7. Bailey
CHAPTER 7
Bailey
I wake to the smell of bacon, my head pounding, and cottonmouth. Rolling out of bed, I go downstairs where I catch sight of Charlie sitting at the kitchen table drawing and Lily cooking breakfast. I kiss the top of Charlie’s head and tell her good morning before going to the coffeepot and pouring myself a generous cup. Turning to Lily, I smile.
She raises an eyebrow and asks, “How you feeling this morning?”
Taking a quick look over my shoulder and seeing Charlie isn’t paying us any attention, I look back at Lily and whisper, “Better than I deserve. I really made a fool of myself, didn’t I?”
Lily stirs the pan. “I wouldn’t say fool, but yeah, unfiltered Bailey came out last night.”
I grimace. “I can’t remember. How did we get home?”
She grins. “Caleb brought us back here. He carried you out of the club, inside, and put you to bed.”
I drop my head back and groan. A flush of embarrassment climbs up my neck and cheeks. I can’t believe I let that man see me like that, or that he had to carry me and bring me home. Thank God the plan for last night was for Taylor to crash in Charlie’s room. Taylor tends to prefer earlier nights, so I got an air mattress so she could crash here on the nights she doesn’t want to go home late. I also paid her before I left last night.
My phone buzzes on the counter.
Olivia: Hey! Just thought I’d check in after last night. How are you feeling?
Bailey: Hey, thanks for checking in. I’m doing good, all things considered. How are the girls?
Olivia: They’re good. They weren’t quite as wasted as you were ??
Bailey: I’ve been told. ?????♀?
Olivia: The girls and I all enjoyed hanging out with you and Lily last night. Let us know when you’re down for another girls’ night!
Lily watches as I put my phone down and arches a brow.
“Olivia,” I say. “She was just checking in to see how I was feeling. She said to let her know when we’re ready for another girls’ night.”
Lily smiles. She finishes cooking breakfast and the three of us sit at the table enjoying our food while Charlie tells us about her night with Taylor. Lily spends the day with us watching movies until it’s time to get Charlie to bed. Saying our goodbyes, Lily leaves, and Charlie and I head upstairs for bed.
T he next morning when I walk into work, I get started on the stack of patient files that require phone calls. Caleb’s file is on top. Dr. Markstrom’s note asks me to call and schedule a phone appointment for him to relay the results of his physical. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, pushing aside lingering embarrassment, before dialling his number.
He answers after three rings. “Sutton.”
Clearing my throat, I say, “Good morning, Officer Sutton, this is Bailey calling from Dr. Markstrom’s office.”
I hear his smile through the phone as he says, “Good morning, Bailey. How are you?”
“I’m good. You?”
“I’m doing well. You were okay yesterday morning?”
I close my eyes and lean back in my chair. I want to keep this conversation as professional as possible. “Yes, thank you. I’m calling because Dr. Markstrom would like to set up a phone appointment with you to go over the results of your physical. Does tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. work for you?”
He pauses before clearing his throat. “Yes, that works. Thank you, Bailey.”
“You’re welcome. Have a good day, Officer Sutton.”
“You too.”
I hold the phone to my ear even after the click and the dial tone kicks in. Disappointment runs through me. I don’t understand it. I was the one who wanted to keep the conversation professional, so why am I disappointed he hung up?
I spend the rest of my shift trying to understand this feeling. It’s put me in a mood I don’t notice until I pick Charlie up.
“Are you okay, Mommy?”
I look in the rearview mirror at her and smile. “Of course, Baby Girl. Why do you ask?”
“You haven’t asked me a hundred questions about school. You always ask me lots of ques tions.” Darn, my daughter is observant.
“I’m sorry. Why don’t you tell me all about your day? What was your favourite thing?”
She tells me about a new friend she made at recess and the book they read about bears. When we get home, I help Charlie with her homework and make us dinner. When I’m lying in bed that night, a text comes in from Olivia.
Olivia: Doing a girls’ day on Saturday. Brunch and mani-pedis. Bring Lily and Charlie. Can’t wait to see you!
I grin at my phone. This girl is relentless, trying to pull me into her fold of friends. I send her a thumbs-up emoji and forward the message to Lily, who confirms she’s in.
Saturday, we all meet at Sammy’s at 11 a.m. Charlie’s so excited for a girls’ day. The chime of the door rings in my ears as I look around the diner for the girls. Olivia spots me first, her arm waving excitedly above her head as she tries to gain my attention. Charlie runs over to the table, her blonde hair flying behind her. I follow and smile at the girls as Charlie slides in beside Olivia and I slide in beside Hannah. Olivia has a kid’s placemat with crayons set up and is colouring when Hannah leans into my side and whispers, “So… did anything happen with Caleb last weekend?”
I look around, wishing I had a glass of water to drink to put off answering her question.
“No, he just brought Lily and me back to my place.”
She assesses me. I’m relieved when the waitress comes to take our order. I order a hot chocolate with whipped cream for Charlie and a coffee for myself. Lily shows up when our drinks are delivered, and we all chat.
It’s amazing how these women have embraced the three of us. Especially Charlie. After she was born, I lost a lot of my friends. They didn’t underst and that I now needed to schedule my life around having a child. They tried at first, but after a few months, the texts and calls stopped, and I was left with Derek, Lily, and Charlie. Now, all I have is Charlie and Lily, and I’m perfectly happy with that.
I’m pulled out of my thoughts when Lily nudges me.
“Mommy, can we go?” Charlie asks.
I look to Lily, but it’s Olivia who chimes in. “After our mani-pedi, we are all going to the guys’ game. I asked if you guys wanted to join us?”
I look at Charlie and see the hope written all over her face, but I don’t know if I can handle seeing Caleb again—especially so soon after I made a complete fool of myself in front of him.
Lily doesn’t skip a beat answering for us. “Of course, we’d love to go. I heard all about the last game. I want to see this.”
Lily grins at me, and I glare in return, but it melts away when I hear the excited cheer that comes from my daughter. How can I deny her something that makes her so happy and doesn’t cost me anything but time, and maybe a little bit of my sanity?
Olivia and Zoey insist on being with Charlie while she gets her nails done, so that leaves me with Lily, Hannah, and Liz as we get our pedicures. I take a seat, and Lily grabs the one to my left, Hannah to my right, and Liz to her right.
As soon as we are all settled, Hannah starts in on the questions. “So, are you going to make a move on Caleb?”
My eyes widen in shock. “No, of course not. Why would you ask?”
“Because you obviously have some sort of feelings for him. You should take the jump. It’s the twenty-first century, women can make the first move.”
I quirk a brow. “Have we completely forgotten everything we talked about on Saturday? What about the fact that I completely embarrassed myself in front of the man and he had to carry me out of the bar? I have no desire to put myself in that situation.”
Hannah stares me down, but it’s Liz who says something. “Girl, he went feral when he saw that man touching you after you told him you weren’t interested. He was already tense just seeing you dancing with the guy. I don’t think your attraction is a one-way street. If you’re interested in him, maybe Hannah is right and you should make a move.”
My mind drifts back to the night in the bar and the way Caleb growled at the guy. I shake my head because the last thing I need is to convince myself something could happen between us.
“Mommy, look at my new nails,” Charlie calls as she runs up to me and shows off her new pink nails.
“They’re beautiful, Baby Girl. Are you going to get the same colour for your toes?”
“Yeah, and Aunty Liv got the same colour as me, too. We match!”
My throat tightens at Charlie calling Olivia aunty. She hasn’t had a lot of people in her life that have been there for her. The fact she’s connected with Olivia this quickly and feels so comfortable fills me with a mixture of happiness and worry.
Will she lose Olivia the same way I lost all the people I thought were my friends until I had Charlie? The last thing I want is for Charlie to lose people. I smile at her and look up, my gaze catching Olivia who smiles brightly at us. I’m going to have to hope for the best. Hope that these people will stick around and I’m building a new support system.
“I’m going to go back with Aunty Liv,” Charlie says as she runs back across the salon.
I look at Lily and her soft smile as she watches Liv and Charlie together. I take a deep breath, trying to gather myself.
“You okay?” Lily asks .
I close my eyes and nod as she grabs my hand and squeezes it. She was there for the aftermath with my old friends when I got pregnant. She knows I’ve been worried about not having a support system and group of role models for Charlie.
When we all finish with our nails, we make our way to our cars and agree to meet at the entrance of the rink. Charlie is bouncing with energy when I pull into the parking lot. I’ve barely parked the car and turned it off before her seatbelt is undone and she’s trying to make her way out of the car.
“Whoa, Baby Girl, you’ve got to wait for Mommy and Aunt Lily,” I call.
“Sorry,” she says meekly as she waits for help to get out. “I just really want to go see Aunty Liv.”
I hold her hand as we make our way across the parking lot. As soon as we are on the sidewalk and she spots Liv, she’s running towards her.
As we walk inside, I hear a collection of male voices. One stands out to me. It’s one that’s been a part of my nighttime fantasies.
Caleb.
Charlie runs to him, seemingly forgetting everyone else.
“Caleb,” she calls.
He stops his conversation, smiling at her and crouching as she runs at him. “Look at my nails.” She thrusts her hands at him, and he takes them in his. The size difference is almost comical.
“They’re gorgeous, Little Bear.”
She smiles like he’s given her the world’s best compliment, and I melt a little. Somehow, meeting this man has brought all these people who have embraced both Charlie and me and make her smile into our lives.
“Aunty Liv got matching nails too.”
Caleb arches a brow. “Did she? Now, isn’t that special? ”
She nods vigorously. “Caleb, can you take me on the ice again? Please? It was so much fun last time.”
“If it’s okay with your mom, yeah, we can go on the ice again.”
Charlie looks at me and does her little pouty face she only pulls out when she really wants something. Caleb stands up and makes his way to my side.
“Yeah, you can go on the ice.” I look to Caleb. “Thanks, Officer Sutton.”
Caleb leans in close, his warm breath skates over my ear and goose bumps erupt across my skin. “If you don’t stop calling me Officer Sutton, I might have to take you over my knee to teach you a lesson,” he whispers.
A shiver runs through me and I know the moment he notices it because I feel and hear his sharp intake of breath.
“Do you like that idea, Bailey? Do you like the idea of me bending you over and spanking you?”
I make an almost imperceptible nod. He groans, and I squeeze my thighs together, trying to quench the growing ache between my legs.
“Woman, you’re testing my limits,” he says before taking two steps back, creating distance between us and calling to Charlie, “Let’s go, Little Bear.”
He’s been using this nickname with her and I’m not sure where he’s got it from, but every time it draws me into him more. He shows my daughter an affection I wish her own father would.
The two of them walk towards the rinks hand-in-hand, Charlie rambling on to him as he nods.
“He’s a good one,” a voice says beside me.
I turn and am met with deep blue eyes, the same shade as the Pacific. I know he’s one of Caleb’s friends, but I’m not entirely sure who he is.
He seems to recognize this and says, “I’m Grayson. I’ve been friends with Caleb for ye ars, since before he did his first deployment.”
My eyes widen.
“He didn’t tell you he served, did he?”
I shake my head.
“I don’t know everything he went through over there. I’ve never really asked, and he doesn’t like to talk about it.” He sighs at the ground before looking at me again. “He’s been different since he’s been back, but I’ve never seen him smile as much as he has with your daughter. I just wanted you to know, he’s a good one. You can trust him.”
I nod and watch Grayson walk towards the rink with Josh and Liv’s brother as I stand here and try to process everything he just dropped on me. That along with the dirty whispering Caleb did before he walked away has my mind all over the place.
Olivia links her arm with mine, and we make our way to the bleachers. The girls talk as we wait for the start of the game, but I tune them out for the most part as everything tumbles in my mind.
When Charlie comes back from hanging out with Caleb, she practically ignores me, opting to hang out with the girls. I sit back, watching Charlie with them and the game. Every time Caleb is on the ice, Charlie is up and cheering for him. The girls all watch her with smiles, and she even gets smiles from some of the guys on the bench. The game moves quickly, and Caleb scores the game-winning goal. I watch as he skates and bends over picking up the puck and bringing it back to the bench to hand it to Charlie.
Excitement radiates off her before she even makes her way to me. She talks a mile a minute as she replays watching Caleb score and how she’s so happy he gave her the puck. The guys all come off the ice, and Josh is immediately at Olivia’s side, kissing her as she smiles at him .
“Burgers and fries upstairs?” she asks, and he nods. She looks around him at the other guys. “You guys joining us for dinner?” They all agree, and she says, “Text me your orders and I’ll take care of it.”
Charlie tugs on the sleeve of my jacket, and I look down at her. “Mommy, can we have dinner with Aunty Liv?”
Olivia joins in. “Yeah, Mommy, can you have dinner with Aunty Liv?”
Liv’s brother throws his head back and laughs. “Are you going to indulge your child’s every whim the way you seem to do with Charlotte here?”
A grin spreads across her face and a mischievous glint fills her eyes. “Nope, but it’s my right as an aunty to spoil and indulge. Just wait until you have kids. I will be the favourite aunt.”
“Not happening anytime soon, little sis, but does that mean I have free reign to spoil your kid?”
She chuckles. “I think Josh will have you beat. I’m going to end up being bad cop all the time. He’s already filled the nursery with stuffed animals, blankets, toys, and books.” She runs her hand over her belly. “This child will want for nothing, especially with Josh as their dad.”
The affection in her voice has tears pricking at the corner of my eyes. I want that for Charlie. I want her to know the unwavering love and affection of a father.
I turn my head and pretend to cough as I discreetly wipe at my eyes. I feel heat at my back as a hand grips my hip, giving it a squeeze. I look up and meet Caleb’s concern-filled eyes. It’s like he can see a part of me I don’t show anyone else.
He breaks eye contact and looks at Charlie, but his hand remains on my hip. “I hear they have a great grilled cheese sandwich,” he says.
Charlie starts bouncing on her toes, gripping her hands together and placing them below her chin. “Please, Mommy? ”
“Yeah, we can stay for dinner.”
Charlie wraps her arms around my legs and looks up at me. “Thank you.”
I smile and run a hand over her soft blonde hair. It may seem like she’s been asking me for a lot lately, and I’ve been giving in, but all she’s asked for has been to spend time with these people who have completely embraced her. I can’t take that away from her.
“Why don’t you order me one too,” he says. I feel Caleb’s breath against my ear as he leans down and whispers, “I’ll see you up there.”
He squeezes my hip again before walking towards the dressing room. Goose bumps scatter across my arm and neck, and my cheeks are flushed. The moment he steps away, I immediately miss his warmth and wrap my arms around myself, attempting to fight the cold.
Hannah grins at me from behind the other girls, and I stick my tongue out at her. It’s childish, but I don’t know what else to do. Maybe she’s right and my feelings and thoughts aren’t one-sided.