The picture sent me over the edge with the compromising position we were suddenly in. It was enough for me to shove him away.
He chuckled, stepping back.
I watched him leave, realizing I was living with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I couldn’t tell what mood he’d be in the next time I saw him. What was worse was that it had always been that way. Caleb was the king of hiding his emotions. I’d spent years trying to analyze what I was to him until he got married and completely shut me out of his life.
I never thought I’d be in a situation where I’d be taking care of his kids. At one point in our tumultuous relationship, I was hopeful he’d eventually come around and we’d tell my brother the truth about us.
Fuck the consequences.
When it didn’t happen, and he carelessly moved on, I was heartbroken for years, wracking my brain over how he ended up with my roommate in the first place.
“Ugh!” I exasperated in a frustrated breath.
Deciding to take my frustrations out on dinner, I cooked up a spread of food. While I was annoyed, I couldn’t help but contemplate how I was going to get through to Caleb about spending quality time with his children. There would come a day when hormones would eventually kick in and they wouldn’t care to have him around. He was losing precious moments with them, and he didn’t even realize it.
Or maybe he did and refused to acknowledge it.
Through the intercom, I called the kids down for dinner before I made my way into the dining room to set up their plates. The night proceeded as it always did. I tried to strike up conversations with the kids, only to receive one-word responses or nods of their heads.
By the time I finished cleaning up the kitchen, they were already in bed. Ethan and Ariel were the first kids on the planet to actually go to sleep at their bedtime without excuses of wanting to stay up later. After they were asleep, I usually tucked them in and kissed their foreheads, wanting them to feel some sort of connection to me.
They weren’t making it easy by any means.
I walked into Ethan’s room first, and he was passed out with a book on his chest. I made a mental note to read it to him. Turning off the lamp on the nightstand, I brought the covers up to his chin and whispered, “Good night, little man.”
“Good night, Evie,” he grumbled in his sleep, bringing a huge smile to my face.
At least sleepy Ethan liked me.
I shut the door, leaving a crack open in case he needed something in the middle of the night. Ariel’s room was down the hall, and as soon as I walked up to the door, I stopped dead in my tracks, never expecting what I saw.
Caleb was sitting on the edge of her bed, kissing her forehead like I just did to his son. His lips lingered on her skin, and my heart almost burst in my chest when I heard him mutter, “I love you, my Little Mermaid.”
It wasn’t until she repeated, “I love you too, Daddy,” that I felt as if I was making a difference in their lives. This moment only proved I was right.
Caleb needed them.
Just as much as they needed him.
Chapter 15
Evie
A week had gone by since Caleb was home at a decent time. We took two steps forward, only to take three steps back. I’d barely spoken to him since the night he came home early, and it didn’t look like anything had changed after our discussion.
Taking a deep, sturdy breath, I cleaned up the kitchen. I was getting ready to tuck the kids into bed for their seven-thirty bedtime when Ariel walked into the room.
“Miss Evie,” she expressed in the cutest tone.
“Sweetie, how many times have I told you to call me Evie?”
She shrugged in response, looking at me all shy. “When is Daddy coming home?”
“I don’t know, honey. Do you need something?”
She shrugged again.
“Are you okay?”
The expression on her face told me she wasn’t. I picked her up off the ground and sat her on the island in front of me.
Placing my hands on the side of her tiny body, I asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Is Daddy going to leave like Mommy did?”
I jerked back, never expecting her to question that. Thinking quick on my feet, I affirmed, “I know your parents’ divorce is hard to understand, but your daddy is never going to leave you.”
“That’s not what Ethan said.”
I cocked my head to the side. “What did he tell you?”
“That you were our new mommy now.”
Oh. My. God.
“Ariel, I could never replace your mommy. I’m just here to take care of you, baby.”
“But that’s what Mommies do.”
I understood where she was coming from. Her concerns were valid.