Page 58 of Second Chance Fate

She nodded, maybe too quickly. “Yeah. I’m good.” She tried not to look at him, but she could feel his eyes on her as he closed the door and jogged around to the driver’s side.

Before Caleb climbed into the driver’s side of the Jeep, she waved at Mario, who was miming for her to call him before he turned and headed back into the hospital. She nodded and fully intended to keep that promise. He’d stayed after his shiftto keep her company one night and come in on his day off to hang out with her another day. He met Owen, and the two of them exchanged gamertags and had already played Minecraft together.

She leaned back against the seat. The inside of Caleb’s Jeep smelled like leather and pine needles, and also a faint trace of the flowers, too, and maybe even a little bit of Caleb’s aftershave. She fought the urge to close her eyes and just breathe it all in.

Caleb started the engine and pulled away from the curb with the effortless confidence that he should really trademark. One hand on the wheel and one arm draped nonchalantly between them. As they pulled onto the highway to head back to Hope Falls, the world outside felt too bright, too busy. It felt like she hadn’t been gone days but years.

They drove in silence for about ten minutes before Taylor finally spoke. “Thank you,” she said, her voice small. “Not just for the ride. For everything.”

Caleb glanced over at her, brow furrowed in confusion. “You don’t have to thank me. I’m your hu—” He broke off mid-word, stopping himself short before continuing in a measured response. “I’m here because I want to be. It’s the least I can do.”

Taylor didn’t respond, but she felt the words settle somewhere deep, a place she usually kept locked up tight. The drive home from the hospital was one Taylor knew well. The winding mountain roads, each turn and climb she’d made dozens of times, but never as a passenger.

Easy conversation filled the Jeep’s cozy cabin. Taylor expected the drive to Hope Falls to be tense or awkward, but she should have known better. Nothing with Caleb was ever tense or awkward. They talked about Owen mainly, which seemed to be their default whenever they were together. A text came through on Caleb’s phone, and it showed up on the console.

Owen:Going to the animal shelter with Jonah after school. Will be home at four to go see Mom. I took Claritin and have my inhaler.

“Is that about the project they’re doing?” Taylor asked.

It felt so strange to be out of the loop in Owen’s life and asking someone else about him. She knew that he and Jonah did a school project where they started a program photographing shelter dogs with bowties and props to help them get adopted.

“Yeah, but it’s not just a project anymore,” Caleb explained. “They are actually starting a nonprofit. Tessa, who owns Say Cheese, is going to help them. They are workshopping names. I think Shelter Stars Studios, Bark and Smile, and Happy Tails are what they’re considering so far.”

“When did they decide to start a nonprofit?”

“Calvin, from the shelter, called the church Monday and said to let Owen know that all three dogs they used for their project got adopted. I told him about it that evening when we were coming home from the hospital, and after school the next day, he told me that he and Jonah wanted to make it a real business to help dogs.”

It didn’t surprise Taylor that her son had gone from a school project to a business in less than a week. Whenever Owen got an idea in his head, he went all in. He never did anything half-assed. He was incapable of pacing himself; sometimes it was a detriment to his health.

They sat in a comfortable silence until the energy in the cab shifted. She felt the change seconds before Caleb said, “I really can’t get over what an amazing job you’ve done with him. He’s smart, funny, kind, hard-working, selfless, and independent. He’s got your spirit, your…” Taylor glanced over at Caleb and could see him mentally searching for the right word. “…stubborn optimism. It’s pretty incredible to witness.”

Stubborn optimism.

Taylor rolled her lips together, absorbing the warmth of his words and letting it settle in a deep hollow spot she hadn’t realized was empty. She’d never thought of herself in those terms, but she really felt seen when he said that.

“Thanks,” she said as she took a deep breath. She wasn’t exactly sure how to broach the subject she’d been putting off, so she figured she should just blurt it out before they got home. “I think it’s time to tell him. I want to talk to him tonight.”

She glanced over and saw Caleb’s chest expand as his breath caught. “You do?”

“I feel like I should have done it sooner; the hospital stay really did sort of…you know…but I feel like it’s wrong to wait any longer. Does he know I’m getting discharged today?”

“No, I didn’t say anything in case it didn’t happen.”

“Yeah, that’s why I didn’t.” She was supposed to get discharged yesterday and the day before, but one day her fever had spiked and the other her blood pressure tanked, so they refused to release her. “I think I should tell him alone, if that’s okay.”

“Absolutely.” He grinned, and his dimple appeared, the same dimple that he’d passed on to Owen. Caleb reached over and squeezed Taylor’s hand. “Whatever you need, however you want to tell him, I’m here, or I guess in this case not here.” His support was immediate and unconditional. His touch was so reassuring and his tone was so steady and genuine that Taylor almost believed she could do this whole parenting thing without screwing it up. It was nice to feel like she wasn’t in this alone for once.

As they drove, the late afternoon sun filtered through the pines, painting the world gold and green and impossibly alive. Even the air inside the Jeep seemed lighter. Taylor felt the last of the hospital tension evaporate. For the first time in a long time, she felt more anticipation than dread about the future. It was asmall thing, but she held onto it as the shadows lengthened and the familiar outlines of Hope Falls came into view.

She watched the town materialize through the windshield—Main Street’s wooden sidewalks lined by black lampposts, the hand-painted mural on the post office, and the neon sign buzzing over Sue Ann’s Café. And for the first time in her life, she felt like she belonged, like she was finally coming home.

18

Caleb stoodat the stove and tried to ignore the sound of the shower. He didn’t want to think about the fact that just on the opposite side of the wall, Taylor was naked with water dripping down her bare skin. Technically, she was his wife, but he still felt like it was wrong to be fantasizing about her, at least when he had any control over it.

His dreams were another story. Every single night when he closed his eyes, she was there. Taylor starred in his dreams. Some dreams had been tame. They walked on a beach, just like they had in Daytona Beach. Other dreams had been triple X-rated. It had been a very long time since he’d been with someone, and it seemed his imagination was running wild with Taylor. In his dreams, they’d had sex in the hospital, his office at the church, in his Jeep, and in almost every room of his house.

His phone vibrated on the counter, and when he saw who it was, he picked it up. “Hey, man.”

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