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“He is. He’s an amazing father too. Ethan and Ariel worship the ground he walks on. You did a great job raising him.”
“Thank you. He was the easy child. Joseph was the opposite. They were both raised with the same morals too. Just proves it doesn’t matter how you raise your children. In the end, all you can do is hope and pray they’ll find the right path in life.”
“That must be hard, worrying about Joseph.”
“I worry about Caleb too. He’s had to play both roles as a parent. We’ve tried to help him as much as we could, but his brother has a way of pulling us back into his world.”
“Is Joseph alright?”
“We think so. It’s hard to tell with him sometimes.”
“Is he attending the party?”
“Who knows with him. Have you met him yet?”
“Briefly. He was charming,” I nervously breathed out. “He stopped by unexpectedly while we were in Spain.”
“How did Caleb take it?”
“Umm … they don’t seem to have the best relationship.”
“Through the years, Joseph has done a lot of damage, and Caleb has been there for him several times. I don’t blame Caleb for being distant with his brother. Although, I do wish they’d have a better relationship, but I’m hopeful that one day it will happen.”
Unsure of what to reply, I simply smiled in reassurance.
Changing the subject, she questioned, “How is Jax these days?”
“He’s good.”
“He’s such a wonderful man and can throw a football like no one can.”
“That’s why they call him the greatest of all time.”
“I’m glad you three were able to work everything out.”
“Caleb told you about that, huh?”
She chuckled. “I’m a prying mother.”
“I understand. My brother is like that with me. He spent years having Caleb look out for me when I didn’t really need it.”
“It’s his job to protect you.”
“Yeah, and Jax takes—”
“I’m not talking about Jax.”
“Oh … well, in that case, I honestly don’t know which one is worse if we’re comparing my brother and your son.”
“I can only imagine. Caleb has always been the protector of our family. Even as a child, he didn’t have very many friends. He always wanted to make sure he could trust them before they came into our home.”
“I can totally see that. He’s a very private person.”
“He’s always been that way. I don’t want to bring up a sore subject, but…”
I knew our conversation would eventually lead to the kids’ mother, but it didn’t stop the uncertainty I felt when she asked, “Have you seen Tessa lately?”
Chapter 30
Evie
“I haven’t.”
“Of course not. She won an obscene amount of money in the divorce settlement. It’s all she ever wanted anyway.”
“Yeah, so I’ve been told.”
“Evie.” She sympathetically nodded. “I’m sorry for what Caleb must have put you through. He made a mistake, and it cost him years of his life. Tessa is a horrible woman, let alone mother. My grandchildren deserve better. They always have. I can’t tell you how happy I am that they have you now. Like I said, I worried about them constantly, and over the last two months, I’ve started worrying about them less and less. Today only proves how much of an effect you’ve had on their lives. Including my son’s.”
“They’ve all had the same effect on me, Mrs. Hawkins.”
“Please, call me Gale.” She spoke so soft and eloquently. “We all have choices in life, Evie. Whether they’re good or bad, they’re ours to make. My son has always wanted to do the right thing. He loves you, and I can see you love him too, but I can also see something else in your eyes. You’re scared, and I don’t blame you. Love can be a scary thing sometimes.”
“Did he tell you he asked me to marry him?”
She nodded again.
“I want to say yes. Truly, I do. I guess I don’t really know what’s holding me up. My brother knows about us now. He was the main reason we couldn’t be together in the first place. Now that he knows about us, I feel like there’s still another shoe waiting to drop.”
“Tomorrow you’ll meet the whole family, and maybe it will help ease your apprehension about the future.”
“You might be right,” I agreed, feeling better than I did. “Thanks for taking the time to talk to me.”
“Honey, that’s what family does.” She hugged and kissed me goodnight, excusing herself to go up to bed.
Caleb’s room was on the far end of the estate, and before I knew what I was doing, I knocked on his door.
He answered shirtless and devastatingly handsome. My heart literally skipped a beat, as I jumped into his arms. There was no uncertainty of his behalf.
He welcomed me into his arms, wrapping one behind my back and the other behind my head, murmuring, “You alright?”
I tucked my face into the nook of his neck.
His kindness.
His patience.
His gentleness.
His love.
