“I remember everything about that day. Especially how confused I was. I never mentioned this before, but I’d only started dating Derrick about a week before you moved in next door.”
Caleb released a groan. “You mean I missed out on you by a week?”
Leah bit her bottom lip and nodded. “I ignored that little spark of attraction I felt when we first met and concentrated instead on the guy everyone thought was the perfect catch. I’ve learned my lesson.”
Caleb pulled her to him. “That’s good to hear,” he said before claiming her lips in a long, slow kiss. He mentally calculated how much time they had available before they had to meet up with the rest of the group. If they worked fast enough, they could easily put this bed to use one more time before they left.
But Leah put the kibosh on that idea moments later when she ended the kiss. Caleb reminded himself that she lived right next door. He had all the time in the world with her. He was determined to make it so.
As they headed for the parking lot with their luggage, they ran into Abigail and Joel, who’d asked earlier this morning for some pointers on places to stay in New York. The couple wanted to extend their trip by spending a couple of days in the city before heading back to D.C.
While Leah offered them ideas for lodging and restaurants, Caleb continued on to the lot just off the main registration building where they’d parked the car.
He stopped cold when he came upon Leah’s car.
Parked right next to it was a silver Lexus withAwe$umon the license plate.
Son of a bitch!
His heart immediately started to pound. He did his best to mentally curb the unease that had the hairs rising up on his skin, but this was too close to the scenarios that had swirled in his head for Caleb to ignore. He quickly popped the trunk on Leah’s Mustang and stuffed their bags inside. As he headed back for the campgrounds, the door of the registration building opened and Derrick walked out.
Leah’s ex-fiancé ambled down the steps, his movements coming to a halt when he noticed Caleb. His forehead crinkled with his frown.
“Don’t I know you?” he asked, pointing to Caleb.
“Not really,” Caleb answered.
“Derrick?”
They both turned to find Leah standing a few yards away.
“What are you doing here?” she asked as she rounded a landscaped shrub and came to stand in front of her ex-fiancé.
“Why do you think I’m here, Leah? I want to clear up what happened last Thursday night.”
“You mean when you told me you didn’t want to marry me?” she asked.
The patronizing look Derrick gave her made Caleb want to punch him in the face. But this was between Leah and her ex. He wouldn’t step in unless she asked him to.
“Don’t be difficult. I’m trying to apologize. You know that isn’t easy for me.”
“And I’m supposed to make it easier?”
“Look, I realize that I shouldn’t have broken off the engagement. I talked to your mother and she agreed that we should all just forget what happened last Thursday night.”
It was the mention of her mother that sent a jab of panic straight to Caleb’s chest. He’d feared something like this would happen. That all the forces that told Leah what kind of guy she should be with would come barreling back into her life. He thought he wouldn’t have to worry about it until they returned home, but apparently he wouldn’t even get that long a reprieve.
Derrick held his hand out to her. “Let’s go somewhere and talk about this,” he said.
Leah crossed her arms over her chest and answered with a simple, “No.”
“Leah, stop being unreasonable.”
He reached for her, but she moved away and walked over to where Caleb stood.
“I doubt this will come as a surprise, but I never loved you, Derrick. You didn’t love me either. A marriage between us would have been a disaster. All I have left to say to you is thank you,” she said. “Thank you for what you did Thursday night. You saved us both a lot of time and misery.”
Derrick regarded them both with suspicion, his eyes darting from Leah to Caleb. “Were you screwing this guy while we were together?” he asked.
