Page 30 of Saving You

She smiles at me. “Of course.”

I kiss her softly, our lips barely touching, just enough that I can taste her and feel the bolt of electricity that goes through me.

“Lock up behind me,” I say before jogging down the steps to my truck.

She watches me from the doorway. I turn the truck on but don’t drive away until she closes the door. Pulling away from the curb, I make the drive home with a grin on my face the entire way.

The rest of the week drags on. I power through my shifts at work and manage to make it through our game this week, despite us losing. Finn keeps me occupied at home. Bailey and I text about random things throughout the week, and she tells me just how excited Charlie is to learn to skate. I’m excited to teach her. I remember my dad teaching me as a kid. Some of my favourite memories with him are out on the ice, and I’m glad I get to share that experience with Charlie.

Arriving at their place Friday night, I stop and take a deep breath. This is the first actual date I’ve been on in a while, and it’s a lot. Not only am I taking Bailey out, but Charlie as well. They’re a package deal and I wouldn’t have it any other way, but this is huge and I don’t want to fuck it up.

I’m still not sure how everything is going to go. This date doesn’t mean that all of myissues are magically gone. I’m just deciding to try and move past them and give this a shot with Bailey.

After a minute, I hop out of my truck, make my way to the front door, and knock. Charlie’s excited voice travels through the door and has me smiling already. Bailey opens the door, and my smile grows. She has her hair partly pulled back, and the bottom is in loose curls. She has a natural makeup look that makes her eyes pop, and her lips are painted a soft pink I want to kiss off her.

Charlie, calling my name, pulls me out of my trance of staring at Bailey.

“Hey, Little Bear. Are you excited to go skating tonight?”

She bounces on her toes as she grins. “Yes, it’s going to be the bestest!”

I pass the bouquet of pink carnations in my hand to her. “These are for you,” I say before passing the bouquet of red roses with baby’s breath to Bailey. “And these are for you.”

Both of them smile at their flowers. Bailey looks at hers, then Charlie’s, then back to hers before she looks at me again. There’s a small tear in the corner of her eye. I step forward and use my thumb to brush it away.

“What’s wrong, Bails?”

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. When she opens them again, the glassiness is gone. “Nothing. These are beautiful, thank you.”

I search her eyes for more and find nothing. She has her barrier up.

“You’re welcome.”

She holds the door open further, allowing me to step inside and follow them into the kitchen. Bailey pulls out two vases and fills them with water before helping Charlie get her flowers ready for the water and then her own.

“Mommy, can I have these in my room?”

“Of course, Baby Girl, but let Mommy carry them upstairs. We don’t want to spill them.”

“Caleb can help me.” She looks up at me with wide, hopeful eyes.

“Yeah, let’s take them right now,” I say, reaching out and taking the vase before following Charlie as she runs upstairs.

“I want them right beside my bed,” she says as she taps her nightstand.

I put them down, positioning them far enough away from the edge that they shouldn’t fall. Charlie wraps her arms around my leg and squeezes tight.

“Thank you, Caleb. I’ve never got flowers.” Her voice is tinged with sadness.

I reach down, unhooking her arms from me before crouching down in front of her and pulling her into a proper hug. “You’re welcome.”

She holds me tight for a few moments before she steps back. “Skating,” is all she says, and I just smile.

“Yeah, skating. You ready?”

She nods and runs out of the room. Bailey is standing at the base of the stairs, smiling at us. We grab our coats and make our way out the front door. Bailey reaches into her purse and pulls out her car keys.

“Do you want to take my car, or should I just grab her booster seat out?’

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