13. Caleb
CHAPTER 13
Caleb
T oday has been eye-opening. I don’t think I fully appreciated my mother the way I should have after my dad passed. I always knew she did a lot and there was no one around to help her with a lot of it, but today, listening to the list Bailey had on a Saturday, made me appreciate both women so much more. I make a mental note to drop by my mom’s place and do something for her so she knows how much I appreciate her.
I butter the bread and get everything ready to make lunch. Bailey thinks she needs to do everything herself because she has for so long, but I’m going to show her that if I’m around, it doesn’t have to be that way.
Once the food is cooked, I get the table set and call the girls. We settle at the table, and Charlie makes a loud Mmmmmm as she takes a bite of her grilled cheese.
Bailey dips her sandwich into her soup and moans. I close my eyes as I remember her moans from last night. That voice message surprised me, but in the best way. The first moan I heard had me pushing down my boxer briefs and pulling out my cock. I jerked off to her sounds and hearing her call my name made me even harder. List ening to her come drove me over the edge, and it took everything in me to not just get in my car and drive over to her place right that minute. I had to settle for bringing her and Charlie breakfast and finessing my way into their day.
I clear my throat and take a spoonful of soup as I push the memories out of my mind. We sit and eat in relative silence, but it feels natural. I can’t think of anywhere I would rather be than sitting at this table with these girls.
It pisses me off to think that Bailey’s douchebag ex gave all of this up. That he laid his hands on such an amazing woman. That he had such a lack of concern for his smart and loving daughter. I clench my fists, but the feel of Bailey’s hand on my arm immediately has them relaxing.
I grab her hand and smile at her. She smiles back, and we continue eating. When we finish, I clear the table and load the dishwasher, turning it on.
“Caleb, will you watch a movie with me?” Charlie asks.
“Yeah. What movie do you want to watch?”
She jumps up and down on her tiptoes. “ Inside Out! ” she cheers.
“How about some popcorn, then?” Bailey asks.
“Yay!” Charlie squeals as she runs into the living room.
I follow behind her, settling on the couch. Charlie climbs into my lap, and I pull the movie up on Disney Plus. A few minutes later, Bailey joins us, sitting right beside me with a bowl full of popcorn, and I press play. We watch and pick at the popcorn until we reach the bottom of the bowl. Bailey puts the bowl on the coffee table then comes back and cuddles into my side.
I’m content. Charlie cuddled in my lap and Bailey cuddled into my side. When the movie finishes, Bailey sits up and I immediately miss having her so close .
“I should go transfer the laundry,” she says before getting up and leaving the room.
“Caleb,” Charlie whispers.
“Yeah, Little Bear?”
“You won’t hurt Mommy, will you?”
My heart breaks in my chest at this wonderful little girl asking me that question. No child should have to ask someone if they’ll hurt their parent. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her as close to me as possible, and kiss the top of her head.
“No, Little Bear, I’ll never hurt you or your mom. I promise you that. And if anyone ever tries to hurt you, you tell me, okay? I’ll always protect you.”
And I mean that with every fibre of my being. No matter what happens between Bailey and me, I will always protect this little girl. I would protect both of them with my life if I had to.
She wraps her arms around me as much as she can and squeezes. I bury my nose in her hair and inhale her scent, allowing it to ground me from the anger that wants to take over my entire body for what these two have gone through. Bailey comes back into the room, and Charlie climbs off my lap and plays with her toys. I check my watch and see it’s already almost 7 p.m. and decide I should head home and allow them to enjoy the rest of their night. I’m sure Finn would like his evening walk.
I pat my hands on the top of my thighs and push off the couch.
“I should head home,” I say.
Charlie jumps up and wraps her arms around my legs. I run my hand over the top of her head and say, “I’ll see you soon.”
She nods and returns to her toys.
Bailey walks me to the front door but before she can open it, my hand goes to the back of her head. I pull her close and kiss her. She melts into my bo dy as my tongue invades her mouth, wanting to taste every inch of her. Her hands fist in my shirt, and it takes everything in me to not push her against the door and take her right now.
When we break the kiss, we are both panting, working to catch our breath. I rest my forehead against hers.
“I have a game tomorrow afternoon. Will you come?”
She licks her lips before nodding. A breathy, “Yeah,” escapes her.
I kiss her forehead and make my way out the front door and to my truck.
When I get home, it feels empty. The walls aren’t full of pictures. There’s no mess of toys in my living room, and there isn’t a feminine smell filling the air. The sound of Finn’s claws on the hardwood floors seems to echo more. I never realized I was missing anything until recently, but I wasn’t missing just anything.
I was missing Bailey and Charlie.
I take Finn on his walk. Coming home, I make myself a quick and easy dinner before settling on the couch and watching the game. The minute the game finishes, I feel restless. I text Grayson to see if he’s up for a beer. When he responds, I head out.
I push the door open to our favourite sports bar, and the smell of stale beer fills my nose and the sound of music fills the bar. I find a couple of empty stools at the bar and take a seat, ordering a pint of a local pale ale. I watch the sports highlights as I wait for Grayson to join me. I’m pulled out of my concentration when a hand comes down on my shoulder, and I look over and see Grayson grinning at me .
“Hey, man. Thanks for joining me. I needed to get out of the house,” I say as he pulls out the stool next to mine and waves down the bartender.
He orders, and when his drink is delivered, he goes right for it. “So, what’s wrong?”
“What makes you think something’s wrong?” I ask.
“Man, you’re only this desperate to get out of the house when something is wrong. So spill. What’s up?”
My shoulders sag as I release a sigh. “I’m kind of freaking out. I’m falling for Bailey and Charlie and I’m worried that if we do this, she’s going to leave me, or I’m going to fuck it all up.” I take a large sip of my beer before continuing. “She kissed me the other day and every kiss I’ve had with her has been the best kiss of my life. She does something to me. I’ve held off from sex, but I’m not sure I can any longer. Last night she accidentally sent me a voice message, and let’s just say there will be no getting that out of my head anytime soon.”
We sit in silence for a minute before I turn and look at my best friend. He’s just grinning at me like an idiot.
“What?”
“I’m going to win that bet,” he says, taking a sip of his beer. “You’re going to marry that woman.”
The thought goes through my mind. Being able to come home to both of them every day, growing a family with them, watching Charlie go to prom, graduate high school, decide what college she wants to go to, what she wants to major in. I want that, but I don’t know if I can have it.
It feels so out of reach. I always thought I’d settle down and have a family, but being told by a partner that they can’t handle certain parts of you does something to you. It flipped a switch in me. Even after we’d both said I love you, she just packed a bag one day and left. That had me deciding I wasn’t going to try again because what’s the point?
Grayson pats me on my shoulder. “See, I told you. Just enjoy it, man. If you have som ething good, explore it, see where it leads, and have fun.”
We sit in silence for a while, and after we finish our beers, we each throw some cash on the bar and make our way outside. On the way home, I let Grayson’s words sit with me. Maybe he has a point and this is worth exploring. I can’t help but feel light, like a major weight has been taken off my shoulder and I can breathe easier at the thought of having Bailey and Charlie in my life permanently.
I decide I’m going to give this my all and see where it goes. I want that life with Bailey and Charlie, and I’m going to fight for it.
T he next day, I do my own household chores before grabbing my bag and heading to the rink. As I’m walking towards the dressing room, I hear Charlie call my name. She runs at me with a Build-a-Bear house in her hands. I drop my bag and crouch down. She drops the box in front of me, wrapping her arms around me, and I hug her back.
When she pulls back, she grabs the box and thrusts it at me. “You forgot your bear last night. Mommy said I could bring it to you today,” she says.
“Thank you, Little Bear.”
She gives me a big toothy grin, and I look up and see Bailey standing behind her. I stand to my full height and open my arms.
“Bails, you gonna hug me too?”
A blush colours her cheeks as she walks into my arms.
I wrap my arms around her tightly and lean down, to whisper in her ear. “Next time, I’m going to kiss you hello and I don’t care who sees it. We ’re doing this, Bailey. You need to let me know if you don’t want it.”
She nods, and I pull back and look into her eyes. “Yes, you want this or yes, you’re letting me know you don’t?” I ask.
“Yes, I want this,” she says.
I’m about to kiss her when Charlie calls, “Aunty Liv.” I watch Charlie run towards Liv, who is standing with a group of people watching us. Bailey ducks her head and tucks a piece of stray hair behind her ear. I put a couple of fingers under her chin and lift her head.
“Are you ashamed, Bailey?” I whisper.
Her face fills with shock. “No, of course not. Why would I be ashamed of you?”
“Just checking,” I say before leaning down and dusting my lips over hers. “Because I really wanted to do that.”
There’s a smile on both of our lips as we pull apart. I reach down and grab my bag and the Build-a-Bear box.
“I’ll see you after, right? You’ll stick around with Liv until I’m done?”
“Yeah, we’ll stick around.”
She smiles at me, and I turn around and face Charlie, who is with the group that’s been watching us, but it looks like Olivia has kept her entertained with her back to us this entire time.
“Little Bear,” I call, and she turns around. “How about another hug before I go change?”
She smiles and runs at me, wrapping her arms around my legs.
“I’ll see you after, okay?”
She nods and runs back to join Liv. With one last smile to Bailey, I push open the door to the dressing room and head to my usual spot, dropping my gear.
I place the Build-a-Bear box on the top shelf of my dressing area and begin to check my sticks. Deciding to re-tape one of them, I rip the tape of f and wrap it in a ball, throwing it in the garbage can in the centre of the room. Just as I finish applying tape to the bottom of my blade and begin to wrap it, a group of people stop in front of me. I look up and am met with a grinning Grayson, a smirking Matt, and a quizzical Josh.
“So, one beer last night and now you’re kissing her for the world to see,” Grayson remarks, and I go back to taping my stick.
“What’s it to you?”
“Well, you see, I’m just curious how ‘Mr. I Won’t Ever Get Serious’”—he uses his fingers to make air quotes—“decides after one beer with me that he’s now going to start kissing the single mom in public?”
I grunt.
“That’s all you’re going to give us? A grunt,” Matt pushes.
“Seems like Caleb here might need a little incentive. Is it serious man, or should we get her number from Liv? Because I heard Luke saying how hot he found her.”
My head shoots up, and I glare daggers at him. “Don’t. You. Fucking. Dare.” I emphasize each word as I grit my teeth. “You cross that line and I will help Hannah use every legal means possible to fuck with you.”
Matt just laughs. “Man, you really got under his skin if he’s threatening you with Hannah.” He claps Grayson on the shoulder.
“You’re serious about her,” Josh finally says.
I sigh. I’ve never been one to talk about my emotions, but it seems like it may be the only way to get them to back off a little. I disregard my stick and lean back against the wall.
“I tried to stay away. I tried to put space between us, but she just pulls me in. They both do. I can’t even tell you what it is that pulls me in.”
Now Grayson and Matt have sombre looks, but Josh is grinning like an idiot. He cla ps me on the shoulder before saying, “I’m happy for you, man.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Grayson asks him.
“That’s exactly how I’ve always felt about Olivia. Even before my feelings for her became romantic. I couldn’t be in a room with her without gravitating towards her. I always had this nagging urge to talk to her. To be near her. To hear her laugh or see her smile. It’s still that way. Every time I walk into a room, I find her immediately. I still want every one of her smiles and laughs directed at me.”
There is a softness to his features that’s only present when he talks about Liv. You can see he has affection for his sister when he talks about her, but with Liv, he completely melts. I know in every part of myself he would die for her if he needed to.
I lean my head back, close my eyes, and allow his words to sink in. I’m falling for this woman. I’m falling for a woman I barely know, but it’s not just her I’m falling for, it’s her daughter too. I think I’m royally fucked because I don’t see a way to stop it, and I’m not sure I want to.