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He blinked a few times. “You think Theresa said she’d consider giving her ex a second chance just to … to get him to leave?” What Dottie said made some sense. “Today ended three long, grueling days of rehearsals. I know she was hungry and tired. We were on our way to dinner. Maybe—”
“No maybes, Caleb. I’m sure she’s sincere about letting her ex have more time with his children once he proves himself trustworthy. That being said, I also seriously doubt her agreeing to think things over meant anything more than I’ll say what you want to hear if it’ll make you go away.” She swiped a hand through the air. “Like swatting away an annoying fly.”
“No. When I asked if she would seriously think about reconciling with that ass, she reminded me that the ass in question was the father of her children.”
“So, what? You’re going to roll over and give up without a fight?” Dottie blinked at him.
“I guess so since I panicked and bolted.” Damn, he’d done the same thing she had after that first time they made love. “I told her I wouldn’t wait around for her to choose, and I wouldn’t be her backup plan.” He covered his face and groaned. “I don’t know, Dottie. Theresa loves her boys. They’re her number one priority, and her ex played the for the sake of our children card. That, coupled with how she felt when her mother disappeared from her life, would get to her.”
“Caleb, have you told the woman you’re crazy in love with her?”
“No. We only recently agreed to start dating. I didn’t want to put any pressure on her.”
“I think it’s time you told her. Give her a real choice in the matter.” She cut him an intense look. “That’s your ace in the hole because you’re the better man.”
“You think it’ll make a difference?”
“Yes, you idiot. I’ve seen the way she looks at you.”
Had Theresa gone on to meet the band at O’Toole’s, or had she gone home? She might still be on the road if she’d decided to head home. “I’ll at least text her and arrange a time when we can get together and talk.”
He grabbed his backpack and rummaged around for his phone. “Shit.” He emptied the entire thing, setting each item on Dottie’s coffee table. No phone. “I must’ve dropped my phone in the Uber.” He shot her a look of pure desperation. “Can I borrow yours? I need to get hold of Uber so I can get my phone back.”
“Of course.” Dottie rose from her chair. “I’ll be right back.”
Caleb rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. His head throbbed, probably due to stress and hunger. Who was he kidding? More like his head ached due to the fact that his heart hurt so bad.
He couldn’t hold onto his thoughts no matter how hard he tried. He hoped Dottie was right, but he had doubts. How could he compete against the possibility of an intact nuclear family? He’d never told Theresa how he felt about her and her children. They were a package deal, and he loved them all. He wanted the entire package like he’d never wanted anything before.
Dottie returned and handed him her phone.
“Thanks, Dottie. Hopefully I’ll be able to get the Uber driver to turn around and head back to Ventura.”
“Give that driver a big fat tip if he does.”
“I will.”
“Cash.”
“Of course.” He did a search for Uber Customer Service.
“Then, you need to tell Theresa how you feel about her, Cal. She needs to know.”
The phone pressed to his ear, he nodded. “I will if she’ll talk to me after the way I took off.” First things first. He needed his phone back—tonight so he could call Theresa.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Theresa dragged herself to the kitchen. Her eyes were gritty from lack of sleep and crying jags, and her head ached. Caleb hadn’t responded to single one of her messages from last night. At the sight of John sitting at the table with a mug of coffee in front of him, she considered turning around and heading back to bed.
“Good morning, Theresa.”
“Morning. Where are Jeremy and Charlie? It’s quiet.”
“They’re in the playroom with Elli, sorting through their toys. Sully has a giant bone, and he’s in there with them. I’m surprised you didn’t hear him gnawing away on that bone as you passed the room.”
“Oh, right. I’m still half asleep.” She must’ve been too distracted to notice. A few days ago, she and Elli had talked about getting rid of old playthings being a good project for the boys. They were going to donate them to a charity. Theresa poured herself a much-needed mug of coffee and added three teaspoons of sugar. Large mug. More sugar.
“It’s clear something happened between you and Caleb last night. I’m going to go out on a limb here and ask. What went down?”
