Page 72 of Cultivating Caden
The urge was there to say yes, to have all the secrets revealed, but instead, Caden smiled. “No, I don’t. I know you’re aware of so many things and, judging by what you did, you’re a lot more powerful than I thought, but you’re still a boy. My son. And right now, that’s the only thing that’s important to me.” He grinned at Ten. “And you know what that means, right?”
Ten frowned. “You’re going to punish me.”
“Yeah, I am. Tonight after dinner, you’re doing the dishes. By hand. No cheating and using your abilities. In fact, maybe you ought not use your abilities for a week. Learn what it’s like to be a normal kid. Maybe that will help you bond with others your own age.”
“But I’m not—”
“You are. You’re a very gifted boy, but you’re still a boy.” He thought for a moment. “Don’t you have any girls you like?”
Ten’s nose wrinkled. “Uh, no.”
“That’s fine. Sometimes it won’t happen until you’re older.”
“But I already know the person I’m going to be with. He’s….” Ten stopped.
“He? You’re going to be with a guy?”
Ten’s cheeks pinked. “Yes. He’s going to be good and decent and patient.”
“What’s his name?”
“Michael Cosh. He hasn’t arrived in Sanctuary yet, but when he does, we’ll meet and fall in love.”
It all sounded so… clinical to Caden.
“You do know that love is all about emotions, right? Those things you’re trying to convince me you don’t have? How will you know it’s love?”
“Because…. Just because.”
Caden leaned back against the couch. “You have nothing to base it on. How do you think I knew I was in love with Quade? It was thanks to Gary and Chris. My disappointments and the hurt I suffered led me to know what love was like. You need to experience life if you ever expect to understand love.”
“But I can—”
“Read my mind? Let’s try an experiment. I want you to look into my thoughts and tell me what you see.”
Ten reached out and touched Caden’s temple. “You’re thinking about Dad. How you like his smile, the way he laughs. You like the way his eyes crinkle when he’s happy.”
“All that’s right. Now tell me, how does it make you feel?”
“What do you mean?” Ten sat back. “How is it supposed to make me feel?”
“Now you’ve answered both our questions. Without going out with people your own age, you won’t understand the intensity of a first crush, or the heartbreak that goes along with it. Knowing a feeling and having experienced it are two entirely different things.”
Ten’s lips pressed together. “But I’m going to marry Michael. Why would I want to go out with anyone else?”
“Are you sure about that? You told me you saw potential futures. You told your father that you don’t see a future for any of us. So how do you know for sure that Michael will even come into your life? There’s nothing wrong with meeting other people, even if Michael does show up. You can have friends to hang out with, if nothing else. I have Matt and Kieran, even though I’m with Quade.”
When Ten pursed his lips, Caden hoped he’d gotten through to him.
“Well, I do like Uncles Matt and Kieran. I suppose there are worse things than having friends.”
Caden reached out and cuffed Ten gently on the side of his head. “Friends aren’t a punishment. They’re a family you’re building for yourself. Some will go, some will stay, but through it all, friends are people you can pin your hopes and dreams on.”
“Okay. I’ll see about meeting some other kids.” Ten glared at Caden. “But if I don’t like it, I’m blaming you.”
“Fair enough. Now let’s discuss dinner.”
With Ten chattering about what he wanted, Caden thought they’d overcome a hurdle. He figured when Quade got home, he’d be proud of both of them.
And if he wasn’t? Screw it. Caden was proud enough for both of them.
