Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CALEB
“Thanks again for coming so last minute,” I tell Willow as I open the door for her and she steps inside. I didn’t want to make things obvious and ask Mia for her information, so I tracked her down on social media and sent her a direct message.
Willow lets out a low whistle as she steps into my foyer, kicking her shoes off. She gives me a once over, her eyes dropping down to my feet and back up to my face. “Well, you look rather dashing, Mr. Ford.”
A chuckle vibrates in my chest. I’ve only met Willow once before, but she strikes me as the kind of person who has no issues talking to anyone. Just from my small interaction outside of her spending the night on my couch last week, she doesn’t come off as standoffish or reserved at all.
“Where are you taking Mia?”
“Willow,” I say, waving her to come farther into the house. “I haven’t told her yet, so I don’t know how this is going to go over.” I pause, corkscrewing my lips. “I suppose there’s a chance I might come back early, if she doesn’t want to go out.”
Willow stares at me for a moment, lifting a perfectly arched brow. “If you think that, then you really don’t know Mia.”
I bite back my grin, dipping my chin at Willow.
“Touche.” Willow follows me into the kitchen and I motion for her to sit at the island in the center.
The sound of car doors shutting draws my attention over to the window and I glance out at the driveway.
“That’s them,” I tell her, watching as they make their way toward the house.
Mia took Tella to her riding lesson this afternoon while I was at practice. The side door opens and their voices carry through the mudroom as they both kick off their shoes. Tella comes out first, her eyes meeting mine before she sees Willow sitting at the counter beside me.
Mia follows after her, her footsteps faltering when she sees the two of us, confusion washing over her expression. “Hey?”
“Hey, girl,” Willow says, waving at Mia. “I’ll let your man explain what I’m doing here.”
I chuckle softly, closing the distance between the two of us as Mia walks deeper into the kitchen to meet us. “T, this is Willow, Mia’s best friend. Why don’t you go change?”
“Hi, Miss Willow!”
“Just Willow.” Willow smiles at her, laughing as she shakes her head as she gets off her stool. “I’ll, uh, go make sure my car is unlocked.”
Willow and Tella both disappear from the kitchen, leaving Mia and me alone.
I step into her space, my hands finding hers, fingers threading together as her eyes slowly rake up the length of my body.
“I want to take you out to dinner, pup,” I tell her, my voice hoarse as her eyes meet mine. “I want to take you out on a date.”
Her lips part, eyes widening as she stares at me for a moment. “I—” She stops, her throat bobbing as she swallows hard. The inside corners of her eyebrows pinch together and rise, her eyes rounding as she stares up at me. “Are you sure?”
I roll my lips between my teeth, biting down momentarily as I bob my head. “I’ve never been more sure.”
“I thought you don’t go on dates,” she says quietly, stepping closer until our bodies are just nearly touching. She tips her chin up, her eyes holding mine.
“That was before you,” I admit, my voice quiet like hers. My thumbs stroke the length of hers as I spend a few moments getting lost in her eyes. “Can I take you to dinner?”
The corners of her lips slowly lift. “I’d like that.”
“Good,” I say softly, my face dipping down to hers as I find her lips with mine.
It’s a gentle kiss and I keep it brief, allowing myself a second to revel in her familiar warmth before I pull away.
“I found a place that is 100% gluten free and celiac friendly. I made a reservation for six, so we should probably leave in thirty minutes. Is that enough time for you?”
“I’ll make it work,” she tells me, lifting up on her toes to kiss the side of my mouth. When she lowers herself back down, her fingers linger against mine as she begins to pull away. I let her go, immediately feeling her absence, a smile tugging across my face as she disappears from the kitchen.
Change is scary and not something I normally welcome, but seeing that goddamn smile on her face makes this all worth it . . . even if it might not go any further than this.
“I still can’t believe you reached out to Willow to watch Tella.”
I lower my fork, chewing a bite of food before swallowing it down as I look at Mia. She lifts her glass of water, shaking her head before taking a sip. “Why is that so unbelievable?”
“Why her? You had to track her down through social media and she doesn’t even know Tella.” She tilts her head to the side, her expression softening. “I know it’s hard for you to trust people with her.”
My throat constricts and I make an attempt to clear it before forcing down a mouthful of my own water.
“Trust is something I’m trying to work on,” I say, my voice low.
“I didn’t want to ask any of my friends or family because of your father.
” I pause and wet my lips. “He doesn’t know about any of this, does he? ”
Mia’s silent for a beat. “Is there something here he should know about?”
“Maybe,” I admit, the word shocking me as it falls effortlessly and without a second thought from my lips.
“I don’t want to disrespect him and I don’t want him to be pissed off if he finds out about anything between us.
” I pause, blowing out a shallow breath.
“I can’t make you a single promise about my future or even what this is between us, but I know I have no interest in anyone other than you. ”
“Neither do I.”
“After I lost Amelia, I never thought I would ever be able to move on. I resigned in life and was perfectly content with being alone . . . until you came along.” A ghost of a sad smile dances across my lips and Mia leans forward, pushing her nearly empty plate forward as she folds her arms on the table.
“I do feel guilty when I think of her sometimes. Like I’m betraying her by being happy.
She’s dead and here I am, moving on in life, spending time with another woman. ”
A frown tugs on Mia’s lips. “I can’t pretend to know what you’re feeling and I never really knew her, but I think if she loved you, she would want you to be happy.”
Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I slowly nod. “I’m beginning to think that maybe she would too.” I push my own plate forward, extending my arms as I reach for Mia’s hand. “Things are easy with you and I like that. A lot.”
“Good,” she says softly, her eyes shining brightly as she threads her fingers within mine. “That’s how it should be—easy and comfortable, like a safe place where you can rest at the end of a long day.”
Her words tug the edges of my heart. “Things with you just feel . . . right and natural. Like it’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
“I never want to be a complication in your life, Caleb,” she says quietly, her eyes slowly searching mine. “If you want me to tell my father, I can.”
“I think it’s something I need to do,” I say, dipping my chin. “I’m the one who is technically in the wrong so I think it would be better if he heard it from me.”
“There’s nothing wrong about any of this,” she retorts, her eyebrows tugging closer together. “We could have never predicted that anything would happen between us.”
“It was beyond either of our control,” I agree, my voice barely above a whisper. My feelings for her—I still refuse to dissect them because of my fear. My fear of just how deep they run and how strong of a grip she has on my heart.
I tried to fight this as long as I could, but my resolve is fractured and Mia Landry has infiltrated my heart. She’s crept into the cracks carved in my heart and dare I say, she’s been slowly putting me back together without me even realizing.
“Some things are just meant to be,” she says. “Sometimes we find people when we aren’t even looking.”
I’ve fallen for her and I’m certain there’s no way I can backtrack now.
I’m too far gone and I’m in too deep.
I stare back at her, her eyes burning into mine.
“And sometimes they become more important to you than you ever expected them to be.”