Mosquito Chase (15 page)

I clutched her hand and leaned closer to her, wanting her to understand everything. “I don’t know what happens for us after today. I would like it to turn out the way I want, but even if it doesn’t, I want to help you get through this. I want to be there for you as a friend before anything else.”

“A friend?”

I nodded.

“I’ve never really had many friends.”

“Well, you’ve got one now, so I guess you’ll have to deal with it.”

She grazed her thumb against my knuckle, gazing down at our interlocked fingers, and then back up into my eyes.

“You know I do care for you, Caleb.”

“I know, baby. You know I care about you, too.”

I stood up and brushed her cheek with the back of my hand. I was all in, and she was as in as she could allow herself to be. That was enough for me. I leaned down and kissed her. I didn’t deepen the kiss, but I held my lips against hers for a long moment.

The sound of a car door pulled us out of the kiss. We both jumped a little and smiled at each other. I sat back down and squeezed her hand. The door unlocked and pushed open. Ellie entered first with Teague sleeping in her arms. She headed down the hall as Paul came in, closing the door behind them. Wordlessly, he headed straight for the fridge. He pulled out two bottles of beer and set one in front of me before sitting down in an empty seat at the table.

“Well, Teague kissed Pearl.”

Angie chuckled.

“Dude, they’re babies,” I said.

“Yep.” He nodded and took a swig of beer. “What if he mixes them up and kisses Mary the next time? They are identical and all.”

“What do the girls look like?” Angie asked.

Paul stood up and headed over to the bookshelves. “Those girls are really beautiful. Definitely got their looks from Jordan because Tom is ugly as sin.”

Paul handed her a picture of Tom, Jordan, Pearl and Mary. She looked down at the picture and smiled, meeting my eye.

“They really do make a happy family.” She handed the picture back to Paul. “I’m really happy for them.”

Paul leaned down and pecked the top of her head. “Good job, Angie.”

She nodded to herself and stared across the table. I smiled at her accomplishment. She had just let go of one of her demons.

I stared at his face while he slept. I knew his alarm would wake him soon, but this was one of the rare moments when I could adore him without him noticing. There was a part of me that wished he still hated me, or that he’d at least pretend to. It would make everything easier. He was the reason I didn’t want to die. Of course I wanted to live for the sake of my son, but a person could be alive without really living. Caleb gave me a chance to live. He gave me a reason to look toward the future. People often say everything happens for a reason. I hated to think that my fiancé was murdered as part of some grand scheme, but everything that had happened had brought me to Caleb. If there was one positive to come out of all of this, besides my son, it was Caleb. I loved watching the way his face lit up every time he was around Teague. He was good with the kid. I could see him being good with my son.

I rubbed my belly, looking down. I would have to name this little guy soon. I glanced over at Caleb again. I wanted him to be a part of our lives, but I didn’t want it to be the end of his. I glanced down at the sparkle on my finger. I wasn’t letting go of Simon. I was just letting Caleb in. I eased my other hand from between us and gently wiggled the ring off my swollen finger. I stared at its brilliance. It was okay to move forward, I told myself. I exhaled a deep breath and placed the ring beside me on the night table. Maybe I could get it made into a necklace so that Simon could always be close to my heart.

His phone began to ding a slow steady beat, alerting him that it was 5:30 in the morning. His eyes opened and fixed on me. A small smile eased up his cheeks as he pulled himself closer, ignoring the alarm.

“I love waking up like this.” His raspy whisper broke through the sleepy silence. He buried his face in the crook of my neck.

“Are you going to turn off the alarm?” I asked, snuggling close to him.

He pulled his face away from my neck, shook his head, and pressed his lips to mine. The kiss began slow but soon grew as rough as his voice. His body hovered over me as he held himself up with his arms. I touched his cheeks, rubbing the stubble on his face. He pulled away from my lips and breathed in deep.

“Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?”

The breath caught in my throat. I shook my head, my cheeks warming to a shade of pink.

“Well … you are.”

“When did Officer Harris become such a softy?” I asked, placing my hand against his bare chest.

He gave a shy smile that wasn’t his usual smirk. “When you showed up on my doorstep.”

He kissed me once more and scooted away, clicking off the alarm. He adjusted his pants as he walked over to the closest. He grabbed a few items from inside. I studied the weird tattoo on his arm again, still unable to figure out what it was or what it meant.

“Will you ever tell me about your tattoo?”

He glanced at his arm and back at me. “I will, but not yet.”

I nodded, forced to accept his decision. Paul didn’t even know what it meant, so the fact Caleb would even consider sharing it with me seemed like a big deal. He would confide in me in his own time. I could respect that.

He slipped into the bathroom, leaving the door conveniently cracked as he pulled down his pajama pants. I stared and cocked my head to the side.
I can’t believe I just had sex with him!
Amazing couldn’t even describe it. I had loved my life with Simon, but there was some sort of unconditional feeling with Caleb. He turned slightly, allowing me to view his naked profile. Our morning make-out session was still affecting him. As he reached over to turn on the shower I bit down until my lip seared with pain between my teeth. It was achingly impossible trying to keep these pregnancy hormones in check. But was that what was happening? Could I still chalk it up to pregnancy?

He turned around, giving me a full frontal view.

Nope.

Any woman in any condition would be experiencing the ache between her legs I experienced in that second. The urge to follow him into the bathroom was strong. Unbelievably strong.

Time to get up!

I shuffled out of the room to use the guest bathroom in the hall, careful to not make too much noise. Once finished, I followed the smell of bacon coming from the kitchen. I found Ellie at the stove, dressed in her business casual designs.

“Good morning, Angie. Sleep well?”

Shocked, I sat down at the table. She’d never called me Angie before. It was like being stuck in a parallel universe where everything you ever knew was turned on its head, and this strange, new dynamic knocked me out of my element.

“I slept well. Thank you.”

She stepped away from the stove to grab a plate and a coffee mug. She brought them to me and offered a little smile.

“What… what are you doing?”

She exhaled and clasped her hands in front of her. “It’s a peace offering.”

I looked between her and the sandwich in front of me. I lifted the edge of the sandwich and mumbled, “Is this a Trojan horse kind of gift?”

She laughed and turned away, walking back to the stove. “I promise it’s not.”

She made herself a sandwich and joined me at the table a moment later. “As annoying as he is as a brother-in-law, I love Caleb. He’s my family. And he loves you. I think we should let the past go and move forward.”

I scooted away from the table. There was too much in that one statement for me to absorb. Ellie had a cheery aura about her, way too cheery for this time of morning.

“Caleb is not in love with me,” I argued.

“Oh, he is. Even if he doesn’t realize it yet, he is.” She picked up her sandwich and took a bite. I followed her lead.

“Oh my God, what’s in here besides peanut butter?” I asked between bites.

“That would be bacon. We were out of Trojan horses.” She winked and took another bite.

“This is amazing.”

“Better than pregnancy sex.”

I shot her a side glance. “I wouldn’t know about that.”

“Told you he was in love with you.” She beamed.

“He’s had sex with other girls.”

“Has he kissed you?” she asked, seeming to know the answer already.

“Well, yeah.”

“He doesn’t kiss.”

I stilled. “Do what?”

She nodded and sipped her coffee. “He does not kiss. Brothers talk, you know, and Paul tells me everything.”

“Everything?”

“Yep, I’ll let you know how last night went for him.”

My head fell inside my hands. “You could tell?”

“Y’all reeked of sex last night.”

“This is so weird.” I shook my head.

“Sex with a Harris boy is not weird.”

“No, being friends with Ellie Caldwell is.”

“Harris,” she corrected.

“Whatever.” I looked over at her and smiled. Crazy parallel universe.

Footsteps echoed up the hall. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Contrary to popular belief, I hadn’t had that much experience with men. The morning after was definitely new to me. With Tom, there had been no morning after. I just left after the sex, assuming that’s what I was supposed to do. I guess I’d assumed things would be discussed the next day, but after the weekend went by without a call from Tom McCloud, it was pretty easy to see there would never be a discussion. I wouldn’t wish for any girl to lose her virginity that way. I’d let it go, though. It didn’t matter anymore. It was in the past, and I was going to leave it there. Now if only I could do the same with Lance, everything might turn out okay.

“Morning, El,” Caleb said as he entered the kitchen, fully clothed. He grabbed a piece of bacon and walked over to me. “Ellie, turn away.”

She grabbed her mug and left the table. He leaned down quickly, catching me off guard with a hungry kiss, pulling my bottom lip between his. He moved back and his eyes bore lovingly into mine. “You call me if you need me. Call me if you don’t. Let me hear from you, okay?”

I nodded. I could get used to this kind of morning after. He kissed me again, and then turned to head out for the day. He stopped abruptly and looked down at my hands, picking up my left one. He rubbed his thumb over my bare ring finger and gazed into my eyes. I shrugged my shoulders and gave a hesitant smile. He lifted my hand up to his lips and kissed my naked finger.

“So beautiful,” he whispered before kissing my forehead. He squeezed my hand a final time and walked away. The door closed quietly behind him.

Ellie sat back down at the table with a shit-eating grin.

“Not a word, Ellie.”

“I didn’t say anything.” She picked up her mug, grinning from ear to ear as she took a sip. I could only laugh. For the first time in my life, I considered Ellie a friend.

We finished our sandwiches and coffee.

“Where’s Paul?” I asked, looking around the kitchen.

“He already went out to the farm for the day. He took Teague with him. The future Harris farmers of America.” Ellie gave a short laugh.

“Are you going to work today?”

“No. I needed a day off. With Christmas coming, it might be the last one I get for a while.” She sipped her coffee. “You know, I could always use some help at the boutique if you’re interested. After things settle down, of course.”

“That would be pretty awesome, actually. I don’t know how long I’ll be staying here, though.”

“You’re staying.” It wasn’t up for argument. The word of Ellie was apparently law.

“Let’s be real here. I’m not the most popular person in town.”

“People don’t know you, Angie. If you and I can mend fences over a peanut butter and bacon sandwich, then I think Olde Town can deal with your residency.”

“Maybe we should give bacon and peanut butter sandwiches away at your boutique.”

“I
like
this idea!”

I laughed. It turned out Ellie could be funny. “I think I’m more worried about your friends then the town, really.”

“The girls are fine. It’s the boys that would be the concern. And really, it’s probably because of the embarrassment.”