His dad chuckled, glancing at his son. “I remember you from the Christmas party at Iris’s last year. It’s good to see you again.”
Maybe Caleb had a point about them thinking my awkwardness was cute. There could be worse things they thought of me.
“It’s nice seeing you too, sir.”
His dad chuckled. “Your mom will love her, Caleb.”
Caleb leaned down and kissed my cheek, tightening his arm around me. “She’s not the only one.”
His voice was low, but not enough for his father not to hear. In fact, his father just smiled at us like he hadn’t seen anything like it before.
“Anyway, you guys should come in.”
Caleb laughed, walking past his dad and pulling me with him. “Nice of you to invite me into my own house, Pop.”
I blushed, smiling at his dad as Caleb guided us through the foyer. I’d been at the house when he first moved in, helping him and his buddies get him settled. Unlike the first time I’d seen his friends at the laundromat, I’d actually had decent conversations during the move. They all teased him about me, making me feel like one of them.
There was laughter coming from the backyard where Caleb was taking us. I recognized Iris’s loud laugh over the others and smiled when she came into view from the glass door that led to the patio off the kitchen.
She was with Tony and an older woman that I recognized as her and Caleb’s mother. She was sweet then, but I wasn’t sure how she’d be now.
Caleb squeezed my hand. “You’ve got this.”
His dad appeared next to me. “We don’t bite too hard, kid. Only Iris when she’s hungry, but you’re already on good terms with her.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. At least I knew most of their family already. It wasn’t like I was walking into this blindly.
Not like Caleb was.
My eyes searched the yard for my parents as soon as I walked out. Mom texted me saying that her and Dad got here early, and that Iris had let them in.
Max and Andy’s loud giggles caused my attention to go toward the corner of the yard, where a swing set was set up. It hadn’t been there last week when I came over. Mom was pushing Max on the swing, while Dad watched Andy go down the connected plastic slide.
Caleb noticed my attention. “I bought that the other day for when the boys come over. My buddies helped me set it up.”
Teddy, Caleb’s best friend, came over and put Caleb in a headlock, causing me to step back. Shaking my head at them and their antics, I brushed Caleb’s arm before heading toward my parents.
“Hey,” I greeted.
Dad looked up first. “Hey, kiddo. Glad you could join us.”
I walked over to him, hugging his torso. “I know how much you love kids, don’t pretend like hanging out with Andy doesn’t make you happy.”
He hugged me back. “Not as much as seeing my own kid does.”
I playfully poked his stomach. “You’re just a big ol’ teddy bear, aren’t you?”
He grumbled under his breath, neither confirming nor denying it.
Mom joined us, Max wandering toward his dad across the yard. “So, when do we get to officially meet the man?”
“Man,” Dad repeated in distaste.
Mom smacked him. “Enough of that.”
Caleb must have sensed that we were talking about him, because he came over and stood right beside me, extending a hand toward my father.
“You must be Paisley’s father.”
Dad eyed his hand, accepting the shake before Mom could smack him again. We both knew she would if he didn’t play nice.
“Gabe,” Dad replied.
Mom didn’t bother sticking out her hand to Caleb. Instead, she bumped Dad out of her way and wrapped her arms around Caleb’s torso.
He looked over her head at me, clearly amused by her gesture. It was funny seeing Mom’s five-nothing form tucked into Caleb’s massive arms. It was like watching him hug a child.
I giggled at the thought, causing Mom to withdraw and peer over at me. I bit down on my lip to contain myself, but my shoulders shook until Dad started chuckling.
“What is so funny?” Mom frowned.
I shook my head. “Nothing, nothing.”
Dad patted my shoulder like he knew exactly what I found funny but didn’t rat me out. He pulled Caleb aside instead, one arm around his shoulder like he was about to have a man-to-man talk.
“Do you think he’s threatening Caleb?” I whispered to Mom.
Mom rubbed my arm. “Probably,” she admitted casually. “But I think Caleb can handle himself. I mean, look at them. They’re already laughing.”
I’d never seen Dad laugh with anyone like he was. And…did he just clap Caleb’s shoulder like they were buddies?
Oh my god.
Caleb was a magician.
I shook my head. “I should go say hello to Mrs. Winters. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”
She patted my butt as I walked off, going back to watch Andy on the slide. I made my way to Elena, who was fussing over Iris’s hair while Iris swatted her hand away. She hated people messing with the blonde locks that she usually just put up in a ponytail.
Iris had a laidback kind of beauty that came natural to her. Despite her mother wanting her to wear more than just the usual workout attire and dark makeup, Iris owned the basics.
“Hi, Mrs. Winters.”
She turned her focus to me, her red lips stretching into her usual warm smile. “Oh, Paisley! I’ve been wanting to talk with you ever since Caleb mentioned he was seeing you! How are you, sweetie?”
She pulled me into a hug, which I returned. When had Caleb mentioned me to his mother? It seemed like this wasn’t some new conversation they’d had.
“I’m doing well, thanks.”
She took my hands in hers. “He told me that you were planning on going back to school to become a teacher. Did you know I was an administrator for a high school back in Colorado?”
Iris laughed and gave me a good luck look before running after Max. She’d warned me that her mother would try interrogating me more than their father, but I hadn’t realized it’d be on topics that I hadn’t even discussed with my own parents yet.
“I didn’t,” I admitted, pulling on the hem of my sweater nervously. “But I was thinking about maybe doing something outside of community schools.”
“Like what?”
“I’d love to be a college professor.”
She squeezed my hand. “There aren’t many jobs available in this area. You’d have to do quite a bit of traveling. Or move.”
Her tone was still warm, but I could hear the worry weighing her words. Even the blue eyes she shared with her family were dull.
She was worried I’d take Caleb away.
I gave her a knowing smile. “I know that Oakland University is the only college around, but they have plenty of openings for English professors because of how wide the field is. I actually had a meeting with advisement there, and they told me if I became a teacher’s assistant, I’d have a better chance at getting a job there after graduation.”
Her eyes watered as she squeezed our hands together. “I just got him back,” she whispered, looking over at where Caleb and my father had joined the other men by the grill. Caleb was flipping some burgers and Dad was passing him chicken to put on next.
“I’m not taking him away from you,” I promised. “In fact, I think he loves it here too much to go anywhere else. Especially with this new house.”
She laughed, pulling me into her. “Oh, sweetheart. It’s not just the house he’s staying here for.”
She winked at me, before letting go of my hand and walking to her husband. They all laughed at something Max did. Walking under Caleb’s waiting arm, I settled into his side as he closed the top of the grill.
“My mom looks like she’s crying.”
“You told her I was going back to college.”
He kissed the top of my head. “I thought it’d be a
good conversation starter since she’s familiar with the field. I know you wouldn’t be doing the same thing she did, but it’s always good to have connections.”
I nodded. “True.”
“Your father didn’t bring up pigs,” he noted.
I smiled. “Good to know.”
“I’d say we already won our parents over,” he stated victoriously.
We watched our families chat amongst themselves, passing out drinks and playing with the kids as they ran around the yard.
The smoke billowing from the grill made the air smell like sweet barbecue sauce and the end of summer. Considering it was going to be October in a short couple of weeks, I soaked in the last of the season before it disappeared for good. It made me smile knowing I was enjoying it with the people that I loved.
Loved. There was that damn word again.
“You know,” he told me, “it wasn’t just the swing set that I added to the house.”
I drew back, looking up at him in confusion, then searched the yard for something that I missed. “What else did you add?”
“Come on,” he directed. He passed the tongs to Teddy, saying we’d be right back.
“The lovebirds are already going inside,” Teddy announced loudly.
My eyes bulged when Dad shook his head, cheeks reddening over the thought of us sneaking away.
Caleb laughed. “We’ll be back in a minute.”
Iris snorted. “Paisley is going to be in a world of disappointment if a minute is as long as you can give.”
“Oh my god!” I squeaked, hiding my face.
Caleb leaned into my ear. “Don’t worry, babe. When the time comes, you won’t be getting any sleep for a very long time.”
He tugged me into the house, ignoring the cheers and chuckles we left behind. Steering us through the kitchen and living room until we made it to the master bedroom, he stopped at the doorway.
“Caleb,” I whined, “we’ve got guests.”
He chuckled. “Relax. I didn’t bring you in here for sex. Go check out the bathroom.”
The bathroom?
My suspicious gaze went from him to the bathroom door across the room. He let go of my hand and nudged me forward. I gave him one last questioning look before walking past the queen size bed and into the beach themed bathroom.
Searching the familiar layout of the room, I waited until I came across something I hadn’t seen before. The vanity was still set up in the corner, with the blue hand towels I’d bought him hanging on the bar. The tub was covered by a grey and blue bath curtain that I insisted he buy because it matched the linen, and the toilet still had the fuzzy grey cover on it despite Caleb informing me he’d take it off as soon as I left.
But what wasn’t there when I’d helped him move in was positioned in the corner of the room, resting on the floor between the towel rack and toilet.
“Caleb…”
“Hmm?”
I stared at the litterbox, blinking. “You don’t have a cat.”
He came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “No, but you do. And I figured that you wouldn’t want to leave Tater alone when you spent the night here, so I wanted to make sure she had everything she’d need. I bought some toys and catnip, and there’s cat food in the kitchen cupboard.”
I turned into his arms. “You bought stuff for my cat?”
He smiled. “She’s part of the family.”
Family? Did he just…
Instant tears welled in my eyes.
Awe warmed my body. If I was being honest with myself, it was more than that. But after being so sure something so strong didn’t exist, it was hard to admit I’d found it.
“Tater really loves you,” I told him, wrapping my arms around his torso. “And I…”
His eyes flashed as he stared at me.
Holy shit, I was going to say it.
“I love you too,” I whispered.
“Thank fuck,” he growled, taking me by surprise and kissing me.
He picked me up, so my feet hovered above the ground, spinning us until we were walking into the bedroom. Setting me down on the edge of the bed, I leaned back to look at him.
“I wasn’t sure if you felt it too,” he admitted.
Too?
Did Caleb love me?
He kneeled, so we were eye level, brushing hair out of my face. “I love you too, Paisley. Probably have since you told me off at the motel.”
I swallowed. “But we’d just met.”
“When you know, you know.”
Now tears really were running down my face. I tried drying them off, but he beat me to it, swiping his thumbs across my cheeks.
“I know that your lease is up soon on your apartment,” he noted gently. “I’m not saying that you have to move in with me, but there’s plenty of room if you decide that’s something you want to do. Plus, this place is closer to Oakland-U than your apartment. It’d cut at least fifteen minutes off traveling time.”
My heart couldn’t take everything he was throwing at it, but it absorbed every word until I was sure it’d burst. Could you die from being in love? They said you could over a broken heart, but overexertion had to be a thing too.
“I won’t even start there until the spring,” I reminded him, knowing I’d been too late to attend the fall semester. It gave me more time to figure out what I needed to do to prepare anyway.
“The house isn’t going anywhere,” he answered. “And neither am I.”
I stared at him speechless. How could I say no to him when everything screamed at me to answer yes?
Answer: you didn’t.
I sniffed again, taking a deep breath. “I mean, you’ve already got a litterbox…”
He grinned, kissing me over and over again until I couldn’t breathe. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him to me, wanting to take this further than just a simple kiss.
But he stopped it when I laid back, making him hover over me. “Our families are outside.”
I groaned. “Mood killer.”
He leaned down and kissed my cheek before pulling me back up to sitting. “After they’re gone, we’ll go grab Mashed Potato and bring you guys back here. You can spend the night.”
My breathing got heavy. “O-okay.”
“We don’t have to do anything,” he assured.
But after what just transpired, I wanted to.
I nodded. “Ready to go back out?”
He stood up first, offering me his hand. His playful smirk was back. “Let’s go dazzle the parentals, shall we?”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re a dork.”
“But you love it.”
I did.
How You Know It Will Work:
He loves you despite your verbal outbursts before sex
By eight o’clock Caleb’s friends had tried roping him into going out to Main Street Tumblers—a local bar in town. When he turned them down and saw them out, Dad nodded his head in approval as Caleb returned to my side and held my hand.
Dad wasn’t a hard man to impress…unless you were trying to get close to his daughter. Then he felt the need to act like the next Jessie James, which was hilarious considering he wouldn’t hurt a fly. Somebody with a penis, sure. Not a fly.
The entire night he kept conversation going with Caleb and his parents, talking about anything from his service in the military to his future plans. While Caleb wasn’t sure what his next step was, he had a few friends in construction who were willing to help him find a job in the meantime. Since Dad dabbled in construction, it got them talking in a language that I couldn’t possibly be part of, so I’d sat with Mom and Elena, who weren’t much better company when they started talking grandbabies.
Seriously, what was the rush?
I was relieved when Mom and Dad were ready to go, because I couldn’t keep up on the back-and-forth between our parents about the future.
Caleb patted my thigh as he endured it, not surprised at all that his mother was talking color schemes and dres
ses for our wedding. Honestly, I wasn’t too surprised either after Mom’s little outburst when I told her we were having the barbecue. I just hoped Dad would talk her out of making a big scene. Then again, Dad wasn’t the one who wore the pants in the family.
Mom was on the verge of tears when she hugged me goodbye at the door, squeezing me until I couldn’t breathe. Dad pried her arms off me, going in for a much lighter hug.
He sighed as he pulled away. “I’ve got to say, kid. You’ve got a good guy in there. You chose right.”
I looked over my shoulder, watching Caleb hold Max in his lap as he said goodbye to Iris and Tony. That man kept a permanent smile plastered on my face all day, even when his friends tried making sex jokes in front of our parents. My smile was more of a I-won’t-hesitate-to-murder-your-friends look more than anything friendly in that moment.
But now the smile was just pure love, because I loved Caleb Winters and his big heart and even bigger muscles.
Sighing, I said, “I know.”
He groaned loudly. “Jesus. Don’t look at him like that, Paisley. I can accept you falling in love, but don’t make me a grandpa yet.”
Now would have been a good spit-take moment, because the last thing I wanted to discuss with my father was getting pregnant. As far as he knew, I didn’t even know what sex was.
Before the conversation got weird, I pushed him toward the door. “Okay then. Well, thanks for coming over. It was nice to see you guys. Minus the whole wedding and sex talk.”
He chuckled. “Nice to see you too, kid.”
He paused by the door, giving me a chance to squeeze his arm lightly. “And thanks for being nice to him.”
“You like him,” he stated.
“Yeah. A lot.”
He nodded, kissing my forehead. “I’d do anything for you, kiddo. I hope you know that.”
“I do.”
Mom called for Dad, so we said goodbye and I closed the door behind him. Walking back into the kitchen with Cal, Tony, and Iris, I slid into the seat next to Caleb.
“My father likes you,” I stated doubtfully.
“I am pretty amazing.”
I thought about it. “It was the food—had to be. Dad appreciates a good burger. And let’s face it, you bribed him with bacon. No man on earth can resist bacon.”
Way To My Heart Page 18
