Page 76 of Rome
I squeezed his hand, and he continued. “I don’t want to be your rebound guy. But what if I can be more? Just because the timing could be better doesn’t mean that we aren’t moving in the right direction. You have the right to move on, babe.”
I gave him my answer before I left the restaurant, then I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to figure out what to say to Caleb when he came to see the kids tonight.
He got there in time for bath duty with Everly, then they read together with Ethan. It had become their thing to do, and they loved it. I was happy that he’d been able to maintain the close relationship he and Ethan always had and was building the same thing with Everly.
I was pacing in the living room when Caleb came downstairs.
“Ev was asleep before we got halfway through the book. She must have had a busy day at Taylor’s house.”
“I think it was the fresh air. It was such a nice day that Taylor took the babies for a long walk. She strapped Oliver into the baby sling on her chest and put Everly in the stroller.”
He grinned. “I’ll bet her back was killing her by the time she made it back home.”
“It was,” I told him, sharing a grin of my own.
“I may not be able to make it tomorrow evening. Since Pic took off, it’s been crazy at the shop. I’ve got a guy coming in to interview with me at six-thirty. It’s actually Skid’s brother, Diego. He’s been working at a shop in Bloomington for a couple of years, but it’s under new ownership, so Diego’s been looking for a new gig. I’ve talked to him on the phone and seen his portfolio. He’s crazy good and has a great reputation. I’m just hoping he’s a good fit personality-wise. We’ve had enough chaos around the shop, and we all need a break from the fucking drama.”
“Any word on Pic yet?” It had hit the club hard when he skipped town last month. He’d cleaned out the bank accounts for Guardian Ink, then disappeared. He’d left his cut behind, too. Caleb had actually found it in Pic’s suite, pinned to the wall with Pic’s knife stabbed through the middle of it. They’d been afraid for a few hours that he’d met with foul play, and the cut was some kind of message. That fear had turned to fury when they learned the accounts had been emptied, and Bull had been able to hack into the bank’s security cameras. Pic had laughed and joked with the bank teller as he’d completed his transactions, clearly not doing it under duress. The club had tracked him as far as Colorado, but there’d been no trace of him since. The only good think about him skipping town is that he takenCynnamon with a ywith him, so I no longer needed to worry about running into the woman Caleb had cheated with.
“No. King got back a few days ago. He was able to track him from Denver to Aspen, but the trail went cold again.”
“Well, I hope the new guy will work out. You’ve been so overworked. I can see how tired you are.”
“I’m OK, Abs. Look, I’m gonna head out – “
“Wait,” I interrupted him. I’d put this off as long as I could. “I need to talk to you about something. Do you have time to stay for a few minutes?” The idea crossed my mind that he was trying to leave because he had a date. I studiously ignored the pain in my chest at the thought. I had no right feeling that way, especially given what I was about to say.
He looked at me warily, then nodded. I gestured for him to sit down, then I resumed my pacing.
“I wanted to…I need to let you know that I’ve met someone. We met at the gym I’ve been going to, and we’ve been dating for a few weeks.” I glanced at him to find him frozen, with a completely blank expression on his face. I knew he was trying to hide his feelings, so I rushed through the rest of it, needing to make it quick for both our sakes.
“We agreed during our co-parenting sessions with Kim that we would each tell the other if we…got serious with anyone.” If possible, he stiffened even more.
“And are you? Serious with him, I mean?” His voice sounded like he’d just swallowed broken glass. God, I hated this.
“I’m not sure yet, but maybe. He asked me to go away with him next weekend. We’ll leave Saturday late morning and come back Sunday afternoon. Everly did well with your first overnight visit last weekend, so I think it will be OK again this time. I’ll make sure to pump a little extra, just in case.”
I chanced another look at him. He was staring at the wall, jaw tensed, with his fists clenched on the arms of the chair.
“Is he good to you?”
“Yeah,” I told him softly.
He nodded slowly. “I need his info.”
“Caleb – “ I began, but he cut in.
“Goddammit, Abby, you know I’m not going to let any man around you or my kids unless I’ve had Bull check him out.”
“I haven’t introduced him to the kids, and I won’t until I’m sure there’s a reason to. If that happens, it won’t be for a long time still. My dad already ran a check on him,” I admitted. He’d done that as soon as Amelia had blabbed about my first date.
“Good, but I’m still gonna have Bull check him out. Name, Abby,” he demanded firmly.
I knew he needed to do this to reassure himself, and I didn’t want to make it harder on him than it already was. “Grant Mowery,” I said. “He’s a clinical researcher at Lilco Pharmaceuticals.”
“Got it. I’m gonna go now.”
“Caleb,” I pleaded, and he stopped with his hand on the doorknob. “Are you OK?”
