Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34035 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34035 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
They left the bathroom and headed back to the main sitting room, where Joey and Jesse were playing on the floor. Ryan and Katherine were standing together. His friend had his arm wrapped around Katherine, but he also noticed the one placed on her stomach. So that was it. His friend wasn’t just testing the water with his twins. Katherine was already pregnant and they wanted to see how their babies would react to another.
He looked toward Ryan and nodded. He was happy for them. So happy. But the hole in his chest felt a little emptier.
****
Annie had panicked on the ride to meet Caleb’s friends, and she had a right to be, because they were deep in interrogation mode. It had started after she and Caleb had come back from the bathroom from changing Tara. Once they were around the table, they had put her opposite Caleb. Jesse was on her side and Joey sat beside Caleb. She had Tara in the car seat beside her, fast asleep. Katherine had offered to put her in the crib, but Caleb had insisted she stay with them in the dining room. She was thankful for that. She didn’t want to let Tara out of her sight.
Once they had their plates dished out and the kids were distracted, the questions had started.
“So, Annie, what do you do?”
“Where did you grow up?”
“What do your parents think of your career?”
“What are your plans for the future?”
“Do you want more kids?
“Do you have a problem with Caleb’s career?”
They went on and on, and in between each question, Caleb would growl at his friends.
Annie didn’t have a problem with any of the questions. She was a little taken aback by them. They seemed to be checking her out for a potential … date. She didn’t know if that was right.
“It’s fine, Caleb,” she said.
“No, it’s not fine.”
“I think his career is amazing. He offers this great opportunity for families and he’s been amazing for me as well. Without him, I think I would probably be locked in my apartment right now without a way out.” She smiled across the table. “He’s been a real lifesaver.”
“That’s amazing. You know, Annie was admiring the gardens,” Katherine said.
“She was? Well, dinner was rather filling, and we’ve got time for dessert. Why don’t you take her for a tour of the grounds, Caleb? We’ll keep an eye on Tara while you’re gone.”
Annie looked from Caleb, to Katherine, to Ryan. “I can wait.”
“Nonsense, there’s no need to wait. Caleb adores the gardens as well. He helped design them.”
“You did?” she asked.
“It was nothing. Just some weekend work helping out a friend.”
“Nonsense. You never take the right amount of credit. He was amazing,” Ryan said. “You should see them. He is a man of many talents.”
So, within a matter of minutes she had her jacket back on and was outside with Caleb admiring the gardens.
“Why don’t we go and get Tara?” Annie said.
“I have a feeling my friends are trying to give us some quiet time.”
Annie looked straight ahead, not sure if she had heard him properly. “They are? Giving us some quiet time?”
Was it possible for her to be so freaking happy about that?
“They mean well. They’re trying to look out for me, and this was their way of saying they liked you,” he said.
“Oh, that’s good. You know, the way the questions were going I was starting to wonder if they had a serious issue with me.”
“No, they don’t. They’re trying to look out for me, you know. Be the good friends and all that. They’re all I have left.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. That’s the way life is, but…” He didn’t finish.
“I do … er … I do get the feeling you’ve been hurt before.”
Caleb sighed and then he stopped. “I know you don’t need me anymore,” he said. “You’re perfectly capable of taking care of Tara, and you seriously don’t need me but…”
She looked toward him, waiting.
“I don’t want to leave. I like you, Annie, and I know that is so unprofessional but I do. I like you a whole lot.”
Her heart started to pound and she couldn’t help but smile. “You do?”
She had hoped he did like her but she’d also been so afraid to act on it. She had gone to him and the last thing she wanted to do was put him in a compromising position.
“Yes, Annie, I like you a lot, and I would like to explore more of this, if you’d like us to.”
He was nervous.
“I’d like that,” Annie said.
Then, she did something she thought she would never do. She took a step toward him, then another, and placed her hand against his chest. Standing on her tiptoes, she pressed a gentle kiss against his lips. “I get that your friends want to look after you, and I agree with them. You don’t have to tell me anything.”