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“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.
It was perfect.
He was perfect.
—Caleb—
I picked her up, then kicked the door shut before I carried her over to my bed and laid her on the mattress. Softly, I kissed all over her face, longing to take away all the pain I’d caused her.
My regret would be my biggest hardship to overcome.
Evie gazed deep into my eyes, trying to understand our connection, our love, the fact that we couldn’t stay away from one another for very long.
Even when we had to.
“Make love to me,” she coaxed, just loud enough for me to hear. “Please make love to me. Touch me like you’re never going to let me go. Make me yours.”
I didn’t have to be told twice.
My lips moved to hers, and I gently kissed her, my tongue seeking out hers.
“You’re so beautiful, Evie. Do you have any idea how beautiful you are and how much you mean to me?”
