The kiss had been perfect.
Sweet.
Wonderful.
Cadence was honey and sugar wrapped in one beautiful, delicious package, and he wanted more of her. He wanted all of her. She was gentle and shy, and he knew how much courage she’d had to muster in order to kiss him that way.
Yes, Cadence was very brave, and Liam loved that about her.
He knocked on the front door and a minute later, an older version of Cadence opened the door. Molly Smith was a tall, slender woman with dark hair and a button nose. She smiled at Cadence, who immediately started to cry.
Liam and Molly Smith both wrapped their arms around Cadence at the same time, enveloping her in a hug.
“It’s okay,” Liam said.
“Everything’s fine, sweetheart. Don’t cry,” Molly Smith said. “I’m so happy you’re here. I’m so happy you came to see me.”
Cadence managed to stop crying and nodded, and Molly Smith brought both her and Liam into her purple-themed living room. Like the outside of the house, the interior was completely decorated in shades of purple.
“You like purple,” Cadence said.
Molly Smith just smiled. “Have a seat. I’ll make us some tea.”
Cadence managed to sit down. Liam joined her on the couch and held her hand while Molly Smith was in the other room.
“I can’t believe I’m finally here,” she whispered.
“You’re very brave,” Liam said.
Molly Smith returned and sat a tray of treats on the coffee table, and then sat across from Cadence. She looked her up and down, and Liam wondered what thoughts were running through the woman’s head.
Then she smiled. “You look exactly the way I imagined you would,” she said.
“I can’t believe I’m here,” Cadence said. She shook her head, as if she were dreaming. “I have so many questions for you.”
“I’ll answer them as best I can, sweetheart,” Molly Smith said. “I’m going to guess you’re wondering why I put you up for adoption.”
“Yes, I’ve been wondering about that,” Cadence said. “This seems like a lovely home and you seem really put together,” she said. “Not to sound ungrateful, but why didn’t you want me?”
Molly Smith looked momentarily hurt at the question, but quickly recovered.
“It’s not that I didn’t want you, Cadence. On the contrary: I wanted you very much. I got pregnant unexpectedly, though, and it was during a time when dragons were being poached left and right. I didn’t feel safe bringing you into the world. I couldn’t bear the thought of something bad happening to you.”
She shivered, and Liam knew what she was thinking about.
The thing about dragon poachers is that they were sneaky and vicious at the same time. They didn’t care that they were taking children away from their parents. They didn’t care if they caused irreparable damage to a community. They only cared about experiments, about money. They only cared about furthering their research, and if they had to hurt a couple of dragons to do it, they would.
“I didn’t know what to do,” Molly Smith continued. “But then I talked to Willie.”
“My dad.”
“Yes, I talked to your dad. I found out he and Maryanne had been trying to have a baby for a long time, but they were unable to conceive on their own. I approached him with a proposition.”
“You chose him,” Cadence said suddenly. “You didn’t just give me away. You chose a family for me.”
Molly Smith teared up a little, but nodded. “He was such a sweet man, and kind. He loved Maryanne so much, and I knew they would make wonderful parents. I wasn’t sure if your father was a dragon shifter or not, to be honest, and I wasn’t sure if you would be a shifter. It was just a one-time thing, him and me, and I didn’t even get his name.” Molly shook her head. “I was scared to walk away from you, but even if you were a shifter, I thought it would be better for you not to know. I thought it would be better for you to be raised as a human and enjoy the safety of their world.”
She shook her head, and looked at her hands.
“I realize now that it was wrong of me to deny you that. I don’t regret giving you a loving family in a safe place, but I shouldn’t have tried to hide that you’re my daughter. I shouldn’t have tried to lock you away so you could be safe.”
Cadence looked at her mother for a long time. What thoughts were running through her head? Cadence was so patient, so kind. She wasn’t angry, but Liam could tell she still felt hurt by her birth mother’s choice.
That was the hard thing about being a parent, wasn’t it? No matter what choice you made, someone would get hurt. Any decision you made would have a lasting consequence. Molly Smith chose to give Cadence up for adoption, which meant Cadence felt abandoned. If she had kept her and raised her on the island, there was a chance that something worse could have happened.
Molly Smith was doing her very best, but she still made mistakes. Now Cadence had a choice to make. Would she forgive her mother and try to move forward with a relationship? Or would she decide to stay hurt and grasp onto that pain?
Liam knew Cadence was his mate. That much was obvious. The kiss sealed the deal for him. He’d never felt as alive as he had in that moment, and he knew without a doubt that Cadence was the girl for him.
He also knew that she’d been through hell, but he was ready to catch her. No matter what happened today at this meeting, he would be there for her.
“I understand,” Cadence said finally. “I’m not going to say I’m not sad, because I wish I could have known you growing up.”
“I did come to your birthday parties when you were little,” Molly Smith said. “Your father always invited me, but as you got older, your mother was worried you’d notice the resemblance, and she asked me not to come anymore.”
“I’m sorry about that. That must have been difficult.”
“After you and your mother moved away, I reached out and tried to keep in touch, but Maryanne made it clear I wasn’t to see you anymore. I understood. She wanted to protect you, just as I did.”
“There are so many unexplained things in my life,” Cadence said. “And I want you to know that I don’t blame you. You couldn’t see the future. You didn’t have any control over what happened to me. I know that. I’m not upset. I do want to know about being a dragon, though.”
“You’re a shifter, then,” Molly Smith smiled. “I thought you were. When you were born, and you got upset, your skin shifted just the slightest bit to a beautiful shade of violet.”
“I’ve never been able to fully shift,” Cadence admitted. “But my skin still changes color when I’m angry. Any strong emotion, really, and I turn purple. I’ve had to learn how to stay calm. I’ve taken a lot of yoga classes and I’ve learned how to meditate. It helps me keep everything under control, but now…” Her voice trailed off and she looked around the room.
“Now you want to explore that side of yourself,” Liam added helpfully.
“Yeah,” Cadence agreed. “Now I want to know who I am.” She looked back to Molly Smith. “I want to know what I am, and what I can do. Can you help me?”