Page 66 of Saving You

“See, sounds like a plan.”

“Thank you,” Bailey says, affection filling her voice.

“You don’t have to thank me for spending time with Charlie,” I say, meaning every word. I enjoy spending time with Charlie. It’s not a chore, it’s a privilege.

She stares at me with a soft smile, and it’s one I want to see on her for the rest of my life.

CHAPTER 24

Caleb

After breakfast on Saturday, Bailey leaves for her doctor’s appointment and Charlie and I take Finn for a walk around the neighbourhood. The entire walk, Finn sticks to Charlie’s side. Any time someone approaches us, he positions himself between them and Charlie. When we get back, I make sure he has some water before I grab my bag and get Charlie loaded in the truck, and we head to the rink.

She tells me about the characters in her show as we make the drive. When we get there, she insists on carrying my sticks for me. She drags the blades across the cement because of her height. I’ll have to re-tape them, but to see how happy she is to help me with something so simple makes it worth it.

When we get inside, I tell her the number of the rink we’re playing on and she already knows the way. I follow behind her as she happily makes her way through the hallways. When we get to the dressing room, I knock on the door and call out to ensure everyone is still dressed before pushing the door open and leading Charlie inside. I show her where she can lean the sticks and then head to my usual spot in the dressing room and drop my bag.

The door opens, and Mac, our goalie, steps inside. He’s been out of the country for a few weeks due to work, so we had to find someone as backup for our last few games.

“Hey, man.” I lift my chin at him.

He lifts his chin back, and his eyes catch on Charlie. “This your girl?” he asks in his British accent.

Mac doesn’t hang out after the games. He usually showers quickly and leaves, so we don’t talk. He doesn’t know much about us and vice-versa. So his question doesn’t catch me off guard.

I look at Charlie, and the words come out of my mouth before my brain even processes them. “Yeah, this is Charlotte.” I place my hand on top of her head. “Charlie, this is my friend Mac.”

She smiles at me before looking back at Mac and offering him a shy wave. When I first met Charlie, she was so open and receptive to me, but I’ve noticed she wasn’t that way with everyone. Even with the guys, she didn’t open up to them at first. It took spending time around them to be more comfortable with them. The girls were a different story, though. She didn’t need as much time to warm to them, and I wonder if she witnessed more between Bailey and Derek than Bailey knows.

I hold Charlie close to my side as these thoughts race through my mind. I don’t want to think about what Charlie’s witnessed. That would also lead me to having to think about what Bailey’s endured, and I’m not sure I have the strength to not hunt down Derek right now.

I lead Charlie out of the dressing room and towards the bleachers. I take a seat, and she sits beside me. I feel her eyes on me. She looks at me hesitantly as she chews her lip the same way her mom does when she’s thinking about something. I shift so I’m facing her.

“What’s up, Little Bear?”

“Mac asked ifI’m your girl. You said yes.”

“I did. Does that make you upset?”

A vise squeezes my heart as I wait for her answer. I didn’t realize how important her answer was until now. I feel as though I’m sitting on the edge of a cliff and her answer could send me over the edge, crashing to the bottom. My breath catches in my lungs as I sit and wait for her answer.

“No,” she says. “I wish you were my dad.”

The last part is whispered so quietly I barely hear it. My heart cracks at her confession, and all I want to do is hold and protect her from the world and anyone or anything that may try to hurt her. I open my arms for a hug, and she climbs right into them. I hold her tightly to my chest.

“I’ll always be here for you. Always. No matter what you want or need, you can always come to me. I want you to believe that. I will always be here for you,” I say into her hair.

I start to pull back, but she holds me tighter, and her tears run down her cheeks and soak into my shirt.

“Why doesn’t Daddy love us?”

I’m at a loss for words. I don’t want to overstep something that should be Bailey’s territory, but I’m the only one here right now, and I need to say something.

I clear my throat. “Sometimes people don’t know how to show their love. I think your dad loves you. He just doesn’t know how to show it.”

As much as I hate what Derek has done to these girls, I don’t doubt he believes he loves them.

“I love you, Caleb,” she whispers into my chest.

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