Chapter 7

“Hi Drake…” Ava spoke between bites the moment the call connected, much too Cade’s amusement.

“Hi Mom…” The caller replied, Cade’s tense body sagging in relief, he had thought that the caller was a partner…

Forcing himself to discreetly listen to the conversation, giving the impression he was giving her privacy, when in fact he was doing the opposite, genuinely interested in hearing her talk with her son.

“Why are you calling…?” Ava asked, getting straight to the point.

“Jeez…can’t a son just call his mother for no reason?” Drake asked, his tone somewhat sarcastic.

“Love you …” Ava responded instead, taking another bite of her burger, moaning discreetly, “So…why are you calling?”

“Love you too, was wondering how things were going with getting your new car.” Drake replied rather grumpily

Rolling her eyes, “I am happy that you care, but to set your mind at ease, everything is going well…” She answered, taking a sip of her juice.

“That is good…” Drake began, “Where are you by the way?” He cut off midsentence, “It’s too noisy in the background to be a dealership!”

“Since the paperwork is still being processed and I was hungry…” She trailed off and continued to eat, knowing her son would figure it out, she did not need to explain further or elaborate.

“God…sometimes I wonder where you put it all!” Drake complained, having realized where his mother was.

“I eventually work it off…!” She argued, feeling slightly offended, but still continuing to munch away.

Hearing Ava’s exclamation, Cade muffled a laugh with a cough, actually enjoying the bantering and interaction she was having with her son, it told him that she had a close relationship with her kid.

Which brought an unsettling thought to his mind, his gaze automatically going to her left hand, looking for the evidence of a ring, that would signify that she was taken, but then again in today’s day and age not everyone was married.

His thoughts turning depressive, his wolf whimpering in the background, would fate be so cruel as to present him with his fated mate, only to yank it away, had he not suffered long enough, was it not time that he finally found some peace and happiness…

Shaking himself from his depressing foul mood, he tuned in back to the conversation, hoping to find out more about his destined mate.

“Well, how soon will you have the car on the road, because I don’t want you to drive back during peak hours, especially with a new vehicle, I would rather you stayed at a RnB overnight, than drive back late in heavy traffic.” Drake continued.

“Love you…” Ava again responded, “And, yes…I will see the time, if it gets too late, then I will make alternative arrangements.” Knowing how her children worried about her newly acquired driving skills, since she only recently got her drivers, having been too dependent in the past on her ex to get around.

“Good, so let me know what the plans are later.” Drake replied, “I have to go now, got an online meeting in a few minutes, please stay safe…”

“Bye and ditto…” She replied, her son switching off on his end immediately after hearing her response.

Feeling a bit awkward, “Kids…!” She mumbled sheepishly, “Sometimes they are too much and other times you just want to squeeze them to bits…”

Locking gazes with her, “So, you have a son…?” Cade queried, rather interested in knowing more about Ava.

Blushing at his intense gaze, “Two actually…” She responded, taking another sip of her juice, more for breaking the intense atmosphere surrounding them, licking her lips nervously.

However, before either could carry on with their questioning, Ava’s phone again rang, making her groan in frustration as she glared at the caller Id, mumbling under her breath incoherently as she answered, mouthing an apology to Cade for the interruption and putting the call again on speaker.

“Yes I am eating, no I don’t have any news yet and all is okay.” She spoke, before the other person could ask, rolling her eyes at an amused Cade as he watched her answer the call rather directly and rudely.

The other person laughed, “I am guessing Drake already called…?” The caller asked.

“Yep…just a few moments ago.” Ava replied, popping a chip into her mouth.

“You know how he is, he is always worried about you.” The caller spoke.

“I know and I love the idea that he cares, it just makes me feel like a kid.” Ava complained.

“Mom…we are always going to worry about you, so suck it up.” The caller responded firmly, finally giving Cade an indication on who was calling, “Besides, we know you love the attention we give you and we all know that you are a hog when it comes to food, so that is no surprise...”

Sticking her tongue out in a child like fashion, “You can be so mean sometimes Cody, but rest assured I am eating in moderation…” Frowning as she heard her son scoff in the background and then glaring at Cade as he tried to stifle a laugh, pouting when she knew that they were seeing right through her innocent remark.

“Anyways…I’ll want the lowdown on things when you finally come right, you know me, I don’t need to know everything, just the basics.” Cody continued, “I know how Drake can be dramatic and worrisome, so let me know how you are doing later.”

“Will do so.” Ava responded, “Luv you.”

“Love you too Mom, talk to you tonight.” Cody replied, also switching off at his end.

A few seconds of silence followed the call, Ava squirming under Cade’s intense gaze, shifting slightly in her chair, her tongue flicking out nervously, as she tried to figure a way to resume their conversation.

Cade had been so fixated on her lips, he had lost his train of thought, barely remembering where they had last stopped their conversation…

Groaning internally, he tried hard to focus on their conversation before the call, watching with lust as her tongue flicked out,, “And their father…?” He queried, finally remembering what he needed to ask, unashamed that he was asking a direct question, he wasn’t about to poach on some other man’s land, so he would rather know upfront if she was single or not.

“Ran off…!” Ava responded curtly, not really wanting to go into to detail, needing to change the subject, she decided to turn the questions onto Cade, “And what about you? Single, married, committed, any kids…?” She fired off, getting straight to the point.

“Two kids, twins in fact, boy and girl.” Cade responded, a smirk on his face, liking that Ava wasn’t scared to question him or be direct or the fact that she might be single, “As for my status, currently single and more than interested…”

His gaze intent on her, Ava blushed, heat rising in her body, she would not openly admit  to him right away, that perhaps she was attracted to him in more ways than one.

Cade noticed that Ava was slightly flushed and flustered, wanting her to be at ease, he decided that he didn’t want to push her too soon or too fast, he had the basic information that he needed, now he just had to be patient and get closer to his mate.

His mind already thinking of ways of keeping her nearby, so with that, he changed the subject, letting the conversation flow casually, choosing neutral topics that both of them could handle without any emotional stress.

Cade had to admit, as time passed and he watched Ava discreetly, that she was definitely unique and special, for the first time he was able to have a decent conversation with a woman, even though she his mate, fated to fit each other in all aspects, again he was grateful, that the fates had chosen well.

Watching as she enjoyed her meal and he was yet to be bored in her company, they seemed to have similar tastes in a variety of topics.

Moreover, it was highly entertaining to debate on different viewpoints, Ava was passionate in what she talked about and he loved seeing how her eyes sparkled with excitement as she spoke animatedly over any subject.

But, on the other hand and though somewhat slightly uncomfortable, he was sporting a major hard-on from the moment he set eyes on her and his wolf declared her as his mate, grateful that the table hid away his more than obvious tight fitting pants, instinct telling him that whenever he was going to be in her presence it was going to be a guaranteed constant of being hard…

Having finally finished her main meal, Ava leaned back and sighed in satisfaction, patting her stomach, “That was worth it…” She spoke, a smile on her face, then frowning as she looked at her fingernails, “Though I do need to quickly go to the ladies…” She apologized, wanting to clean her hands properly, despite using the wet cloth provided, her hands still felt sticky.

Forcing herself up and making her way to the ladies room.

However, on the way there, something caught her eye and she spoke to Gloria, a satisfied smile on her face once she placed her order, then making her way to bathroom…

For Cade, he could not stop staring at Ava, his gaze following her every move, the sexy sway of her hips and ass, just making him drool.

He was seriously in deep trouble, if he could not claim her…