Chapter Thirty-One
Caleb’s POV
I was sitting in the bar after work, a stiff drink in my hand, and greasy bar food on a plate in front of me.
I swirled the drink in the short glass, thinking about the shit I had to deal with.
I couldn’t believe I’d managed to tie myself to this crazy bitch until the baby was born, and even after, if I couldn’t prove just how crazy she was.
I had started taking measures though. I didn’t want to risk anything else going on and giving her the upper fucking hand.
Not again. I wouldn’t let my guard down around her ever again.
I had very obvious security cameras installed in and around the outside of the townhouse, covering every inch of my property, leaving zero room for any blind spots.
I also placed hidden cameras throughout the house, multiple in each room, that worked without wifi, and saved the video to a SIM card that needed replacing once a week.
I backed up those SIMs on different hard drives and clouds.
I wanted copies. I wanted to cover my ass.
Why the fuck did I ever get messed up with that bat shit crazy bitch?
How the hell did I ever think she was better, even for a night, than my beautiful Devin?
How was I so blind to what she was working up towards?
Why did I take her for granted? Why did I think she’d never find out?
She didn’t deserve this. I did though. I was an absolute fucking moron.
And this was karma coming back around and kicking my ass.
I had a ring doorbell installed, as well as cameras above the door of the townhouse.
I also notified management that I was to be the only one with a key, and that if anyone came to ask for one, they were not to give it out and call me.
I had been working hard since the court case to build a legal wall between Becky and myself.
I had a restraining order against her, and the only time it was alright to see me was when there was no one else who could do a meet-up for the child exchange when the baby was here.
Psycho baby momma was not allowed anywhere near my apartment, though, thankfully.
I had started setting up a neutral nursery right next to my room, because she wouldn’t allow me at her appointments, so I didn’t know what my child’s gender was.
She also said that she didn’t want me at the birth, so I’d have to see what my lawyer could do.
If there was anything he could do. It wasn’t likely, but I’d missed so much of their life already. I hated that I wasn’t more prepared. I’d taken parenting classes, birthing classes, CPR and basic first aid classes, newborn specific classes.
I may have been the worst husband in the world, but I was going to be a kick ass dad for my kid.
I wasn’t going to let them down. Not when I was doing so much to build my life back up.
I had gone to my CO at drill earlier this month and said I wanted to go full-time officer in the Corp. He offered to help.
Thankfully I’d made enough friends in the industry that I could easily get another job until I could go full-time in the Corp.
I needed stability and something with amazing benefits, because it would be best for my child.
I was interviewing with other companies, because I knew I was being watched by HR constantly, and none of the females in the office would talk to me.
Word had spread like wildfire about me sleeping with Becky. Hell, even after I found a new job, my new boss somehow found out and said when he offered me the job that if I pulled a stunt like that at this company, he would ruin my reputation in the industry and I would never be able to work again.
He promised that I’d be lucky enough to have a job flipping burgers.
Fucking prick.
I was just trying to keep my head above water at this point. I paid my bills, went to work, and came back to my apartment to look for more baby shit online that people were getting rid of. I didn’t want anything to do with Becky, but my baby would know I loved him or her.
Her.
Sara, my old secretary, followed Becky on social media and saw that she did a gender reveal and had a baby shower with everything pink.
She sent them to me, when I asked if she still followed her.
I had hoped to be able to be a part of the naming process, but that was going to be something my lawyer would have to work on because Becky was pushing back.
Hard. I was likely going to have to get a court order saying I was able to be a part of choosing one of our daughter’s names.
I liked the name Kaleen. But who knew what she would get with her crazy mother making the decisions?
Therapy was going well, also. It was slow, and I knew that a big part of why the progress was being so slow, was because of me.
I didn’t want to accept reality. I didn’t want to accept that I’d lost her.
And that it was all my fault. I didn’t want to acknowledge that I’d been stupid and ignored Devin’s warnings about Becky.
I hadn’t respected her or her boundaries.
And, getting down to the heart of why I didn’t, was because I thought I’d be able to say no to Becky.
I was cocky that I wouldn’t have any kind of attraction to her, which was dumb, because she was attractive.
I was weak.
I was also cocky in my belief that my wife would always be there, always waiting for me to come back when I was ready. We’d promised forever. But I was learning that promises don’t mean shit when the vows were broken.
And I broke our vows first.
I still remember rushing out of that courtroom after hearing that she’d collapsed and feeling my heart in my throat, worried as hell, all for her.
It felt like my stomach fell out of my ass.
I fought through the throng of people to get to her, but, when I saw the way, she looked at that man holding her, the way he fussed over her… I knew.
It was clear as day that he loved her and she cared for him a great deal, if she didn’t love him already.
It was official.
I’d lost her.
Like a fucking dumbass.
*****
Six Months Later
Therapy had been going quicker this past month, thankfully.
And I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that I moved with Kaleen across the country.
My mom got custody of her, and now they both live with me full time while I serve our country.
It was worth all of the time and money I put into a lawyer to get her and to get Becky’s rights terminated.
It took four months of pure hell where I worried about Kaleen every day.
I went over to her apartment every day, just to see if I could log onto the wifi and log into the camera she had on her crib.
It was another way that I had been gathering evidence.
Mom and I were determined now that, since we had her and there was no way she could ever come back, that we were going to give Kaleen the best life possible. And that started with naming her Kaleen officially.
It was leagues better than Princess.
Mom and I were given a house on the base, and we were lucky enough that it was across the street from a playground, and a few minutes drive away was a day care as well as the commissary.
I could care less that I was a guy in my early thirties living with his mom and daughter.
That suited me just fine. I wasn’t planning on dating anyone.
Ever.
I was perfectly content with living this way until Mom found someone new, or Kaleen moved out and went to college. Whichever came first.
*****
Cash’s POV
Today was finally the day.
I’d been waiting, watching, taking note of her mental status and how she’d been with me for the last six months.
She had been slowly getting herself together, bit by bit.
It was to my extreme pleasure that I got the chance to sit back, patiently wait and watch as she grew into an even more amazing woman.
She looked more and more magnificent the harder she was working and building herself back up.
But today. Today was the day.
I was going to ask Devin to officially be my girlfriend.
It was a beautiful warm, sunny evening, and I knew about this perfect little Italian restaurant where I had booked their best table on their back patio.
We’d been seeing each other, as friends, but more, for a little more than six months because I had wanted her to be completely comfortable with me before I made things official between us.
I had to give her the proper time to heal, for her to come to me.
I was there, always. Always taking her out to try new things and find things she enjoyed, or things she disliked.
Those were some fun times too. I also took her to places I enjoyed.
I planned to show her all the little hidden gems I’d found over the years.
All the hole-in-the-wall restaurants and bars.
I managed to sweet talk my boss into letting me have some time off, matching my schedule with hers.
I had started planning several vacations that I wanted to take her on as soon as she got approval for time off. And the thought of her? In a bathing suit? While we were trying to build a friendship and sticking to ‘seeing each other’ but unofficially?
I damn near died. Every. Fucking. Time. I thought of those, Itsy, Bitsy.
Teeny. Weeny. Bikinis. I don’t think I’d been this sexually frustrated since I was a weird freshman in high school going through puberty with a squeaky voice and lanky arms that made me look like that stretchy action figure from the nineties.
My hand was my only friend then and now.
I picked her up promptly at seven and I swear this woman stole my breath like she did every time I saw her.
I went semi-casual with a pair of skinny trousers, a button-down T-shirt, and loafers.
I thought I looked good, but nowhere near as good as she did.
I wanted to take her back inside and show her all the different ways I thought she was too good for me.
I wanted to worship her from now until forever.
I knew she wasn’t ready to go past our incredibly hot make-outs that forced me into an ice bath every fucking time.
She was worth all the blue balls though.
I opened all the doors for her and held my hand out to help her into the car, earning me a smile and a little deeper blush each time.
God, I loved her smile. If I had to pick a feature though that I could get lost in without fail, then it was her eyes when she smiled at me.
Her eyes shined so brightly, so vividly, it was like all the love she held inside shined out from them.
They were pools of love that I could dive in and swim forever.
I smiled back at her as I closed the door and rounded the car, taking a deep breath and readjusting myself when she couldn’t see.
That little evening dress she was wearing was killing me.
I had a feeling I was going to have to try to hide my erection that was growing the more time I spent in her presence, all fucking night and take the coldest shower and ice bath I’d ever taken when I got home.
I knew if anything happened, even just my fucking hand again, that I wouldn’t last long with the way her legs looked in those black pointy heels and the way her dress hugged every dip and curve of her perfectly delicious body.
It was a black dress with a high neckline, but it hugged every slope and valley of her figure down to her knees with a slit in the back.
She’d taken her hair and pinned it up on top of her head in, what she called, the modern beehive.
Whatever she did to it looked amazing and showed off her slender neck that I wanted to bury my face in and kiss.
Driving to the restaurant on auto-pilot while I tried to calculate how cold my shower got. Because I didn’t think my shower was going to be cold enough if I was this close to making a mess in my pants just sitting next to her and out right ogling her in the dress she’d picked out.
I was going to be in serious trouble long before dessert.
Pulling up to the restaurant, I stepped out immediately before she could open her door.
I was determined to be a gentleman tonight, on our first official date.
I also selfishly wanted the pleasure of seeing those stunning, shapely legs coming out of the car before anyone else. That was my view and mine alone.
No one else would ever see that sight if I had anything to do or say about it, but I didn’t think that was going to fly with Devin.
I handed the valet the keys and quickly opened her door, hand out, ready to help her out of the car.
She smiled at me, took my hand, and leaned in for a kiss on the cheek.
“Getting jealous, are we Johnny?” I beamed at her, letting her see every emotion. This view was hers, like she was mine.
“Always,” I growled back, pulling her hand to my lips, kissing the back of it. My gaze turned heated as I looked at her through my lashes, her hand still raised to my lips.
“You’re mine, my Queen. Only I get to see those legs like that.”