AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His words make me feel warm and gushy inside. He wants to spend time with me, and I want nothing more than to be with him.
“If it gets to be too much, you’ll tell me, right?”
“It won’t be,” he states decisively.
I notice that we’re nearly home. “We’re almost home.”
“Come straight here,” Caleb says.
“I want to get changed.”
“I brought some of your things over.”
“You did?”
“We were in a rush this morning and didn’t get to talk it through, but I want you to stay with me for the next few days. We’ll discuss it when you get here,” he replies, and then hangs up.
* * *
After copious amounts of pizza and junk food, I’m in a food coma and watching Sweet Home Alabama with the girls. The guys disappeared into Caleb’s office a couple of hours earlier and haven’t been seen or heard since.
Chloe is snuggled into one end of the couch, while I’m on the other end with Jasmine between us, while Sabrina is on the soft carpet. She sits close to Chloe’s side, and her eyes are glued to the wedding scene on the television. Sabrina’s a softy for happy endings, just like me.
When it’s over, I start cleaning up the table. I put the leftover pizza in the fridge and start a pot of fresh coffee.
“Do you think they forgot about us?” I kid, but the door to Caleb’s office has been firmly shut for hours. “What are they doing in there?”
“Zeke sat at his desk for an entire day going over every detail of the case that involved my biological father’s death. Actually, it was the guys who discovered it was a murder, not a heart attack. They went on to find out that my biological mother was killed too. It was a mess.” Jasmine leans against the counter. “Believe me, if I hadn’t brought food to Zeke, he would have starved. He had no intention of leaving that room until he was done.”
Chloe and Sabrina laugh, echoing that Alex and Damian are exactly the same way. The footsteps coming in our direction turn our attention to our handsome men. Even though all are handsome, each in their very separate ways, it’s Caleb who commands my attention.
He walks with purpose and embodies confidence. The way his green eyes watch me from across the room makes my insides tingle. I remember how my fingers gripped his dark curls, so soft and thick. He’s beautiful in jeans, and I can only imagine him in a sharp suit with that wicked smile aimed at me.
“Time to go home, Chloe,” Damian calls to his wife. Chloe doesn’t hesitate to join him, wrapping an arm around his waist.
“Ready when you are,” she replies, looking adoringly up at her husband. Damian drops his head to kiss her lightly on the lips.
“Bri.” Alex holds out his hand.
“Coming.” Sabrina takes Alex’s hand, and he leads her to the front door to help her on with her jacket.
We all say our goodbyes. Zeke and Jasmine are the last to leave. Caleb and I stand on the porch and watch them drive off. It’s a nice night, a little cool, and the smell of autumn is in the air. I rub my arms as a chill runs through me. Caleb comes up behind me and wraps himself around me, burying his face in my neck.
“Did you have a good night with the girls?” His low murmur hums near my ear.
“Yeah. They’re amazing. I like them, and I think they like me.”
“Yeah, they do,” he says. He guides me back inside, making sure to lock the door and sitting me down on his lap in the armchair. “Today was a rough start, baby. How’re you doing?” His hand makes soothing circular motions on my back.
“After I got through the initial shock, I was fine. I mean, you know these things happen every day, you just don’t expect it to happen to you.”
“Gwen, it’s been a series of events in a short span of time. You seem fine. You act like it’s not affecting you. I’m not sure you’re as okay as you’re letting on,” Caleb says, holding me tighter.
“Not going to lie, it doesn’t feel good to walk past your car to find the word ‘bitch’ splattered across it, but it’s just a car. Cars can be fixed.”
“I think you believe that. What I don’t get is how you can be cool with it all,” he counters.
“Pardon?” I’m confused. Does he want me to be upset?
