Page 78 of Saving You

“Do you want to tell me about it?” he asks her.

Silence fills the room. I think she’s not going to say anything until her barely there voice comes out. “I had a dream you left and I never got to see you again.”

Her little sob at the end of her sentence echoes around me.

His hand stops moving on her back. “Little Bear, can you look at me.”

She moves her head so she’s looking right at him.

“I will never leave you. You will always have me. No matter what happens, you can count on that. You can call me day or night. You can always talk to me. You will always have me. As long as you want me to be here, I will.”

I have to brush away my own tears as I listen to him. That’s such a big promise, yet I know he means every word of it. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t say it. He holds her tight to him and his other arm finds me, pulling me closer with Charlie positioned between us. He holds my hand over Charlie’s back as she stays cuddled into his side.

“I will always love having my girls in my arms,” he says before we drift asleep.

On Wednesday, I walk to the café on the corner for lunch. While I’m waiting in line, the hairs on the back of my neck rise, and I stiffen. I slowly move my head, looking for something, but I’m not sure what. I make my way to the front of the line and order a sandwich and a peppermint mocha. Grabbing my items, I move to a table that places my back in the corner and provides me a view of the entire café.

I scroll through the group chat finalizing plans for Boxing Day. As I read Olivia’s last text, the chair across from me is pulled out, and someone sits in it. I don’t have to lift my head to know who it is. My grip on my phone tightens, and I position it in my lap, out of his view. I look up and work to keep my face even. Derek looks at me, a look of triumph on his face. Cold washes through me as I look around to see if anyone is paying attention to us.

Derek leans forward. “Hi, honey. It’s been so hard to get a hold of you. Is your phone not working? I’ve texted you several times.”

I can hear the restrained anger inhis voice. It has me on high alert.

“I’ve been busy.” My voice comes out weaker than I had hoped.

“You can’t be too busy for me. I’ve wanted to see you, and Charlie, of course.”

He stares at me, and it makes me want to push my chair as far away from him as possible. I force myself to stay put. Pushing away would just provoke him. My eyes dart down to my phone, and I select Caleb’s number, making sure I turn the sound down on my phone so the ringing isn’t audible.

“Well, I’ve got you here now. I want to spend Christmas with you. Why don’t I come by Christmas Eve and spend the night and then we can do a whole thing on Christmas Day.” He sounds so sure, like I couldn’t possibly say no.

“We have plans for Christmas.” My voice comes out stronger this time. The call timer on my phone appears, showing Caleb’s picked up. Knowing he’s on the phone gives me a sense of strength. “We can plan a supervised visit for you and Charlie at a park or somewhere next week.”

His gaze hardens, and his hands that are resting on the table ball into fists. I flinch at the movement. He wouldn’t do anything in public, would he?

“Cancel your plans. You should be spending the holiday with me.” The anger and demanding tone of his voice cause me to shiver, and this time I do move my chair back.

“I can’t and won’t cancel. I made a commitment. Like I said, we can set something up for you and Charlie next week. Now, I’d like you to leave. I would like to finish my lunch in peace.”

He pushes his chair back, placing his fists on the table as he leans in close. “You are my wife. You will spend Christmas with me. I won’t give you a choice.”

“Ex-wife.” Caleb’s voice sends a wave of calm through me.

I watch a look of absolute hatredcross Derek’s face as he stands to his full height, puffs out his chest, and turns to face Caleb.

“This is none of your concern,” Derek spits.

“You’re currently harassing your ex-wife. If that didn’t make it enough of my concern as an officer of the law, the fact that you’re harassing my girl does.” Caleb is taller and broader than Derek, but that doesn’t seem to deter him from stepping closer to him.

“She will always be mine. I had her first, and I’m not letting her go.” He spins and looks at me. “You really whoring yourself out for this thick skull? You really have lowered yourself, Bailey. I’ll forgive it this one time, but know that I don’t take kindly to cheating.”

Caleb steps closer, forcing Derek to take a step back. He continues until Derek’s back is pressed against the wall. Derek seems to lose his vibrato for a second before puffing out his chest again.

“She is your ex-wife. You don’t get to make any decisions about her life. You’d be smart to leave her alone. Like she said, we can arrange for you to see Charlie next week. She will contact you when she’s ready to set that up.” Caleb leans in close and says something that has all the blood drain from Derek’s face. When Caleb steps back, Derek walks towards the door, leaving without a second glance.

Caleb crouches in front of me, and I instantly wrap my arms around his neck. His head dips and his lips find the side of my neck while his arms wrap around my waist.

“Are you okay?” he whispers against my skin.

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