That One Summer (The Decker Family #3)

Chapter 1

EJ Decker

~

Chicago, Illinois

March

"EJ, you have a guest at the front desk. Caleb is here to see you."

It was Becca's voice on the walky-talky, and EJ took the gadget off his belt and held it to his mouth, pressing the button. "Thank you, Beck. I'll meet him there. Tell him I'm on my way."

"Gotcha," Becca replied.

"Thanks, tell him three minutes."

EJ clipped the walky-talky to his belt and picked up the pace as he walked toward the front desk of his gym.

It was quite a trek because the Chicago Elite Training Center spanned ten acres.

There were multiple large-scale buildings, including an ice skating rink where EJ had been when Becca called.

EJ knew the quickest route to the front desk area where Caleb had come in, and he made his way there, his long legs making determined strides.

Finally, he rounded the corner and saw Caleb there, smiling and talking to Becca.

EJ slowed down a bit as he crossed the expansive lobby to the desk. Caleb saw EJ approaching, and he wrapped up the conversation with Becca and came to meet him. The two gentlemen took off walking side by side in the wide hallways of the ETC.

EJ's new brother-in-law had been to their gym many times.

He had a membership there and worked out regularly on his own.

Caleb would have normally walked past the front desk and into the gym by himself.

But today, EJ had scheduled a meeting with him—one where they would go into EJ's office and sit for a talk.

EJ had texted Caleb last night and asked him to do it as a favor.

It would be in a pastor-type capacity, and it was the first time he had ever asked Caleb to do anything like that.

Caleb had only been married to his sister for a few months, but EJ was comfortable around him and trusted him.

Caleb did chaplain work for two different sports teams in Chicago, and EJ knew that he was great at listening to life predicaments and giving sound, Biblical advice.

He was looking forward to bouncing some personal things off of him, and he needed to go deeper than he had during their casual talks at family gatherings.

The two gentlemen had some ground to cover to get to EJ's office, but they walked quickly and made it there in a couple of minutes.

Caleb had no idea why EJ had brought him there, so he made small talk about what he had just eaten for lunch.

EJ wasn't exactly sure what he wanted to say or how he wanted to say it, so he was glad for the easy conversation.

EJ walked into his office and motioned for Caleb to sit on the couch with him. "I know you're probably curious about why I brought you here. And honestly, I don't know what I'm looking to… uh… I guess there are just a few things, personal things, with women, that I wanted to run past you."

"Of course," Caleb said easily. He settled into the corner of EJ's couch, and EJ had the feeling he was doing the right thing by talking to him.

He let out a sigh as he considered where to begin. "It's about women."

"That's fine."

"You know I broke up with Kayla."

"Yeah, that happened right after the wedding, right?"

EJ nodded. "Uh-huh, it's been a couple of months. I was basically waiting for the wedding to happen, but I knew before then it wasn't going anywhere."

Caleb winced at him. "Brutal."

"I know. I feel bad. That's why I have you here."

EJ paused, but Caleb just relaxed into the corner of the couch and waited for him to continue.

"I don't know what to say about women, Caleb. I can't find one I trust. There's not a single one I trust."

"That's a problem," Caleb agreed.

"I know."

"So, that's what happened with Kayla? You didn't trust her?"

"That's what it boils down to. I've been thinking about it, and that's the root of it all."

"Do you not trust them to be faithful to you?"

"No, it's not that." He let out a little laugh at the thought. "No, I'm not worried about that," he said confidently. "It's something else. Some other brand of mistrust."

"Like what?" Caleb asked. sounding interested.

EJ sighed, looking for a way to put it into words.

"Uh, trusting their true intentions?" he said in an uncertain tone.

"I mean, I guess that's the closest way to describe what my problem is.

" EJ got to the edge of the couch, sitting up.

"No matter how nice a girl is… no matter how sweet and wonderful and understanding she is…

there's always this underlying feeling in my heart.

I just can't shake it. Something's just always telling me that if I wasn't who I was…

if I wasn't Eddie Decker's son and an athlete myself, that this person wouldn't feel the same about me. "

"You mean Kayla?"

"All of them. Any of them. Every woman I've ever dated, way back to high school.

It's like I go through this whole, long charade with women, knowing that I don't truly trust them but still dating them anyway.

I'd rather not just be single my whole life.

But every woman I date, I have to judge how far I can take a relationship before breaking her heart too much.

I'm sorry. I hate to put it so bluntly. It's not something I'm proud of.

" He stared downward, feeling guilty. "I think every time I get into a relationship, I'm hopeful that it'll go well.

I think the feeling will go away and I'll eventually find someone who loves me unconditionally. "

"You've felt that way with every single woman?" Caleb asked.

"Yes."

"I mean, don't you think it's possible that God still has someone waiting? Your brother is Eddie Decker's son. He met Marley. Does he trust her?"

"Yes, and that's why I keep trying, but it's so frustrating. I just want to find the one. I don’t want to be seen as someone who won't settle down—there's just been no one I want to settle down with."

"Honestly, you're in good company, EJ. I talk to people about relationships all the time. It weighs on people when they want to find the one. I give advice about it all the time."

"Well, I'm glad about that, even though I didn't bring you here to give you a sob story. It's more like I wanted to talk about… I wanted to check in with you about my eternal soul."

"What about it?" Caleb asked. "I thought you knew Jesus."

"No, you know, pertaining to the women I date.

Am I in trouble for leading these women on even though I'm not doing it intentionally?

" He paused like he was going to let Caleb talk, but then he continued.

"Because I want to find someone. I'm not trying to be picky by choice.

I just don't feel like any of these women would be with me if I weren't famous. "

"What makes you think that?" Caleb asked.

"There's a… " he paused, looking for the right words. "A certain vibe, I guess. There's a way a woman treats you when she knows pleasing you can make her set for life. I mean, I like it that they want to please me, don't get me wrong."

"What man wouldn’t?" Caleb said thoughtfully.

"I don't know what I'm asking. I guess it's safe to assume you don't believe in being with a woman before marriage?"

"Intimacy? No." Caleb cleared his throat. "It's a tough one for a lot of people, but I trust the Bible on that one. I've seen hurt play out in people's lives. Are you feeling conflicted about it?" Caleb asked.

EJ let out a little laugh. "Of course I am.

I'm a man. I mean, I know you kind of felt differently about being with women before you met my sister, so I'm not sure if it's as hard for you…

" EJ let out a groaning sound from his chest and then continued speaking.

"I haven't been with a woman in two years, Caleb.

It's not that I'm a virgin, but a couple of years ago, I just felt like I wanted to…

like I didn't want to do that with anyone unless I wanted to stay with them. "

"Woah, I think that's a good thing, EJ," Caleb said.

"Yes, it is. And it feels really nice to say when I'm sitting here with you, but last night it did not feel nice, Caleb.

Last night, Kayla was at my doorstep offering herself to me and saying that there were no strings attached and she didn't even want to get back together.

She begged me to do that the whole time we were seeing each other, and then last night she shows up, drinking and desperate, with a whole set of lingerie under her clothes, which she showed me.

" He stopped and sighed, remembering the scene.

"I'm a man, Caleb. And as much as I'm trying to have morals and everything.

That would have been so easy last night.

" He let out another groan at the thought.

"She's beautiful, too. It was hard to pass, honestly.

That's why I texted to see if we could talk because…

I didn't want to tell her 'no'. As a man, I wanted to say the opposite of 'no' in that situation.

I'm wondering… if I never find anyone I want to commit to…

does that mean I just can't… what I'm asking is…

spiritually, how bad is it for me to break down in that regard now and then.

Uhh, even as I say that, I hear how bad it sounds.

" EJ leaned back and rubbed his face, and Caleb sat up, thinking of what to say to him.

"I'm scared that I'm never going to truly love anybody, Caleb.

And there's just no way I'm going the rest of my life without…

" He sighed. "The last two years have been hard enough as it is.

I've dated three or four women during that time, and I've come close to doing that with all of them.

They were definitely more forward than me about it.

Every time, they get hurt, and cry, and tell me I'm rejecting them.

The thing is, it's not just about spirituality.

It's not just because I'm trying to be a good person.

It's because I know if I do that with them, they become even more attached.

I've just not felt comfortable letting someone in that way lately.

But last night, the temptation was real, Caleb.

I texted you right when she left so that I wouldn't leave my house and go catch up with her. "

"And now that we're sitting here are you glad you didn't do that?"

"Of course I am. It would've set us off on the whole thing of getting back together. We didn't even do that when we were together, so I'm glad it didn't happen."

"What about your past?" Caleb asked.

"I mean, I, I would not have been so restrained in my past, let's put it that way."

Caleb shook his head. "No, what I mean is do you have any women from your past who you could consider for a relationship? Someone you've known since you were a child? Someone with a built-in level of trust?"

EJ wasn't expecting that question. He had never considered that, and he took a second to think about it.

He let out a little thoughtful sound. "Hmm, I mean, no.

I've… everyone I've ever known has known me as Eddie's son.

" Then a smile crossed his face at the thought of one girl.

He shook his head at the memory. There had been one girl who had no idea who he was.

He was young then. He blinked, concentrating as scenes of that summer began flooding back. It was the summer he had a broken foot.

"You're smiling at something," Caleb said after there had been a pause.

"No, there was just this… there was one girl.

It was the spring I broke my foot, and I got really depressed about missing baseball, so I went to stay with my mom's parents.

Dom was doing all-stars. We were twelve, and I thought it was the end of the world that I missed the end of that season.

I remember thinking I'd missed every scouting opportunity I'd ever have for the rest of my life—that I was going to have to be in a cast until I was fifty. "

Caleb laughed along with EJ because that response to an injury didn't surprise him. Athletes had all sorts of reactions to getting hurt. Counseling through physical rehab was a big part of Caleb's job.

"It probably felt like you were retired," Caleb said. EJ shook his head at the memory. "It did. I was in bad shape that summer. My mom's dad had a workshop in his garage where he did woodworking, and my mom thought it would be good for me to go out there and take up carpentry with Pa."

"Was it?"

"I have no idea," EJ said. "I spent the entire summer with that girl.

I didn't do any woodworking at all. I met a girl and I spent every day with her for over a month.

She had no idea who I was. I told her my name, but she had no clue about my dad.

That was before he retired, too. My grandparents knew I met friends in the neighborhood, they just didn't know it was a girl.

I guess I lied about that. I was happy and content, and they thought I was playing outside with some boys.

I don't even remember what I told them. They were happy I found friends.

But it was a girl. Her parents weren't home, and we stayed at her house all day, completely unsupervised.

She had an older brother, but he was never there.

I don't even know what was going on at her house, but there were no parents.

I basically fell in love that summer, and I could tell no one about it.

I went back to the city and straight back into football season after my foot healed, but that girl stuck with me.

She was amazing. She did not once mention money.

She had no idea who I was. I'm not even sure if I told her my last name. "

"Do you know hers?" Caleb asked.

"No. I wish I did. I think she told me." EJ thought for a second and then shook his head, unable to come up with anything. "I'm trying to think. I know her first name is Savannah."