll take the spare bedroom. We’ll be…roommates.”

“You want us to be
roommates
?” she asked incredulously.

No, I want us to be a family.

But he didn’t want to scare the skittish little thing so he said instead, “Yes, roommates. Well, that is, until you and I go out on a few dates, then we’ll change your title to live-in girlfriend of course. I’m in favor of not necessarily following that order, but you’re a very logical kind of girl so I figure you’d like that best.”

He kept talking, not wanting to give her a chance to think too hard. “But yes, until then, roommates sounds kind of great.”

She just sat there and stared at him like he was speaking a different language. Backward.

“Caine, did you just? Live-in girlfriend?” She shook her head as if trying to jostle herself to a different reality. “Are you being serious right now?”

“Sweetheart, I’ve never been more serious in my entire life.”

“But. We can’t.” Her voice sounded less resolute about that than it had a minute ago. Excellent. “Caine, we can’t just live together as roommates while you’re the kids’ foster dad. And do you seriously expect me to let you take a spare bedroom while the kids and I take the master?”

“I absolutely expect it. Sorry, missy, but we need to have ground rules. You and I can’t live in a bedroom together until I have a whole different kind of gift to give you in a small square box.”

Addison blinked at him in utter shock.

He gently lifted her chin to shut her gaping mouth, and brushed his lips over hers, kissing her the way he wanted to do every night for the rest of his life. “We’ll talk about this more tomorrow. I have an early morning because I switched to the first shift so I could follow-up on your case. But if the kids are up, I’ll make ‘em some breakfast before I go. You go ahead and sleep in.”

Then he snuggled her in closer. “Goodnight, sweetheart. Now I was serious, I’m only going to sleep in here with you for a little while, and then I’ll be sure to go out to the living room before morning so the kids don’t see me breaking my own rules.”

He closed his eyes, feeling a bone-deep comfort that warmed him to his very marrow. For the first time in ages, he was actually looking forward to sleeping for a change.

“Caine?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not…tired.”

He stilled as he felt her body turn towards him, and her open palm shyly reveal something he was just plain shocked to see her carrying. Cursing silently, he conceded with a rough, raspy groan, “Hell, now neither am I.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

THIS MORNING, ADDISON HAD
woken up to the perfect morning where she, Caine, and the kids had eaten breakfast together. At the dining table and everything. As a family.

This morning, Caine had kissed her on his way to work as if coming home to her was going to be the only thing he’d be thinking about all day, as if this were the way he’d be kissing her every morning for the rest of her life.

And still, this morning didn’t hold a candle to last night.

…When she’d first realized that she’d come to love Caine just as fiercely as she loved the kids.

…When he’d given her a glimpse of something she’d always thought she could never have.

…When she’d
found the strength
she needed to be able to turn the key in the ignition of her van today.

“Where did you guys leave it?” she asked, before quickly retracting the question. “Never mind, you obviously don’t have to tell me.”

They’d decided they each wanted to leave a gift for Caine, in the part of his home that they’d come to love the best. It had been the kids’ idea, and Addison hadn’t had the heart to say no.

Kylie whispered softly, “I chose the living room recliner where he read me my favorite bedtime story the past two mornings, because me and Tanner fell asleep before he could read it to me at night. And then I left him the book, so he could read it to his own little girl one day.”

Addison knew she shouldn’t have asked.

Her eyes were already flooded with tears when Tanner said quietly, “I chose the kitchen table where he helped me with my homework two days ago. And I left him a copy of the A he helped me get on the pop quiz I had yesterday so he knows I heard him when he told me he thought I had a bright future.”

Addison clutched the engraved keychain Caine had given her and willed herself to stop crying. When she looked in the rearview mirror, she saw the kids were holding their keychains as well.

While they’d left the keys on the keyring by the door, none of them had been able to part with the keychains Caine had made for them.

“Did you leave something for him too?” asked Tanner quietly. Somberly.

She wasn’t sure how to answer that, how to explain that Caine now had a permanent piece of her heart, and resided in a permanent part of her soul. How to explain that unlike their gifts to him, he’d probably hate hers.

Last night, he’d wanted to give her everything she could ever hope for.

And he’d been willing to risk everything he stood for in exchange.

After he’d fallen asleep, she’d looked it up, the ‘Oath of Honor’ that officers take, and she’d read through each line, practically hearing Caine’s strong, resolute voice echoing the words of badge, integrity, character, public trust, the vows to hold himself and others accountable for their actions.

By the time she’d reached the end of the oath, she knew. She knew she couldn’t possibly let him break that vow he’d made to his badge, to his honor.

To himself.

They only needed Marco to get David’s conviction at this point; by removing herself from the trial, there would be no reason for the defense to discredit, and thus, no reason to question Caine about what he did or didn’t know regarding her living situation and guardian status.

There would be no need for him to lie on the stand for her.

So long as she...left.

As she drove farther and farther away from everything they’d ever known, she traced the egg design of her keychain and wondered if her heart would ever be whole again.

It wasn’t until she’d pulled onto the interstate heading away from Creek Hills when she finally answered Tanner quietly.

“Yes. On his pillow. I left him the only thing I could.”

He gave me one perfect night.

And I left him his future.

Coming July 7, 2016

The conclusion of Caine & Addison’s story, seven years later.

Every Night Without You

(Unfinished Love: Caine & Addison, Book 2 of 2)

Seven years.

Seven damn years of wondering whether the woman was still alive…whether she’d spent the last two thousand five hundred fifty five days wondering if 
he
 was still alive.

Wondering whether 
that night
 was as burned into her memory as it was his. 

Seven years having his heart tethered to Addison—and now she’s back. With even more reasons to run than she’d had then.

Only this time, Caine isn’t letting the gorgeous little flight risk out of his sight.

Regardless of how noble her reasons may be.

EVERY NIGHT WITHOUT YOU (Bk 2) takes place seven years after BEFORE THAT NIGHT (Bk 1), and is the conclusion of Caine & Addison’s story of love, sacrifice, and the lengths one will run—and chase—when their past threatens their future.

Note: The Unfinished Love series follows four brothers, each fighting for their second first chance at love. Each of the couples have two books (duets) that take place years apart. This novel (Bk 2) is the conclusion of Caine & Addison’s story, which reunites them seven years after Bk 1.

Coming July 7, 2016

* * * * *

The UNFINISHED LOVE Series

Four Spencer brothers.

Each fighting for their second first chance at love.

Years be damned.

A heartfelt new series from NYT bestselling author Violet Duke.

Caine & Addison
–
Summer 2016

Book 1: BEFORE THAT NIGHT

Book 2: EVERY NIGHT WITHOUT YOU (
7 yrs later
)

Gabe & Hannah
–
Fall 2016

Book 1: BEFORE THAT KISS

Book 2: EVERY KISS GOODBYE (
2 yrs later
)

Drew & Skylar
–
Winter 2016

Book 1: BEFORE THAT PROMISE

Book 2: EVERY PROMISE UNSPOKEN (
5 yrs later
)

Max & Kennedy
–
Spring 2017

Book 1: BEFORE THAT CHANCE

Book 2: EVERY CHANCE WE LOST (
11 yrs later
)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

END OF BOOK ONE

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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ALSO BY VIOLET DUKE

The CAN’T RESIST Series

The acclaimed New York Times bestselling series, an emotional, heartfelt Top 10 Bestseller both in the U.S. and internationally.

RESISTING THE BAD BOY
*

FALLING FOR THE GOOD GUY *

CHOOSING THE RIGHT MAN *

FINDING THE RIGHT GIRL

*Serial trilogy, also available in the NICE GIRL box set