Falling in Love Backwards

Learning how to Trust

It had been weeks since I last saw Kade, but he had been spending quite a bit of time with Luna. I would drop her off at Maggie's so I could go to work, and Kade would take that time to spend with his daughter.

I hated leaving her there all day, but I needed to work. We couldn't live off of hope.

Since it was nearing Christmas the bakery was once again packed for the upcoming holidays. People seems to want to stuff their relatives with sweets this time of year. It was easier to maneuver the cramped kitchen without a large belly hindering my movements, so work went more smoothly than before.

Near the end of my shift, during a lull in customers the door dinged. I was in the kitchen, unconcerned with the fact that we had another customer. There was someone already watching the front counter, after all.

"Oh my! Is that miss Luna? She's too cute." I heard Jaylee exclaim from the front.

Luna's here? Why?

I dusted flour off of my hands and left the kitchen expecting Maggie to be standing there with Jaylee and Luna. Instead I walked out to find Kade holding our daughter and smiling lightly.

"Kade, what are you doing here?" I asked reaching for my baby.

"I came to ask if you would consider going on a date with me. And I figured bringing our daughter as backup wouldn't hurt." He laughed sheepishly, reaching out to caress Luna's cheek. She giggled madly, obviously in love with her father. I couldn't blame her.

"I-I'll think about it." I answered uncertainly and he grinned widely, like he had just won a prize.

"Great, I'll come by Saturday evening. Cara said that she would babysit." Kade said flashing me a grin and taking Luna from me, kissing me as he did so. Only when he turned to leave did I remember how to speak again.

"But I haven't said yes yet." I called after him as he opened the door.

"Yet, Paige. Yet implies that you will. I'll see you Saturday." And the door closed behind him.

"That was smooth as hell." Jaylee said fanning herself dramatically.

I rolled my eyes at her, but I had to agree. That idiot could be pretty smooth when he wanted to be.

***

"So where's he taking you Saturday?" Jen asked looking up from playing with Luna.

Luna was three weeks old now and growing like a weed.

"He didn't say. Actually he didn't say a specific time either." I frowned thinking what that man could be planning. Kade always went overboard when he took out girls while we where in school. I just hoped that he had learned that sometimes less is more.

"Maybe you'll just go somewhere so you guys can talk. You really need to work through some things."

"I know." I sighed leaning into the back of the couch heavily.

Kade and I really really needed to talk. Talk about us, as both a family and maybe even as a couple. Because I love the fool, I just don't know if I fully trust him yet.

Maybe I'm the fool.

***

Kade pulled up at 5:30 Saturday evening. I had been ready since around 4:30, which was a good thing and a bad thing. Because the longer I waited on him the more nervous I became. I was a wreck by the time he knocked on the door.

"Ready?" He asked with a cheeky grin. I could have smacked him then, but I refrained. Barely.

"Yeah. Where are we going?" I asked as I followed him out to the pickup.

"I made reservations at that Italian place a few towns over. I wanted us to be able to really talk and not worry about people we know interrupting us."

I was taken aback. He had really thought this out, he was trying to be considerate and sweet.

"Thank you. That sounds wonderful, Kade." I smiled warmly.

The ride to the restaurant was quiet, but it was a comfortable silence. Neither of us felt the need to fill the silence with worthless prattle. We were just so content to be in the others presence. It was very relaxing after spending so long worrying about the date.

The restaurant was fairly busy when we arrived but Kade assured me again that he had called ahead. We walked in and were greeted by the host, he smiled warmly.

"Good evening, how may I help you?" The Host asked as we approached.

"I have a reservation, under McNeill."

The host nodded and motioned a waiter towards us. She lead us to a table by the window, where to my surprise Kade pulled my chair out for me.

"Since when did you become a gentleman?" I asked as he sat across from me.

"Since I wanted to impress the mother of my child, and since I wanted be the kind of man that my daughter could be proud of." He said sheepishly, his cheeks tinting lightly.

"That's- That's really mature of you."

I knew then that I could truly depend on Kade to be a good father. The only question left was if I could trust him with my heart.

Only time would tell.

***
Christmas was tomorrow.

Maggie had invited Luna and I to spend Christmas Eve with them, and I was more than inclined to let Luna spend her first Christmas with her father. Just because Kade and I weren't exactly together didn't mean we couldn't spend the holidays with each other.

Kade picked us up at 4. I had him help me load the presents and our bags, we would be spending the night. It would be strange to sleep in the same house with Kade again, considering the last time I conceived our daughter, but we were adults.

We could keep this from getting too weird. Probably.

"Who all is going to be there tonight?" I asked as we pulled out of the drive.

"Just Ma, Duke, Cara, and us. Ma invited Jen for tomorrow, she wants it to be just close family this year." Kade and Jen were cousins, so it wasn't weird that she would come. But I wasn't family. Kade must has sensed this in my silence. "Paige, you are as much a part of the family as anyone else. We've been friends forever and you're my daughter's mother. So don't even think that we don't consider you family."

"Okay." I managed to choke out, my eyes were a little watery and my throat was tight. It had been a long time since anyone told me I was a wanted part of the family. My own had just dropped off of the planet and left me to my own devices.

"Now that that's settled, why don't you find us something to listen to that's not Christmas music. Every station has been playing it nonstop since October ended." I had to laugh at that. I was tired of the Christmas music too.

"Okay Grinch." I joked reaching for the radio.

This Christmas was shaping up to be the best I've had in years.