15. Caleb
CHAPTER 15
Caleb
H aving Bailey and Charlie at my games over the last few weeks and talking to Bailey has provided a levity in my life I didn’t know I needed. The stress from work falls aways when I’m with them. I’m mentally present with them too. My mind doesn’t wander the way it does in other situations. I don’t sit at home and allow my thoughts to wander to the what-if places they tend to go. I feel like I’m more myself, like the me before my last tour.
I shower and change relatively quickly after the game. I want to make it home to take Finn for a decent walk tonight.
“You down for a beer?” Grayson asks as I shoulder my bag.
As I open my mouth to respond, my phone rings. I pull it out and smile when I see Bailey’s picture and name on the screen.
“Hey, Bails.”
“Caleb.” Her voice shakes with fear, and my entire body stiffens on alert.
“Bailey, what’s wrong?”
“He left a note on my door,” she whispers and takes a deep breath. “He said he’s going to come back. ”
I immediately drop my bag and sticks and begin running towards the door.
“Bailey, get in your car, lock the doors, and drive somewhere public.”
I yank the dressing room door open and run at a full sprint through the rink and out to my truck. When I get in, I tear out of the parking lot, not caring about the speed limit. I need to make it to Bailey. She stays on the line with me as she drives to the strip mall a few blocks from her place.
A few minutes later, I pull in right beside her car and jump out, jogging right up to her door. She unlocks it, and I pull it open. She undoes her seatbelt and wraps her arms around my neck. The contact allows me to finally release the breath I’ve been holding. I peek in the back and see Charlie peacefully asleep.
I hold her tightly as her tears hit my shoulder. We stay like that; me crouched there holding her close for a few minutes. When she seems to gather herse lf, she pulls away and I wipe my thumbs over her cheeks, taking the stray tears with them.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“You don’t have to thank me, Bails.” I lean forward and place a kiss on her forehead. “Are you okay?”
She takes a deep breath before nodding. “Yeah, the note just scared the shit out of me.”
“Okay, why don’t we go grab some of your stuff? I’ll go with you and I’ll call the guys to meet us there, just in case. Then we can head to my place.”
“I can call Lily and see if we can stay with her.”
I force her to meet my eyes so she knows just how serious I am when I say, “Bailey, I’m not letting you and Charlie stay anywhere other than my place. I’m not going to change my mind about this. I need to know you guys are safe and the best way to do that is to have you guys with me. Okay?”
Another tear falls down her cheek, and I wipe it away. She smiles a sad smile and nods.
“Okay. Let me talk to the guys and then we’ll head over to your place.”
I grab my phone and move to the back of my car.
Caleb: I need you guys to meet me at Bailey’s.
Caleb: shared contact: Bailey
Grayson: On my way.
Matt: Be there in 10.
Josh: ????
“Okay, they’re on their way. You okay to drive? I’ll be right behind you.”
“Yeah, I’ll be okay.”
I tap the top of her car before she closes the door. I head to my truck and follow her back to her place. When we get there, I open Bailey’s door for her and place my hand out, palm up.
“Give me your house keys. I’m going to check the house before you two come in.” She places the keys in my hand. “Lock the car, only open it for me or one of the guys, okay?”
When she nods, I jog up the front steps and unlock the door. I cautiously make my way through each room. Confirming it’s empty, I go back and join Bailey. Just as I’m opening her door, Grayson and Matt pull up. I open the back door, unbuckle Charlie, and help her out of the car.
I crouch down in front of her. “Little Bear, can you go and pack a bag? You and Mommy are going to come do a sleepover for a bit at my place. I’ll be inside in a minute.”
She nods with a smile and runs inside cheering, “Yay, sleepover!”
“Bails, I’ll be right in. Go get your stuff. We’ll be right out here. Just shout if you need anything.” I kiss her cheek before she heads inside and turn to face the guys.
Josh’s car pulls up, and he joins us.
“So, what’s up? Bailey and Charlie are going to stay with you?” Grayson asks.
I sigh and run my hand through my hair as I try to tamper down my anger. “Yeah, Bailey’s ex apparently left a note on her front door. She saw it when she got home. He said he’d come back, and I’m not risking anything. I need to know they’re both safe.”
“We’ve got you, man,” Josh says. “Go inside with them. We’ll hang out here until you guys are ready to go.”
“Yeah, go,” Grayson adds. “Is your truck unlocked? I’ve got your bag in mine.”
“Yeah, thanks, guys. I appreciate it.”
They lift their chins, and I turn and hustle inside the house. I make my way up the stairs and into Charlie’s room, finding both girls working on packing for Charlie. I place my hands on Bailey’s hips, and she tenses. When she looks over her shoulder and sees it’s me, her body relaxes and she leans into my touch.
“Bails, go get yourself packed. I’ll help Charlie, okay?”
She lets out a sigh, like me doing this is such a relief. “Thanks, I’ve got her underwear and socks packed and I started on her pants, but she still needs everything else.”
“Sounds good.”
Bailey leaves, and Charlie and I get to work on packing her clothes. I pack as much as I can, not knowing how long they’ll be staying with me.
“Why don’t you put together some toys you’d like to bring? Make a pile and I’ll find a box to put them in, okay?”
Finishing in Charlie’s room, I pop my head into Bailey’s. “Bails, pack for a while. I want to err on the side of caution.”
She nods a s she continues packing, tension filling her shoulders. This is stressing her out.
“I’m going to run Charlie’s bag downstairs. I’ll be back,” I say before making my way downstairs.
I head out onto the lawn, putting Charlie’s bag in my truck. “Hey, I have a favour to ask of your wife,” I say to Josh as I move towards the guys.
“Shoot.”
“Can you have her, or maybe one of the girls, put together a relaxing basket? Bath bombs, Epsom salts, candles, tea, hot chocolate, some snacks. I’m going to order us dinner, but Bailey needs something to relax.”
Josh’s fingers fly across his phone screen as he texts Olivia. “She says she’ll have it to your place in the next thirty minutes.”
“Thanks.”
I run inside and help Charlie pack her toys and Bailey carry her luggage downstairs. Everything gets packed into the back of my truck. As I’m closing the tailgate, a car pulls up and stops across the street. I immediately recognize the driver, and I’m completely on alert. My hand instinctively goes to my hip where my gun sits while on duty, but I feel nothing.
“Bailey, take Charlie inside and lock the doors. Don’t come outside for anything.”
I don’t hear anything, so I look over my shoulder and see her looking at me. When the door to the car across the street opens, her eyes widen and fear fills her face. She grabs Charlie and runs inside.
Derek approaches the house, but before he can step onto the property, I call, “You’re not welcome here. I think you should go back to your car and leave.”
He eyes me, and a look of disgust spreads across his face. “And who do you think you are to tell me when I can see my wife and daughter?” he spits, anger lacing his voice.
“Ex-wife ,” I correct.
“Bailey doesn’t know what she wants. She’ll be back with me as soon as I talk to her.”
My body heats, and I clutch my hands into fists as anger rises through me. Over my dead body will this man talk to Bailey.
My Bailey.
“You’re not going to talk to her. Like I said, you’re not welcome here. You need to leave before I call the cops.”
His eyes widen, and he lifts his hand and snaps his fingers like he’s just made the world’s biggest discovery. “I knew I recognized you. You’re the officer that showed up when my daughter accidentally called 911,” he says like it’s the juiciest bit of gossip. “What do you think your superiors would say if they knew you’re hanging out at the house of one of the calls you responded to?”
“That call wasn’t an accident,” I say, choosing to ignore his question.
He takes a step towards me and as he does, the guys move in closer, silently supporting whatever move I decide to make. Derek stops in his tracks as his eyes bounce between the four of us. None of us are exactly small, and there is no way he could take on all of us.
“This isn’t over,” he spits. “Let that little whore know that she’ll be mine again.”
I snap, grabbing him by the collar and holding him against my truck. “Don’t you ever disrespect her like that again,” I growl in his face. “I also don’t recommend threatening her in front of me, either.”
I lean forward so my head is beside his and lower my voice so only he can hear me. “I may be sworn to uphold the law, but you don’t want to see just how quickly I’d be willing to break any and every law to protect those two girls. I served. I have all the training to back me up. So, I recommend you climb your ass back into your car and driv e away before I show you just how serious I am.”
I shrug off of him and take a step back, allowing him just enough space to slide out from between me and the truck. I watch as he climbs into his car and peels down the street. It’s not until I can no longer see his brake lights that I turn back towards the house. Climbing up the stairs, I unlock the front door with Bailey’s keys that are still stashed in my jeans pockets.
“Bails, it’s me,” I call as I make my way up the stairs. I head straight for Bailey’s room and slowly push the door open. “Bailey, it’s me. He’s gone.”
Movement out of the corner of my eye catches my attention, and I see she had positioned them in the corner of the room behind the door so she could see the entire room and would be hidden from anyone who enters.
It hits me like a stab to the gut that she knows that tactic. No person should have to know to do that to protect themselves. I fall to my knees in front of them and pull them both straight into my chest. We stay like that for a few minutes, just holding each other.
When I pull back, I meet Charlie’s scared eyes and I crack even more.
“Is Daddy going to hurt Mommy again?” she whispers.
I hold her face on either side, making direct eye contact with her. “Little Bear, I promise I will do everything I can to protect you and your mom. I promise I will always do my best to make sure that nothing happens to either of you.”
I kiss her forehead, keeping my lips pressed there as I try not to let my tears fall. I’m not a crier, never have been, but these two have me doing things I never in my life thought I would.
I move back and rest on my ankles, forcing a smile onto my face. “Now why don’t we go back to my place and order pizza for dinner?”
They both nod, and we get up. We make sure we have everything, and I do another walk-through of the house to make sure all the windows and doors are closed and locked. When that’s done, we gather on the lawn. The guys all push off my truck as we make our way towards it.
“Thanks guys, I appreciate you being here.”
They all say, “Of course,” and “Anytime,” before hopping into their own cars and heading out. I text Bailey my address so she has it in her GPS, but she follows behind me the entire way. I religiously check my rearview mirror to make sure she’s there. The tension in my body doesn’t start to ease until we pull up outside my place.
I round the truck and grab their bags. Before unlocking the front door, I say, “My dog Finn is inside. He’s big, but he’s friendly and I’m sure he’s going to love the company. I guess I should have asked if you’re allergic.”
“Nope,” Bailey says as she shakes her head.
Charlie looks at me with a wide smile. “You have a dog?”
“Yup. He’s a black lab. His name is Finn. He loves treats, pets, and walks.”
An excited squeal escapes Charlie. As I put my key into the lock, I hear Finn’s excited paws on the other side of the door. I push open the door and usher them in, locking the front door behind us. Charlie is immediately loving on Finn, and he’s licking her face.
I take in my living room and am thankful I took yesterday to do a deep clean, otherwise, there would be dust everywhere. I may also be guilty of leaving my socks in the living room after a long day of work. I lead the girls up the stairs, Finn following, and into the guest room that’s set up. I have three bedrooms, but I only have one set up and ready for guests.
I push ope n the door and take their bags to the bed. Finn runs and jumps on the bed.
“Finn, down.”
He looks at me, tilting his head, but I just continue to stare at him. He relents and jumps off the bed. I lead him into the hallway, closing the door behind him.
“Sorry about that. If he does it again, just kick him off and close the door. He likes to sleep on my bed, so he’s used to just jumping up.”
“It’s all good. It’s his house. Don’t worry about us. We appreciate the place to stay.” Bailey smiles at me, but it’s an uncomfortable one. I know she doesn’t like being in a situation where she needs help, but I’m going to give it to her because, for some reason, I can’t walk away from these two.
“Charlie can crash in here, I’ll take the couch, and you can have my room. Tomorrow, I’ll get your room set up.”
“We can stay in here together. You’re already offering us a safe place to stay. I don’t want to put you out anymore.”
“It’s not a problem, Bailey. I’ve been meaning to get it set up for a while now.”
She sighs, too tired to fight me. “Fine, but for tonight, I’ll stay in here. You’re not sleeping on the couch for me.”
Not wanting to push her anymore, especially after what she’s gone through today, I relent. “Okay. Well, I’m going to order us pizza. Why don’t you girls get settled while I grab the rest of the bags?”
When I open the door, Finn is lying across the floor in the hallway. He sits up, and I scratch the top of his head before making my way to the truck. I grab the last couple of bags and as I’m making my way up the front steps, Olivia pulls up to the curb. She climbs out of her car and grabs a basket from the back seat, carrying it up to me. I smile as I take in just how full the basket is. I can see all the things I listed to Josh and much more. Liv has gone all out with this relaxation basket.
She stops in front of me, offering me the basket. “I got everything you suggested. Great suggestions, by the way. Plus, I added some more things I thought she might enjoy. I also added some things for Charlie in there.”
“Thanks, Liv. This means a lot. I’m sure she’s going to love this.”
“Of course. Please let her know that if she needs anything, she can call me.” She looks around me before she continues. “Is she doing okay? I’m guessing she’s a little overwhelmed right now. I know what it’s like having to pick up and move somewhere you weren’t expecting to.”
“Yeah, I don’t think the part about leaving her place is what’s bothering her the most, though. It’s thinking they’re putting me out. That’s the last thing I want her to worry about. There is no other place on Earth I’d want them right now. It’s just going to take her some time to adjust.”
I feel Olivia’s accessing gaze. She’s scrutinizing me and my words. Finn walks up to her and nuzzles against her leg. She reaches down and scratches his head while still looking at me. My stomach tightens. I’m worried she’s going to think the girls would be better off somewhere else, maybe at her place, but then a smile spreads across her face and my stomach loosens.
“You’re falling for her,” she says wistfully.
My entire body straightens. I run a hand through my hair and grip the back of my neck, not sure what to say.
She reaches forward and grips my arm. “Caleb, you don’t have to say anything. I’m happy for you. For both of you. She deserves someone as great as you.”
“I’m not sure about that.”
“Now what in the world makes you say that?”
I sigh. “Liv, you know I love you like a sister. You’re my friend’s sister and my other friend’s wife, but there is some shit I’m just not going to share.”
She squint s at me. It’s like she’s trying to will the information out of me, but I don’t budge. She squares her shoulders and stands taller before crossing her arms over her chest. She inhales a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
“When Josh and I started dating, I had just gotten out of a relationship where I walked in on my boyfriend cheating on me. He then continued to make me feel bad about myself so I’d go back to him, because in his words, ‘No other man would be able to love me because of my size.’ I carried that baggage around all throughout the beginning of my relationship with Josh, and it still affects me. Do you think Josh would be better off without me and my baggage? Do you think I should have walked away from the man I love because of it?”
Her words hit me like a sledgehammer. I had no idea she had gone through all that. I wish I hadn’t let her ex off with a warning at the summer barbeque and had just arrested him for harassment.
“Liv, first, I had no idea things with your ex were that bad. And second, I would never say Josh is better off without you. You two are perfect together. I’ve never seen Josh as happy as I have since you two got together.”
“So if you wouldn’t say that to me, then why would you say it about yourself?”
I open my mouth to respond, but before I can say anything, she begins backing away.
“Well, I need to get home to my husband. He’s cooking dinner.”
She turns and heads back to her car, and I’m left there just staring at her retreating back. I continue standing there even after her car pulls away until Finn nudges me. It pulls me out of my staring, and I head inside.