10. Caleb
CHAPTER 10
Caleb
W hen we reach the last stair, all I want to do is grab Bailey, push her up against the wall, and take her mouth. I want to trail my lips down the soft skin of her jaw and neck. I want to taste her. I want to hear her moan my name, but I hold myself back and follow her into the kitchen where I resume putting away the dishes.
“You really don’t have to do that, Caleb,” she says, and I turn to face her.
“Bails, you and Charlie cooked me dinner. I don’t mind helping with the clean-up, including putting dishes away. Why don’t you grab a glass of wine and you can keep me company?”
She stares at me for several seconds, her beautifully bright blue eyes bouncing between mine. She nods and turns to the cabinet, pulling down two glasses. She pops the cork off the bottle of wine on the counter and pours two glasses, pushing one my way. I grab the stem and tap my glass with hers before taking a sip.
She sits at the island and spins her wine glass between her fingers. She seems unsure. I r est my forearms on the kitchen counter, leaning on them, my wine glass between my hands.
“You seem nervous,” I say, and her eyes widen slightly, just enough that I notice, and she licks her lips. I swallow as my eyes track the movement.
“I haven’t dated anyone in a long time.”
Her back straightens like she’s on full alert.
“Not that this is a date, not that we’re dating. I didn’t mean it like that. It’s not like you want to date me because look at me and my baggage and then look at you and your hotness. Someone like you would never go for someone like me. Plus, you’re a patient at my job. Please ignore me.” She sighs. “Yes, I’m nervous.”
I grin at her and her little rant. “Bails, calm down. Look at me.”
When her eyes meet mine, I stare into them for a few seconds before I continue.
“Let’s unpack all that. First, I already switched doctor’s offices. Second, I am looking at you, and I love everything I see. Don’t ever think I’m out of your league when, clearly, it’s the other way around. You’re beautiful and sexy. You’re also smart and caring, and I want to know more about you so I can add to that list of great things about you. Third, we all have baggage. Yours won’t scare me away. Mine is more likely to scare you away. Fourth, I appreciate the comment on my hotness.”
I smirk as I move around the kitchen island, stopping beside her barstool. She turns to face me. I grip her chin between my thumb and forefinger, lean in close, and whisper, “And lastly, do you want this to be a date?”
Her mouth parts, the air that escapes dusting over my lips. My question hovers in the air between us. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before opening them again and meeting my gaze. She nods, and I smile .
“Good, because I do too,” I whisper over her lips before kissing her.
I take my time brushing my lips over hers, relishing in the soft feeling of them. I deepen the kiss, and her arms wrap around my neck. The hand on her chin moves to wrap around the front of her neck while the other grips her hip and squeezes. She moans, and I lick the seam of her mouth, seeking permission. She responds by opening, and our tongues meet, fighting for control. My grip on her neck tightens slightly. She surrenders control to me, and I groan in response.
She spreads her legs, giving me space. I take full advantage and step between them, wanting as little distance between us as possible. Breaking the kiss, my lips trail along her jawline as I lick and nip my way to her neck. I wedge my hands under her thighs and lift her onto the kitchen counter. She throws her head back as I position her just how I want. My erection presses into the zipper of my jeans. I bite her neck before licking it to soothe the pain. Her legs wrap around my hips and pull me in closer, and I instinctively roll my hips into her centre.
Her legs tighten around me, and my brain re-enters my body. I don’t want just a hook-up with Bailey. If we’re going to do this, I’m going to do it right. I drop my forehead to her shoulder and groan before grabbing her legs and unwrapping them from around me. My gaze lifts to hers, and embarrassment fills her expression. I know I need to put an immediate stop to it.
My hand moves to the back of her head, and I grab a handful of her hair. “Bailey, I want you, but I want to do this right. So I’m going to stop us before we go too far, and then I’m going to see you and Charlie for our date on Friday. Okay?”
The embarrassment fades, and a softness takes over her expression, one that looks alm ost grateful. She nods, and I take a step back, helping her off the counter.
“I should probably head home,” I say, moving towards the living room, and she follows me. Opening the door, I step onto the front step before turning back to her. “Thank you for tonight, Bails.”
She smiles at me. “Of course.”
I kiss her softly, our lips barely touching, just enough that I can taste her and feel the bolt of electricity that goes through me.
“Lock up behind me,” I say before jogging down the steps to my truck.
She watches me from the doorway. I turn the truck on but don’t drive away until she closes the door. Pulling away from the curb, I make the drive home with a grin on my face the entire way.
T he rest of the week drags on. I power through my shifts at work and manage to make it through our game this week, despite us losing. Finn keeps me occupied at home. Bailey and I text about random things throughout the week, and she tells me just how excited Charlie is to learn to skate. I’m excited to teach her. I remember my dad teaching me as a kid. Some of my favourite memories with him are out on the ice, and I’m glad I get to share that experience with Charlie.
Arriving at their place Friday night, I stop and take a deep breath. This is the first actual date I’ve been on in a while, and it’s a lot. Not only am I taking Bailey out, but Charlie as well. They’re a package deal and I wouldn’t have it any other way, but this is huge and I don’t want to fuck it up.
I’m still not sure how everything is going to go. This date doesn’t mean that all of my issues are magically gone. I’m just deciding to try and move past them and give this a shot with Bailey.
After a minute, I hop out of my truck, make my way to the front door, and knock. Charlie’s excited voice travels through the door and has me smiling already. Bailey opens the door, and my smile grows. She has her hair partly pulled back, and the bottom is in loose curls. She has a natural makeup look that makes her eyes pop, and her lips are painted a soft pink I want to kiss off her.
Charlie, calling my name, pulls me out of my trance of staring at Bailey.
“Hey, Little Bear. Are you excited to go skating tonight?”
She bounces on her toes as she grins. “Yes, it’s going to be the bestest!”
I pass the bouquet of pink carnations in my hand to her. “These are for you,” I say before passing the bouquet of red roses with baby’s breath to Bailey. “And these are for you.”
Both of them smile at their flowers. Bailey looks at hers, then Charlie’s, then back to hers before she looks at me again. There’s a small tear in the corner of her eye. I step forward and use my thumb to brush it away.
“What’s wrong, Bails?”
She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. When she opens them again, the glassiness is gone. “Nothing. These are beautiful, thank you.”
I search her eyes for more and find nothing. She has her barrier up.
“You’re welcome.”
She holds the door open further, allowing me to step inside and follow them into the kitchen. Bailey pulls out two vases and fills them with water before helping Charlie get her flowers ready for the water and then her own.
“Mommy, can I have these in my room? ”
“Of course, Baby Girl, but let Mommy carry them upstairs. We don’t want to spill them.”
“Caleb can help me.” She looks up at me with wide, hopeful eyes.
“Yeah, let’s take them right now,” I say, reaching out and taking the vase before following Charlie as she runs upstairs.
“I want them right beside my bed,” she says as she taps her nightstand.
I put them down, positioning them far enough away from the edge that they shouldn’t fall. Charlie wraps her arms around my leg and squeezes tight.
“Thank you, Caleb. I’ve never got flowers.” Her voice is tinged with sadness.
I reach down, unhooking her arms from me before crouching down in front of her and pulling her into a proper hug. “You’re welcome.”
She holds me tight for a few moments before she steps back. “Skating,” is all she says, and I just smile.
“Yeah, skating. You ready?”
She nods and runs out of the room. Bailey is standing at the base of the stairs, smiling at us. We grab our coats and make our way out the front door. Bailey reaches into her purse and pulls out her car keys.
“Do you want to take my car, or should I just grab her booster seat out?’
“We’re all good in my truck.”
Unlocking it, I open the back door and help Charlie in. I buckle Charlie in, making sure everything is secure, and turn around. Bailey’s staring at me, mouth agape. I chuckle and walk up to her, placing two fingers under her chin and help her close it.
“Bails, you good?”
“You got her a booster seat?” Her voice is full of vulnerability .
“Yeah, I did. If I want to take you girls out, I need to make sure I have the proper things. I need to know you two are safe, so I grabbed the best-rated one and installed it. Now, no matter what, I know Charlie can ride safely in my truck.”
Tears gather in the corners of her eyes. I cradle her face and wipe them away gently with my thumbs.
“Bails, what’s with the tears today?”
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath as if trying to gather herself. When she opens them, I fall into their bright-blue depths. They shine with her held back tears, and I want nothing more than to take any and all pain away from this woman.
“Nothing, it’s just a lot to take in. Thank you, Caleb.”
We stand there for a beat before I lean forward and place a soft kiss on her forehead. Her skin is soft against my lips, and her sweet scent fills my nose. I’ll never be able to smell the mix of vanilla and jasmine and not think of this woman in front of me for the rest of my life.
Taking a step back, I open the passenger door, offering Bailey my hand as she gets in. When she’s seated, I grab the seat belt and secure it for her before jogging around the front of the truck and sliding in. I start the truck and ask, “Everyone ready to go?”
Charlie excitedly says, “Yeah,” while Bailey nods.
The radio plays softly in the background as we play a game of Eye Spy on the way to the rink. When we get there, I grab my skates out of the back, and Charlie insists on holding both Bailey and my hands. Inside, I pay for both Bailey and Charlie’s rentals, insisting they both wear hockey skates instead of figure skates. The support hockey skates offer is better for learning because it prevents the ankle from rolling.
Bailey hangs around the boards while I help Charlie onto the ice. I hold her hands as I skate backwards and she gets her footing on the ice. She starts off slowly, figuring out how the blades feel as they glide and how hard she needs to push off.
I catch her a few times as she falls, but she begins to pick it up. After a couple of laps, I’m able to let go and just watch her as she slowly skates towards me. Her smile is contagious as she holds her arms to her side and slowly pushes forward. When we get back to Bailey, I attempt to show her how to stop, but it’s not as easy for her. She slips a little, and I catch her, righting her on the ice.
“Did you see me, Mommy? I did one whole time all by myself!” Charlie exclaims.
“Yeah, Baby Girl, you did great!”
“Now it’s your turn, Mommy.”
“Come on, Bails, time for a spin,” I say, reaching out my hand.
She takes it hesitantly, and I begin to move backwards as she lets me just drag her along. Charlie works to follow us, and I make sure to keep a slow pace so I don’t lose her.
I stop us and reposition myself behind Bailey, placing my hands on her hips and leaning in, my mouth beside her ear. “Just push off with your right foot, nice and easy.”
She pushes off slightly, and I glide behind her.
“Mommy, you’re doing it,” Charlie says from right beside me.
I smile down at her, watching and making sure she’s doing okay. After we do a lap around the ice, we come to a stop, and Charlie asks, “Caleb, can you go around as fast as you can?”
“You want me to go as fast as I can?”
“Yeah, like superfast.”
“Okay.”
I turn, moving a little bit away from the boards so I can miss all the people using them as support, and I start. The air moves through my hair as I go on a straight breakaway up the ice. I lean into the turn at the end as I barely go over the goal line. My legs move fa ster as I hit the straightaway again.
I grin. It’s been a while since I skated for fun, without it being for a game. I lean into the next turn and when I hit the straightaway, I head straight for Charlie. As I get close, I grab her, picking her up while still skating, and continue in my loop. She giggles as I lean into the turn, bringing her with me. She holds on tight, and I hold her back just as tightly. When we get back to Bailey, I stop quickly, sending ice shaving all over her legs. Both girls burst into laughter, and I follow suit.
I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun and laughed like this. We continue to skate around for another half an hour before Charlie says she’s hungry. We return their skates and head back out to the truck. I drive us to a little hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant I like and want to share with them.
I’ve never brought anyone here. It’s a place I came to after my first tour with a buddy I served with. We frequented it during our leave, and when he didn’t make it home, I couldn’t bring myself to share it with anyone else. But now, now, I want to share it with Bailey and Charlie. I may not be able to completely open up to them yet, but this is a first step. Sharing this isn’t going to be easy.
I find parking right in front of the restaurant and jog around the truck, opening Bailey’s door and helping her out before I go to the back and grab Charlie. Opening the front door of the restaurant, the smell of spices and pasta hits me.
The terracotta-orange walls and the pictures bring me back to the late nights here with Tyler. I remember sitting at a corner table laughing for hours as he did some impression or told me stories from his childhood.
The memory is ripped away as the sounds of his screams invade my senses. I stiffen and start turning my head rapidly, looking for him. Looking for my friend as he cries out in pain. The smell of sand replaces the smell of food, and my nose scrunches. I hate that smell.
My skin radiates with heat, and I feel a soft hand on my arm. I want to flinch, to pull away or shove it away, but I force myself to remain still. It gently squeezes my arm, and then I hear my name. My head snaps in the direction of the sound, and the sounds of the past begin to fade as I slowly come back to the present.
Bailey’s eyes captivate and hold me in place. She doesn’t say anything else. Her nose flares as she takes a deep breath, her eyes encouraging me to do the same. I mimic her, inhaling deeply and allowing the air to fill my burning lungs. I hold it with her, releasing it as I feel her warm breath dance over my skin.
We do this two more times; me following her lead as we breathe together. Her face is full of worry, and I do my best to offer her a reassuring smile.
The bustling restaurant and smell of the food replace the screams and sand. My skin feels cool again, except for the spot where Bailey’s hand is squeezing my arm.
“Is Caleb okay?” A note of fear fills Charlie’s voice as she asks the question.
I look down at her and see it in her eyes too. I crouch in front of her, taking her hands in mine.
“Yeah, Little Bear, I’m okay. I haven’t been to this place in a really long time. I’ve only come here with one other person. I was just remembering them.”
Charlie nods, and I look at Bailey. I can tell she knows they weren’t all good memories I was experiencing. I’m okay, I mouth to her, and she nods slightly. I plaster a smile on my face and approach the hostess stand to give them my name, and they lead us to a table in the corner.