Chapter 13 #2
We finish eating and chat about the logistics.
Wilby emails the company to say he’ll be working remotely for the next week, but doesn’t offer any details on where or why.
So far, I’ve been able to keep my location private, and I want to keep it that way.
He researches and steps outside to make a few calls.
Cal leans back and looks at me. “You okay?”
I shake my head. “No, I’m not okay. This is proving to be the weirdest day ever.”
Cal snorts and nods.
“I’m sorry. It’s not that I’m not grateful. But I think statistically this is going to be a shitshow, and I’m worried about that for you.”
“You don’t have to worry about me. But I do have one request,” Cal says sheepishly. His cheeks redden and he can’t meet my eyes.
I give him a curious look, my nerves making my pancakes sour in my gut. “What?”
Cal sighs and looks out at Wilby on the phone, who’s no doubt setting up an impromptu wedding. “I need you to come meet my mom.”
Oh.
Oh my.
I soften. “Your mom?”
Cal nods. “Her name is Carly. It would break her heart if she heard about you from anyone else. And I don’t keep things from her.”
My heart melts a little. Cal is such a good guy.
“Yes, I’d love to meet her. Just say when,” I agree. “But she’s probably going to think this is the weirdest thing ever.”
Or the most horrible. If she’s a normal mom, unlike my crazy, controlling one, she won’t like the idea of her son marrying out of convenience to help some tourist who blew into town wearing a wedding dress and carrying a suitcase full of issues.
While I like the idea of meeting her, I wish it were under any other circumstances. I’m suddenly nervous but also excited at the same time. What if she’s really cool? I’ve never had a cool mom. Just my sorry excuse for one.
“Well...she probably won’t think this is that weird,” Cal assures me. “But to be on the safe side, we’ll pay her a visit so she’s not blindsided.”
“Does she want to go out to dinner? We could...”
Cal shakes his head. “The thing is...she doesn’t leave the house.”
“Oh. Like ever?” I ask, suddenly feeling worried.
“No.”
“Where does she live?” I ask, curious.
“Over by Birdie. It’s Tuesday. I usually go visit her and bring her groceries and her books. If you want to come with me...you can.”
This feels big. Like more than a way to rescue my company through marriage. More than just being friends with the hot bartender. This feels like a next step. Something deeper. Something more.
Life is getting complicated, but I can’t stop it now.
“Yes. I’d love to go with you,” I say with a smile. “What do you mean by books?”
His cheeks turn pink and his grin is entirely too cute as he says, “She’s a big romance reader. She’s always been a romantic at heart. I stop by the mobile bookstore and get her a few books to read for the week. It’s just something she looks forward to. It means a lot to her.”
And apparently it means a lot to him too.
If Cal can “fake” marry me, I can visit his mother with him and bring her books. Knowing I can do something for him for a change warms my heart.
“Oh. I’ve been wanting to go to Salty Pages Books,” I tell him with a cheesy grin. “Can I help you pick out some books?” I’m excited by this.
Cal leans back in relief. “You have no idea how much that would help me. I am terrible at picking out her books. Mia and Juniper have been awesome at helping, but I might need reinforcements.”
“Well, let’s go,” I say, bumping his shoulder gently. “Wilby has the wedding stuff.”
I grab my black nylon crossbody purse and Cal’s hand lays on mine gently. A zing of pleasure shoots up my arm at his touch. Whoa.
Cal lays down bills and nods to our server. “I got it.”
“Wait,” I say. “I can’t go meet your mom looking like this. I look like a drowned rat. She will think I’m so weird.”
Cal laughs. “She would never think that.”
“Can I take a shower and get presentable?”
“Of course. Why don’t I drop you off and take Wilby to his B&B. Then I’ll get ready and come get you?”
I grin. “Sounds perfect.”
And this is how I met my future husband’s mother.
“Okay,” Cal says carefully. “I usually only bring her three books.”
I look down at the towering stack in my arms. Paperbacks, hardcovers, and a cookbook I’m sure Carly would love. I love it.
“Shhh,” I tell him.
The Salty Pages mobile bookstore smells like paper, sunshine, and happiness, which feels on point.
I absolutely adore it. And this has become my new favorite place in Coconut Beach.
I can’t believe I haven’t been here before.
It’s been what feels like forever since I’ve been able to read a book for fun.
I’m going to see if Carly wants to lend me some of these. Maybe we can be friends.
Juniper and Mia are behind the counter, glowing with the kind of joy that comes from watching someone buy a ton of books from their store and get excited about them.
I put them all on the counter and start making another one in my arms. I can’t help it.
There’re just too many good ones to choose from. I have to get them all for her.
Cal clears his throat behind me, and I glance over at him. “What?”
He gives me an exasperated look.
I slide another novel onto my second pile. “You said she likes books.”
Juniper grins, and Mia gives me a thumbs up as if they’re both confirming.
“Yes,” Cal agrees. “But this looks like you’re stocking a bunker full of books for like the end of time.”
I step a little closer to him, lowering my voice. “Cal… I love books. Your mom does too. This means a lot, so please don’t take it from me.”
He watches me for a moment, eyes flicking to mine, and then, just slightly, to my lips. A small jolt of awareness runs through me, and I shake it off, focusing on the books in my hands, aware we have an audience. “I hope she’ll really like this too,” I add softly, pointing at another book.
He smiles, shaking his head. “She’s going to think it’s Christmas morning.”
“Exactly,” I say, letting myself relax a little as I slide the book onto the stack. Juniper beams at me, grabbing one pile of books, and Mia hands me another. “Thank you,” I say quietly, smiling at them both. “Of course. I’ll be back. I need books, too.”
“You’re doing the Lord’s work,” Mia says with a wide grin. “We’ll be restocking for you!”
“I aim to serve,” I reply, with a mock salute.
The drive to Carly’s house is quiet. I worry she might not like me. What if she thinks I’m a weirdo trying to bag her son for some weirdo reason? Well. That last part is true. Kinda.
When we pull up, my nerves spike. The house is modest and neat, curtains drawn, porch swept. It looks loved and cozy. It’s a little pink bungalow with a eucalyptus wreath on the door. I love it.
As we approach the house, my stomach tightens and my heart races. I didn’t realize how much this visit would unnerve me. I’m used to commanding board rooms, but this feels so outside my wheelhouse. I don’t want to disappoint Cal.
Carly answers the door before Cal can knock. She’s younger than I expected. Softer. Her smile is wide, nervous, and warm all at once.
“Hi,” she says, looking timidly at me.
“Mom, this is Silvie. We have some news,” Cal says.
I barely get out a hello before she pulls me into a hug. A real one. And I realize I’ve never been hugged like this by my own mother. Birdie, yes. But not my own mother. My nervousness about meeting Cal’s mother fades instantly, and I like her.
“So nice to meet one of Cal’s friends. I’m a hugger. And it’s just so nice to meet you. Let me help,” she says as she picks up a bag, and her eyes grow wide when she sees all the books. “What is all this?”
Cal brings in a few bags of groceries he’d had tucked in a cooler in his back seat. I helped Carly unpack all the books on her dining room table.
“Just a few books we thought you’d like,” I say with a smile. “I’m a big reader, too. I mean, I was. I want to get back into it, though. Maybe we could read some together and talk about them. Like a book club?” I say sheepishly.
We spread them all out and looked through them.
I noticed Cal watching us from the kitchen, pretending to stay busy as he put away groceries.
He’s meticulous and careful about his task.
My heart squeezes because I’m moved with how much love he puts into something as simple as putting the groceries into cabinets.
Carly’s hands hover over the books and then over her mouth like she can’t believe it.
“For me?” she keeps saying. “All of these are for me?”
Cal watches her like she’s his favorite person in the whole world, and that’s when I truly know he’s a good man through and through. He loves his mom. He brings her books. He takes care of her.
And you get to marry him…
A thrill shoots through me and I quickly squash it. As much as I want to romanticize what we’ve agreed to, it’s nothing more than just that. An agreement. A contract. A marriage on paper.
“Come sit, kids,” Carly says, gesturing to the living room. “I have cookies.”
Who says no to cookies? Not this girl.
After we sit, cookies in hand, Cal and I explain our crazy plan. To Carly’s credit, she doesn’t freak out or tell me to get out. If anything, she seems amused and entertained by the whole thing.
She just laughs when we finish. “It’s like a romcom.”
I smirk and look over at Cal. That’s what Wilby said. He grins and shakes his head, too.
“Fake or not,” Carly says gently, “welcome to the family.”
There’s nothing real about this marriage, aside from what the law will see, but my heart still trips over itself to be included in their family. Carly is the sweetest. And Cal…
He’s just about perfect.
Later, when we step back outside, I can’t stop smiling.
“She’s younger than I thought,” I say quietly.
He nods. “She’s forty-eight. She had me young.”
“She’s really great.”
I want to ask about what happened to her but can’t find the nerve to voice it. He must sense my question, though because he answers it.
“About six years ago,” he says, eyes on the ground, “she stopped leaving the house. Anxiety. It got bad. I came back home to take care of her.”
Something in my chest cracks open.
The way he said it so plainly. Like love doesn’t need explaining. He would do anything for the mother he loves.
“She obviously adores you,” I say and mean it. It’s something to be cherished and grateful for. Not everyone has that.
He smiles. “She’s probably going to ask you a million questions next time. She seemed kind of in shock by everything.”
“I like her a lot,” I admit.
“She said she’ll support us,” he says. “Whatever we need.”
I glance back at the house, light glowing warm through the window.
I don’t know how this all ends.
But I know one thing.
Anyone raised with that kind of love is someone I could temporarily trust with my heart.