stupidity—you remember it, don’t you?”
I nodded softly, but couldn’t relate. Nothing so dramatic had happened to me in school. I’d fallen in love with words and immersed myself with writing bad short stories and pining over some guy with a shaved head and combat boots who worked at the university library. Funny, now I couldn’t even remember his name, and yet he’d seemed so important at the time.
“Truthfully, they were all too young to be making any relationship decisions. Caleb’s really matured since then. Collie, I’m not so sure about.” Laura often used Collie as the nickname for her younger brother. She was the only one who was allowed to call him by the name; I’d done so once and he’d shot me such a withering stare I’d never even used the word for the breed of dog around him since.
“Hmm.” I didn’t really know what to do with this information. “That’s…quite a story. Yeah, Colin doesn’t sound like he’s changed much when it comes to women.”
Laura groaned and waved her hand dismissively. “He’s been wary of women since his high school girlfriend dumped him for a guy on the football team.”
I chuckled. “Wait, Colin wasn’t on the football team? I’d always pegged him for a football-frat guy, for some reason.”
Laura shook her head. “He was the opposite of Caleb, who was always naturally athletic and smart and handsome. Colin was a debate team geek in high school. Went through a real awkward phase. You should’ve seen him. Glasses and ugly plaid shirts. But then he changed a lot when he was eighteen and, yeah, was in a frat in college.”
So I was half-right. “Kind of a long time to hold a grudge against women, isn’t it?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah. He denies it, and we’ve even gotten into arguments about how he seems incapable of settling down. He calls himself a loveable rake.”
Sarah made a gagging noise and I snorted.
Laura waved her hand at me. “He says I’m the only woman he truly loves.”
“Jesus. No pressure there.” My laughter spilled out because I was nervous and slightly mortified. Even with money, Caleb’s family had issues: Laura’s anxiety disorder, the death of Caleb’s wife, Colin’s inability to move on from a teenage broken heart. Tolstoy was right, I mused. E ach unhappy family is unhappy in its own way …
Laura interrupted my thoughts. “So you’re the most mature relationship Caleb’s ever had. Oh, I mean, he was a good husband to Tara. He didn’t have an affair, I don’t think.”
“You don’t think?” I choked out the words. I was finding this out now? Of all the men I’d met, Caleb appeared the most faithful. Now, after two years, what else didn’t I know about him? “Caleb wouldn’t cheat, would he?” I hated myself for second-guessing him, because he’d given me no reason to.
Laura scrunched her nose. “No, I don’t think so. And definitely not on you. But with Tara, it became obvious he had disengaged after they had been married a while. He seemed bored. We thought it was a seven-year-itch kind of thing, and then they separated. They were never truly compatible, I don’t think. But he went above and beyond when she was diagnosed with cancer. In the end, he gave her what she needed and more.”
I swallowed. Caleb had stood by Tara when she was dying. That couldn’t be denied.
“I think Tara’s death changed Caleb a lot. For the better.” Laura rubbed my back as I nodded. “He loves you. I’ve never seen him this happy. Ever. Not when he was a kid, not when he was an adult. Don’t worry so much.”
Sarah came and rubbed my back in tandem with Laura. “Emma’s always been a worrier.”
It was true. And so I didn’t reveal my other worry. I’d been thinking about The Baby for a month now, and it was entwined with the marriage question. Caleb and I had been really careless about using protection lately, but with my irregular cycle and my apparently advanced age, who knew if I could
I nodded softly, but couldn’t relate. Nothing so dramatic had happened to me in school. I’d fallen in love with words and immersed myself with writing bad short stories and pining over some guy with a shaved head and combat boots who worked at the university library. Funny, now I couldn’t even remember his name, and yet he’d seemed so important at the time.
“Truthfully, they were all too young to be making any relationship decisions. Caleb’s really matured since then. Collie, I’m not so sure about.” Laura often used Collie as the nickname for her younger brother. She was the only one who was allowed to call him by the name; I’d done so once and he’d shot me such a withering stare I’d never even used the word for the breed of dog around him since.
“Hmm.” I didn’t really know what to do with this information. “That’s…quite a story. Yeah, Colin doesn’t sound like he’s changed much when it comes to women.”
Laura groaned and waved her hand dismissively. “He’s been wary of women since his high school girlfriend dumped him for a guy on the football team.”
I chuckled. “Wait, Colin wasn’t on the football team? I’d always pegged him for a football-frat guy, for some reason.”
Laura shook her head. “He was the opposite of Caleb, who was always naturally athletic and smart and handsome. Colin was a debate team geek in high school. Went through a real awkward phase. You should’ve seen him. Glasses and ugly plaid shirts. But then he changed a lot when he was eighteen and, yeah, was in a frat in college.”
So I was half-right. “Kind of a long time to hold a grudge against women, isn’t it?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah. He denies it, and we’ve even gotten into arguments about how he seems incapable of settling down. He calls himself a loveable rake.”
Sarah made a gagging noise and I snorted.
Laura waved her hand at me. “He says I’m the only woman he truly loves.”
“Jesus. No pressure there.” My laughter spilled out because I was nervous and slightly mortified. Even with money, Caleb’s family had issues: Laura’s anxiety disorder, the death of Caleb’s wife, Colin’s inability to move on from a teenage broken heart. Tolstoy was right, I mused. E ach unhappy family is unhappy in its own way …
Laura interrupted my thoughts. “So you’re the most mature relationship Caleb’s ever had. Oh, I mean, he was a good husband to Tara. He didn’t have an affair, I don’t think.”
“You don’t think?” I choked out the words. I was finding this out now? Of all the men I’d met, Caleb appeared the most faithful. Now, after two years, what else didn’t I know about him? “Caleb wouldn’t cheat, would he?” I hated myself for second-guessing him, because he’d given me no reason to.
Laura scrunched her nose. “No, I don’t think so. And definitely not on you. But with Tara, it became obvious he had disengaged after they had been married a while. He seemed bored. We thought it was a seven-year-itch kind of thing, and then they separated. They were never truly compatible, I don’t think. But he went above and beyond when she was diagnosed with cancer. In the end, he gave her what she needed and more.”
I swallowed. Caleb had stood by Tara when she was dying. That couldn’t be denied.
“I think Tara’s death changed Caleb a lot. For the better.” Laura rubbed my back as I nodded. “He loves you. I’ve never seen him this happy. Ever. Not when he was a kid, not when he was an adult. Don’t worry so much.”
Sarah came and rubbed my back in tandem with Laura. “Emma’s always been a worrier.”
It was true. And so I didn’t reveal my other worry. I’d been thinking about The Baby for a month now, and it was entwined with the marriage question. Caleb and I had been really careless about using protection lately, but with my irregular cycle and my apparently advanced age, who knew if I could
Similar Books
