Chapter 11
Eleven
Caleb
It took a few days for Emma to accept my quote, but she did.
The pricing was solid—I made sure of that. With some room to move on the pricing, I gave her free labour, and a hefty discount on the materials to make sure I secured the job.
The way I flustered her when I showed up at her place, I thought she’d say yes straight away.
Instead, she kept me waiting.
I’ve never been so relieved when she emailed me back and said yes.
And now I’m in her back yard—demolishing the old deck. I’ve got one of my guys coming to take away the old wood this afternoon.
It’s been a while since I’ve done anything this physical, but the sun bathes this back yard in warm light, and the weather is set to continue this way for the foreseeable future.
Despite my eagerness to spend time with Emma, I’ve barely seen her this morning. Once I arrived, she ducked back inside the house and apart from a couple of times she’s come back into the kitchen, I’ve not laid eyes on her.
I’m still not sure how I feel about all of this. I’m a grown man in my forties, and I feel like a teenager with a crush all over again.
Emma was always the prettiest girl in our year, and I felt like the luckiest guy to score the hot, blue-eyed blonde. No one else knew just how strict her father was.
Seeing her again has caused a rush of feeling to hit me in a way it hasn’t in years.
She’s still just as gorgeous. Her features have matured, just as mine have, but she has that dewy skin and blue eyes that I can’t look away from—when I get to lay eyes on her.
I tug at a piece of rotten wood. Most of the deck is still okay enough to walk on, but if left it’ll all go the way this corner has. I’m not sure what set the rot off, but by the time I’m finished, this’ll be safe for Emma and her children to use.
Her children are another part of the equation I didn’t really count on.
I’m curious about them, but not enough to disrespect the boundary she set on the hours I spend here. I’ll just have to make the most of my time here to get closer to her and maybe one day she’ll trust me enough to meet them.
“Ahem.”
Emma stands in the doorway, clearing her throat.
“Do you want a coffee? You’ve been at it for a while now.”
I grin. “I’d love one.”
This is good. She still seems so unsure of herself, but it seems she’s not completely uncomfortable around me.
It’s been a productive morning. Some of the timber was so bad it took barely any effort at all to pull it away from the deck. From this afternoon it’ll get tougher, but I should have it all cleared by the day after tomorrow with the day being shortened for me.
But I’m not complaining.
At this point, the longer it takes, the better.
I kick off my books by the back door.
“I’ll just go and clean up.”
Emma smiles. “Be my guest. You know where the bathroom is.”
She flicks on the jug as I walk past.
By the time I’ve washed my hands, she’s got two steaming mugs of coffee and a plate of chocolate biscuits on the kitchen table.
“That looks good.”
Emma nods toward the deck. “That looks like hard work.”
I drop into the seat in front of the mug and smile. “You don’t have to supply me with coffee and biscuits, but I’m not about to complain.”
We sit for a while, sipping on coffee. Emma nibbles on a biscuit, glancing at me from time to time.
She puts down her cup. “This must be weird. Seeing me again after all this time.”
I tilt my head. “That’s one word for it.”
Her smile’s small, but it’s there, and that’s all that matters.
“I’m not used to being around other people too much, so forgive me if I seem a little … odd.”
What?
“What do you mean?”
She licks her lips, and my gaze drops to them. When it flicks back up, her cheeks are pink.
“I’ve lived a very isolated life.”
“I thought you said you’d left the church a long time ago.”
Emma nods. “We did. But that didn’t mean …” She looks away. “Maybe I shouldn’t get into this with you.”
My heart thuds, and I place my hand on her forearm. Her gaze hits mine again. “Em, you can tell me anything.”
“Malcolm had … rules. He would take the children to and from school most of the time, and when grocery delivery became a thing, our groceries were delivered. I didn’t really leave the house.”
Did I mishear her?
“Didn’t leave the house?”
She drops her gaze again. “My whole marriage was abusive, Caleb. I was married to a man twenty-four years older than me. I only got my freedom back when he died.”
I grasp her chin and gently raise her face so I can see her tear-filled eyes. “I knew there was more to it.”
“It’s been months since he died. It took time to get probate through and sell the house and move. I’ve made a lot of progress since then, but there’s a long way to go.”
“Are you talking to anyone about this?”
She nods and I drop my hand. “I’ve been talking to a counsellor online. I’m still not great at being out and about, but I walk my kids to school and back every day.”
“And now you’re talking to me.”
Emma shrugs. “You’re the only person I’ve really come in contact so far that I thought I might be able to talk to.”
“I’ll listen whenever you need an ear.”
“Thanks.”
“And I’ll take you anywhere you want to if you want to get out of the house any time.”
Her eyes widen. “Don’t you have work?”
“The beauty of being self-employed.” I shoot her a wink, and her cheeks go a delicious shade of pink. “If you want to just hang out for the day, we could go for a drive. I’ll get you back before school gets out.”
She smiles before dropping her gaze. “I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea.”
“I want to get to know you again—spend time with you.”
She runs her fingers through her hair. Exhaustion and frustration fill her expression as she huffs out a breath. “I have so much baggage, Caleb. I’m not sure it’s worth it.”
Grasping her arm, I study her closely. She’s looking everywhere but me, and I tilt my head until I meet her gaze. “Can I be the judge of that?”
“We’re all working out how to function properly with no restrictions.”
Restrictions.
That word makes my jaw ache, but I resist the urge to question it and force a smile.
“I’m not giving up. I know I lost you a long time ago, but seeing you again is everything.”
Tears well in her eyes. “Why are you so nice? I hurt you so much.”
“Because I see you, Emma Chase. I see the pain, and I see the joy you have for your children.” I step closer. “And I think there’s room in there for me.”
“I’m so scared,” she whispers.
I raise my hand to her cheek and tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’ll never do what he did. You know that, right? All I ever wanted to do was to love you—give you the life you deserve.”
Her lips twitch. I’m so close to getting through to her, but I also have to respect her space.
“I just need time.”
I place a kiss on her forehead. “I won’t push. For now. But I’m also not going away. You’re stuck with me being around.”
She laughs softly. “I like you being around.”
I suck in a breath. “I want to meet your kids.” Her brow furrows. “Hear me out. Just so they know there’s someone else in their lives who’ll be there for them.”
“You’d do that?”
“I’d do anything for you.”
Her eyes soften, and she smiles at me. “It’s very hard to resist you, you know.”
“I’m working on that.” I give her arm a squeeze. “I’m just so in awe of everything you’ve done. And I get the feeling you’ve not told me everything yet. But I’m here, and I’m always ready to listen.”
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“There’s a reason you moved here, isn’t there? You don’t have any other family that I know of.”
She pulls away. “The happiest days of my life were here. For the first sixteen years, I had everything I wanted.”
“Is that all?” I tease. I doubt she moved here specifically for me, but a man can hope.
“Things have been so messed up for so long. I want to give my kids a fresh start in the best place I could think of.” She licks her lips. “You can meet my kids, but not today. Give me time to take a breath.”
I nod. “Okay.”
Truth is, I’ll wait as long as it takes if it means she lets me in.
We’ll go at her pace.
After everything she’s been through, that’s the least I can do for her.