“You can’t seriously be going on a vacation with Cal of all people.” Violet launches a dart at the circle she drew directly over Cal’s face marked with a 50. She found the photo of Cal in a suit and tie on the Kane Company’s webpage and printed it out for our emergency girls’ night.
This time, I wasn’t the one who called the meeting. Delilah and Violet did after I told them the news about Dreamland and our vacation next week.
“You try telling Cami no after he offered to take her to Dreamland. She has been begging me to go ever since she saw that commercial on the TV two years ago.”
“Why would he even offer a trip like that in the first place? What does he get out of it?” Delilah takes a sip of her drink before standing and grabbing a dart from the table. Today is a good day for her and her arthritis, so she wants to take advantage.
“Besides increasing his odds of getting into Alana’s pants?” Violet snorts.
I shoot her a look. “Say what you want about Cal and me, but I know he is doing this because he likes Cami. I can see it in the way they interact. The thing they have is…special.”
He is everything I want in a partner and more.
Delilah’s frown deepens. “Oh, no.” She and Violet spare a glance at each other.
“What?” I ask.
“You’ve got that look in your eyes.”
“What look?”
“The I’m falling in love with Callahan Kane look.”
I laugh. “What kind is that?”
Both Delilah and Violet try to imitate it and fail miserably, which causes us all to break out into laughter.
“I’m not falling in love with him.” At least I don’t think I am. We have only just started taking the next step, so there is no possible way I would be falling in love. It’s way too soon.
Right? A small swell of panic builds in my chest, right above my heart.
“I don’t know…” Delilah rocks back on her shoes.
“Trust me. I would know seeing as I’ve already done it once before.”
“That’s the thing about falling in love. You don’t exactly expect it to happen until you’re crash landing into someone else’s arms, wondering how the hell you lost the battle against gravity in the first place.”
Shit.
Alana Valentina Castillo, you were supposed to be smarter. Wiser. Stronger.
There is no way I would do something as stupid as fall in love with the same man twice, right? My heart throbs at the very idea.
“I know you’re both worried…” My voice stays neutral despite the anxiety growing by the second.
“Only because we love you and don’t want to see you suffer because of Cal. Again,” Violet adds.
I shake off the nerves. “This time is different.” With him cutting back on drinking and his commitment to trying to secure a place in my life, it would be stupid to ignore his efforts, even if we still have a long way to go.
“How? You don’t even trust him,” Violet says with a soft voice.
“Violet…” Delilah warns.
I cross my arms. “I trust him enough to live with him.”
“But you don’t trust him enough to take care of Cami on his own,” Violet counters.
“Trust takes time.” Delilah gives my hand a squeeze.
My head hangs. Deep down, I know Violet and Delilah are right. Cal and I can play house for as long as we want, but that won’t change the fact that I still don’t fully trust him.
Trust takes time. Delilah’s words replay in my head.
I hope so.
I return from girls’ night to find Wyatt and Cal caught in a death stare match. They both sit on opposite sides of the living room, the tension bleeding from both of their hiked shoulders.
“Glad you’re back. Can you call off your guard dog now?” Cal doesn’t look in my direction.
Wyatt’s muscles strain beneath his T-shirt. “I’m a babysitter, not a guard dog.”
Cal’s eyes narrow. “You wouldn’t even let me read Cami a bedtime story.”
“Because I’m the one who usually does it when I watch her.” Wyatt pokes his chest.
“Well, she didn’t ask you, did she?”
Wyatt’s jaw ticks.
Good God. Watching the two of them get jealous over who Cami wants to read a bedtime story with is too much, even for me.
My ovaries, on the other hand, are living their best life.
“Thanks for watching Cami. I appreciate it.” I pat Wyatt on the back.
Merlin comes out from under the couch to rub his body against my leg. I reach down and run my hand across his silky coat. It only took Merlin a week to warm up to Cami and me, thanks to the fancy cans of tuna I bought him.
“Hey there,” I coo.
“You have a cat?” Wyatt’s head swings in Cal’s direction.
“Yup.”
I carry the cat into my arms and wave his paw in the air. “Say hi to Merlin.”
And you were worried about Cami getting attached…
Wyatt’s eyes right. “Merlin? Wasn’t he King Arthur’s mentor or something?”
“Yup.” Cal’s jaw clenches.
“That’s cute, Percival. Who knew you had a King Arthur kink?”
“I called him that because the name reminded me of my mom, asshole.”
Wyatt’s smile falls. “Sorry.”
Cal doesn’t bother sticking around. The door to his bedroom clicks shut behind him, leaving me to deal with Wyatt.
“What’s gotten into him?” I ask.
Wyatt shrugs. “I’m not sure. He‘s been pissed since the moment I showed up.”
Cal was in a good mood when I left, so I’m not sure what happened within the few seconds it took Wyatt to walk inside the house.
I give him a shove. “Could you at least try to be civil with him?”
“I am trying, even if it doesn’t seem like it. Most of the town is trying, after seeing him make a damn fool of himself in that strawberry costume.”
“Then why did he look like you kicked his cat?”
“Probably because he feels threatened by my relationship with Cami or something.”
“Threatened? Why?”
“Most likely because the rich prick didn’t have to share a single thing his whole life.”
I roll my eyes. “You are both ridiculous.”
“Me? The guy made it a point to ice me out the whole time. When I tried to play with them at Cami’s request, Cal killed my Barbie before I ever had a chance to join.”
My mouth drops open. “How?”
“My doll didn’t listen to my mom and got in a stranger’s car.”
“At least he made it an educational experience.” I cover my mouth to muffle my chuckle.
Wyatt glares, and I end up laughing harder.
“Don’t call me next time you need someone to babysit.”
I wrap my arms around him. “I love you!”
He returns the gesture. “Whatever. Next time I’ll be smarter and send his Barbie to jail. Maybe incorporate something about breaking laws.”
I laugh and pull away. “You do that.”
Wyatt sees himself out, leaving me to pick up the toys left out after Cami went to bed.
“He’s gone?” Cal’s voice has me jumping in place.
I turn to face him. “You scared me.”
“Sorry. I was wondering how long it would take him to leave. I’ve been at it all night with no success.”
“He wasn’t going to leave until I got home.”
“Seriously? Why? I could have taken care of Cami if you had asked me.”
He sounds…hurt?
No. That can’t be.
Can it?
I tuck the bin of toys back in its shelf. “I’m sorry.”
“Why didn’t you ask me?” He steps closer until I can smell his aftershave.
Something in my chest tugs hard.
“Lana.”
I look away from his face. “The guy I was with before…”
Cal takes a deep breath as he tucks his hands into his pockets.
“I asked him a few times to watch Cami while I went out with Violet and Delilah. Wyatt didn’t mind taking care of Cami, but I thought it would be a good bonding opportunity for Victor and her, so I let him.” I release a laugh that borders on hysterical.
Cal abandons his spot and swoops me into his arms.
“I really want a full name for this asshole.”
I clutch the fabric of his shirt, holding on to him like a lifeline. “It’s not like anything physically happened to her, but she would ask him a few too many questions and he would lose his cool. Ended up yelling at her and making her cry multiple times. Even sent her to her room once, like he had any right to punish her.”
“I know you don’t condone physical violence, but for him, I hope you made an exception.”
I shake my head against his chest. “I didn’t find out what happened until a few months later, once we broke up over something else. Cami kept it a secret the whole time because she was worried I would choose Victor over her. How freaking sad is it that my kid couldn’t tell me someone hurt her because she didn’t want to lose me? Like I would ever choose a man over her.” Tears begin to fall, soaking the material of his shirt.
He runs a hand up and down my back, soothing me through my sobs. I didn’t mean to cry, but the tears won’t stop flowing now that they have started.
“I’m sorry you and Cami had to go through that together. But I can assure you, I wouldn’t dare raise my voice at your kid. That’s the last thing I would want after going through something similar myself.”
I sniffle, trying to fight back the tears. “I know that—deep down I know you wouldn’t—but I made myself a promise after I learned about what Victor did.”
“What promise?”
“That I wouldn’t let anyone who I didn’t fully trust take care of Cami.”
He winces, although his hand never stops running up and down my spine. “I know you don’t have a reason to fully trust me yet, but I know one day you will.” He speaks with absolute certainty, as if he won’t accept any other option.
Honestly, I’m not sure there is another one for Cal.
“Look! My name!” Cami’s arms shake from exertion as she drags a huge box behind her.
Cal hops off the couch and helps her bring the package inside the guesthouse.
“What is that?” I check out the label with Cami’s name on it. The box is plain without any kind of branding or clue to tell me where it is from.
Cal kneels on the floor beside her. “Cami’s birthday present.”
“For me?” She hits a new octave from how excited she is.
I blink a few times to confirm the facts. “You got her a present?”
Cal looks up at me from his spot beside Cami on the floor. “Yeah?”
“But you’re already taking us to Dreamland next week.”
“And? I told Cami I would build a ship with her.”
Cami gasps.
Cal curses under his breath. “Well, there goes that surprise.”
Cal sifts through his wallet and hands her a fifty-dollar bill.
Cami’s brow rises.
“What? I ran out of hundreds yesterday.”
“That’s okay. Fifty times two.” She holds up her two fingers like a peace sign.
I stifle my laugh with the palm of my hand, earning a glare from Cal.
His lips turn into a smile before he hands her a second bill. “You better invite me to your graduation with how much I’m paying for your education.”
“Okay!” Cami takes off for the swear jar. She drags a chair toward the fridge, but Cal swoops in and stops her before she has a chance to climb it.
“I’ll help you.” He lifts her into the air so she can drop the bills inside the jar. I already had to empty it last week with how often Cal and I slip up around one another.
Someone might need to call the heart doctor because mine is about ready to explode from how full it feels. I never thought watching Cal interact with Cami—watching him care about her—would make my entire body feel warm and tingly.
I take a seat on the couch and watch the two of them rip open the birthday present he got her.
Cami pulls out a second nondescript box that is the size of her entire body.
“Uhhh. What is it?” She stares at the box with scrunched brows.
“Hold on.” Cal pulls out his phone and searches for a photo.
He shows it to Cami, and she gasps. “Princess Marianna’s ship?”
“Wait. What?” I stand and peek over her shoulder at the phone screen. The picture was taken in a workshop of some sort, with wood shavings everywhere and a bottle of glue on its side. In the center of the photo, there is a replica of Princess Marianna’s ship that she went searching for sunken treasure in.
Cal rubs the back of his neck. “I asked Rowan to make us something special. He got his Creators to base it off one of the model ships I recommended after doing some research.”
Oh my God. My legs shake from how weak in the knees I feel. “How is that even possible?”
“For once, it pays to have the Kane name.”
My heart doesn’t stand a chance.
Cami and Cal open the box and pull out the pieces, and I sit next to them while they get started. I keep out of the way while they work together. Sometimes I offer assistance when she can’t do what he asks, but for the most part, I’m happy to watch them work with each other. There is something sweet about how patient Cal is with Cami and the way he takes time to answer her every question.
At one point, Cami climbs into Cal’s lap so she can get a better look at what he is doing. He freezes for a second before clutching her hands and modeling how to glue a piece together.
I always knew Cal would be an incredible father one day, and how he treats Cami is proof of that, even if he doubts his own skills. It’s in the little things he does without even noticing.
The patience. The understanding. The reassuring way he speaks to Cami when she gets frustrated or upset.
The longer I stick around watching them, the more apparent it becomes that I don’t want this to end once we sell the house. Just the idea of Cal leaving makes my chest ache, and I’m not sure what to do with that feeling.
There are so many things standing in our way of ever moving forward together—his drinking being the biggest one. But I can’t help but wonder what might happen if he gets that part of his life under control. Would we have a real chance at the life we could have had six years ago? Could we let go of the past and make a family of our own?
I’m tempted to find out.
