Chapter 5
CALEB
Malia smells like vanilla and coconut, and her fingers are very soft. My fingers brush over a slight callus on her thumb, and I want to run my own thumb over it. It’s evidence of her love of gaming. It connects us, and I like it.
Keep it professional, Caleb. Malia is beautiful and a good friend, but this is all an act to help me. I can’t cross the line and make her uncomfortable. This is just another type of mission.
But I think I like her. Romantically.
I think I have for a while.
But unlike with Ivy, where everything was a whirlwind of feelings, whatever is happening with Malia came on slowly. Months of texts. Months of gaming together. A friendship I’ve relied on.
Still, I need to get through tonight and tomorrow first so things don’t get muddled. I have no idea what Malia is thinking about us right now, so telling her that I’ve caught feelings might make this uncomfortable for both of us.
“Nice ride,” Jett says from where he and Ava have paused on the sidewalk.
“Thanks,” I say coolly. “It’s Malia’s.” I pull her close to me.
In her heels, she’s almost as tall as I am.
I didn’t realize that last night when we hugged.
She was in tennis shoes then, but it still means she has to be five-nine or -ten, since I’m over six foot.
“Malia, this is Jett McCombs and his wife, Ava.”
She reaches out to shake their hands. Ava glances approvingly between me and Malia, and my smile widens.
We head inside the restaurant, which Law rented out for the night.
It’s decorated in keeping with Carlie’s Valentine’s Day wedding theme.
The small, potted trees that dot the periphery of the dining room are ringed with pink twinkle lights.
The tables themselves have centerpieces that are bouquets of pink and cream heart-shaped balloons and ribbons.
Carlie herself is wearing a long, draping pink dress that I happen to know matches Jenna’s bridesmaid dress because Carlie thought they were so cute she wanted one too.
Law and Carlie stand at the head of the room in front of an arch draped in pink fabric, more twinkle lights, and pink flowers, greeting people who have come. My parents stand nearby, and so does Law’s mom, Senator Card.
Mom catches my eye immediately, then she looks over at Malia. She raises her eyebrows in a clear summons.
“Time to meet my parents,” I whisper to Malia. “Lock in.”
She snickers, still gripping my hand as we stride to the front of the room.
“Mom.” I greet her with a light hug and a kiss on the cheek, then hug my dad as well.
Mom squeezes my arm when I let go, turning to Malia. “We’re so glad you could come,” she says. “It’s wonderful to meet you.”
Malia takes the hand Mom offers her and holds it in both of hers in a sweet gesture. “I’m so excited to meet Caleb’s family.”
“So,” Law says from behind Dad. “This is Caleb’s girlfriend.”
Malia and I share a look, pretending to be embarrassed at the label. “It’s kind of new,” she says, eyeing me shyly.
I almost laugh. I doubt that Malia Lang has ever been shy a moment in her life.
She’s the captain of our team for a reason, and she’s a high-level manager at the gaming company she works for.
Though she doesn’t talk about her job a lot—probably something subconscious because of her family—I’ve been able to glean a few details.
I pull her close and kiss the side of her head affectionately, not confirming or denying Law’s assertion. Law narrows his eyes at me, but I ignore him.
Jett and Ava have joined the group as well, greeting everyone.
Ava looks at her watch—not surprising, since she’s basically in charge here.
She works on Gabriella Diaz-Duncan’s staff but couldn’t help volunteering to plan Carlie and Law’s wedding.
“We need to start serving dinner soon, so let’s set the example and find our seats,” she suggests to everyone.
Malia and I are about to escape when Mom tugs on my arm, holding me back. “Here’s a twenty,” she whispers, slipping something into my suit coat pocket. “So you can take Malia for some ice cream or something after this.”
I glance over at Malia. She’s pressing her lips together tightly and looking away, trying to pretend she’s not paying attention—or about to burst into laughter.
“I’m not in high school, Mom. I don’t need you slipping me cash for my dates,” I whisper back, my tone dry.
She waves me off. “Let me do this for my son. I know things must be tight with the house and the apartment, and a car payment.”
“Mom. I have plenty of money for those things. Promise.”
She scoffs. “Just take the gift. We’ll talk later.” She nudges me back to my “girlfriend” with a pleased smile.
When we’re a few steps away, Malia turns her face into my shoulder and lets out a laugh. “I do not get it,” she says in a low voice. “You bought their house. How can she really believe you don’t have money to take me out for ice cream?”
I shake my head. “Honestly, I don’t know.
I’ve tried to tell her I’m very financially stable.
I think it’s my cousin’s fault. He had this IT business that went belly-up spectacularly.
Lost his house and everything, wife divorced him and took the kids about ten years ago.
I guess she lives in fear of that happening to me.
” I shrug. “She keeps sending me job listings for IT jobs at stable companies, where I’d make half of what I make now. ”
Malia pats my shoulder. “I believe in you, if it makes you feel better.” She’s biting her lips again, trying not to smile too wide at the whole thing.
“I’m going to slip this back to her later without her knowing.”
She squeezes my hand, but before she can reply, someone calls, “Caleb!” I turn to see my other sister, Jenna, waving at me. “You guys are over here with me and Devin.”
“Perfect,” I mutter under my breath. Was it too much to hope that we be seated with some of Law’s teammates who don’t care who I’m dating?
I lead Malia through the tables to our seats. “Hi,” Jenna says, holding out a hand to Malia when we approach. “I’m Jenna—”
“Caleb’s sister,” Malia finishes warmly. Bonus to being friends with Malia so long: we didn’t have to go over all this stuff for her to already know it.
Jenna looks surprised, probably because she and Devin have talked about how suspicious it is that I suddenly have a girlfriend right before the wedding.
“I’m a hugger, is that okay?” Malia repeats the request she had for me when we first met.
Jenna blinks. “Of course,” she says, leaning in and embracing Malia. She gives me an approving head tilt and barely-there nod.
Despite the fact that the place cards say I’m supposed to sit next to Jenna, she pulls Malia to that seat. “Caleb hasn’t told us anything about you,” Jenna said. “Ugh, brothers.”
Malia laughs. “I wouldn’t know. Just one sister. But I can imagine.”
“So what do you do?” Jenna asks.
“I work for a company called Vire Gaming.”
Jenna gives a slow nod, like of course. That makes sense. “And that’s how you two met? Online?”
“Yep,” I say.
“He offered up some suggestions for housing when I relocated to Houston last year,” Malia says, “and we got to talking. Then he asked me out a couple weeks ago and …” She shrugs. Here we are.
“Oh,” Jenna says. “So you’ve known each other a while?”
“Yep,” I reply again. Jenna scowls at me, and I laugh. I lay my arm casually over the top of Malia’s chair, and she leans back into it like it’s automatic.
That’s when I notice Ivy and her husband, Chad, talking to Law and Carlie. She turns, probably to find her seat, and meets my gaze. She hesitates, and I can feel her uncertainty on what to do next.
So I stand. Ivy and I can’t avoid each other all night and all day tomorrow. It’s better just to get this out of the way. It’s been almost two years, and I’m fine.
Ivy takes Chad’s hand to approach, and Malia stands up next to me, sliding a hand possessively around my waist.