“It wasn’t fair to Caleb, even though he and I had broken up when he left for college…” She takes a deep breath, ghosts of her past swimming in her eyes. “Thayer’s son passed away…”
My heart lurches, my thoughts instantly going to my brothers. I can’t imagine losing a child.
“It was…” She blows out a breath. “Hard, as you can imagine. Thayer’s entire world imploded. Shit happened and we broke up. Then I found out I was pregnant.” Her eyes mist over, but she blinks the moisture away. “I didn’t know where else to go. Caleb had always been my safe space, so I went to him, and I told him everything. It hurt, telling him that I’d fallen in love with another man. But he accepted it. He forgave me, and then he stepped up to help mewith Seda. First as friends. But it didn’t take long to fall back into old habits. Then it was like we never ended in the first place.”
“What made you get divorced?” I ask as I stir in the tomato sauce. I probably shouldn’t ask, but she came here willing to share, so why not?
“He wanted to have more kids.”
I spin on my heel, spatula in hand. “You divorced him because he wanted kids?” From where I’m standing, that makes no sense. He wanted more kids, so she divorced him, yet she now hasmore kids? “Surely you guys could’ve compromised.”
She shakes her head, a soft sad smile settling on her lips. “When he broached the topic of kids, I knew I needed to end it, because I… I loved him. A part of me willalwayslove him in a way. But that discussion made me realize that though I cared for Caleb, Thayer was it for me. It killed me. Realizing how selfish I’d been. All that time I’d been denying Caleb the chance to find the kind of love I’d had once. I didn’t think Thayer and I would ever reconnect, and I never wanted to come back here, but when my mom got sick, I had no choice.”
“Oh,” I say softly. “I’m sorry about your mom.”
“Thanks.” She dips her chin and tucks her hair behind her ear. “Anyway,” she sips the last of her wine, “maybe that will help you understand him a little better.”
“You don’t have to sell me on him. He’s not a bachelor that needs to be put up for auction.”
“No, he’s not,” she agrees, eyes dropping. “But he is a man who hasalwaysput the needs of others above his own,and he needs someone who won’t take advantage of that. Someone who can meet him in the middle.”
“And you think that’s me?” I blurt. “You don’t even know me.”
“You’re right. But I know Caleb, and I’ve seen the way you take care of yourself and your brothers.”
With that, she stands, rinses her glass, and lets herself out.
All the while, I stand still, stunned speechless.
My stupor is only broken when Quinn shouts, “Is dinner ready yet?”
CHAPTER 13
CALEB
My entire body sags once my car is in park in the driveway. Work was draining, and then traffic was a bitch. Every day, this job gets harder. I have a love-hate relationship with my profession. I enjoy helping people. It’s fulfilling. But the tragedies I witness and the poor circumstances I have to be involved with can very easily weigh on me. And watching the justice system fail the people who need it most grates on me.
I drag myself out of the car, hit the lock button on my key fob, and trudge toward thefront of the house.
The lights on the first floor are dimmed, like everyone’s already in their respective rooms for the night.
The sight makes my heart drop. Iwantto see Halle. I want to talk with her about normal, mundane things. I haven’t seen her in days and I’m more than a little desperate for normalcy.
Not that any of this is normal. I made my feelings for the woman clear. She reciprocated. Yet we’re at a standstill. And on top of that, she’s staying here temporarily. Soon enough, she and her brothers will go home. Honestly, I’m shocked she hasn’t tried to go back while she waits for the repairs to begin.
Inside, I lock the door and head for the kitchen. The house smells incredible, making my stomach rumble. Damn. The turkey sandwich I grabbed from the deli for lunch was hardly sufficient.
I veer toward the stairs and set my stuff down, then make a beeline for the fridge. The lights above the island are on but dimmed, so it isn’t until I’m passing it, on a mission to dig for leftovers, that I notice the containers on the marble countertop.
Spaghetti.
She made spaghetti for dinner.
This isn’t the first time she’s cooked, but it catches me off guard anyway.
The soft approach of feet snags my attention, then Halle appears in the doorway.
Her damp hair hangs past her shoulders and she’s wearing an oversize blue t-shirt and what looks like blue and white boxers beneath.
