Kaleb offered me a gentle smile. “Aren’t I? If my father knew that I was using you like this, he would pat my back. Because in the end, there are some things you can’t unlearn.”
I stiffened, hating how deeply he was clearly hurting. I wanted to help fix it, help make him understand that he wasn’t what he thought he was. But how could I help him when I couldn’t even help myself?
Chapter 18 - Kaleb
I watched her walk down the stairs, and I felt my heart skip a beat. Every time I saw her, I found myself feeling the tug deep in my chest to pull her close and hold her. I swallowed, suddenly nervous about how this dinner was going to go. She would either understand me or push me away.
“You look wonderful,” I said, taking in the all-black dress that clung to her tightly.
“Thank you,” she said as she grabbed her purse while pulling on some black heels. “Where are we going tonight?”
“The boat house. I set a reservation. Jade and Brandon are constantly talking about the food, so I figured we could go there. See if the food is actually good or if they are just talking shit.”
She chuckled, “I’m sure they have good food.”
The drive to the boathouse was quiet. Once we arrived, we headed inside, and I held the door open for Jade. Inside the restaurant was busy but not packed.
I placed my hand on her back. “Are you uncomfortable?”
She looked at me and shook her head. “No, I’m just thinking, that’s all.”
“About?”
The hostess came to the front smiling at us. “Do you guys have a reservation?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Under Kaleb.”
She nodded and grabbed a couple of menus. “I’ll have you follow me.”
She took us to a booth with a window view of the river. She gave us our menus, and we both ordered water.
I placed my menu down. “What are you thinking about?”
Her lips formed a line, and her eyes fell empty. “About you and your father. I know you guys have a difficult relationship.” She paused, fiddling with her menu. “But I don’t understand why you don’t want to get married and have children.”
“I…”
“Welcome to the boathouse! What can I get started for you guys?” The waitress stopped at our table, giving us an eager smile. Nora looked down at her menu, embarrassed. “The special for tonight is crab boil. Special dessert is Molten brownie, and the special drinks are three-dollar martinis.”
Nora scrabbled to look at the menu, and I looked at the waitress. “I’ll do the special for dinner.”
“Same,” Nora said, placing her menu down.
The waitress beamed before turning and walking away. Nora turned her gaze back to me. She swallowed, placing her hands on the table. “You were saying.”
I wet my lips. “You’ve met our father. He isn’t exactly the loving type.”
Nora made a face that told me she wasn’t going to argue the point.
“I’m sure you’ve heard plenty from Jade. Our father wasn’t loving or comforting. He was much harder on Nora than he was on me. But that didn’t mean I didn’t get the cruel side of him.”
I thought of my childhood and how I spent endless hours trying to protect Jade. I was always there for her when she needed me. For any event she had, I went. She had a school event, and I attended. Anytime Jade needed me, I made it my life mission to be there for her.
But I always felt the harder I worked, the worse my father became to her. He always said I was focusing too much on her, that I should be focusing on my own future and what I wanted in life.
When Brandon decided to leave the pack, I thought maybe things would be better for her here. I wouldn’t be around for my father to constantly watch. I figured maybe things would calm down, and for the first time, he’d start seeing how great Jade was. I had been wrong.
“Did Jade ever tell you that our father never attended anything for her? Even for parents and teachers’ conferences, I went because he was too busy.”
