25. Bailey
CHAPTER 25
Bailey
I text Caleb that I’m going to take Charlie back to the house and change before he comes to pick us up for dinner at his mom’s. Charlie raves about her day with Caleb, and a small weight is removed from my shoulders. I’ve only left Charlie with Lily and the one time Olivia decided to take her. Knowing that Charlie enjoyed her time with Caleb is a big deal.
When we get back to the house, I run upstairs and change into a nice pair of dark-blue jeans and a dressy red blouse. I want to make a good impression on Caleb’s family. I know it’s a big deal to introduce a partner to your family, and Caleb and I are so new. I don’t want to screw this up.
“Mommy, can I wear my red dress?” Charlie calls from her room.
I quickly check my hair in the mirror and decide to pull the top layer back so my face is more visible before making my way to Charlie’s room. She’s pulled out her favourite red dress with black bows printed on it.
“That’s a really nice dress,” I say, taking a seat on her bed.
She plays with the hem of the dres s, avoiding my eyes. “I want them to like me,” she whispers.
I reach out and run my fingers through her soft blonde hair. “Baby Girl, they’re going to like you.”
“But, Mommy, if they don’t like me, won’t Caleb leave us?”
Her question breaks my heart. She’s grown so close and attached to Caleb, and I worry what will happen if things with Caleb don’t work out. I pull her into my arms and rock her slightly.
“No, Baby Girl, Caleb won’t leave us because they don’t like you. But it doesn’t matter because they are going to love you.”
I hold her close for a minute before helping her into her favourite dress. As I finish braiding her hair, I hear the front door open and close.
“I’m home,” Caleb calls up the stairs.
“In Charlie’s room,” I call back.
The sound of his footsteps up the stairs carries through the air. I look up and see Caleb leaning against the door frame smiling at us.
“Well, now don’t you two look beautiful,” he says.
“Thank you,” I say as he makes his way towards us. He gives me a quick kiss before kissing Charlie’s forehead.
“I guess I should change, since you two look so nice. You know it’s a casual family dinner, right?”
I blush, not wanting to admit I’m nervous about meeting his family and I put more effort into my looks to make a good impression.
“Yeah, just thought it would be nice to dress nicely,” I say, hoping my nerves don’t show through.
He holds my eyes for a few seconds before nodding and heading into his room. He comes out a few minutes later dressed in a pair of jeans that hug his muscular thighs and tight round as s that has me wanting to sink my teeth into it like a juicy apple. His navy button-down is pulled tight across his muscular chest, and if I look hard enough, I think I can count his abs under it.
“I take it you approve,” he says with a chuckle.
My eyes snap to his, and he’s grinning like an idiot.
“Yeah,” I breathe out.
He checks his watch quickly and looks back at me. “We should probably head out. I don’t want to be too late.”
I nod and usher Charlie to follow me downstairs where I step into my knee-high, black heeled boots, bundle us each in a jacket, and grab my purse. Like always, Caleb is the one who gets Charlie situated in the back seat after he opens my door for me.
When he gets settled in the driver’s seat, I ask, “Can we make a quick stop at the store on our way? I’d like to grab something.”
“Of course, baby. What are you wanting?”
“I just want to grab something for your mom.”
He turns the truck on, pulls out of the driveway, and takes us to the store. He stays with Charlie while I hurriedly make my way into the store and grab a bouquet and a bottle of red wine. When I make it back, Charlie is telling Caleb all about her favourite Paw Patrol character. He’s fully engaged in the conversation with her, listening to what she’s saying and asking questions. It only has my love for him growing.
We make our way to his mom’s place, and he lets Charlie and I listen to Taylor Swift the entire way, no complaints as Charlie and I sing along.
Caleb’s mom lives in a charming residential neighbourhood. Every house has nice front yards, many filled with kids’ toys. Christmas lights from the houses light the entire street. I smile at the yards filled with Christmas decorations and giant blow-ups. He pulls in front of a house halfway down the street .
Bright Christmas lights wrap around the top of the house and up the pillars of the front porch. A giant Christmas welcome sign leans to the left of the door, and light-up reindeer are placed all across the yard. This looks like the house of someone who enjoys Christmas.
Caleb rounds the front of the truck and opens my door, helping me down before moving to the back and helping Charlie. I grab the flowers and wine while he holds Charlie’s hand, and we make our way up the front walkway. Despite the chill in the air, nerves have my hands starting to sweat.
“Caleb.” Charlie’s voice comes out soft. “Will your mom like me?”
Caleb stops dead in his tracks and crouches in front of her. He holds both of her hands as he says, “Little Bear, she’s going to love you almost as much as I do. You are an amazing little girl. Don’t worry about what anyone thinks about you, just keep being the amazing little girl that I’ve fallen in love with and everything will be okay.”
He pulls her into a hug and kisses her temple. She wraps her arms around him, and I have to tip my head back to prevent the tears from rushing down my face. This man is wrecking me for any other man, and I think I’m perfectly okay with that.
They break their hug, and we make our way up the steps. He doesn’t knock, just walks right in the front door. He leans down and helps Charlie out of her shoes before taking his off and setting them against the wall. I do the same, and he leads us inside the house calling, “We’re here.”
We end up in the kitchen where a woman in her late fifties stands over a stove stirring something. She turns at our entrance, and I’m met with Caleb’s steel-grey eyes and a warm smile that has my entire body relaxing. She drops her spoon on the counter, wiping her hands on a towel as she makes her way towa rds us.
“Oh, how lovely to meet you,” she says as she pulls me into a hug.
When she pulls back, I hand her the flowers and wine. “These are for you.”
She smells the flowers and smiles back at me. “Well, these are just lovely. Aren’t you sweet.”
Caleb chuckles beside me. “Mom, this is my girlfriend, Bailey, and this is our girl, Charlotte. Bailey, Charlie, this is my mom, Loraine.”
She waves her hand in front of her. “Oh, where are my manners? You can call me Mom or Gran. Why don’t you guys grab a seat? Your brother and Sarah should be here soon. Dinner is almost done.”
I’m stunned by her words. She already wants me to call her Mom and Charlie to call her Gran? I feel like I’ve stepped into some alternate reality. This doesn’t happen. You don’t just show up at your new boyfriend’s mom’s house and she just accepts you as part of the family like that. And not just me, but my daughter too.
The feel of Caleb’s hand at the small of my back rips from my daze. I look up at him, and he smiles at me. “You okay?” he whispers, quiet enough that only I can hear him.
“Yeah,” I whisper back.
Charlie and I make our way to the kitchen table.
“Baby, you want a glass of wine?” Caleb asks, and I want to melt into the chair. The way the word baby sounds rolling off his tongue does things to me.
“Yes, please.”
He opens the bottle I brought and grabs three wine glasses from a cabinet over the counter. “Little Bear, would you like some milk or some juice? I think there is orange juice in the fridge.”
“Milk, please. ”
He passes his mom a glass of wine and kisses her on the cheek before pouring a glass of milk for Charlie and handing it to her. He goes back to the kitchen and returns with our wine. Charlie is on my right and there is an open seat to my left, but she looks up at me. “Mommy, can you please move? I want to sit beside Caleb.”
I get up and shuffle to the empty seat on my left so Caleb can sit between us. He places my wineglass in front of me and kisses my temple once he gets settled. After adjusting a setting on the stove, Loraine comes and joins us.
The front door opens, and two sets of footsteps make their way towards the kitchen. I turn and see a man who looks just like Caleb. His big frame takes up much of the doorway, and his facial features are just as prominent as Caleb’s. His hair is a darker shade of blond, almost brown, and his eyes are hazel, but there’s no mistaking they’re brothers.
Beside him stands a stunning brunette. She comes to his upper chest, and her hand rests on her very visibly pregnant belly.
“You must be the woman my brother has convinced to put up with him,” the man says.
I smile because, honestly, there isn’t much to put up with. He’s the one who’s had to put up with a lot of crap since meeting me.
“I think you’ve got that the wrong way around,” I say.
He walks up to his mom and kisses her cheek before holding out a hand to me. “I’m Caleb’s older brother, Max, and this is my wife, Sarah.”
I shake his hand. “Bailey, and over there is my daughter, Charlie.”
I look around Caleb and see she’s trying to hide in his side, and he’s got an arm wrapped around her. Sarah reaches her hand out next.
“It’s so nice to meet you and Charlie. Max here hasn’t been able to shut up about how excited he’s been to meet you two.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, the first woman my little brother has ever brought home to meet the family, colour me intrigued.”
My eyes cut to Caleb, and a slight blush colours his cheeks. He never mentioned never bringing a woman home to meet his family before. Sarah walks over to Charlie and crouches down beside her chair.
“Hi, Charlie, my name is Sarah,” she says in a soft, sing-songy voice.
“Hi,” Charlie says in a small voice. This is a lot to take in for her. Sarah, realizing Charlie isn’t going to give her any more, stands and takes a seat across from Caleb. Loraine gives Charlie some colouring sheets and coloured pencils. She quietly says thank you and starts to colour.
“So, Bailey, how did you meet my brother?”
I blush and fidget with my fingers in my lap. I reach for my glass of wine and take a sip before clearing my throat. “He responded to a 911 call at my house.” I can see the shock on their faces, but no judgment. “Charlie wanted to make him cookies after they talked about Thanksgiving at school and thanking people we appreciate, so we made them and brought them to the station. Charlie invited Caleb to lunch, and then a meddling friend of Caleb’s invited Charlie and I to a game, and it kind of went from there.”
I look over at Caleb, and he’s smiling down at me. His arm comes around the back of my chair, and his thumb runs in soothing motions over my shoulder. I relax into him.
“Which meddling friend was this? I think I should send them a thank you cake,” Loraine says.
“Olivia,” I say, taking a sip of my wine.
“Oh, Josh’s wife. How lovely. How are they? How’s her pregnancy going?” she asks.
We sit around the table, and I tell her about how Liv is doing before she makes her way to the stove.
“Can I help with anything?” I ask.
She waves me off. “No, dear, you just sit and relax.”
“So you’re coming here for Christmas dinner. Any other exciting plans for the holidays?” Sarah asks, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her belly.
“I’m planning on taking them to Fly Over Canada,” Caleb answers.
“Oh, that sounds like fun. Do you mind if we tag along? I’ve been meaning to go, but we haven’t found any time yet.”
“That sounds fun. There’s a Christmas market right there I want to go to too,” I say.
“The German one? That would be great. I might need to find a bench to sit partway through and get off my feet for a bit, but I’d love to go.”
“I remember what that’s like. When I was pregnant with Charlie, I swear my ankles swelled to twice their size. I think just before I gave birth, you couldn’t tell the difference between my calf and my ankle.”
“Do you want more kids?”
Her question catches me off guard. I wasn’t expecting it, and Caleb and I haven’t talked about it. We haven’t talked about the future much at all, I realize. I feel his eyes on me, waiting for my answer. His thumb continues its movements up and down my shoulder, relaxing me slightly.
“Yeah. I’ve always wanted a big family.”
Sarah and Max both smile at me before exchanging looks with one another.
Loraine comes back to the table with a hot pot of spaghetti. She puts it in the centre of the table and retreats to the kitchen, then she comes back with garlic bread and salad. Once everything is set, we all dig in. Caleb makes Charlie’s pla te, and we pass the food around the table.
I ask Sarah and Max questions, learning that Sarah is a paralegal at a law firm downtown and Max is an architect. Loraine was a bookkeeper for a few different businesses, offering her the flexibility needed to raise the two boys on her own. For dessert, we eat a homemade apple pie Loraine pulls out of the oven and some vanilla ice cream.
Throughout the night, I notice Charlie become more comfortable being here and being with new people. During dessert, she talks with Sarah about her favourite shows and what she likes most about her school.
When we finish, I help Loraine clear the table. She tries to wave me off, but I ignore her. I’m not going to let her take my daughter and me in for a meal and let her cook and clean by herself. We finally agree that I’ll wash and she can dry and put away.
I’m arm deep in warm soapy water when she says, “Thank you.”
I smile at her. “Of course, I don’t mind helping out with dishes. You cooked an amazing meal.”
She gives me a sad smile. “No, I mean with Caleb. He’s been closed off since his dad died. It’s nice to see him so happy. I was worried he’d never get that.”
“He’s done much more for me than I have for him,” I say, continuing to wash the dishes. “He’s taken us in after some stuff went down with my ex. I’m not sure how I’ll ever repay him for it, or what I’ll do when he decides that he’s ready for us to move out.”
My stomach knots at the thought of leaving Caleb’s place. I love my home. I inherited it from my parents when they passed. But it’s not my safe space anymore. Derek took that from me. Maybe I need to list it and find a new one. One with new memories. Make a new safe space. The thought doesn’t undo the knots in my stomach .
“Don’t rush to any conclusions,” Loraine says, interrupting my thoughts. “My boys are both stubborn. They don’t do anything they don’t want to. Remember that. I can see your brain is over there telling you things that may not be true.”
“I’ve learned to never make assumptions and to rely on myself.”
Before I know what’s happening, I’m being pulled into an all-encompassing hug. I’m stiff at first, not knowing what to do, but when she doesn’t release me, I melt into her. I wrap my arms around her slender frame and allow the smell of her perfume to invade my senses.
“You’re not alone anymore. You have us. You have a family to support you.”
Her words crack me. It’s like the shell I’ve had surrounding me for the last few years has slowly been chipped at and her words are the final undoing. The pieces of my shell fall to the ground around me and the tears fall. The tears are a relief, as though they’re washing away all the pain and heartache I’ve had to protect myself from.
They don’t stop; they turn from light crying into soul-wrenching sobs that have my entire body shaking. Not once does Loraine release me. Her hand rubs soothingly over my back as she holds me.
“Baby?” Caleb’s voice breaks through the air.
His mother steps back, allowing him to see me. When he does, the look of pain on his face has me sobbing even more. It’s written all over his face how deeply seeing me cry hurts him. He pulls me against him, and I rest my head on his chest, allowing the sound of his beating heart to soothe me. His fingers run through the ends of my hair in the way he’s learned has a calming effect on me. When my sobs finally subside, I lean my head back and he places his hands gently on either side of my face.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
He leans down and gently kisses over the remaining tears on my cheeks. “Don’t ever apologize for feeling your feelings, baby.”
He stares into my eyes, and I stare right back, memorized by the softness in the steely colour.
“What happened?”
“Your mother is amazing.”
He smiles at the remark. “She is, but what caused you to feel so much that you needed to cry?”
“She said I don’t need to only rely on myself now, that we have a family to rely on.”
“She’s right. I know you’ve spent so much time only being able to count on yourself and Lily, but that’s not the case anymore. You have me. Always. You have Liv and Josh, and you might not realize it yet, but you also have Zoey, Hannah, Liz, Matt, and Grayson. You have my family. You’re not alone anymore.”
I fist his shirt in my hands. “I hear your words, but after doing everything on my own for so long, it’s hard to realize the truth behind them.”
“I know, baby, but I’ll spend the rest of my life showing you how true they are.”
He leans down and kisses me. It’s soft and intimate, one that’s meant to be just a kiss, with no other goals or intentions. The idea that we’re in a place where we can kiss each other with no need to take it further warms my soul. It’s not a lack of desire, but rather a sense of contentment that a single act of affection brings each of us.
When his lips leave mine, he holds me for a few moments, allowing me to absorb the feeling of safety I have when in his arms. When I’ve gathered myself, I wipe under my eyes and make my way into the living room where Charlie’s sitting, readin g a book with Sarah. Max and Loraine sit on the couch talking, but I notice how he watches his wife, his gaze full of affection.
I walk up to Loraine and hug her before saying, “We should probably head home. I need to get her in a bath and ready for bed.”
She nods. “Okay, well, we will see you for Christmas dinner. Don’t forget what I said, either.”
“I won’t, thank you.” Looking over at Sarah and Charlie, I see they’re just about done with their book. “Baby Girl, when you two finish that book, it’s going to be time to go.”
She looks up at me, and I can see the tiredness all over her face, but she’s trying to be a trooper and stay awake.
“Okay, Mommy.”
When they finish, we all make our way to the front door.
“Thank you so much for having us,” I say to Loraine.
“You’re welcome whenever you’d like.”
“I’ll get your number from Caleb to set up the trip to Fly Over and the Christmas market,” Sarah says before pulling me into a hug. “It was so nice to meet you both. I’m happy Caleb was able to find you two,” she whispers in my ear softly.
“You too,” is all I manage to say through the lump in my throat.
Caleb has Charlie in his arms, and she’s almost passed out with her head resting on his shoulder.
“Thanks, Mom. I’ll call you before Christmas to confirm what we need to bring.” He leans in and kisses her cheek and then Sarah’s before shaking his brother’s hand and leading me out the door.
The drive back to the house is quiet. Music plays softly in the background while I stare out the window. Caleb has his hand on my thigh the entire time, his thumb moving softly up and down.
It’s hard to think that in just ten short weeks I’ve gone from being a single mom with only myself and Lily to rely on to having this huge group of people who want me to rely on them. Who want to be in our lives. It feels too good to be true. I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the world to spin on its axis and everything to go back to normal. The problem is, I don’t want things to go back to normal. I want everything to stay the way it is. I want these people in my life, in Charlie’s life. I want to come home to Caleb, a man who cares about me and my daughter. This is the life I want to build. But the ground has fallen out from under me before. I think if it happens again, I won’t be able to survive it the same way. I don’t know that I can put that shell around myself now that all these people have cracked and destroyed it.
Arriving home, Caleb carries Charlie upstairs, and I decide to skip the bath tonight and just tuck her into bed.