Chapter Seven
October was flying by so quickly, it was buzzing like a whirlwind. Mae slid her hand into Caleb’s as they made their way through the park and Snots decided to go chasing after fallen leaves.
The town was thriving with tourists, and the town mayor had arranged for thrill rides to be set up around the high school.
Everything was ready for Halloween. Caleb had gotten busier in the last few weeks, and Mae opened for a few hours on Sundays.
She only ever did this through October when tourists were in high demand during recent book launches.
Caleb whistled to Snots as another couple with a German shepherd neared, and Snots immediately came to him and sat down.
“I can’t believe how well you have him trained,” Mae said.
“I got him from a pup, and he was in one of those shelters where they put them down. I just couldn’t let that happen. I adopted him and had him home within twenty-four hours.”
Mae looked at Snots, and her love for him went through the roof.
“I always wanted to have a dog, but my grandma was allergic, then with the shop and Grandpa, it was just never the right time.”
“I don’t think there is ever a right time getting a dog. Training and stuff is a lot of work, I won’t pretend it’s not. Sometimes, you just got to make time, you know?”
She did know.
The other couple thanked Caleb, and then he clicked his tongue for Snots to carry on chasing leaves. She couldn’t help but laugh as she watched the carefree dog.
“So, Pete’s asked if you and I would be willing to watch his two girls this weekend? He wants to take Emily for a quick romantic getaway.”
Mae laughed. “You know, Emily asked me the same thing.”
“She did?” Caleb asked.
“Do you ever get the feeling they are trying to play matchmaker?” Mae asked.
“Does that bother you?”
“No. They’re our friends, and clearly, they each care about us.” Mae knew Emily had only the best intentions.
“Yeah, but do we want to take care of their kids for an entire weekend?” he asked. “I mean, they are terrors.”
Mae laughed. “Kasey and Leah are gorgeous and it will be a lot of fun. Also, if you like, we can give them back Sunday after getting them hyper on candy and chocolate?”
Caleb laughed. “I love the way you think.”
He pulled her in close and took possession of her lips. They kept doing this, and Mae stopped worrying about where they were when he’d just kiss her. They’d been dating for over a month, and she was pretty sure the gossip had moved on from the two of them at this point.
She smiled up at him.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing, just, it’s been over a month since you and I started dating.”
Caleb chuckled. “So, now you agree we’re doing more than just having fun?”
Mae sighed. “We are, though, right?” She hated how unsure she sounded and he laughed.
“We’re doing more than just having fun.” He pulled her in close and kissed her. “A lot more.” And he kissed her again.
Snots let out a bark, and they both turned to see the dog waiting for them.
He was not interested in just sitting around waiting for them.
They left the park, and Caleb crouched down to put the lead on, and he took hold of her hand as they made their way through town.
She wasn’t sure if he noticed, but people were watching them and pointing at their hands.
Mae didn’t pull away. Clearly, where she thought they were no longer the topic of conversation, she was very much mistaken.
“Do you want to have kids?” Caleb asked.
Mae froze and as she did so, Caleb kept walking. “What?”
He stopped and their hands were extended. “I was just curious if you wanted to have kids? You know, with us taking care of Kasey and Leah.”
She felt her hands go a little clammy. “Do you?”
He looked at her and Mae waited. Neither of them spoke, and then Caleb’s cell phone rang. He let go of her hand and checked down at the caller. “I’ve got to take his.”
She nodded and took the lead from him. He stepped away, and she crouched down to stroke Snots.
“That wasn’t good, was it?” Mae asked.
The dog just looked at her as he waited.
She continued to stroke him, and then Caleb came back. “That was work. I’ve got to deal with something.”
“That’s okay. I’m going to see Emily.” She offered him a smile, and Caleb looked at her. She waited to see if he would kiss her, but he didn’t. “I’ll call you soon.”
Mae watched him walk away then took a deep breath and slowly expelled it.
“I don’t think we ended things quite so well.” She couldn’t help but wince, and then she gave Snots a tap on the chest and started to make her way toward the bakery. It was cold, and the bakery didn’t like pets inside.
Mae got Emily’s attention and her friend gave her a thumbs-up. She took one of the tables outside, and snuggled down into her jacket. She didn’t have to wait long before Emily was out, complete with coffee and muffins.
“How come you’ve got Snots?” Emily asked, giving him a pat on the head, and she had a dog biscuit for him.
“Caleb got called into work.”
“Are you two going to take care of our kids for us?” Emily asked.
“Yeah, we are.” Mae couldn’t get the last ten minutes out of her head.
“Oh, no, what’s going on?” Emily asked, in between taking a large bite of her muffin.
“What do you mean?”
“That face, it says you’re thinking about something that happened and seeing as the only person you’ve been around is Caleb, what has he done to piss you off?” Emily asked.
“It’s nothing.”
“Do we need to go through this every single time? I’m your life friend, remember?”
Mae scrunched up her nose. “Fine, fine, it’s nothing. He asked me if I wanted to have kids.”
“Caleb did?” Emily asked.
“Yeah, Caleb did.”
To which Emily whistled. “That boy means business.”
“What?”
“Well, you do, don’t you? You want the whole big family. The sweaters at Christmas, the cards and the turkey dinner, and the family events. You want that.”
Mae pursed her lips and Emily looked at her.
“Did you tell him that?”
“I asked him if he wanted kids.”
Emily lifted her coffee to her lips and took a sip. “And?”
“He didn’t answer.”
“Did you?”
“No,” Mae said.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s Caleb.”
Emily let out an exasperated growl. “Seriously? Caleb asks you and all you can think to do is ... what? Ask him?”
“What was I supposed to do, just tell him?”
“Duh.”
This time, Mae groaned. “If I do that, what if it scares him? This is Caleb, King Sleep Around and not have a settled relationship, and kids are long-term.”
“But he asked you, and that was your time to ... you know, be honest with him and tell him the truth, you know, like a normal person.”
“This is not a normal situation!”
“How do you think Pete and I have lasted so long?” Emily asked.
“You guys love each other.”
“Yes, but love is just one part of it. I tell Pete everything and he tells me everything. We are open with one another. We don’t keep secrets.
He knows I want another kid. He knows I want us to have a weekend together so we can make another kid.
He knows you’re my best friend and I care about you, and if his friend hurts you, then I’m going to kick his friend’s ass. ”
Mae laughed.
“I’m being serious here, Mae. Talking with each other is what is important. It is important for both of you. Otherwise, what’s the point?”
****
“And you didn’t say a word?” Pete asked.
“What could I say? I wasn’t expecting her to come at me with the same question!” Caleb ran fingers through his hair.
“Do you want kids?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Wow,” Pete said.
He frowned at his friend. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Pete held his hands up. “I’m just saying, you’re the guy that was never going to settle down. You’ve screwed your way through town, and let’s not even get started on the tourists.”
“That has nothing to do with this.”
“Caleb, you were never going to settle down. You hate kids. You even thought me marrying Emily was a big mistake.”
He went to argue but Pete held his finger up to him to silence. “You offered me the getaway car, and you even tried to convince me to fuck a stripper. I wanted neither. I knew Emily was special to me. I love my life, and this coming weekend, she and I are going to make another baby.”
Caleb sighed.
“Wow,” Pete said.
“What?” He was getting tired of his friend’s wows.
“I remember a time when I told you Emily and I were making babies and you would groan as if it were the worst thing you had ever heard.”
“No, I didn’t.”
Pete rolled his eyes. “We’ll agree to disagree on this, but you did, and now look at you, you’re all happy about it.”
“I’m not happy about it,” Caleb said. “I’m fucking envious. You’re a fucking dick.”
Again, his friend burst out laughing.
“If this is how you feel, why not turn around and tell Mae you want kids?”
“Because what if she only wants me to have a good time? What if ... my stupid fucking reputation is the problem? She doesn’t want to be with a guy who has been with so many women.
” Caleb sighed. “You know, I can’t believe this but my dad was right, and he even said there was going to come a point in my life where I would sit back and listen, and then think, ‘my dad was right.’ Fuck!
” He growled the last word and Pete was not exactly being a lot of help, because he just seemed to find it exceedingly funny. “Why do you keep laughing?”
“I can’t help it. You are having a little temper tantrum, and I’m seeing my best friend backtrack and regret his life choices.” Pete put a hand to his heart. “It’s kind of poetic.”
“Stop.”
They had already dealt with Pete’s problem.
A customer had come into the shop, claiming they had done their tattoo and it had gotten infected.
Caleb kept a record of every job they did.
They threatened lawyers, legal action, and even attempted blackmail and intimidation.
He was not going to be threatened, and once he stepped toe to toe with the man and didn’t back down, he soon ran out of the parlor.
After that, he’d put a call to the sheriff, to advise him there was a scammer in town, and now he was in this conversation with his best friend.
“If it helps, I don’t think Mae is with you just for fun,” Pete said.
Caleb ran a hand down his face. “You don’t know that.”
“True, but I do know Mae. She’s not like that. You know this, because if she was, she would have gone looking for you a long time ago to have her fun. She didn’t, and she also did have other offers. A couple of guys wanted to take her out.” Pete shrugged. “She turned them down.”
This didn’t make him feel any better.
“I should have told her,” Caleb said.
He looked toward Pete, and the truth was, he felt helpless.
Pete groaned. “Mae wants a big family. She has told Emily about it. She loved her grandparents, but ever since she was a kid, she has always wanted a large family. She wished she had brothers and sisters and cousins, but her parents were only children, and she has always felt so lonely. You have always said the very idea of kids terrifies you.”
“Well, I was wrong, okay?”
“You’re willing to settle down and have a bunch of kids with Mae?” Pete asked.
Caleb gripped the back of his head and looked toward his best friend. “With Mae, I want it all. I want everything you and Emily have.”
“What changed?” Pete asked.
“What?”
“Well, as we are both aware, I’m married to her best friend, so if I’m not careful, my ass will be the one in the firing line here.
What changed for you to suddenly want it all with Mae?
She’s been single for a long time, in fact, her whole life.
She’s never had a long-term boyfriend. Shit, I don’t even think she’s enjoyed a short-term boyfriend.
You could have gone to her at any time, and yet you didn’t. What changed?”
Caleb knew Pete was covering his ass.
“She walked into a bar,” Caleb said.
“What?”
“I know that’s crazy. I’ve wanted Mae for a long time, but we’ve rarely crossed paths, and asking her out hasn’t worked.
Sure, I’d seen her in passing when she came to visit, but it’s not like we’d ever stayed for dinner.
Something always came up, but that night I was about to leave the bar, and she stepped right into it.
The moment I looked at her, I knew she was coming home with me. ”
“Shit, you are in love with her, aren’t you?”
Caleb turned toward his friend. “Yeah, I am.”
He knew it better than anyone. Mae was his whole world, but what scared him the most was, he had a feeling she’d been his whole world for a lot longer than he even realized.
“Why the fuck didn’t you say anything?” Pete asked.
He looked toward his friend, and the truth was, he didn’t have an answer. Fear of rejection? A lifetime of not admitting what he wanted? He didn’t know what to say, so he shrugged.
“You know, I’m suddenly realizing why that infuriates my wife.” Pete looked at him and then growled. “You’re a moron.”
And with that, it would seem their conversation was terminated.