Five Dates Only

by R. L. Kenderson

  He smiled. A true, genuine smile. “Yeah. And can you believe that I’m excited? I’m going to be a dad.”

  I grinned back at him. “I’m happy for you.”

  “Thanks, man. Anyway, that’s why I came over to tell you thanks. Because, even though Melanie and I are over as a couple, I know that I want us to get along for the baby.”

  What do you know? My brother was making real progress, and I was very happy for him. If only I could be happy for myself, too.

  Neil studied my face. “I’m sure you and Sloan will work things out.”

  “Yeah, hopefully,” I said because I didn’t want to talk about it.

  But, deep down, I knew that annulment papers meant there was nothing for us to work out.

  Forty

  Sloan

  March—Several Months Later

  “Sloan? Sloan, it’s time.”

  My body rocked as someone shook me back and forth.

  “Huh? Huh?” I asked, rolling onto my back. I glanced at the clock to see that it wasn’t yet three in the morning.

  Melanie and her huge belly stood next to my bed. “It’s time.”

  In a second, I went from being half-asleep to wide awake. “Holy shit.” I threw back the covers. “How far apart are your contractions?”

  “Six minutes.”

  “Six minutes? Why the hell didn’t you wake me?”

  When I’d told Mel that I would be here for her and the baby, I’d meant it. I’d practically moved into her house the last two weeks as she got closer—and then surpassed—her due date. I wanted to be here in case she needed me in the middle of the night. And she hadn’t even gotten me up.

  “I’m waking you now.”

  “But the doctor said you need to go to the hospital when they get to be five minutes apart. You’re sure cutting it close.”

  She lifted a shoulder. “I was stuck at eight and seven minutes for about two hours.”

  I paused at my dresser. “Okay. I take it back. Thanks for not waking me.”

  Mel laughed. “I knew it.” She waddled toward the door. “I’m going to go get dressed and grab my to-go things. Meet you at the door?”

  “I’ll meet you at your bedroom, and I’ll grab your to-go things. You’re already carrying the fricking baby, for God’s sake.”

  She shook her head and laughed as she walked out of the room.

  I hurriedly got dressed, combed my hair, and grabbed my keys and purse in record time, only to find Mel’s bedroom empty.

  I stomped to the front door. “Melanie.”

  “What?” she called from the kitchen.

  “You’re eating?” I asked when I entered.

  “Yeah.”

  “Shouldn’t we be going to the hospital?”

  “It’s not five minutes yet.”

  “Let’s go anyway.”

  She shook her head. “Nah.”

  “Melanie Carlson,” I said, using my firm voice.

  She rolled her eyes. “Fine. We’ll go.”

  It was no wonder half the people at the OB clinic thought Melanie and I were a couple. We kind of acted like one.

  While Neil had been making a real effort to be involved, he couldn’t always get off work. Since my schedule was flexible, I often went with her. Speaking of the baby daddy …

  “Have you called Neil yet?”

  Melanie bent over and clutched the wall as a contraction started.

  I looked at my watch so that I could count the time in between this and the next one.

  When her pain eased, Mel stood. “No, I was going to call him when we got in the car.”

  “Okay then, let’s go and do this thing.”

  I might have been ready, and Melanie might have been ready, but Baby Carlson was not ready. She or he refused to come out.

  “There’s still time, Melanie, but if the baby’s heart rate drops any lower, we’re going to have to do a C-section.”

  Neil and I exchanged looks across Mel’s bed. She didn’t have much of a birth plan, except that she didn’t want a C-section. However, it was almost five o’clock the following evening. She’d been in labor for over thirty-six hours, so maybe she’d be happy to get the baby out.

  “Noooooo,” Melanie whined. “Come out, baby.”

  Or maybe not.

  The doctor chuckled. “I think the little one is trying to show you who the new boss is,” she said. She put her hand on Melanie’s knee. “I know you’re scared, but I have performed hundreds of C-sections, and the best way to lower your risk is to go in before it’s an emergency.”

  Mel looked heartbroken, but she nodded.

  The doctor smiled reassuringly. “We’re not there yet, so relax for now, okay?”

  Melanie nodded.

  The doctor went to the door and turned. “Oh, and I hate to give you more bad news, but if we do go into surgery, only one person is allowed to come.” She looked at Neil and me. “I’m sorry, guys.”

  I smiled. Worrying about us should be the last thing the doctor thought about.

  After the doctor left, I turned to Melanie and Neil. “If you go to surgery, I think Neil should go in the room.”

  Melanie grabbed my hand. “But I want you.” She stuck out her bottom lip.

  Apparently, birth turned my friend into a child again.

  I squeezed her hand. “I want that, too, but think about your baby. How would she or he feel if she or he found out that you wouldn’t let her or his father into the room to see her or him delivered?” I made a frustrated noise. “You know, this pep talk would sound a lot better if I didn’t have to keep using all the pronouns. Why didn’t you find out what you’re having again?”

  Melanie crossed her arms over her chest. “Because I didn’t wanna.”

  I looked at Neil. “She’s all yours.”

  He smiled at me and pulled up a chair next to Melanie’s bed. “If you really want Sloan to go in there, we’ll figure out what to tell the baby someday.”

  I had to give Neil props. He’d come a long way. If he had been this nice to Mel when they were dating, she might not have broken up with him. That, and the cheating, of course. But then again, if things had gone differently, my friend might not be having a baby today.

  Melanie slammed her fists down on the bed. “But I want both of you to go in there.”

  I squeezed her shoulder. “Let’s not worry about it until we have to, okay?”

  As the next hour wore on, it was apparent that Melanie’s labor wasn’t progressing, and she would have to go to surgery. I convinced her that having Neil go into surgery was the best thing for everyone. And, while I was sad that I wouldn’t get to be in the room when the baby was born, Neil was the father, and it was the right call.

  With the room now empty, all the excitement wheeled to another room, I was beat. I had managed to go to Mel’s house since she lived closer and sneak in a shower that morning, but I hadn’t gotten much sleep since Mel woke me up in the middle of the night. I’d camped out in her room last night, but it had been a lot of broken sleep.

  I stole one of her blankets off the pile on the counter and lay down on the couch in Melanie’s hospital room. If I could get in even a half hour, I’d feel a lot better.

  Forty-One

  Caleb

  I got off the elevator and looked at the room number signs before heading right.

  My brother had called and asked me to bring some food, as he had been at the hospital all day and was starving. Last I had heard, they were taking Melanie into surgery.

  Any minute now, I was going to be an uncle. I was surprised at how excited I was about my new nephew or niece, but over the last six months, I’d grown closer to Neil. We were never going to be great friends, but we did try to hang out a couple of times a month at least.

  When I reached the doorway of Melanie’s room, the bed was gone, and there was a long figure curled up on the couch.

  It was Sloan.

  I entered the room and quietly set the food down on the counter
before approaching her.

  She looked very peaceful in her sleep, and I had to resist the urge to touch her. I knew she deserved her rest after hearing that Melanie had been in labor for a day and a half.

  But, man, did I miss her. I missed touching her and talking to her.

  It was probably a good thing she was sleeping, or I’d probably make a fool of myself.

  Just as I was about to turn and head to the chair, Sloan stirred and rolled onto her back.

  She smiled up at me as she yawned and stretched.

  I grinned down at her.

  “Hey, husband,” she said in a low voice.

  “Hey, wife.”

  December

  “Caleb, can you come back here?”

  I said good-bye to the customer I’d just rung up and turned to the rear of the store.

  Ted wanted to talk to me.

  “Sure.” I did a quick sweep to make sure the store wasn’t too busy and then headed back to Ted’s office.

  “Have a seat,” he said when I entered.

  I had no idea what this was about. I’d been the model employee since Ted found out about my lying. I’d even come in when I was sick a month ago to show how loyal I was to the store.

  It had kind of backfired because everyone had stood three feet away from me, and Ted had made me go home.

  “What’s going on?” I asked after pulling up the chair.

  “I have some news.”

  Ted’s face was grim, and I didn’t have a good feeling.

  “Okay.” I told myself, no matter what it was, I wasn’t going to get upset.

  “I’ve changed my mind about selling the store. I’d like to have everything finalized before spring. Mary wants us to start traveling after the snow melts.”

  I took a deep breath and blew it out. “That’s … great. I’m happy for you. You both deserve it.” I stood. “And thank you for telling me in private.” It would have been hard to hear from someone else that Rick was buying the store.

  “Caleb, sit down.”

  I really didn’t want to, but I owed it to Ted.

  “You don’t understand,” he said once I was in my seat again.

  “You’re right. I don’t,” I said because, at this point, I had no idea what he was talking about.

  “I’m going to sell the store to Rick.”

  I looked down. Ted was wrong. I understood completely.

  “And to you.”

  I swung my head up. “What?”

  “I’ve decided to sell the store to both of you. Fifty-fifty split. You will be partners. I’ve already okayed it with Rick. Now, I need to know if you’re on board.”

  Wow. Ted was going to sell me his store. Sure, it was only half of it, but it was more than I could dream about at this point.

  I should be ecstatic. It was what I had wanted for months and months, but it suddenly felt like a hollow victory. Sure, I felt great that Ted was no longer mad at me, and he trusted me enough to hand over his pride and joy to me. Half of his pride and joy.

  But it didn’t mean as much to me when I felt like there was something missing in my life. Inside me.

  I still missed Sloan like crazy.

  I had thought my feelings for her would have faded by now, but I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

  My brother, of all people, had told me I was in love with her. When he first said it, I laughed in his face. But, later that night, as I’d lain in bed, I’d realized he might be right.

  I’d had girlfriends in the past. Some serious. Some not serious. I never told any of them I loved them, and now, I knew why. I’d been sad when some of those relationships ended, but the women had quickly become an afterthought. Not one of them occupied my mind months later.

  “What’s wrong, Caleb? I thought you’d be happy. You know this is the best I can do with what happened,” Ted said, sounding concerned.

  I thought about keeping my feelings to myself, but I had promised no more lying. “I know, and I understand. I am happy. It’s just … I miss … Sloan. She’s the first person I thought of, and I would love to tell her the good news.”

  After going to Ted’s house and getting yelled at by him, I hadn’t brought up Sloan’s name once. I’d been too afraid.

  “You still care about her?” Ted asked with what sounded like displeasure.

  “Yes,” I admitted. And, since I had gone that far, I decided to tell Ted everything. “I blackmailed Sloan into being my girlfriend.”

  Ted’s eyebrows shot up, practically to his hairline.

  “I didn’t even know her that well, but she was there, and you had told me to bring my girlfriend to dinner, so I blackmailed her.” I met Ted’s eyes. “She’s not a bad person, and I hate that you think she is. Also”—I cleared my throat—“we actually grew to care for each other.”

  I laughed at the memory of Hawaii.

  “You’re probably going to think this is nuts, but the two of us really got married. We’d had a bit too much to drink, but our little impromptu ceremony was never about deceiving you. That was all Sloan and me.”

  Ted smiled. “I knew you really got married.”

  I frowned. “You did?”

  “Yes. Sloan told Mary.”

  “Oh.” I wondered when she had done that.

  “And I’ve been watching you the last few months. You’re not the same, Caleb.”

  “I’ve been working very hard to prove myself to you.”

  “To prove yourself to me or to forget about Sloan?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe both.”

  Ted smiled reassuringly. “Well, I want you to know that I harbor no hard feelings toward her, and I apologize for rushing to judgment. But, if you broke up with her for me, I really wish you hadn’t.”

  I shook my head. “No. We got into a big fight and broke things off. I didn’t see her again for a month, and I apologized and let her know I wasn’t mad anymore. Her response was to send me annulment papers.”

  “Ooh.” Ted winced.

  “Yeah.”

  “Have you talked to her at all? Have you tried to work it out?”

  I shook my head again. “I put the ball in her court.”

  Ted laughed, and I had a feeling it was at me.

  I frowned. “I don’t understand what’s so funny.”

  “Boy, you should be on your knees in front of that girl every day, begging for her to take you back.”

  “What?”

  “After everything you put her through? And you thought a, Hey, I’m sorry we fought, would bring her around?” Ted laughed some more.

  Meanwhile, I was beginning to feel like a jackass.

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “Yeah, well, it’s too late now.”

  It took a couple more seconds for Ted to stop laughing, but when he did, he asked, “Did you sign those annulment papers?”

  My face turned red because I’d thrown them in a stack of other papers and forgotten about them. I thought I had forgotten on purpose. “Um … no.”

  Ted lifted his brow. “Has she bugged you about signing them? Has her lawyer contacted you?”

  I thought about it, and it was like someone had turned on a lightbulb in my head. “No.”

  “Then, I think there’s still a chance.”

  “Really?”

  Ted shrugged. “There’s only one way to find out.”

  I jumped out of my chair. “I have to go.”

  Ted smiled. “I figured as much.” He nodded toward the door. “Get out of here.”

  I stood in front of Sloan’s door, praying she was home.

  When I heard Bear bark and Sloan telling him to hush, it was music to my ears.

  And, when she opened the door, seeing her standing there was the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen.

  “Caleb?” she said, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

  I pulled the annulment papers from my jacket and held them in front of her. “I don’t want to sign these,” I said and ripped them in half.


  Sloan raised her brow and said, “You know I can just call and get a new set sent out.”

  I stepped forward until I felt the warmth of her house and the warmth of her body near mine. “Then, I’ll just rip them up, too.”

  She tilted her head to the side. “Why?”

  The fact that she wasn’t mad gave me hope.

  “Because I’ve realized something.”

  “Oh? And what’s that?”

  “You promised me five dates. You still owe me one.”

  Forty-Two

  Sloan

  March

  I sat up and pulled Caleb down next to me on the couch in the hospital room. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. “I’ve missed you.”

  He pushed my hair back from my face. “I’ve missed you, too. I prayed every night that Mel’s baby would come, so you’d be able to come home.” He kissed me again. “Our bed is lonely without you.” He kissed my neck. “My penis is lonely without you.”

  I laughed loudly at this. “I came home for a quickie two days ago.”

  He continued to kiss my neck and shoulder. “I know. But I need more than five minutes with you.”

  “Why? We already don’t know what to do with the other four and a half.”

  Caleb lifted his head and scowled. “You’re not funny.”

  I grinned. “I’m hilarious.” I looked over at the counter and saw a fast-food bag. “Ooh, is that food?”

  “Yes, but you can’t have any now that you’ve made fun of my manhood.”

  I laid my head on his chest and batted my eyelashes at him. “Oh, Caleb, you are the stallion of lovers. You are the king of orgasms. You are—”

  “If I tell you that I brought you your favorite thing to eat, will you stop?”

  I lifted my head. “Yes.”

  “Go on. It’s in the bag.”

  I scrambled off the couch to get the food. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I saw the bag. I quickly pulled everything out.