Chapter 14
Caleb
Three days later
It was already the day before Lila had to go back home to Chicago. She would fly out the following morning, and to Caleb, it felt like a bad dream. It had all happened too quickly. He had seen her every day for at least half of his waking hours, and the time with her had passed in such a blur that his days felt extremely lopsided.
Bailey had come over during the mornings. They worked editing a video on day one, but then by day two, he broke the news to her again and work went out the window. They argued, and she cried for hours and then he stared at the wall for an hour before going to see Lila that afternoon.
He told Lila there had been some closure, but he didn't give her the gory details. Bailey had thrown and broken a couple of things, and he left that out, along with descriptions of things she had said.
On the third day, Bailey came over again. This time it was to 'apologize' to him. During the first two hours, she stated the case for changing his mind and she begged him to reconsider and see that they were meant for each other. Caleb held onto his patience because he had built a relationship with Bailey and he respected her and wanted her to remain in his life if possible.
As of now, he wasn't so sure if that was possible. Today was day three, and Caleb wasn't certain that Bailey would ever be able to fully accept that he was going to commit himself to Lila and start to build a relationship with her. She said she understood that, but then she would say something to question it. Caleb was impatient with the situation.
Day three had ended better than the previous two days. During the last hour, Bailey seemed to be in a good mood. Caleb was relieved and he left there feeling like he couldn’t get to Lila soon enough.
He was weary of considering Bailey and her fragile state. He wanted to be selfish. He wanted to spend all of his time with Lila while she was in Los Angeles. He couldn’t believe it was already the end of her trip. He left for Drake's to meet her, and Bailey, who was still taking off at her other job, stayed at his house to get some more work done.
He didn't tell Bailey where he was going when he left. He wasn't trying to keep it from her, but he simply didn't want to tell her, and he was happy she had been able to control herself enough to not ask. It was normal for her to be at his house sometimes when he wasn't there, and he went with it today even though it was something he would need to change. Today wasn't the day for that battle. There were so many things that needed to change, and Caleb had no idea how to start chipping away at them. He wanted to find love without it being messy and dramatic, and he felt jaded about Bailey and how difficult she was making this.
And then, right then, in the quiet place when his spirit was seeking answers, he remembered Paul and the way he didn't eat for those three days.
He realized that the circumstance was what it was. All he could do was control his response to it. Caleb felt a change in his perspective at that very moment. The circumstance was the same, but he had control of his outlook on it. He smiled, focusing on good things and knowing things would work out in the long run even if they seemed messy at the moment.
He was ready to get to Lila, so he went straight to Drake's when he left his place. He called his brother as he headed that way. Drake was in Chicago.
"Hey, what's up, brother?" Drake said, answering Caleb's call.
"Are you busy?"
"No, you caught me at a good time. I’m at the shop, but I'm waiting on a customer. I'm about to go next door to grab a smoothie. Does anyone want anything?" Drake called to the people around him and Caleb waited for him to finish a brief conversation. "Okay, I'm sorry, I'm good now," Drake said once he was finished.
"How's Chicago?" Caleb asked, imagining where his brother might be at the moment.
"Great. I love it here. How's home?"
"Good. Fine. I've been going through it with Bailey, but it's going to be fine. I'll work it out."
"What's going on with Bailey? You mean besides that she passed out?"
Caleb sighed. "Yeah, well I think her memory came back, and yet she made me go through the agony of telling her again while she acted like she had no idea. I don't know that for sure, but it seemed that way when I was telling her. This was two days ago, and she's been clingy and shocked, and unstable is the best way I know to describe how she's acting. It's a trip because she's been so steady and dependable until now. I've been trying to give her the benefit of the doubt and trying to assume it's as a result of her injury that she's reacting like this, but it's been a hard few days."
"Why do you care so much how Bailey's reacting to it?" Drake asked.
Caleb let out a little laugh. "Honestly, I was just sort of wondering that. I was thinking about it right before I called you. I felt all frustrated about her, and then I realized… why? All I can do is move forward and put an end to things as best I can."
"You have the other girl in town still, right?"
"Yeah, tonight's her last night."
"Are you still trying to be friends with Bailey long-term? Are you still planning on working with her?"
"I mean, I was. Bailey's all tied in with everything I do. She keeps track of everything with my social media, and even my ads and revenue."
"She knows about your finances? Hang on. Hey, I'd like to get a Green Day smoothie, please. Large." Caleb waited while Drake ordered and then spoke to him again. "Okay, I'm back."
"You were asking if Bailey has access to my money, and the answer is yes. She knows my passwords and everything. She's really good with numbers, and she keeps all of my books. It's been that way for the last few years. It's a burden off me. Half of our software subscription services are under her emails and passwords. I wouldn't even know where to begin with using some of the software. I'm already breaking her heart. She doesn't like her other job. If I take away this job, I'll… I don't know. People move on from things in life, I guess."
Drake was quiet, thinking for several long seconds. "Is it worth it, you think? This other girl… Lila? Is she worth it?"
Caleb hesitated because the words got stuck in his throat. "Y-yes. You actually have no idea. I've never felt anything like it. I can't even look at her without imagining… I really feel like I want to be with her. I think it's forever. And I'm not even scared I'll become my dad. I know I talked about that being a factor, but it's not. I'll do whatever it takes to have her and build a family."
"Whoa. How does she feel?"
"The same," Caleb said. "And I'll work it out with Bailey. It's not that big of a deal in the long run. Anyway, thank you for listening. I just called to tell you thanks for letting her stay at your place. She's loving it there."
"It's no problem. I'm glad to have someone in there when I'm away."
"You'll have to post some photos of your work once you're finished today."
"I will. I can't believe you found a lady, bro."
Caleb was smiling as he got off of the phone with his brother. It had been a surreal few days, but he felt fully recovered physically, and he was pumped about going to see Lila. She was here in California because she cared about him. It was the most wonderful thing in the world that she cared about him. He had Lila, and everything else would fall into place.
He jogged up the steps and to his brother's front door. Lila must've known he was there because she opened the front door before he made it there. She was wearing a dress, and Caleb wanted to attack her, to ravish her. "Aw, you look so beautiful!" he said, holding back. He stooped down and took her into his arms, gripping her mid-section and lifting her off of her feet. She squealed and smiled, and Caleb was looking straight into her mesmerizing green eyes as he set her back down.
"Lilaaaa," he said in a whisper that caused her to laugh. Oh, the way her eyes squinted and she lit up when he said her name. "What did you do today, my baby?"
"I went shopping and then I did some homework and some planning for that shower."
"Did you find anything when you went shopping?" he asked.
"I got a shirt."
"This one?" he asked, glancing down. "I guess that's a dress, isn't it?"
She let out a little laugh and pulled back doing a curtsey. "Yes, this is a dress," she said. "It's from home."
"How are you so beautiful?"
"You like it?"
"I love it." Caleb felt like he might burst into a thousand pieces. When he held her, his heart was full in a way he had never experienced before. That's not even mentioning what it did to his body. He had to keep Lila. She was now a nonnegotiable in his life.
"Where are we going?" he asked, looking her over in her little blue and white dress.
"I thought we were getting some dinner."
"I know, but we talked about tacos. I have to take you somewhere better than that since you're all dressed up."
She bit her lip to hide a grin. She was so beautiful that Caleb stared at her, unashamed.
"I'm fine eating tacos," she said. "The dress is for you. It's not about the restaurant."
He sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm going to look at my phone because it's the third or fourth time it's gone off in my pocket."
"Sure," she said, stepping back. He could tell she was trying to be respectful and give him space, but he didn't want space from her. He reached out for her hand, pulling her closer.
They were standing in Drake's living room. She had it clean and smelling nice in there. Maybe it was just Lila who smelled nice.
He missed the call.
It was from his mom. He navigated calling her back, and at the same time, he pulled Lila close, smelling her neck and causing her to smile at him. It was her that smelled so nice.
"Hey, Mom," he said, standing up straight and sounding all-business when his mom answered. He still had a hand on Lila, keeping her close to him as he listened to his mom.
"I need a ride. I can't get a hold of Gabriella, and my car won't start. I just need a ride to my shift at the restaurant. It's four miles from here, and it's hot. But you need to hurry because I'm supposed to be there at four."
"Can I send you an Uber?"
"Yes. I figured you would say that."
"Actually. Hang on. Can you hang on for a minute?"
"Yes."
Caleb muted the phone and looked straight at her. "Do you want to run an errand with me that involves meeting my mother?"
"Yes," Lila answered. She spoke with such instant certainty that he didn't stop to warn her or make her agree twice. He just smiled and leaned in to kiss her soft cheek before unmuting his phone again.
"Mom?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm coming. I'll drive you. We're leaving right now. It'll be fifteen minutes."
"That's fine. Is Drake coming with you?"
"No."
"Bailey?"
"No. Lila."
"Oooh, Lila! Is that your new girlfriend?" She spoke in a silly teasing tone, knowing the answer before he gave it.
"Yes, she is," he said, calmly. "She's coming with me, so you'll get to meet her."
"You're joking."
"No, I'm not. We'll see you in a minute," he said, trying his best to remain casual. He managed to get off the phone without saying much else. He looked at Lila to get a read on her expression when he hung up. "Do you need to be warned about what you're going into?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Not unless she's going to be mean to me."
"No, I don't think she would."
She nodded and shrugged. "Then I don't need to be warned. I'm happy to meet your mom. I'm excited."