Vow of Surrender

Chapter Eight

Not twenty minutes later, they were on the reservation. Caedance took in the sight as nostalgia hit her hard. She had spent many summers here with the cousins, and now she felt like an outsider.

Adam gave her the directions to his house, and it appeared he only lived a few blocks from her great aunt. She parked in his driveway and pushed the button to kill the engine.

"I'm impressed you know how to drive stick," Adam said.

"My dad taught me. I was an only child, so he wanted to make sure I could take care of myself when I left for college. He taught me how to change a tire, change the oil, fix a sink. He didn't want me to have to rely on a man for everything and simply have the man in my life happily take over the duties."

"Smart man. I tried to teach my sister the same, but she's too much of a damsel. She wants a man to save her."

"There's nothing wrong with that either. I learned early in life never to judge people with different lifestyle goals or ideologies."

"Still, I worry. She's okay with Benjamin working to support them and her staying home to build a family. She's never been on her own. She has no idea how the real world works."

Caedance smiled. "She's lucky to have you. I had to navigate on my own for the most part. Learn from my own mistakes."

Adam squeezed the water bottle, making a cracking noise. He'd finished it, but she wanted him to drink more.

"Want to come inside?" he asked.

Well, damn. It wasn't like she could say no. She'd driven him home without planning for how she would get back to her place. He certainly wasn't driving her. Not until she was certain he was okay.

Maybe she was being overprotective. His color was back to normal, and he wasn't showing any signs of major depression or mood swings. She needed to give him more credit. But she wouldn't say no to talking more inside. She wanted to get to know him better before she made a decision on whether to train him.

"I'd like that," she replied.

Adam quickly got out of the car, and she watched as he hurried around and opened the door for her. Caedance smiled and unbuckled her seat belt before getting out.

"What a gentleman," she said.

"Chivalry is not as dead as they say."

She glanced over to the right and noticed another car in the driveway. It looked like a Jeep but it had a different shape than she'd seen before. It was covered in mud too.

"I'm assuming that's yours?"

"Yeah! My off-roading companion. There isn't a terrain she can't handle."

She admired the ride as they walked into his house. It was a cute, one-story home with brown siding and a porch swing to the left of the door. Two cacti were on either side of the door as well and a wooden wolf stood guard next to the steps.

"Huh," he said. "There's a note on the door. It says 'Hey, A. I'm staying at mom and pop's tonight just in case you and your date hit it off. See you tomorrow. Get em, Tiger.'"

Caedance laughed. "You told your brother you were on a date?"

"I'm not quite ready to tell him the truth. Not until I'm more comfortable."

He unlocked the door then stepped aside so she could go in first. The inside smelled of pin and man. The living room was off to the right, and the large couch was covered in a knitted blanket.

The fireplace was going, so the room was nice and toasty. Much needed considering what she was wearing.

"Well, this is my home," he said.