Chapter 23
Twenty-Three
Caleb
I never thought I’d be a man so happy with domesticity.
But with a second movie on, the kids sprawled out on the floor, and snuggled with Emma on the couch, I’m having second thoughts.
This is the life.
“Thank you for today.” She traps her lower lip between her teeth for a moment. “You didn’t have to be here for me, but I really appreciate that you were.”
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” I reach out and stroke her cheek with the back of my hand. She closes her eyes briefly, before focusing her gaze back on me. “If you didn’t want me back here so soon, I’m sorry. Your children had other ideas.”
Emma nods. “I know. They all made that clear. You’re important to them.”
“They’re important to me.” I grasp her hand and give it a squeeze. “We need to talk.”
“We do.”
“After the kids are in bed?”
“Sounds good to me.”
She gives me a small smile, but her gaze shifts to Jason, and there’s so much hope in her eyes.
“I think he’s gone to sleep.”
Jason lets out a soft snort, and Emma laughs.
“I’ve got him.” I get up off the couch and scoop the little boy into my arms.
I want to be your dad so badly.
He stirs, but he nestles his head against my chest and I’m done for.
I need to protect this. All of it.
Making my way up the stairs, I lay him on his bed.
“Don’t worry about pyjamas. Just get him under the blankets,” Emma says from the door.
“Roger that.”
After making sure he’s tucked in, I leave the room. She’s just outside, a wistful smile on her face.
“I know I already said it, but thank you for today. What you did … especially with dinner and the way you are with my children …”
“You don’t have to thank me.”
She rests her palms on my pecs. “I am so thankful for you. I’m sorry I pushed you away.”
I shake my head. “No, I need you to be honest with me. If it all gets to be too much, I need to know.”
“So, how is marriage going to work when I’m still finding my way?”
I slip my arms around her waist.
“I’m not sure. I’ll sleep on the couch if it makes you feel more comfortable, but I want to be here for you—all of you.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“Then, let’s take sex off the table until you’re ready for it.”
Emma nods. “You know it wasn’t just the sex, don’t you? It was just … so intimate. It was a lot.”
“You’re not used to it.”
Her gaze dips. “No. It was the most amazing experience of my life, but also the scariest.”
“Scary? Me?”
She looks back up, a smile playing on her lips. “Not you. The feelings I had, and the memories it conjured up. It was just so overwhelming and too much in that moment.”
“Do you want me to sleep in your bed with you? I’m happy to take the couch.”
“Sleep with me,” she whispers. “I’m not ready for more right now, but I think it would be comforting to have you with me while this is going on.”
I run my hands up her spine and back down it. “Whatever you want. I’m here.”
By the time we’re back down in the living room, it’s empty.
“The girls decided to give us some privacy apparently,” Emma says.
Breaking away from her, I sit back down on the couch and motion for her to join me.
She smiles and takes a seat beside me.
“There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
Her brows knit.
“When I spoke to Sean about your issue, he told me I should come clean and also said he could prepare a prenup to make it clear I have no claim on anything that Malcolm left you.”
She’s back to chewing on her lip again. “I’m happy to talk about a prenup, but come clean about what?”
“Nothing bad.” I smile. “I need to talk to you about what I did after you left.”
Her brows rise. “What did you do?”
“Well, I finished school. You know I wasn’t really academic—that was Chloe’s thing. But I was good with my hands. So, I started out doing handyman work. I dabbled in all kinds of things. It was challenging, but I wasn’t exactly setting the world on fire.”
She smiles. “You’ve grown your business since then, though.”
I nod. “I have. It took me a long time to do that. I was a one-man-band for a very long time. When I was twenty-eight, our grandfather died and left Chloe and me some money. It wasn’t a huge amount—just a few thousand, but I spent half of it buying supplies to build myself …
Well, I guess you could call it a cabin in Mum and Dad’s back yard.
Dad had had an accident on a building site and had to take a pay cut at work, and it didn’t feel right moving away. ”
Emma places her hand on my arm. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah, he is. But he went from building to working in admin, and it was such a big blow to his pride. Chloe had gone overseas, and I was it.”
She snuggles in against me and rests her head on my shoulder. “You’re a good man.”
“I invested the other half of the money. Do you remember Landon McKenna from school?”
Emma raises her head. “He was that really smart kid? Always top of everything?”
I laugh. “That’s the one. Well, he invented some gadget—I don’t really understand it myself—for people with sleep apnea. I had a little bit of money, and he was so confident he could sell it. These days I guess you could say he crowdfunded it.”
Curiosity sweeps her gaze. “You’re telling me this story because he sold it?”
“He licenced it for millions. And as an early investor, I got my cut. I’m not filthy rich, but I have some money tucked away for a rainy day. Enough that I could have bought my own home, but after everything that happened with Dad, I chose to stay where I was and set up the company I have now.”
Emma reaches up to cup my cheek. “I’m so proud of you.”
I turn my head and kiss the palm of her hand. “It means we can tackle whatever your dad throws at us without touching anything you and the kids were left. We’ll do this together.”
“If Sean draws up that prenup, I want it clear that I don’t want anything of yours either. Malcolm’s investments mean we’re doing okay. I thought I might try and find a part-time job to fill the gap.”
I want to tell her she doesn’t have to, and that I’ll support her, but after everything she’s been through, she needs to have her independence.
I’ll never make her feel like she’s forced into anything she doesn’t want to do.
So, I do the only thing I can in this moment—change the subject.
“How about we apply for the licence tomorrow and get married next weekend?”
Her eyes widen. “That quickly?”
“Sooner the better as far as I’m concerned. Let me do this for you.”
Emma’s gaze drops. “I don’t want you to do this because of him.”
“I’m doing it because of me.” I chuckle. “I’m a selfish son-of-a-bitch and I want you to be mine.”
She raises her eyes to meet mine. Panic flares in them. Shit.
I hold up my palms. “I’ll never be him. I know this relationship is going to be back to front, but I want to be your partner—not have some weird sense of ownership like Malcolm had.”
Her shoulders slump. “I know. It’s just hard to trust after …”
“I’m sure.” I cup her face in my hands. “I want you to feel like you’re not alone. My whole family has your back, Emma. We all want you to be happy and free.”
“I want to try.”
I place a soft kiss on her lips. “That’s all I need to hear.”