24. Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Law
I stood quickly, ready to back Oak up. The protective part of me wanted to jump in, explain things, and take the heat off him. Luckily, before I opened my mouth, my brain engaged. Oak was an adult and I needed to let him handle his family his own way, just like he was letting me handle mine.
I watched as Mary’s gaze bounced between us, then her finger as she pointed back and forth. “What’s this?”
“Uh, see. Grams…the thing is…” He fumbled for words. I touched Oak’s back and he let out a breath. He gave a single nod. “It’s exactly what it looks like.”
“Hmm.” Mary pursed her lips. “And how long, precisely, has it been going on?”
For a long moment, the silence stretched. Then Oak glanced back at me, and I saw the question in his gaze. He was tagging me in, wanting me to answer, so I stepped up.
“It’s new. A few days really.” I looked Mary straight in the eye. “But it’s been building for a while. Pretty much from the moment I got here. There’s been a…connection between us.”
Oak’s expression turned soft, and a smile teased at the corner of his lips. “Yeah. That.”
Mary lifted her gaze to the ceiling and my stomach clenched. Was she praying for patience? She wasn’t a particularly religious woman that I knew of, but I was aware that the Mulligans had been raised Catholic before they all wandered from the faith. Maybe Mary still held on to that.
When she lowered her gaze, there were tears in her eyes. “Oak Mulligan, why didn’t you tell me?”
“Oh, Grams.” Oak nearly tripped in his haste to get to her, but I steadied him. Then he shot across the few feet separating them and gathered her in a hug. Mary held on for a long moment and then she pulled back and gave him a playful, not very hard at all swat on the arm.
“Did you think you couldn’t?”
“No, no. I, uh.” He breathed deeply for a second or two. “Like Law said, it’s new and we’re just settling in. People are just now finding out and we’re not telling the kids quite yet—”
“And that’s another thing!” Mary’s voice was a little loud and Oak winced. She shot me a serious glare, the one that showed she meant business. “I know you’re a good man, Lawrence Caldwell. But you better not be putting any sort of childcare on Oak’s shoulders.”
“Grams—” Oak tried to interrupt, but she just turned the glare on him and he snapped his mouth shut.
“I mean it. You’ve had far too much of that in your life, having to raise your younger siblings. Or half raising them anyway. You need to be able to live freely without that worry. It’s not your responsibility.” She narrowed her eyes at me.
I held up my hands. “No, ma’am. My kids are mine to raise. They have two parents. Oak is as involved as he wants to be and I would never ask more.”
“See that you don’t.” She harrumphed. Then took Oak’s face in her hands. They were about the same height and it was easy for her to look him over. Which she did. Thoroughly. When she spoke again, her voice was soft, “You’re happy?”
“Very,” he assured her.
Her demeanor shifted into one of joy. “That’s wonderful! I’m happy for you. And for me. Your gramps owes me twenty bucks!”
Oak’s gasp came out strangled. “You…bet on me? On us?”
Mary patted his cheek. “Of course we did. Sean thought it would at least be summer before the two of you got together. But I knew better.” She let out a cackle. “Who made the first move?”
“Grandmother!” Oak sounded scandalized, but I couldn’t help but laugh. I joined them and Oak shot me a disgruntled look, his face the barest hint red. He was so dang adorable when he blushed.
“I’m not asking for details.” She made her eyes wide, mimicking his reaction. But her eyes were twinkling with mischief, and in that moment I absolutely saw where Teague got it. Then she winked. “I just want to know if I’m getting any more money off my beloved husband.”
Oak didn’t even know what to say to that, apparently. He simply threw up his hands and turned into me. Since Mary didn’t seem to have a problem with us, I wrapped my arms around him and kissed his hair. He made a strangled sound as he buried his face against my chest.
“I suppose, technically, it was me.” I was suddenly thinking about that kiss, in this very dining room that seemed both a long time ago and, at the same time, like just the other day. That’s what kickstarted everything between us. Sure, we’d been dancing around each other, even though I’d been too dense to see it let alone admit it. But that moment, that kiss I thought I might have to apologize for, was the beginning.
“Well, damn. I thought for sure it would be Oak.” Mary poked him in the shoulder. “You owe me twenty bucks, young man.”
“I can’t even.” Oak’s words came out muffled, then he drew a deep breath. I didn’t miss the way he nuzzled me with his nose quickly before pulling back. “Grams, I love you, you know that? I gotta get to work.”
He pecked my cheek, then Mary’s, then hightailed it out of the dining room. I watched him go, probably looking like a besotted fool and not caring in the least. I loved to watch him walk. Now that I could openly ogle, I did it any chance I got. It wasn’t even that he tried to be particularly seductive. He just was.
“Law?”
“Yes?” I turned my attention back to Mary and at least her smile was fond. I cleared my throat and tried to look sheepish, even though I didn’t feel it. “Shovel talk time?”
Mary’s laugh was a melodious sound. “No. You don’t need it. Because you already know we own over a hundred acres of heavily wooded land and it wouldn’t look the slightest bit strange if my husband were to purchase a woodchipper.”
I laughed, deep and from my toes, and when Mary opened her arms, I was quick to take the hug she offered. Mom hugs were the best, and I’d been devoid of them for a long time. Now that we had Mary in our lives, with her freely given affection, my kids and I soaked it up. It was easy to see why Charlie had so quickly fallen in love with his boyfriend’s family.
Kissing Mary’s cheek, I pulled away. “I promise, I only have the best of intentions. Oak’s a wonderful man, and I’m seeing more and more of it every day.”
She nodded, but her eyes held caution. She was never one to hide her emotions. Nor did she refrain from saying what she thought needed to be said. I braced myself, knowing she was about to drop a bomb on me.
“Just…be careful with him, eh? He’s a bit battered and bruised. Not broken. Not my grandson. But he’s been thrown around a bit.”
I didn’t need the reminder. It was always there in my mind, just how much healing Oak had to do. There’d been a moment when I’d thought that I should step away to give him time and space to do just that. But I’d quickly dismissed it. He needed support and love in order to move through his hurt, and I’d love to be the person to give it to him.
“I know. He’s safe with me.”
Mary’s eyes sparkled with amusement even as she narrowed her gaze. She pointed two fingers to her own eyes, then flipped her hand so those fingers were pointing at me. The universal sign for “I’m watching you.” It was an unnecessary warning, but it was delivered with at least part playfulness.
She patted my chest as she sailed by, calling over her shoulder, “I’m here to speak with Dana. But be sure to let me know what the plans are for Tristan’s birthday, eh?”
“It’s still more than a month away,” I protested, but she waved that off. She didn’t care. Clearly she thought I should already be planning something. Maybe she was right, but that was a worry for a day that wasn’t today.
Since Mary was done with me, I went in search of Oak. Charlie cackled as I strode through the lobby, and I flipped him off, which only made him laugh harder. I’d be pissed at his amusement at my supposed discomfort, except it had been a long time since I’d ever seen Charlie that carefree. Honestly, now that I thought about it, I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen him that happy. Sure, there had been moments while we’d been growing up. And he’d had more and more of them since meeting Teague. But the way he was now? Since we moved here and he’d really settled into his relationship with Teague? It was the happiest he’d ever been, and while part of me thought that was sad it had taken this long, no one deserved happiness more than my brother.
I was privy to the roster, so I knew we had guests checking into both family suites today. Some sort of family reunion in town, apparently. A milestone birthday of an elderly relative, if I remembered correctly. Not that I cared who and why guests stayed here, but they often shared tidbits when making reservations and Charlie liked to pass that information on. But the info served me well, because I could guess where to find Oak.
I peeked in the window into the first room and saw Oak bent over as he made the bed. My thoughts instantly turned dirty and I had to give myself a stern talking to. I could not tumble him onto said bed and have my way with him. That would be beyond inappropriate.
Right?
I shook my head, knocked, and then pushed the door open. Oak didn’t look up from his task, which meant he must have his earbuds in, so I let myself stare for just a minute. Those yoga pants were really doing spectacular things for his ass. I wanted to bite it. No, I wanted to do a lot more than that, and my mouth watered, just picturing bending him over and eating him out.
He straightened, and that jerked my attention away from my lusty thoughts. I flicked the lights by the door to alert him that I was there, not wanting to scare him if he turned and saw me lurking. He jumped a little anyway, whipping around, but his face broke into a wide smile when he saw me and he took one of the earbuds out.
“You’re still in one piece then?”
“I’ll give you a piece,” I said, voice full of gravel.
“Law!” His words were shocked, his expression something else. Even across the room, I saw the heat in his gaze. He licked his bottom lip, the little minx. He sure as fuck knew what he was doing.
I pointed a finger at him. “Save that for later. You know damn well I can’t do anything about…anything right now.”
Oak made his eyes wide. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not doing anything. It’s you who clearly has the filthy thoughts running through his head.” He cocked a hip and touched his throat. “Dirty, filthy thoughts about what you want to do with me when we’re alone.”
I turned around and walked out the door, just breathing the freezing air, desperately trying to calm down and think unsexy thoughts. Not that I could get anything unsexy to appear in my brain. Because Oak was right fucking there.
A moment later, I felt his fingers on my back, and when I turned to look at him, his expression was stricken.
“I’m sorry,” he said, voice small. “I didn’t mean to push and—”
“Nope.” I wrapped an arm around him and pulled him in close, loving the way he fit under my chin. “There’s nothing to apologize for and you didn’t push. I just had to come outside and fucking breathe before I attacked you like a heathen.”
“I mean, I’d be okay with that.” Oak snaked fingers under the collar of my shirt to touch my skin. “Attacking could be fun.”
“We’ll definitely play with that. Another time. A more appropriate time.” I kissed his nose. “I just wanted to check on you, baby. Grams surprising us wasn’t in your plan, so I want to see where your head is at.”
Oak didn’t speak for several minutes, just kept smoothing his fingertips along my collarbone. I let him work out what he wanted to say. Or process what was going on in his brain. Whatever he needed to do.
“I was worried, you know?” Oak’s voice was quiet, pensive almost. I wasn’t sure if he was actually talking to me, or just, you know, talking. “Not that my grandparents aren’t accepting, because clearly they are. But they also grew up in a different time, and, I’m not sure if you’re aware, but there’s a small gap in our ages.”
He glanced up at me through his lashes, and there was a bit of Mulligan Mischief in the blue depths. I gave him a light pinch. “Brat.”
Oak chuckled but after a few seconds, he grew serious again. “And you being divorced and having kids and all. I wasn’t sure if Grams would be against us.”
I nodded, completely understanding. “She’s clearly a little bit worried. Seems to think I’m going to dump my kids on you.”
He scowled, and I probably shouldn’t find it as adorable as I did.
“That’s ridiculous.” His expression smoothed out. “Okay, if I’m honest, the thought crossed my mind. But not, like, wholly formed or anything. Not really. Anyone who spends even five minutes with you and the kiddos knows you’re, like, the most devoted dad on the planet. You’re not gonna pawn them off on anyone.”
“No, I’m not. I’ll gladly take help when it’s needed and when it’s offered. It takes a village and all that. But they have a mom and I would never try to replace her.”
“Of course not.” Oak smiled, then it turned cheeky. “How much are you looking forward to that conversation?”
I chuckled and shook my head. “Cait’s known I was bi since we met. She won’t be shocked about that. Little surprised it’s you, maybe, but….” I shrugged. I couldn’t control what Caitlyn thought about my new relationship. But I would have to tread carefully and take her opinions into account, insofar as they had to do with the kids.
Oak’s brows beetled together. “Yeah. Maybe not.”
“What do you mean?”
He tugged my arm. “It’s freezing out here. Come inside so I can get back to work, and I’ll tell you about it.”
Cait had a break while I was feeding the kids, so she “joined” us for dinner. Harper’s iPad was propped up at one end of the table while they regaled her with stories and ate hotdogs and macaroni and cheese. From a box. Because even though I made a kickass mac and cheese from scratch, they were kids, and their tastebuds hadn’t developed past thinking the box was best. We’d get there eventually.
Once everyone was finished eating, I sent the kids upstairs to brush teeth and change into pajamas. It was early still, but we’d gotten into a routine of watching a movie before bed, the fire going, and snuggled up and comfy under blankets. Eventually the cold weather would pass and that would probably change but we had at least another two solid months, maybe three, before it started to warm up.
“I’m gonna talk to Mom, but I’ll be checking in a few,” I said, shooing them away.
“I’ll make sure Marlie and Tris brush their teeth, Dad,” Harper said, herding her younger siblings to the stairs.
Cait chuckled. “We joke that Harper is a mini-Charlie, but she has a fair amount of you in her too, Law. Always the caretaker.”
I laughed too as I picked up the tablet and carried it through the kitchen and into the laundry room. I shut the door and then turned on the light. Cait raised a brow, then rested her chin in her hand.
“Why’re we hiding in here?”
She was in a good mood and I loved to see it. She thrived under pressure and her new job certainly had plenty to spare. Just as the kids talked all about their new life, Caitlyn shared what she could about hers. She was so fulfilled and it showed.
“Need to talk to you about something without our bat-eared children listening in.”
“Everything okay?” She sat up straight.
“Yes, absolutely,” I assured her quickly, not wanting her to worry. “Better than, actually. I met someone.”
“Oh really? Do tell.”
She was intrigued now. I had to take a second and gather my thoughts. “I didn’t expect it. Fought it, actually. And we haven’t told the munchkins yet. We thought it was better to wait until things were a little more settled, and obviously, I needed to talk to you. Because even though you don’t have a say in my love life anymore, it will affect Harper, Marlie, and Tristan and you do have a say in that. So I wanted to—”
“Law,” she cut me off. “You aren’t a rambler, just spit it out.”
“Oak and I, we’ve found a connection.”
A beat of silence. Then she shook her head. “Well, I called that.”
The tension broken, I laughed, relief flooding through me. She had, apparently, given what she’d said to Oak before she left. It still sort of boggled my mind that she’d had that kind of foresight, but it really shouldn’t have. She was probably the person who knew me best, other than Charlie, and we’d always had a very open line of communication. Back when we first started dating, we used to ogle people together. She knew what kind of person I was attracted to.
“But you’ve ‘found a connection?’ Really, Law?”
“What was I supposed to say? I like him and I wanna do bad things with him?” I shot her a glare that did absolutely nothing to combat the mirth on her face. I shook my head. “I do like him, Cait. And obstacles aside, I just want to…get to know him. Be there for him. Cuddle the shit out of him and talk about my day and….”
“All the things you used to do with me.”
Oof. That was a punch in the gut. I studied Cait’s expression, and she looked a little sad, but mostly understanding. I ran through all the things I could say to make her feel better, before I realized that wasn’t my job anymore. Not about this.
In the end I just went with, “I’m not replacing you. Or using him as a replacement. There’s something between us that could grow into something real and lasting, if we work at it. And Oak and I both want that.”
“I know. I can tell, just by your expression and your tone of voice. And I’m happy for you. I really am. You deserve someone who can love you back.”
“You loved me, Cait. I know that. Just maybe not…hey, wait a minute. No one said anything about love.”
She snorted a laugh in a way that reminded me so much of Marlie. “Not yet anyway. But I know you, Law Caldwell. I know your heart. Clearly you and I weren’t meant for forever, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find it with someone else.”
“Cait, I—”
“I meant what I said to Harper, in the car at the end of our trip east. There’s no one I trust more than you. You won’t let anything hurt our children. Including a new relationship.” She sighed and held up a finger, muted herself, and spoke to someone I couldn’t see. A moment later, she was back. “I have to go. Don’t worry about my feelings. Those are for me to deal with. And I know you’ll tell the kids when the time is right. I’ll back you when you do.”
“Thank you.” Deep down, I knew all that, but it was good to hear.
“They’re ready for me, so I really do need to go. But we need to talk about spring break soon. By then, I’ll be able to take some time off, at least a couple of days. So we need to figure out if it’s better for me to go there, you all to come here, or some combination of both.” She stood, bringing the phone with her. “So start thinking, all right?”
“You bet. Sounds great. I know the kids want to see you.”
“I want to see them too.” She blew out a breath, and for a second, her doctor’s mask slipped and I saw the vulnerability there. But it was back in place a blink later. “Kiss them goodnight for me.”
“Always.”
“Talk to you later.”
She didn’t give me a chance to reply before she ended the call. I ended it on my side too, then leaned against the washer. I knew the conversation would go all right, but still, I was glad it had. Not that a different response from Cait would have changed my course—I wasn’t giving up Oak if I could help it—but it would have changed the way I dealt with her. I was pleased things had gone so well.
I exited the laundry room and set the tablet on the counter. After shooting a text to Oak to let him know that not only was the conversation over but that everything was good, I headed upstairs to check on my kids and mitigate the incoming argument about what movie we would watch tonight.
I smiled as I took the stairs two at a time. I’d known my life needed a bit of an overhaul, but every day, I was more and more certain that this was exactly where I was supposed to be.