Chapter 18 #3
The following morning found her confused about what to wear.
With losing all the weight she did, she didn’t have much to choose from that would be practical for being outdoors for so long in such dreadful weather.
The only thing she could gather was a pair of gray sweatpants and a Chiefs’ hoodie that she had bought just to try to impress him last year. Now it was time for hair and makeup.
Or should she even bother wear makeup and do her hair?
There were way too many choices! The thought of meeting his kids that day meant she needed to leave a lasting impression.
And now suddenly, she felt her outfit looked like crap.
One more closet raid left her throwing all sorts of clothes on to the bed until Teddy meowed.
She turned around and saw he had moved to lay by the beautiful blue sunflower dress that Pawpaw had bought her.
She had thrown it on Teddy again. Everything in her life slowed as she approached it, smiling wide in blissful memory.
She picked it up and examined it. Even though she couldn’t fit into it anymore, she kept it.
Evie clutched it close and closed her eyes. “Oh, Pawpaw. I wish you were here. I promise I met someone good. You’re never gonna believe who it is.”
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Caleb’s truck pulling up the driveway. She had no choice but to be satisfied with what she wore and how she looked.
The doorbell rang and she went flying in a mad rush to grab snacks to put in her purse for the kids and gave one final look at herself in the mirror by the door.
She answered it and saw his handsome face sporting a Chiefs’ hoodie and gray sweatpants. She smiled and they kissed.
“Damn,” he said smiling. “You look hot in that stuff.”
She raised a brow playfully. “I wonder why.”
He grabbed her hand and led her down the stairs. “I know this has gotta be hard for you, but…it’ll be okay.” He smirked and said sarcastically, “I’ll whoop their butts if they get outta line.”
She laughed. “Sure, you will.”
“Oh no, I’m serious.” His playful antics kept making her laugh. He smiled looking away. “I’ll make them do ten hours of horse lunging. Especially little Olivia. She’ll do it for twelve.”
Evie grinned up to him. “Poor horses.”
“Not the horses. For a few hours, Zack will be on the lead and Olivia can lunge him and then they’ll switch.”
Evie laughed again and playfully slapped his chest. As they walked to the truck, Caleb warned with a grin, looking at the yard, “Don’t get outta line with me either young lady, or you’ll do the weed-eatin’.”
“Gotta teach me first. Unless you want a ruined weed eater,” she taunted.
They smiled at each other.
Caleb took her around to the side where Olivia was and ordered Zack to get out of the back. He unlatched his little girl from the child seat. “Alright, lil’ Liv. Time to meet Evelyn!”
He whistled for Zack who replied sluggishly, “I’m coming.”
Evie could hear him kicking the gravel as he came around the truck. Caleb ordered in a nervous smile, “Hey, don’t be givin’ that ‘tude little dude. Evelyn is a really nice lady, okay? I promise you’ll love her! Remember how we act in the presence of a lady?”
He put Olivia down who just looked up at Evie, who was vibrating with nerves. Olivia stared at up at her, and it made Evie uncomfortable. She took a deep breath and casually offered her hand. “Hey, Olivia! I like your name. It’s really pretty! It’s nice to meet you.”
Olivia smiled with a missing tooth and shook Evie’s hand hard with both of hers. It jostled her when the kid hopped up and down. “Wanna see my drawlings?”
“Drawings, baby girl,” Caleb corrected.
Olivia asked again, “Drawlings? They’re in the back in my book bag!”
Evie snickered, “Of course! I’d love to see them!”
But Caleb’s masculine dad voice came in, “In a minute, sweetie. Let Zack meet her.” He then put his hand around his son’s back. “Zack bud, this is Evelyn, but you can call her Evie.”
She could tell he didn’t like her at all, but Evie knew damn well that with her brother’s kids, that kids could take a bit of warming up to someone.
She smiled and pulled a few stray hairs behind her ears.
That damn Midwest wind. “Hi, Zack. I hear you like Batman a lot. I love Catwoman! Your dad has told me a lot about you,” she said in a quiet and tender voice.
“He hasn’t told me anything about you.”
“That’s okay. I understand.” Evie paused for a moment. “But I’d like a chance to be friends with you. Is that okay?”
“You don’t need to talk to me like I’m five.”
Caleb rubbed Zack’s back. “Be nice. She’s done nothin’ wrong.”
But Evie looked at Caleb with an encouraging smile. “It’s not a problem for me if he has boundaries or preferences.”
“It bothers me. I taught him to be respectful to all people.”
She withdrew respectfully. Zack was Caleb’s child, not hers. “I appreciate that. But, Zack? I do hope we can have fun today. Your dad tells me you’re doing great at sports! Hopefully I can come and watch you play sometime?”
The conversation was interrupted when Deputy Hunt’s cruiser pulled up the driveway. Caleb groaned with a laugh, “Oh boy. Is this gonna be another one of his three-hour talks he has with you?”
Evie held her mouth in laughter. “I’ll try to keep it short.” Then she looked to the kids. “Do you guys wanna see a really cool dog that can do some really cool tricks?”
Hunt got out of his vehicle, and Caleb shook his hand, and Evie gave him a hard hug. “How are you today, Hunt?” she asked.
“Oh, ya know. Livin’ the dream!”
Caleb said, “Can’t complain?”
“Nope! No siree.”
“Hey, Hunt,” Evie began, “we’re in a little bit of a hurry for the game. But while we chatted, do you think you could earn me some brownie points and bring Atlas out for the kids to see him?”
“Well, sure! But brownie points? For what?”
Caleb pulled Evie close and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She snuggled into him a bit and smiled at Hunt, whose face was as surprised as seeing a squirrel shit gold. His shocked look faded into a wide smile. “Well color me stupid. I can’t believe it! You two are officially together now?”
Caleb flashed a wide smile. “We sure are.”
Hunt rested his hands on his vest straps and rocked on his heels. “Evie, I’m damn happy for you. Caleb, you ought to know that this little feline has been hotblooded for you for a long time now.”
Caleb kissed her cheek. “I’ve kinda gathered that.”
Evie didn’t want the conversation to get too uncomfortable, and so she asked him quickly to bring Atlas out. Within a minute, Atlas’s door was opened. Evie coaxed Zack and Olivia over, and she smiled mostly to Zack. “He’s really cool and super friendly!”
When that big German Shepherd came out, both kids were stunned in excitement. Olivia awed out loud, and Zack laughed at how hyper the dog was, loving to pet his fur.
While the kids entertained themselves with the dog, the three adults chatted until Evie ran inside to get an extra scarf.
Hunt smiled to Caleb and kept an eye on the dog and kids. “Going to the Chiefs’ game?”
“Yes, sir, we sure are!”
Hunt smiled. “I hope you two have fun. So damn proud that our boys got to the Superbowl again!”
Evie came back out. “Was there something you needed, Dan?”
“Oh, nah. I just wanted to stop by and see how everything was doing and to make sure you haven’t noticed any weird activity lately.”
Caleb spoke, “I haven’t seen anything on the ring camera.” He looked at Evie.
She said, “I haven’t noticed anything, either.”
“Well,” Hunt began, “that’s good then. I’ll head on out. Have fun at the game!”
Later on, the drive to the stadium was a weird one.
Because Evie and Olivia liked the same exact Spice Girls songs, and Caleb and Zack were trapped against their wills to hear and endure the girliest renditions ever known to them.
Yet it didn’t actually bother Caleb at all.
He groaned in play as a dad would, but it made him happy to see Evie doing the arm moves of certain dance routines in the passenger seat, and hearing Olivia singing off key in the back trying to mimic the dance moves.
It was breakfast at McDonald’s for the kids, and a special stop at Starbucks for Evie.
She assured Caleb he didn’t have to do it, but he knew McDonald’s didn’t settle well in her stomach.
And on that day, Zack had his first taste of coffee.
On Caleb’s request, Evie recorded the reaction by twisting over in her seat to film him with Caleb’s phone, and the reaction left the whole truck roaring in laughter that reached Heaven. He hated coffee.
They yelled over each other, teased each other, jested at each other in good humor, and all decided to leave it on the country station to sing songs they all knew.
Until on a commercial, Caleb asked Evie to switch the station to station that played a variety of genres.
As she flipped through the channels, a song came on.
A song that made them both focus on what they were each looking at. Caleb on the road, and Evie at the interface.
Evie looked at him as Caleb lowly sang, still focused on the road.
She rubbed his leg, and they looked at one another. As if they knew each other’s very thought patterns, needs, wishes, and dreams, they both sang softly along.
Caleb removed a hand from the steering wheel and rested it on hers. Their fingers slowly curled into one another.
Hot dogs, sodas, nachos, oh my! Evie thought.
She huddled against Caleb, as the game was loud, busy, chaotic, and hectic.
People were everywhere, and the echoing of the announcers and music that played during the breaks were loud.
Everything was loud. There was movement everywhere, and Olivia had a tenacity to be hyperactive, and Zack was demanding of his dad. She didn’t know how he did it.