The Fall Bride (TSBS-3) ON HOLD

Chapter Thirteen

The past is strapped to our backs. We do not have to see it; we can always feel it. 

― Mignon McLaughlin

Ivan Dwayne

The sun was just setting, as I waited outside the retirement home. 

Supposedly, it wasn't half bad for Joyce as she found the facility to be spacious, neat, and filled with recreational activities and spots. As it was privately owned, the cost might differ from the nursing homes, but for a woman who had taken care of Janet for all her life, this still came short.

Although she was impressed by the tour, she wasn't as impressed with me as she had shown earlier. Apparently, I lacked the skill of persuasion. I almost scoffed at the accusation, but seeing how little improvement I had made with Janet, I was starting to agree with her. Janet's grandmother was already aware of my background, as informed by a certain someone who had a cop cousin in New York. Because of that, our conversation went better than I thought when I realized we wanted the same thing regarding her granddaughter and great-grandson. 

If only we could persuade her to see the logic behind it.

Joyce only wanted Janet to be protected since she had no other family except her grandma. 

But I knew, from when Mark had informed me beforehand, about the Aunt who had abandoned her mother and niece. Joyce had managed to give me some productive insides unknowingly, to connect the dots and come to a realization. 

With her parents dying when she was young and her aunt out of sight when she needed help, it was obvious to see the abandonment issues. It could be the reason for her definite refusal to be in a family with me. Perhaps, she was as scared of me leaving her as I was with her. 

The only difference, I wasn't letting go of the family I had received at a chance encounter while she tended to draw strict lines, keeping herself away from me.

The headlights flashed before me, bringing me back from my thoughts. I looked ahead to see Janet bringing the wrangler over the driveway, and settling on a parking zone. I jogged to reach her as she dropped down, looking at the backseat. 

"Cade, wait for me."

While she proceeded to unfasten sleepy Caden, I waited behind her. As soon as he was in her arms, I volunteered to take him. As Caden's head dropped on my shoulder, Janet locked the doors and turned to head inside, but suddenly, the whiff of a smoky odor whished past me. 

With a reflex that seemed unnatural, I caught her arm. "Did you smoke?"

Stumbling, she met my eyes with an unrecognizable look as I stared at her questioningly. Then, her eyebrows raised at my hold, quietly yet alarmingly. Pulling herself back, she placed the car key on my raised hand and walked away.

Confused, I strode to catch up to her and remarked. "I didn't know you smoked."

Abruptly, she rounded at me. "Since when did you know me so well?"

Halting, I studied her pale face, saw no indication of a change from her previous response, but her curled hands said otherwise. 

"I thought I did." I said it almost inaudibly.

She scoffed, shaking her head before facing me, with a half-hearted grin. "Well, you don't know me and I don't know you. In fact, we don't know each other enough to ask such questions."

Placing a hand on Caden's sleeping back to ensure he wasn't hearing us, I looked down at her through narrowed eyes. "What's wrong with you?"

With a groan, she weaved her fingers through her hair and muttered some incorrigible words under her breath before sighing. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just hungry and tired. I just want to enjoy a nice dinner with grandma, before we drop her off and head back to your home."