“Get married,” I laugh humorlessly.“She thought college was a waste of time for girls.Said I should find a nice boy and settle down.”
“But you didn’t.”There’s something almost proud in his voice.
“Obviously not.”I shift slightly, but he catches my ankle, keeping me in place.“My younger sister Gabriella did exactly what Mom wanted.Married her high school boyfriend right after graduation.Had kids immediately.”
“And how’s that working out for her?”
I shrug.“He’s a good man, but he’s the only one working.Controls all the finances.”I take a sip of my wine.“I send her money sometimes.Just so she has something that’s hers.”
Caleb’s thumb resumes its slow circles, but his touch is gentler now.“Why didn’t your sister go to college like you?”
A wry grin tugs at my lips.“Mom got to her first.Sold her the whole dream—white picket fence, babies, husband who takes care of everything.”I lean back against the couch cushions.“Being a housewife and being a career woman are two very different things, and both are equally hard.But I was always ambitious, so I chose which kind of hard I wanted to handle—a career.”
“How does your mother feel about you giving Gabriella pocket money?”
“I don’t know.”I flash him a smile.“She doesn’t know about it.”I take another sip of wine.“Mom believes women are meant to stay home, serve their husbands, and have children.Traditional values and all that.”
“I find it hard to believe your mother actually made you work three jobs to pay for school.”
I grin, but it’s sharp around the edges.“She thought I’d break.That I’d come crawling back, begging her to let me marry some local boy and forget about my silly dreams.”I lean back.“That belief drove me to nearly kill myself getting through college just to prove her wrong.”
His hands go completely still on my feet, and I can feel the tension suddenly radiating from him.“What about your brothers?”The question comes out quieter than before.
“They had it easy.”The bitterness creeps into my voice despite my best efforts.“Mom got life insurance when my dad died in a workplace accident.She used that to pay for their college.Full ride, no questions asked.Because they’re boys, and boys are supposed to get educations.”
His grip tightens on my ankle, his fingers pressing deeper into my skin.We sit in silence for a moment, the movie playing forgotten in the background.The tension in him is palpable, his hands holding my feet like anchors.
“So she’s proud of you now, right?”he says finally.“I mean, you basically aced college and have a good job.”
I laugh, genuinely amused by the idea.“Yeah, right.She’s never been more disappointed.But it’s fine.It’s my life, and I’m not going to let anyone else run it for me.”
Caleb tugs my foot slightly.“You can act like you don’t care, but I can see it hurts you.”
“I’ve gotten over it,” I say lightly.
“Liar,” he says softly.The two of us hold gazes for a few seconds, and something passes between us that makes my breath catch.I look away first.
“Focus on the movie,” I tell him.He does so, but his hands keep massaging my feet.I wonder why.Now that I think about it, he’s always been a little touchy.His hands always find me, whether it’s my hair, my earrings, or whatever else he can find.He’s not that way with anyone else.Only me.
I should pull my feet away, but I’m getting a free massage.And it’s really relaxing.
As the credits roll, I stretch and get up from the couch, my legs a little wobbly from being in Caleb’s lap for the past three hours.“I should clean up.”
“I’ll help.”He’s already standing, gathering our empty wine glasses.
I pause, watching him stack our plates.“You don’t have to do that.”
He shoots me that crooked grin.“Since I came over uninvited, I wash and you dry.Fair trade.”
I follow him to the kitchen, genuinely confused by this domestic version of Caleb Wilder.“You’re acting weird.”
“How so?”He rolls up his sleeves and turns on the faucet, testing the water temperature.
“This.”I gesture vaguely at him, at the way he’s already located my dish soap and is squirting it into the sink.“The food, the movie, the dishes.It’s all very...considerate.I don’t even know if that’s the right word.”
His hands pause in the soapy water.“You have this image of me stuck in your head, Eve.And you refuse to accept that maybe—just maybe—I’m not the monster you think I am.”
“I never thought you were a monster, Caleb.Just supremely annoying.”
