Chapter 23
CHAPTER 23
C aleb parked his truck outside the jewelry store, his hands gripping the steering wheel tighter than necessary. He stared at the elegant gold lettering on the storefront window, his heart pounding like a galloping horse.
This is it, he thought, exhaling slowly.
For weeks, he had been thinking about this moment—about Taylor, Liam, and the life he wanted to build with them. The life he needed to build with them. But now, as he sat in his truck, the weight of it all pressed down on him.
Could he do this? Could he ask Taylor to marry him, knowing everything he had kept hidden?
He closed his eyes, leaning back in the seat, and let his mind drift to her. Taylor’s laugh, her stubbornness, her unwavering love for Liam—it all rushed to the forefront of his thoughts. She had become his anchor, pulling him out of the storm he’d lived in for years. And Liam... his son was a light he hadn’t even known he needed until it was there.
For a moment, Caleb thought of Eugenia and couldn’t help but chuckle. What would she say if she could see him standing in a jewelry store, clutching a tiny velvet box? The man who had once sworn he would never marry was anxiously buying an engagement ring, his heart pounding with anticipation.
He could almost hear her voice, a mix of sass and satisfaction. “Well, look at you, sweetness. Took you long enough to figure it out.”
And she’d be right, of course.
The man who had once believed love wasn’t worth the risk was now desperate to claim what he knew in his heart was his—Taylor. She wasn’t just someone he cared for; she was the woman he wanted to build a life with. The one who made him believe in something bigger, something brighter, than the shadows of his past.
The thought filled him with a rush of determination. This was his chance to finally get it right.
He’d been the one who swore to Eugenia, with all the stubborn conviction of a man set in his ways, that hell would freeze, melt, and refreeze before he’d ever consider getting married. And yet, here he was.
About to make his biggest jewelry purchase. About to take the most significant leap, the most monumental commitment of his entire life.
His pulse raced as he reached for the door handle, a mixture of nerves and determination coursing through him. It wasn’t just about the ring but about everything it represented. A promise, a future, and the life he wanted to build with Taylor and Liam.
For a man who’d once been so certain he’d never walk this path, it felt terrifying and right.
With a deep breath, Caleb pushed open the truck door and stepped out, the sound of his boots hitting the pavement grounding him. The bell above the shop door jingled softly as he entered, and the sales associate greeted him with a warm smile.
“Looking for something special?” she asked, her eyes twinkling knowingly.
“Yeah,” Caleb said, clearing his throat. “An engagement ring.”
The words felt foreign on his tongue, but they also filled him with a strange sense of purpose. He followed the sales associate to the glass cases where rows of sparkling diamonds nestled in velvet displays.
As she pulled out a few options, Caleb’s mind wandered again, this time to Taylor’s hands—the way they moved with quiet confidence and felt when they were laced with his. He wanted to see a ring on her finger, a symbol of everything he hoped to give her, everything he wanted to promise her.
“This one,” the sales associate said, holding up a simple but elegant ring with a single round diamond and a band that twisted like a river. “It’s timeless. Romantic.”
Caleb nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on the ring. It was perfect—just like her.
“I’ll take it,” he said, his voice steady.
With its delicate twists and curves, the band reminded Caleb of their journey—winding, unpredictable, and full of challenges. It wasn’t a straight path but one shaped by struggle, resilience, and the undeniable pull that kept bringing them together.
As he stared at the ring, he realized he wanted it to be a constant reminder of how far they had come. Every curve in the band would reflect the obstacles they had overcome, the fears they had faced, and the love they had rediscovered.
He imagined slipping the ring onto Taylor’s finger, seeing it sparkle every time she moved her hand, and being reminded of this moment—this commitment to their future.
A future he hoped would always be filled with joy. A happy couple with a growing family, navigating life’s twists and turns together, just as the ring symbolized.
The woman beamed, carefully boxing up the ring. As Caleb handed over his credit card, a sense of finality settled over him. This wasn’t just a ring; it was a step forward.
But as he walked back to his truck, the weight of another truth settled heavily on his shoulders. If he was going to propose to Taylor, he needed to come clean.
She deserved to know everything.
The thought sent a shiver of unease through him, but it was true. He had spent so long hiding the details of his parents’ venomous marriage, pretending that those shadows didn’t exist, that they hadn’t shaped him. But Taylor deserved more than his silence. She deserved to know the man she was saying yes to—the whole man, flaws and all.
Sliding into the driver’s seat, Caleb pulled the box from his pocket, flipping it open to reveal the sparkling ring. The diamond caught the light, refracting tiny rainbows onto the dashboard.
He thought of his mother, her quiet sadness, the way she had suffered in silence to keep the illusion of their family intact. He thought of his father, cold and cruel, a man who had made love feel like a burden instead of a gift.
For years, Caleb had believed that love would only lead to pain and that he was destined to repeat his father’s mistakes. But Taylor had shown him something different. She had shown him that love could be strong and beautiful, even in its imperfections.
He closed the box and slipped it back into his pocket, his jaw tightening with resolve.
No more hiding. No more running from the truth.
If he was going to build a life with Taylor, it had to be built on honesty. And that meant telling her everything—about his parents, about why he had left college, about the fear that had driven him away from her in the first place.
It wouldn’t be easy. She might not understand. She might even be angry. But Caleb knew he couldn’t ask for her trust if he wasn’t willing to give her the same.
Starting the truck, he felt the ring box heavy in his pocket, a flicker of determination sparking inside him. Taylor had given him a second chance, and he wasn’t going to waste it.
It was time.
Time to tell Taylor the truth about what had forced him to leave college so abruptly, to finally explain what had been waiting for him when he came home.
She deserved to know the chaos he’d walked into, the fractured state of his family, and the weight he’d carried on his shoulders ever since. She needed to understand the pain and turmoil that had shaped his decision to leave her behind without an explanation.
And most of all, she had to know how it had all ended—so tragically, so suddenly—that it had left him reeling, unable to face her or anyone else.
He owed her that much. To lay it all out, no matter how hard it was to relive those moments. If there was any chance of building a future with her, it had to start with the truth.
It was time to face his past so they could build their future. Together.