Chapter Seven
The next week crawled by, and Emily could hardly stand staying away from Caleb. She usually ran early in the morning on the treadmill in the winter, but she’d taken to working on house plans at five a.m., getting Krew off to school at eight-thirty, and then running outside before she showered and focused on work again. She may have run past Caleb’s house multiple times each day.
Monday morning, she noticed a black Cherokee parked in the driveway. It had been there yesterday afternoon when she and Krew had come back from church and the potluck dinner, and maybe happened to drive by Caleb’s house, which was at the end of the cul-de-sac. She’d done a long loop through Cherry Hills for her run and was now cooling down and walking past Caleb’s house on her way back home. It was out of the way, but she needed more of a cooldown. Walking very, very slowly, she prayed he’d appear. Her excuse was that she needed to talk to him, get his advice. She’d had an idea about Jeff and the custody and waiting until March, and she thought it would make Caleb happy—ifshe was brave enough to try and see if it worked.
As she walked past his house slowly, craning her neck, she stopped in front of his neighbor’s house, turned, and used the light pole and curb to stretch. It was probably too cold outside to be stretching, even though she’d gotten pretty warm running ten miles, but she wanted to see him.
His door flung open and he walked out, with one arm holding a beautiful toddler girl and the other arm around an equally beautiful dark-haired woman. Emily could only see part of the woman’s face as she was turned toward Caleb, but it was easy to tell she was fit and beautiful, and Caleb’s attention was focused on her.
Emily lost all pretense of stretching as she stared, her mouth open in shock, her heart thumping painfully, and cold chills racing over her body. The three of them looked like the most perfect and gorgeous family she’d ever seen. Caleb was with someone? She could hardly grasp it, yet was it so unbelievable? She’d stalked him on social media and hadn’t seen any pictures of him with another woman since she’d first met him the end of October, but that didn’t mean anything. This woman’s profile looked familiar. Was she famous?
Please, please, please let me be reading this wrong.
“Do you really have to leave?” Caleb asked.
“Please, Mama, please don’t make me leave,” the little girl begged. She clung tightly to Caleb’s neck and then kissed his cheek. “I just love him too much!”
If Emily hadn’t wanted to bawl at this scene, she would’ve thought it was the cutest thing.
Caleb kissed the little girl’s cheek in return and said, “I love you more, my Paisley girl.”
Emily wished she could see the woman’s whole face, and she wished she could be her friend. She was struck by the calm beauty the woman seemed to radiate. This woman was just one of those people who were serene, confident, and made everyone around her feel peace and love. Dang it! Why couldn’t the beautiful brunette be a snotty brat? Emily knew that she herself was sassy and funny; she was nothing like the kind, sweet woman Caleb had his arm around. Was that his type? Why did Emily’s life have to be such a mess? She’d had to push him away time and again. Of course he would be dating someone amazing.
The lady opened her arms to the little girl. “Come on, Pais.”
The little girl stuck out her lip, and Emily thought she would refuse, but then she went to the woman.
The lady leaned against Caleb, and he tenderly kissed the top of her head. “We’ll see you soon, Caleb.” She laughed throatily and shook her head at him. “Don’t give me those puppy-dog eyes. You’ll be fine without us. Love you.”
“Love you too.” Caleb was in stocking feet, but he followed them down the cold concrete steps and to the black Cherokee.
Emily let out a whimper and started to back away. She could not believe this. She understood that she and Caleb weren’t dating, she’d ditched him back in November, and they had no commitment, but she’d lied to herself that he felt as deeply for her and Krew as they felt for him. She was an idiot. He had a beautiful girlfriend, maybe fiancée, and he loved her and his “Paisley girl.” Who wouldn’t love Caleb, and who wouldn’t love these two? They were the perfect fit for a handsome, wealthy superstar like Caleb. Whereas Emily was a mess, dealing with a loser ex-husband and not even able to officially date Caleb for two more months. All her dreams of telling him her idea, of maybe changing that two-month deadline, went up in smoke.
She scuttled backwards, unable to turn and run properly away from this nightmare she was viewing. Yet it wasn’t a nightmare for Caleb. It was a dream come true. She wanted to be happy for him. If she truly cared for him, she’d be happy he’d found such a beautiful pair of females to love and hold. No. She was a selfish brat and just wanted him for herself and Krew.
Caleb’s head whipped around at the sound of her steps, and his eyes and mouth widened before his incredible smile lit up his face. “Em!”
Emily choked on a sob, spun, and sprinted away from him.
“Em! Wait!”
Emily ignored his calls, ignored the sound of his feet pounding behind her. She raced up the street and then around the corner. She only lived two blocks away, and normally that was no challenge for her to sprint, but the tightness in her chest and the sobs wanting to spill out made her weak from lack of oxygen and the pain that racked her body.
Caleb’s footsteps were getting closer and closer. It was crazy that he was chasing her when he had that perfect model and her adorable little girl waiting for him, probably wondering what in the world was going on. Why was he chasing Emily? He should just say good riddance to all her problems and focus on that woman and little girl.
Emily had almost reached her porch when he grabbed her arm and easily tugged her to a stop. She whirled around to face him, pulling her arm free and dashing away the tears on her face. When had she started crying? She took deep gulps of air and looked away from Caleb’s handsome face. “It’s okay, Caleb. We aren’t dating. I’m just being silly. That woman and her little girl are perfect. Perfect for you.”
“Emily,” Caleb said sharply. “Stop it!”
Her gaze darted to him, and fire filled her. “Well,excuseme. Here I am trying to be magnanimous while I watch you hug and kiss a beautiful woman and her sweet child when you’re all I want, all I think about—and you tell me, all jerky, to ‘stop it.’ You can’t even let me pretend to be happy for you? At least give me that scrap of pride!”
Caleb grinned as if she’d just handed him the best gift of his life. “Oh, Em.” He shook his head, bent down, and kissed her.
Emily gasped in surprise, but wasted no time wrapping her arms tight around his neck and kissing him back. No kiss had ever felt like this one. Caleb’s lips were firm and perfect and warmed up the cold air surrounding them. He tugged her in tight, and his strong arms around her and his strong body molded to hers told her that nobody and nothing could hurt her, that she would be protected and loved until the day she died.
Caleb pulled back and murmured, “Sorry. I didn’t know how else to shut you up.”
“Oh!” she gasped. She tried to jerk away, but he didn’t allow it. “Why would you have to shut me up?”