Chapter 22 #2
“It’s more like they don’t really give a shit, so I have to wonder what they want.
I’ve been on my own for a long time.” Caleb glanced up, meeting his gaze before rolling up to a sitting position, which made all sorts of muscles move beautifully under his skin.
“And I would like pumpkin spice today, I think.”
“Oh, adventurous.” He pulled his robe on, which made Caleb pout.
“No fair covering all that up.”
“What are you going to do about your folks?” Hawk tossed Caleb a sweatshirt and some sweatpants from the pile on the chair next to the door.
“Tell them no. I’m not in Vail.” Caleb scooted to the edge of the bed and grabbed his crutches. “I’m gonna run to the bathroom. I’ll meet you after, huh?”
“Got it.” Hawk would stop by the bathroom in the hall on the way out.
He whipped together some omelets and made toast. By the time they sat down to eat, Caleb was smiling again.
“You okay, baby?”
“Yeah, yeah, I just, that was a surprise seeing their message today. You know, they never texted or called after I got hurt.” Caleb bit into the toast and chewing meditatively, he thought.
“Do they do that? Do they pop up when you least expect it?” Hawk couldn’t imagine having a non-relationship with his parents. They were not “we see each other all the time” people but they were sure close.
“They do sometimes. Not very often. Maybe three times over the last ten years. But it’s always messy.” Caleb tried the omelet, nibbling a tiny bite. “Hey, this is really good,” he said.
“What can I say? Omelets I can do.” He’d had to learn basic healthy cooking for himself for those times when he forgot to order meals from nutritionists while he was playing. Omelets could be done a million different ways and were always protein and veg heavy.
“So, what’s on the agenda for today?” Caleb asked.
“Nothing big. I need to work out for a while, but other than that, I’m open.”
“Cool. I’ll try to get a little workout in myself. Maybe the rowing machine with one foot, huh?”
“I could see that being doable. You just have to make sure you don’t put any pressure on that foot. I could take the big footrest off and put a pillow down there instead.”
“Sounds great.” His phone rang and he rolled his eyes, grabbing for it, then his mouth became a thin line and he sighed, hitting the answer button. “Hey, Mom, what’s up?”
Caleb didn’t put it on speaker, but he sat there so Hawk could hear his mom’s voice as she went on and on, actually not letting Caleb get a word in edgewise.
Then Caleb shook his head. “No, Mom, I really don’t think that’s a good idea right now. I have physical therapy in Denver, and I’m staying with a friend to help with the rehab. He doesn’t really have room.”
Shit. That meant Caleb’s parents wanted to come and stay with him.
“Yeah, no, I’m serious.” Caleb tried to get out whole sentences, but apparently his mom was interrupting him because he kept cutting himself off too. “No, I really don’t want to talk to Dad.”
Caleb made a couple more clucking sort of noises, trying to get his mom to pay attention, Hawk thought, and then the tone of the conversation shifted.
“Hey, Dad, look, could you just— no, I was not rude to her.” Caleb’s tone changed, going hard.
“I just don’t think it’s a good idea right now, and I would love for you guys to abide by my wishes.
Dad, I’m an adult. I have been for a long time.
I’ve been on my own. While I appreciate the idea, I don’t need you guys here. ”
Hawk winced, because damn he couldn’t imagine having that kind of a conversation with his mom and dad. His mom would kick his ass. But then again they had never given him a reason to feel that way either.
“Okay, yeah, I’m going to go now. I’ll talk to you later. Bye.” Caleb hit the end call button and put his phone face down on the counter. He sat there with his head lowered, and Hawk got the impression that he didn’t want to show what he was thinking too much.
“Is there anything I can do, baby?”
Caleb’s shoulders rose and fell on a deep breath. “No, I don’t think so. Let’s just eat breakfast. I don’t want to give them any more time and energy today. I just want to be with you.”
Hawk reached over and tipped up Caleb’s chin so he could look into those beautiful eyes. “You mean with your boyfriend?”
“That’s exactly what I mean. You’re amazing. And I’m glad we reconnected. I’m well on my way to falling head over heels for you, you know?”
His heart started to thud in his chest, and heat spread all the way through his body, from the tips of his toes to the top of his head.
“I feel the same way.” There was no awkwardness in him when he said it because it was the damn truth, and he didn’t have to worry about how Caleb was going to take his words.
“You want to hang out in bed instead of on the couch?” Caleb grabbed his hand and squeezed, using his other hand to shovel the rest of his food into his mouth.
Hawk nodded, and he ate more slowly, but he understood the rush. He wanted to go back to bed with Caleb as well.
In fact, he wanted to spend the whole damn day there.