Chapter Forty-Nine
Caleb
As Indi walks toward me on Dad’s arm, my heart pounds so hard it steals my breath.
She’s graceful.
She’s stunning.
And she’s everything I’ve ever wanted.
Every instinct tells me to run to her, but I force myself to stay where I am as she smiles that earth-shattering smile that reaches all the way to her sparkling eyes.
The moment she’s close enough, I cave, stepping forward, and I hold out my hand.
She slips hers into mine, and the simple touch sends warmth racing through me.
No matter how many times she touches me…
It never gets old.
“You look stunning,” I whisper.
She smiles shyly as she comes to stand in front of me. Without thinking, I slide my free hand around her waist. I don’t care about standing a respectable distance apart. We’re not a conventional couple, and this isn’t a conventional wedding.
I’m holding my future wife.
End. Of. Discussion.
She laughs softly. “You look so handsome in a suit. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear anything except jeans, a vest, and a leather jacket.”
Everyone chuckles.
She’s not wrong.
“Shall we begin?” the celebrant asks.
I nod without taking my eyes off Indi.
The celebrant starts speaking, but the words blur into the background.
All I see is her.
The tiny freckle above her lip.
The happiness shining in her eyes.
The woman who’s been my best friend, my greatest love, and now…
My wife.
Or she will be in a few minutes.
“Caleb.”
I don’t move.
“Caleb?”
I finally hear the laughter around me.
Indi tilts her head toward the celebrant, trying not to smile.
“Huh?”
“Your vows.”
Heat creeps into my cheeks. “Right. Sorry.”
Taking both of her hands, I look straight into her eyes. “Indi…
“You’ve made me the man I am today.
“You believed in me long before I believed in myself.
“You’ve stood beside me through every high and every low, and because of you, I’m better than I ever thought I could be.
“I never believed I deserved your love.
“But now that I have it, I’ll spend the rest of my life proving I deserve to keep it.
“My heart is yours.
“My soul is yours.
“My life is yours.
“I promise to love you, honor you, support you, and make you proud to call me your husband.
“You’ve saved me more times than I can count.
“You are my true saving grace.
“My angel.
“My best friend.
“I love you, Indi Malone, and I’m honored to become your husband.
“I’ll cherish you for the rest of our lives.”
By the time I finish, tears shimmer in her eyes, and I brush one away with my thumb.
I love you, she mouths.
The celebrant can wait… I lean in and kiss her anyway. She kisses me back as Mum and Dad laugh behind us, and the celebrant sighs dramatically.
“How am I supposed to follow that?” Indi whispers.
“You don’t have to.”
She takes a deep, steadying breath and tries. “Caleb…
“Loving you has always been the easiest thing I’ve ever done.
“Life hasn’t always been easy for us, but being without you is harder than anything we’ve faced.
“When we’re apart, the world loses its color.
“But when I’m with you… I’m home.
“You make me stronger.
“You make me happier.
“You make me feel safe enough to be exactly who I am.
“You are my home, my heart, and my future.
“I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love another person.
“I’m honored to become your wife.
“And I’ll cherish you for the rest of our lives.”
Another tear slips down her cheek, and I wipe it away before it can fall.
God… I love this woman.
She throws her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly, and I hold her just as fiercely.
“Would you like to exchange rings now?” the celebrant asks dryly. “Or shall I just stand here while you two do whatever this is?”
I laugh while Dad hands me the ring.
Taking Indi’s left hand, I slide it gently onto her finger. “I, Caleb McCormack-Slade, take you, Indica Caitlyn Malone, to be my wedded wife. With this ring, I pledge my love and faithfulness to you today, tomorrow, and always.”
A soft sob escapes her.
Mum steps forward and hands my wedding band to Indi.
Indi’s hands tremble as she slips it onto my finger. “I, Indica Caitlyn Malone, take you, Caleb McCormack-Slade, to be my wedded husband. With this ring, I pledge my love and faithfulness to you today, tomorrow, and always.”
The band settles into place.
Perfect.
Like it has always belonged there.
Like the last missing piece of me has finally been found.
“You may kiss your bride.”
I don’t need to be told twice.
Wrapping my arms around Indi, I dip her backward like we’re in some over-the-top Hollywood romance before kissing her with everything I’ve got.
Mum and Dad cheer.
Indi laughs against my mouth before kissing me back just as fiercely.
When I finally pull away, we’re both breathless, and I rest my forehead against hers.
“I love you, husband,” she whispers.
The words hit me like a goddamn freight train, and joy explodes through every part of me.
“Woo hoo! Fuck yeah! I married my sweet pixie!” I scoop her into my arms and spin her around while she squeals with laughter.
Everyone joins in, and somewhere between the cheering, the laughter, and the woman in my arms…
I realize I’ve never been happier than I am in this moment.
***
We spend the evening enjoying a quiet, romantic dinner before leaving Mum and Dad to themselves and retreating to the honeymoon suite.
I spend the entire night making love to my wife.
Slowly.
Tenderly.
Showing her, with every touch, exactly how much I love her.
She looked breathtaking in her wedding dress, but nothing compares to the feeling of holding her bare against me as we moved together, unhurried, with nowhere else to be.
Making love to Indi has always been incredible.
Making love to my wife…
That’s something else entirely.
The emotion threatens to overwhelm me more than once, but I somehow keep it together. I want Indi to see the man she married, not the hopeless idiot who still gets overwhelmed every time she looks at me.
The following afternoon, Mum, Dad, Indi, and I board the Slayed jet back to London.
It still feels surreal that this time yesterday we were standing in Scotland, promising each other forever.
Now we’re home.
As we reach the front door, Indi slips the key into the lock.
“Wait!” I yell.
She jumps slightly and looks around. “What?”
I drop our bags and hurry over. Before she can ask another question, I sweep her into my arms.
She laughs, looping her arms around my neck. “What are you doing?”
“Carrying you over the threshold.” I grin. “It’s tradition.”
She shakes her head before kissing my cheek.
I carry her through the doorway. “Welcome home, Mrs McCormack-Slade.”
She beams as I set her gently on her feet. “Welcome home, husband.” Standing on tiptoe, she kisses the end of my nose. “Now fetch my bags and make me a coffee.” She puts on the most ridiculously posh accent imaginable before wandering into the kitchen like royalty.
I laugh. “I still love you, even if you’ve turned me into your personal servant!”
She bursts into giggles and comes back to rescue one of the bags.
“Sorry.” She grins. “I couldn’t resist.”
I smack her lightly on the ass as she walks past. She squeals and hurries into the bedroom.
“I’m going to call Rob,” I say, following her inside. “We should probably work out how we’re going to announce this.”
She sets her bag on the bed before turning to me. “You don’t want just one more day where it’s only us before the whole world knows?”
I smile. “I do.” I set my own bag beside hers. “But I should tell Rob before he hears it from someone else. He doesn’t have to release anything yet…” I sigh. “I just think he deserves to know.”
She walks over, wraps her arms around my waist, and buries her face against my chest. “Okay.” She looks up at me. “Tell him… but can we have a couple of days together before we have to deal with magazine spreads and interviews and all that crap?”
I kiss the top of her head. “Whatever makes you happy.”
“Right. I’m calling Kenzi.” Her eyes brighten. “She’s going to lose her mind. Are you okay with that?”
“Of course.”
I pull my phone from my pocket. “I’ll call Rob while you call Kenzi.”
She smiles before disappearing from the room, already pulling out her phone.
I dial Rob, and he answers on the second ring. “Luxley.”
“Rob, it’s Caleb.”
Instead of his usual greeting, he lets out a heavy sigh. “Oh, shit.”
My smile falters. “Where have you been?”
“Actually…” I chuckle. “That’s what I was calling about. Indi and I kind of… went to Scotland.” I grin. “We got married.”
Silence.
Then…
“Caleb…” His voice changes completely. “Seriously… you haven’t heard?”
Every muscle in my body tightens. “Heard what?”
“It’s Annie.”
Ice floods my veins. “Her birth mother… Loretta…” He pauses. “She kidnapped her.”
The room tilts. “What the fuck?”
“She held Annie for ransom.” Each sentence lands like another punch. “She broke her thumb…
“Tortured her…
“Drugged her…
“Then she demanded that Colt bring her a million dollars.”
Holy fuck! I can’t breathe.
“When they made the exchange…” Another pause. “Loretta was shot and killed.”
My knees give out, and I drop onto the edge of the bed as my hands begin to shake uncontrollably. “Annie…” The word barely leaves my mouth. “Is she… is she okay?”
“She’s in hospital.” Rob sighs. “Physically, she’ll recover.” His voice softens. “But, Caleb… her birth mother kidnapped her, drugged her, tortured her, and then died in front of her.” There is a moment of silence before, “How do you think she is?”
Guilt crashes over me.
While I’d been celebrating the happiest day of my life…
Annie had been living through the worst day of hers.
I rub the back of my neck, trying to steady my breathing. “What can I do?”
“I honestly don’t know.” He sounds exhausted. “I’m in full crisis mode right now…” A long pause. “I can’t deal with anything else today.”
“Yeah…” I swallow hard. “Of course… Annie comes first.”
“I’m sorry this has overshadowed your news.” His voice softens again. “And… congratulations. It’s been a long time coming.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
He lets out a small chuckle. “You and Indi? I’ve known you two were back together for ages.
It’s my job to know these things, Caleb.
” Despite everything, I almost smile. “It might come as a shock to everyone else, but not me.” His voice softens.
“I’m just glad there’s a little bit of happiness in all this.
” A beat of time passes. “But call Colt. See if he needs anything. Annie’s your family, and she needs you right now. ”
“Thanks, Rob.” I swallow… hard. “Thanks for telling me.”
“Just be there for your family.” He sighs. “I’ve got to go. We’ll talk later.”
The line goes dead.
I sit motionless on the edge of the bed, elbows resting on my knees, my phone hanging loosely in my hand, but my mind won’t stop replaying it…
Kidnapped.
Drugged.
Tortured.
Held for ransom.
All while I’d been celebrating the happiest day of my life.
A wave of guilt crashes through me… some fucking cousin I am.
I should’ve been there.
I should’ve…
I stand abruptly and begin pacing the room. My chest tightens until every breath feels too small, and anger floods through me so fast it almost hurts.
How could anyone do that to Annie?
My eyes land on my guitar, and without thinking…
I grab it.
With a roar that tears itself from my chest, I hurl it at the wall.
Wood explodes against the plasterboard.
The crack echoes through the house.
“Caleb!” Indi’s scream is followed by pounding footsteps.
The shattered guitar slips from my fingers onto the floor as I turn toward the bedroom door.
She rushes in, her eyes darting from the wreckage…
…to me.
And she freezes.
A tear slides down my cheek, and I don’t even try to wipe it away.
“Oh my God.” She rushes across the room. “Caleb, what happened?” She notices the broken guitar but doesn’t even acknowledge it. Instead, she cups my face, searching my eyes while I struggle to pull air into my lungs.
“Baby… talk to me.” Her voice trembles. “You’re scaring me.”
I lower my head. “Annie’s birth m-mother…” My voice catches.
Indi waits. “Yeah?”
I force the words out. “She kidnapped her.” I swallow hard. “Tortured her…
“Drugged her…
“Held her for ransom.
“It all happened while we were away.”
Her hand flies to her mouth. “Oh my God… is Annie okay?”
I nod weakly. “She’s in the hospital.” I rake a hand through my hair. “Broken thumb.” I shake my head. “And God knows what else.”
Without another word, Indi wraps her arms around me, and I hold on to her as tightly as she holds on to me.
The frantic pounding of my heart begins to slow beneath the warmth of her embrace.
“Jesus…” she whispers against my chest.
“She was suffering, Indi.” The words come out broken.
“While we were getting married… while we were having the best day of our lives…” I close my eyes.
“She was living through the worst day of hers.” My throat tightens.
“Her birth mother was shot and killed.” I shake my head.
“I don’t even know the whole story. I just… ” My voice disappears.
I can’t even imagine what Annie must be feeling.
Indi rubs slow circles across my back. “I know, baby.” She tilts her head up to look at me. “But we’ll be there for her now.” She brushes away the tears on my face. “And you cannot blame yourself. We didn’t know. There was no way we could’ve known. This isn’t your fault.”
I nod slowly, drawing in a shaky breath. “I just hate knowing I was so happy…” I close my eyes, “… while she was going through hell.”
“I know.” She squeezes my hand. “But if you carry that guilt, it’ll steal this from us too.” Her smile is small but certain. “Right now…” She takes my face between her hands. “We focus on Annie.”
I nod. “You’re right.”
An idea suddenly hits me. “What if…” I look at her. “We throw her a surprise party when she gets home?” I can already picture it. “Get everyone together. Show her she’s surrounded by people who love her.”
A smile spreads across Indi’s face. “You have such a beautiful heart.” She kisses me softly. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.” She nudges my phone back into my hand. “Call Colt. See what he thinks.”
I nod.
Kissing her forehead, I unlock my phone and dial Colt’s number.