“That’s got to be the best thing I’ve ever heard.”
“He told me what really happened.” She smiled. “And then my water broke on his boots.”
We both laughed, and when River squirmed in her arms and made some of those cute baby noises, Indy looked down at him and began to gently rock him.
“You know, Caleb’s a good guy.” She looked up again. “And I’ve never seen him as into a girl as he is with you.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
“You should give him a chance,” she said lightly. “You make a good couple.”
“It’s not that easy,” I said.
“It never is.” She laughed softly. “He feels bad about missing the sonogram. But that’s all he did. Go easy on him. He’s a Calley. They’re smart sonsofbitches, but when it comes to affairs of the heart they do really stupid shit. You’ll learn. Caleb has a big heart. I don’t think he’d hurt you for the world.”
I appreciated her words. “Thank you. But I’m not here to talk about my pitiful love life. I’m here to ooh and ahh over this handsome little man. Are you ready to hand him over, or do I have to bribe you?”
“Here, take him.” She handed me her newborn son. “But just so you know, bribery works, too. I’m feeling generous today, but next time bring cake.”
For the next ten minutes we ogled over little River Isaac Calley until Cade turned up. He’d been down at the cafeteria getting his wife coffee and a chocolate fudge brownie. He took his son from me and cradled him in his big arms. He wasn’t wearing his cut, and I realized it was the first time I’d ever seen him without it. He looked like any other new father, his eyes misty, his face soft with a never experienced before love that only came with holding your newborn baby in your arms.
“I’m going to go,” I said to them, feeling it was time to leave them to it. You could feel the love in the room and they needed alone time with their son.
“Caleb’s out in the hall,” Cade said, glancing up from gazing at his son. “He’s waiting for you.”
My stomach knotted.
“Remember what I said, go easy on him,” Indy added. She was already breaking into the brownie. “He made a mistake and I’m sure he’s paying for it.”
She was right. He really hadn’t done anything wrong. Like getting ten-inches deep into that club skank. And the relief I had was insane. I felt let down that he’d missed our sonogram, but it didn’t even come close to how I felt about him fucking Tiffani. I wasn’t going to keep this going.
Which was all well and good until I actually saw him.
He was waiting for me in the corridor looking so damn rough, but at the same time, so damn delicious, and my heart spun on its heels with all the pain and worry from the night before.
He looked up when he heard me and the tension stretched out between us.
“I didn’t touch her,” he said.
“I know.”
He came toward me, cautiously. He looked like a wreck. Messy hair. Pale skin. Scruffy jaw. “I’m sorry I missed the sonogram.”
“Why did you?”
“Because I made a mistake.” His jaw tightened. “Listen, Honey. I get it. You don’t want me. All those reasons why you don’t want to be with me—”
“I’m so sorry I said those things.”
“You’re only sorry I overheard you.”
“No, I’m sorry because I said them. I can only imagine how it felt. Especially after . . . ”
“After—”
“What happened in the cabin, I didn’t mean to make it sound like it meant nothing.”
“Did it?” he asked. “Mean nothing?”
“It meant something.” I struggled to find the words that could somehow make this better. That could somehow take away the hurt. “It meant more than it ever has meant.”
I watched his throat as he tried to swallow.
“I can’t keep doing this,” he breathed.
“What do you mean?”
“This. Us. Waiting for you to want me. To want us.”
“We both decided that—”
“I don’t care what we decided then. It’s changed. For me, anyway. I think we were wrong.”
“Obviously we weren’t . . . look at last night, you didn’t even bother to come home. This is exactly why we made the decision to keep it platonic.”
He looked tired. “I made a mistake.”
“Is this how it would be? You running off to your clubhouse every time something goes wrong?”
“No. I fucked up. But I didn’t do anything with Tiffani.”
“Not this time. But what about the next?”
“There won’t be a next time.” He looked at me and his jaw ticked. “Because I’m giving you what you want.”
Alarm sizzled at the base of my spine. “What do you mean?”
“I’m done. You’ve made it perfectly clear you don’t want me.”
“Caleb—”
“I’ll be gone by tonight.”
He walked away and my heart broke.