19. Caleb
CHAPTER 19
CALEB
“ C an you take us to the store?”
“Uh…” I slowly set the knife beside the cutting board of diced onions. “For what?”
Casen and Quinn exchange a silent look Halle refers to as “fucking twin telepathy.”
“Halle’s birthday is Friday,” Quinn explains, using his finger to trace a line in the marble countertop. “We wanted to get her something.”
“Hold on.” I brace my hands on the cool surface in front of me. “It’s her birthday?”
“Yep.” Casen slides onto one of the stools facing me.
“She didn’t tell me.” My chest pangs at the realization. Why wouldn’t she mention her birthday? It’s been two weeks since our first date, and since that night, we’ve gone to another dance class and to a movie. Granted, the twins came to the movies with us, so I guess it wouldn’t be considered a date. Yet she hasn’t even hinted about the special day.
“She wouldn’t have.” Quinn shrugs, sliding his hands into his pockets. “She doesn’t like her birthday.”
“Why not?”
They exchange another silent look, and eventually Quinn sighs. “Mom forgot her birthday a lot.”
“And if she remembered, she usually made it miserable for her,” Casen adds, shoulders drooping.
I blink, then blink again, processing the information.
Out of the side of his mouth, Quinn whispers, “I think we broke him.”
Casen’s eyes plead with me. “Can we do something special for her?”
I snap myself out of my stupor. “Of course. Let me finish this and get it in the slow cooker, and we can go.”
“Do you need help?” he asks.
Surprised, I look from one boy to the other and back again. “You want to help?”
“Sure, why not.” It’s Quinn who answers.
With their help, I get the onions chopped and in the slow cooker quickly. It’s a good thing too. I meant to have this done an hour or so ago, but when the boys showed up at home just before lunchtime—due to a half day none of us realized was scheduled—our routine was thrown off .
“I’ll let your sister know we’re going,” I tell them after they’ve washed up at the sink. The scent of onions is still strong, and that won’t change now that they’re simmering in preparation for French onion soup.
I swipe my keys off the sideboard and jog upstairs. As I step into my office, I nearly stop dead. It happens every time I find her in here. I can’t help but stare. Halle sits behind my desk with a pair of blue-light glasses perched on her nose. Her dark hair is pulled back in a ponytail, even though, when I left the room, it was down. She has one foot planted on the chair cushion and her chin resting on her knee as she types.
“What’s up?” she asks when she notices me.
“We’re running to the store, so we’ll be back in a little while.”
Brows furrowed, she slips her glasses off. “Why?” Knowing her, she’s not thinking about the possibility that we’re making birthday plans. She’s worried about what kind of mischief the boys might be up to.
“They, uh, want a new video game or something,” I stammer.
Narrowing her eyes, she says, “Why do I feel like you’re lying?”
Probably because I’m bad at it.
“We’ll be back in a little while.” I turn and dart out the door before she can question me further.
“Caleb!” she calls after me, but I steadfastly ignore her.
At the mall thirty minutes later, I give the boys cash so they can pick out gifts for Halle as well as purchase the video game we’re supposed to be getting.
Naturally, they’re all too pleased by how my little white lie benefits them.
“Meet me back here in an hour. You got me?”
With matching nods, they’re off.
Once I’m alone, I blow out a breath and scan the nearby stores. Halle isn’t very materialistic, but that has more to do with her upbringing than her natural desires. Even so, I don’t have the first clue about what she’d like. Since I don’t know where to begin, I figure I’ll browse for a bit, hoping I’ll find inspiration.
In a stationery store, I pick up a pack of pastel notepads decorated with cute animals and a set of pens. Surely she’ll like these, since she’s always scribbling down notes in my office. They’re way more fun than my plain notebook paper or Post-its.
Next, I pop into the bookstore across the way. At our last dance lesson, she mentioned wanting to get back into reading and talked about how, when she was younger, borrowing books from the library was one of her favorite things to do.
I browse the aisles, not sure what genre might pique her interest. I settle for two romance novels off a display table and two from the fantasy bestsellers. Then I venture toward the poetry section. Pretty quickly, three catch my eye, so I snag them all and add them to my stack. On my way to the register, I pick up a non-fiction, a mystery, and a thriller to ensure I’ve covered all my bases .
As I’m exiting the store, lugging an overloaded bag of books, I realize I probably should have saved this stop for last.
A few stores down, a pair of overalls with flowers embroidered on the legs catches my eye, so I head inside. I have to guess at her size, but I feel like I’m close enough.
She’s going to accuse me of going overboard, and maybe she’ll be right, but I don’t care.
I’m determined to make up for all the shitty birthdays she’s endured.
I stop off at a few more shops, adding a perfume, two candles, and a decorative container of matches the girl at the store told me was a must to go along with the candles. It’s a good thing I only gave the boys an hour. Given longer, there’s no telling what I might’ve purchased.
When I make it back to the door closest to where we parked, Quinn and Casen are waiting where I told them to be, each with a bag in hand, along with one from the video game store.
“Find what you wanted?” I ask.
“Yeah,” Casen answers, his lips twitching. “Did you?”
I hold up both bag-laden arms. “Found maybe a little too much.”
Quinn snorts. “We can tell.”
As we step outside, I say, “I thought we could stop by the party supply store before we go home. What do you think?”
“Really?” Casen asks. “You’d do that?”
“It’s her birthday.” I shrug. “We should have balloons and stuff, right?”
Quinn laughs. “She’s going to hate us for making such a big deal of it.”
I set one armload of bags on the ground so I can dig my keys out. “I think it’ll mean a lot to her that you guys care enough to make her birthday special.”
“She’s our sister,” Quinn says softly as we load all of our bags into the cargo area of my SUV. “She is special.”
“Speaking of our sister.” Casen climbs into the passenger seat, then turns to face me, eyes narrowed. “What are your intentions with her?”
I choke on my own saliva. “Uh…”
Behind his twin, Quinn snaps his seat belt into place and leans forward. “I know she’s strong, but she’s sensitive too.”
“In other words,” Casen adds. “Break her heart and you’re donezo.” He slices his hand across his neck.
“Noted.” With a wince, I pull out of the spot. “Your sister and I… I like her a lot. A whole lot. I’m trying to take it slow with her, though. She’s a little…”
“Skittish?” Quinn suggests.
“Exactly.”
Without my permission, my mind drifts to the night a couple of weeks ago when neither of us could sleep. To the way she came alive beneath my touch. Those memories have replayed over and over, and every time, I curse myself for not getting a taste of her. But I push that thought down each time too. Because I want to give her the time and space she needs to feel comfortable and safe. And maybe, selfishly, I want to be sure that she’s choosing me because she wants to.
I don’t want to be chosen out of obligation or convenience. I’ve been someone’s second choice before. This time, I want to be Halle’s only choice.
“She’s never had a boyfriend,” Casen says, eyeing me in the rearview mirror. “But don’t tell her I told you.”
I glance at him as the car rolls to a stop at a stoplight. “Never?”
He shakes his head. “She’s been out with guys here and there, but she’s never had a real boyfriend.”
“I think she’s scared.” Quinn speaks up. “She doesn’t want to get comfortable or open up, just for a guy to turn around and leave her.”
Lips pressed together, I assess them both. They’re far more perceptive than I’ve given them credit for.
“I can’t guarantee what will happen in the future,” I tell them. “But I like her a lot.”
“That’s good enough,” Quinn says.
Casen clears his throat. “For now.”
I’ll take it. I don’t want to let them down. I don’t want to let her down. But I don’t stand a chance if she doesn’t let me in fully.