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“Why?” she asked, frowning. She had seen Ryan many times. Being Caleb’s friend, they did visit the couple regularly, and Katherine was a lovely woman. She saw the brotherly friendship between the two men. Caleb was lucky to have a friend like that.
“I came to talk to you, actually,” he said.
“Oh, okay.” She held Tara tightly against her chest. “Do you want a drink or anything?”
“No, this won’t take long. I know Caleb, and he’s probably already on his way over.” Ryan smiled. “He never wants to leave you alone for long.”
Annie paused. She wasn’t quite sure if that was true. They were rarely apart. Caleb still went and conducted his business, though, just as he gave her the time she needed to write. They helped each other and it worked. She was always very much aware of the fact Tara was her responsibility, not Caleb’s.
They had walked into the main part of Caleb’s apartment. “Do you want to take a seat?”
“No. You know I care about Caleb a lot.”
“I know you took care of him after what Melissa did. He told me the bad shape he was in and that you saved his life.”
Ryan gripped the back of his neck. “When we were kids growing up, we were like two different people. I was happy to play the field, sleep around. There’s no secret that there was no future for me. I certainly didn’t want any wife or kids. All I wanted to do was party and have fun.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Caleb started out like that. He loved to party, pick up girls. We’d do whatever the hell we wanted to. It was our prerogative.” Ryan stopped. “But, Caleb was the first one to change. Going out meaninglessly no longer appealed to him. He wanted to settle down. I used to tease him about it. But he wanted a big family. He doesn’t have any family of his own, and it was important to him to find someone who wanted the same as him.”
She had a feeling she knew where this was going.
“When Melissa came along, he was so freaking happy. I was happy for him, but I was also worried. I … I thought she was a bad influence on him from the beginning. There was something about her that didn’t sit quite right with me. Her true intentions eventually became clear, but it was too late. Caleb was already too far gone, and we ended up not talking.”
“He’s told me this. I know what she did and how he felt. I also know that he had every intention of calling it off. He planned to separate from her, and then she told him about the baby.”
It was hard for her to not put her hand onto her own stomach. She wanted to. They didn’t know if she was pregnant or not but they had agreed to wait until she took a test to find out.
“Caleb is falling hard for you. This is not a job to him anymore, Annie. He loves you and Tara and I know he wants to make a family with you. I know you might be pregnant.”
Annie licked her lips. “He tells you everything.”
“He hasn’t told me this. He’s told me about … well … you know.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I do.”
“I’ve seen him at rock bottom and I’ve got no problem helping him again. He’s my brother. I’ll always be there to pick him up.”
“Why do you assume I’m going to be the one to leave him hitting rock bottom?”
Ryan took a step closer to her. “That’s the point,” he said. “I don’t want you to be the one to leave him hitting rock bottom but what I’m asking—no, what I’m begging from you—is this: if you’re not sure about a future with him, then please leave him now. Don’t string him along. Don’t make him think there’s a future with you if there isn’t. He doesn’t deserve that. He has fallen for you, Annie.”
“If he hasn’t told you that, how do you know?”
“I know my friend. I know he has feelings for you. He’s asked you not to get the pill, right? Caleb wants it all, and if you’re not ready for that kind of commitment, then leave, now. Don’t hurt him. I beg you.”
Annie stared at him and knew in her heart that Ryan had seen Caleb in a terrible way. He was doing everything to protect his friend and she couldn’t hate him for that.
“I won’t hurt him,” Annie said.
“Then I guess I will know your answer soon,” Ryan said.
They didn’t get chance to talk as Caleb chose that moment to return home.
“Ryan, dude, I had no idea you planned on coming over,” Caleb said.
Annie returned her attention to Tara as Caleb moved into his apartment. Did Caleb love her? Was he at risk of being hurt because of her? She would never hurt him.
