Chapter 17 #2
Caleb tried to process the abrupt change in plans on the way to Rick’s car.
For his part, Rick rattled on about Phoenix on the way to his house.
Caleb dipped his head occasionally to let the guy know he was listening, even if he wasn’t paying attention.
The architecture, the difference in weather, and factoids about the neighborhoods they were driving through were of little interest to him.
Brigit had flown back to Moore. She’d obviously talked to her parents. She’d quit her job and gone home to do what she wanted. Yet, Rick made it sound like she’d gone back for him.
Too soon, Rick pulled into the garage of a reddish-tan stucco house that looked like every other house on the block. So different from the older homes of Moore, and all in a style he’d never seen outside of TV until now. It would be fascinating if his mind didn’t keep returning to Brigit.
Joan was here. Rick had never intimidated him, and he’d always been friendly and congenial, asking about his grandparents and the ranch. Sometimes they’d joke around, but Rick had always been busy with his own work, and Caleb and Justin had been up to their own shenanigans.
Joan, though.
Acid roiled in his stomach. Was she the one who’d deliver the “stay away from my daughter” talk?
How would he deal with that? What happened between him and Brigit was their business only, but her mom was important to her.
He didn’t have to have a close relationship with his own to understand.
If anything, he understood the importance of that relationship because he didn’t have one of his own.
Rick led him inside, waving off his attempt to take his boots off. “We always wear our shoes here. The floor’s too hard not to.”
Caleb’s boots clicked on the floor, echoing off the walls.
He passed frames of Brigit and her brothers.
Photos of Travis and Kami, and even more of their kids—school pictures of Kambria and baby photos of Ben.
Turning into the kitchen, he spotted Joan.
Her eyes were red and puffy, and she had a mug of steaming tea between her hands.
When she looked at him, her eyes were haunted. “Have a seat, Caleb.”
A plate waited for him at the table, in a spot between her and where Rick was settling in.
God this was uncomfortable.
A muffin rested on the plate. If he tried to eat it now, it’d turn to dust in his dry mouth.
As his butt hit the hard chair, he realized this was the first time Joan had set a place at the table for him.
Growing up, it was always, “Oh, I thought your mom was picking you up.” He and Justin had cruised through the kitchen whenever they’d wanted, grabbing food as they went, but when it came to meal times, Caleb was not part of the family.
Joan sniffed and raised her watery gaze to him. “I’ve been awful to you.”
Caleb laid his clammy hands on his jeans. Had he heard correctly? Did he agree like a bastard kicking her while she down? Or did he continue this farce by politely demurring?
Joan’s gaze switched to her mug. The tea bag floated inside.
Had she even taken a sip? “I didn’t realize how private Brigit was until today.
But it’s all in what she doesn’t say, isn’t it?
” Her chuckle was as dry as the rocky landscape outside.
“Oliver was insulting and degrading. It was subtle, and she hardly mentioned it at the time. It’s why we helped buy all that furniture. But we thought she was in love.”
“She thought she was in love,” Rick added. “I think that was the problem with all those guys. She thought she should be in love with them.”
Joan nodded, her expression sage. “I can’t help but wonder if she stayed with him so long because she thought I liked him. As if I’d approve of a man who made my daughter feel horrible.”
Caleb’s brow rose of its own accord, but Joan saw before he could correct it.
She huffed, but it wasn’t aimed at him. “I know, right? Apparently, I’ve been making her feel horrible.”
He dipped his head. Joan was in a no-bullshit mood.
“The older she got, the more insecure she became. I thought I was helping her, not reinforcing those insecurities. I thought I was the support she needed. Those relationships seemed like what she really wanted, and I encouraged them.” Tears welled, and she inhaled a shaky breath.
“She never said otherwise. You want to know what else she didn’t say? ”
He kept his mouth shut. He had no idea where Joan was going with this, but this was the most she’d said to him in his entire life.
“She never said you treated her poorly. Because you didn’t. Right?”
His voice cracked. “I would never.” He hung his head. “Except for the last time I talked to her.”
Joan adamantly shook her head. “You never made her feel bad about her looks, her height, or her weight. You never made her search for a career she hated to make you happy. You never…” Joan’s direct gaze tagged his. “You never held me against her.”
“I…” Well, they were being honest. “I have always loved her.”
“And I knew that. I could see how you adored her.” Joan reached across the table, her hand stretching out.
He brought one hand up, unsure of what to do.
Joan gripped him, her fingers curled around his.
“All this time, you were the one smoothing the way for her to be herself. And I held your upbringing against you.”
He stiffened at the mention of his past, but Joan squeezed his hand. “For what it’s worth, my comments were aimed at your mother. But the target they hit was you. I should’ve kept my mouth shut and supported you.”
Rick scooted closer and patted his shoulder. This moment was more affection than what his own parents had shown him.
“I can be overly protective of my children,” she continued. “And the way I go about it has hurt others. I justified it to myself, thinking that you had so much stacked against you, you’d only drag Brigit down.”
He flinched. It was one thing to suspect it, but to hear it was another.
“I did the same thing with Travis’s wife.” Her words were barely audible. “It scares me to think of how I could’ve interfered with his happiness. I think it’s time I learned my lesson.”
“We’re awfully proud of you, Caleb,” Rick said gruffly. “You were a good kid, a little reckless, but the man you grew up to be would make any parent proud.”
Caleb snorted. “Not any parent.”
“I’m sorry,” Joan whispered. “You’ve faced more than I can ever know. Justin tells us about you. Finishing school. Your recent promotion. The way you help him and still run your ranch.”
“I have a lot of help.” He couldn’t take all the credit when Justin, Jesse, and Farah backed him up.
“As you should.” Rick sat back in his chair. “I had four brothers and it was a hard life. Selling cars is a whole lot easier than selling cows.”
Joan patted his hand and sat back. “But it’s what Brigit wants. She told me about the extra courses she took. I think it doubled her guilt.”
It had.
Rick nodded. “Joan and I are doing just fine. We put our kids through school like we wanted to, and we live in a nice home and enjoy our jobs. It was worth putting retirement off.”
“It may take a while for Brigit to see that, but I think you can help. Here’s what we’re going to do.”
Caleb braced himself, but never would he have guessed what they had planned.
Brigit danced from boot to boot. Her gloves and winter coat were heavy enough to ward off the chill. Her nose was probably pink, but she didn’t care. Caleb would be walking out these doors at any moment.
The last few hours had been excruciating. Justin had brought her to the car that Brock had fixed up for her—a present from all the cousins, with a full tank of gas—then sent her off with the name of a hotel and a time of arrival.
It was quite a gamble, but Dad had texted that Caleb was on his way to Minneapolis. They’d flown Caleb there, and she could drive and get him—after they spent the night. The getaway was a little gift from her parents, paid for with furniture money.
Then Mom had called. The trip to the city had been full of confessions and tears. Brigit was flayed and exposed, but so much lighter and more optimistic than she’d been when she’d woken up that morning.
She was peering at all the passersby—as if she could ever miss Caleb—when a solid wall of warmth plowed into her.
A gasp ripped out of her as she was spun around.
Before she could stare at his handsome face and marvel over the way his silky hair hung on his forehead and how much she wanted to run her hands through it, he enveloped her in a tight hug.
“Oh my God, I missed you,” he breathed into her neck.
She wrapped her arms around him, wishing she’d ditched the coat in her car so she could be closer to him. “I’m so sorry.”
“No, I’m the one who’s sorry.”
“No—” But any more argument died on her lips as he smashed his mouth against hers.
Minutes ticked by, but she had no wish to detach herself from him. A guy walked by muttering, “Get a room.”
She pulled away and gazed up at him. “We have one.”
“One what?” His pupils were wide and his gaze hot.
“A room.”
“Right. Your mom mentioned that.”
She nodded, still lined up with him, her arms around his neck. “She said she talked to you.”
“It was the most surreal moment of my life. I’m not convinced it really happened.”
She giggled. “It did. They covered your flight. Justin got the room. And you can call your boss and tell him you’ll be at your next shift.” Tracing her finger down his cheek, she could barely talk. “I can’t believe you were going to sell your place and quit your job to come to Arizona.”
“I would’ve.” He turned his head to kiss her palm. “Where’s your car? We’re going to need that room.”
She pulled him with her, giving him only enough time to grab his bag.
“I hope we don’t have to go far.” His low growl sent tingles coursing down her back.
She wanted to get to the room as badly as he did. She pointed to the tall building to their left. “It’ll only take a couple of minutes. Justin seemed to think we wouldn’t want to drive far, and I had time to check in before I came here.”
In the time it took to drive to the hotel, Caleb told her about the fallout with his mom and what he’d learned at the bank. “I realized the bad position you were in,” he confessed.
“I put myself in it. You didn’t.” She parked, and they wasted zero seconds getting up to the room.
Her hands were shaking as she swiped the key card.
It refused to work. Caleb finally snatched the card, got them inside, and kicked the door closed behind him.
Just like the last time they were in a hotel room, he crowded her against the wall, but he didn’t move as fast. Instead, he cupped her face and kissed her lips once, then twice.
“I’m so in love with you,” he murmured. “I can’t believe I almost messed it up.”
“I’ve always been in love with you, and I messed it up for so many years.” She laid her hands on his chest, needing to reassure herself that he was here with her.
“Yet, here we are. If we can’t keep ourselves apart, nothing else will.” He caught her mouth in a soft kiss that grew harder. Needier.
She gripped his sweatshirt and yanked up. They broke apart only to strip each other down, but he didn’t take her against the wall.
He stepped back, his shaft so rigid it didn’t even bob with his movement.
“You’re so damn beautiful.”
He made her feel that way. Taking her hand, he tugged her to him and swept her into his arms.
She managed to keep the volume down on her squeal. “You give me a heart attack when you do that.”
He grinned, but it faded quickly. Desire washed out everything else in his eyes. “I need to be in you now.”
“Yes.”
He set her on the bed and covered her with his body. Nudging her legs part with his knee, he dropped his head to hers, licking his tongue along the seam of her mouth. She opened for him and spread her legs. There was no need for foreplay, no reason to wait.
Maybe one. “You’re still on the pill.”
“Yes, and no, we don’t need a condom.” Whatever happened now would be at the right time and it’d be with Caleb.
Dragging the head of his cock through her wetness, he paused only to position himself before he thrust inside.
Her ragged gasp mingled with his raw groan.
He thrust and stilled, and their gazes clashed.
He took his time withdrawing and slamming in.
Lifting her pelvis, she gave him as much access as she could.
He rose to his arms, a slight quiver traveling through his body.
“I need…” He panted and rocked his hips. “I wanted to wait, but I want to marry you. I want a life with you. My ranch is your ranch and I want you at my side when we plan our home together.”
His arms shook as he strained to hold still. His coiled power between her legs was intoxicating and made it nearly impossible not to undulate under him, to stroke herself along his length.
“Yes, Caleb. I will marry you.”
A slow grin spread across his face. “Say it again.” He bucked his hips.
The burst of ecstasy robbed her of air, but she forced the words out. “Yes, Caleb, I will marry you.”
He lost himself and she went with him, each straining with the other, rapture building, until he threw his head back, his teeth clenched.
Her body tightened as her orgasm hit. She clamped around him, milking his release.
She wanted it all. To share his name, his home, his babies, his ranch.
Her life was finally her own, and she chose to be with him.