Page 8 of Saving You

Charlotte continues to carry the conversation as we finish eating. Once we finish, I ask for the bill and Bailey tries to fight me on paying for their meals, but I wave her off. Charlie slides out of the booth, and I follow. When I’m out, she reaches formy hand and looks behind her to make sure Bailey is following us.

Having this little girl feel so comfortable with me that she wants to hold my hand as we walk back to the station has my chest tightening, and I use my free hand to rub it.

The air is crisp as we walk, and Charlie’s little hand feels cold in mine. I look to Bailey and ask, “Does she have any gloves?”

Bailey reaches inside her purse and hands me a pair. I manoeuvre us off to the side of the sidewalk and crouch down in front of Charlie.

“Your hands are getting really cold. Why don’t we put these on?” I ask, opening the first glove so she can slide her hand inside. She nods and puts the first one on and I help her with the second. I pull her zipper up higher and make sure she is fully bundled.

Looking up, my eyes catch on Bailey’s. A soft smile pulls at her lips as she watches us, and I smile back. Standing, I take hold of Charlie’s hand again, and we finish our walk back to the station. When Bailey moves to help Charlie into the car, Charlie backs away and asks me to do it.

Before Bailey can say anything, I step up and say, “Sure, Little Bear.”

I help her into the car and buckle her seatbelt before opening the door for Bailey.

“Thanks for indulging her today,” she says.

“Of course. I had fun. Thanks for the cookies.”

“Anytime. Well, I guess we should be going. It was nice to see you again, Officer Sutton.”

“Caleb, please. It was nice to see you, too, Bailey.”

A blush tinges her cheeks, and I stifle a groan as I wonder if the beautiful pink blush spreads down her chest. I step back, and she climbs into her car as she says goodbye. I watch as the two of them drive away. I quickly run into the station,grabbing my cookies from my locker before heading home for a much-needed shower and sleep.

Iwake from my sleep drenched in sweat, my chest heaving. I look at the clock beside my bed and see it’s 3:23 a.m. Knowing I won’t be able to fall asleep again anytime soon, I hop in the shower before moving to the living room, where I settle in with a book. I wake up later in the morning on my couch with my book lying on the floor.

I spend the week doing things around my place, hanging with Finn, and working. On Saturday morning, I head to my mom’s place. Mom insists on a family meal at least once a month; this month it’s Saturday brunch.

Arriving at her place, I notice my brother, Max, is already there with his wife, Sarah. I walk into the kitchen, giving Mom a kiss on her cheek before joining Max and Sarah at the kitchen table.

My dad died during his tour of duty when I was young. He’s the reason I joined the service. My joining scared the shit out of Mom, but she understood I needed to do it, that it gave me a connection to Dad I desperately needed at the time. Max decided to attend a local school to become an architect. He and his wife live a comfortable life and are now expecting their first child; Mom couldn’t be happier, but now she’s pressuring me to find a woman and settle down.

I help Mom set the table, and then we all settle in to eat. Mom’s chocolate chip pancakes are my favourite. They’ve barely hit my plate before I begin scarfing them down. Max just chuckles, and I toss a balled-up napkin at him.

He retaliates by asking, “So, Caleb, you dating anyone?”

I scowl at him as Mom takes the bait. “Oh, Caleb, it’s time you settle down with someone, build a life, start a family.”

I groan. “Mom, we’ve talked about this. I don’t plan on settling down. I’ve got too much baggage.”

She reaches out and pats my hand. “Honey, no one ever has too much baggage to settle down. You find someone to help you carry the load.”

“I don’t want someone to have to help carry the load.”

Mom gives me a sad look before she continues eating and asking Sarah about the baby.

After brunch, I head home and get set up for poker night with guys. At 5:30 p.m., Grayson shows up with a couple of six-packs of beers, and fifteen minutes later, Josh and Matt come strolling in. We all gather around my dining table with a beer and snacks and settle in.

As I shuffle the deck for our second hand, Josh asks, “So what’s going on with Bailey and Charlotte?”

“Nothing,” I say and deal.

“Who are Bailey and Charlotte? You having two girls at once?” Grayson asks.

Josh coughs on his beer. “Man, Charlotte is a kid.”

The look on Grayson’s face as he puts his hands up in a defensive gesture has me wishing I’d taken a photo.

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