“Yes. Exactly.”
Travis shrugged, a one-guy-to-another kind of shrug.
“Yeah, well, these things happen.”
“Right. It happened. And then, the next morning …” Caleb cleared his throat. “The next morning, a guy walked in, looked kind of surprised to see me there. And then—and then he figured out I’d slept with what turned out to be his woman, and he apologized for walking in on us.”
“Crap,” Travis said, through his teeth.
“I decked him.”
“Of course you did.”
“I don’t even know why I decked him.” Caleb rose to his feet and began pacing. “I mean, it was his place. His woman. I was the intruder, not him.” He ran a hand through his hair, looked at Travis. “Man, I just lost it, you know?”
“Who wouldn’t?”
“It was just—it was so—so—”
“Ugly. They have an open relationship, whatever you want to call it, and that’s not you.”
“No. Hell, no. I mean, if I’d known I was in another man’s bed, with another man’s woman—”
“You thought she was all about you,” Travis said gently, “but it was all about variety.”
Caleb winced. “Exactly.” He rubbed his hands over his face. “I don’t understand why I let it bother me so damned much.”
Travis stood up, clapped his brother on the shoulder.
“Don’t let it. Not anymore. It was just a one-night stand. A little fun, a good time … It wasn’t going to be more than that anyway. Right?”
“Right,” Caleb said briskly, blocking out the rest of it, the uncomfortable realization that he’d been out of control that night, first taking Sage to bed, then punching out her lover …
… Feeling as if he’d been standing on the threshold of something new when he’d awakened with her in his arms that morning.
“Hey,” Travis said. “I mean it. This was just something that happened. Put it behind you.”
It was good advice, and Caleb nodded. “Everything you said makes sense.”
Travis nodded, too. Looked solemn. “Travis Wilde, SPE, to the rescue.”
“SPE?”
“Shrink Par Excellence. And here you thought I was only a genius when it comes to money.”
Travis grinned. Caleb grinned back.
“Thank you, Dr. Wilde, “he said.
“Oh, no. You don’t get off that easy. Yo
u want to show your appreciation, at least read through that file.”
“What …? Oh. Your client. The one who wants to steal a baby from his dead son’s mistress.”
“Now, Caleb—”
Caleb laughed. “Just joking. Okay. I’ll take a look. Maybe I can think of somebody to recommend because there’s no way I can take this on. If nothing else, I don’t have the expertise.”