“I’m sorry,” I say, but he quickly puts me in my place.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, so don’t you dare apologise for him,” he says firmly, and I feel a lump form in my throat. “I don’t want you alone with him when you tell him.”
“I don’t plan to be.”
“Good. Just tell me when and where and I’ll be there.”
“What?” I gasp.
“You heard me. I want to be there, to make sure you’re okay.”
“Caleb, no.” Jesus Christ, what is he thinking?
My phone chooses this moment to interrupt, vibrating on the table as it rings, and I’m momentarily thankful, until I look down to see that Danny is the one calling me. I watch until the voicemail picks it up. I don’t want to speak to him in front of Caleb—so fucking bizarre. It stops ringing and then a message comes through a few minutes later.
Pick up.
And then another.
I need to see you.
It starts to ring again, and I ignore it, my eyes going back to Caleb’s hand still holding mine. It’s like I had forgotten because it feels so fucking natural. Ugh. I’m a mess. I gently move my hand out of his and put it back on my lap, making sure to move my sleeve back in place.
“You know, I have so many regrets when it comes to Danny,” Caleb says, and I stay quiet, sensing he needs a moment to just get whatever he wants to say off of his chest. “I should have fought more, but his mother is… well, she’s not the easiest to get along with, and she made it her mission to make Danny hate me.
“She’s done a stellar job, so kudos to her. But it hurts. My own son, hating me,” he says with a scoff, and I wait eagerly to hear more from him, and not because it’s about Danny, but because he’s opening up to me, and I’ve missed that.
“She left him with me when he was baby, took off, said she couldn’t deal with him, and I was left to raise him. That is until she came back two years later and took him from me… I won’t bore you with the details, but yeah, she took him back and then started to poison him against me.” He gulps and takes a sip of his coffee before he continues.
“He doesn’t even believe that I looked after him on my own until he was two. He doesn’t believe anything I tell him, and he thinks the sun shines out of his mother’s arse. It doesn’t, and it never did, but I’ve tried to get him to see the truth.”
Now it’s me who finds myself reaching across the table and putting my hand over his for comfort.
“I’ve not spoken about this to anyone, other than my buddy, Anthony, who has pretty much been there from the start. Parents disowned me when they knew I had gotten her pregnant, and it’s just been me from there on out. All I had to focus on was Danny… until you.” He looks at me, his eyes piercing mine, like they’re reaching into my soul. I couldn’t look away even if I wanted to, and I don’t even when my phone rings again.
“Caleb…” I whisper, emotion clawing inside of me.
“And seeing what he’s done to you makes me ashamed to be his father.” I can see the shame on his face, and it hurts.
“Stop it,” I scold. “This isn’t your fault.”
“It is,” he says firmly. “I should have tried harder, done more, fought until I had him back so she couldn’t corrupt him.”
“Caleb, stop.”
“No. This is on me, and I will make this right.” He turns his hand and threads his fingers with mine, holding me firmly. My heart races, my body tingles, and I know if he were to kiss me right now, I probably wouldn’t stop him. He’s quickly invading my heart, mind, body and soul again, and it’s only been four fucking days. Four days since he came crashing back into my life, and I’m already hooked on him. Shit.
“Why?” I whisper. “Why do you even believe me?” I mean, I’m glad he does, because I’d hate for him to think I was a liar, but still… it’s still his flesh and blood despite the distance between them.
“Because I know you. I don’t even need to question it,” he replies honestly, and there’s all that damn emotion again, bubbling away inside of me.
And if I’m not careful, my obsession with Caleb Carter will start all over again.
ChapterThirteen
Cameron
I’m sat nervously in the fast-food joint, waiting for Danny. I messaged him when I got home from work and told him to meet me here at seven p.m. There’s ten minutes to go until he gets here, and I am fucking nervous. Not because I’m devastated to be breaking up with him, he killed any feelings I had for him the other night, but more because I don’t want him to fly off the handle in front of everyone… but it’s better than him flying off the handle privately. At least here there are witnesses, if I need them. Some might think I’m being dramatic and that it was just a mistake he made while drunk, but to me, there are no mistakes when it comes to physical violence, and I will not be sticking around to find out if it was just a one-off thing. No thanks.