Page 67 of Second Chance Fate

“We came home early!”Caleb’s mom stepped into his house and threw her arms around her son’s neck.

He hugged her back as his dad stepped in behind her and shut the door. Both dogs circled around their feet, vying for attention.

“You cut your hair,” he observed when his mom stepped back from their embrace.

His entire life, his mom’s brunette hair had been in the same style. It fell to the middle of her back with layers framing her face. It was now all the same length and had been cut into a bob just above her shoulders.

“I wanted something new!” She ran her hands through it.

People always commented on how much younger she looked than her sixty-eight years; the haircut made her look even younger.

“It looks great!” Caleb enthused as both dogs nosed his mom’s bag.

“Hello, my gorgeous grandpuppy,” she greeted Minnie, whose butt was wiggling like a bowl of Jell-O because she associated her “grandma” with one thing: treats. Next, sheturned her attention to Casper, giving him scratches behind his ears. “And you must be, Casper. You are such a gorgeous boy, yes you are.” Minnie pushed her nose against his mom’s purse, drawing his mom’s attention back to her. “Do you think I have something for you? Do you think Grandma got you a treat on her cruise? Of course I did! Grandma always remembers her grandbabies.”

Caleb noted his mom included Casper by making ‘grandbaby’ plural and pulling out not one but two large bones.

“When did you get into town?” Caleb asked his dad as his mom handed each dog their own bone, and the dogs happily trotted off to enjoy them.

“Just now!” his mom exclaimed.

“You haven’t even been home yet?” Caleb asked, trying to stall in the front room so Taylor could have a few minutes to get her mind around his parents showing up unexpectedly.

“Your mother wanted to come straight here, even though I said it would only take a few minutes to go drop the bags off at the house, so they weren’t just sitting in the car,” his dad explained in a tone that flirted with irritation.

“And your mother said your father could drop her off at her son’s house and then go take the bags home if that’s what he wanted to do.” Caleb’s mom smiled at his dad with a twinkle of challenge in her eye. It was a look his dad had always thought was the cutest thing in the world. Or one of the cutest things. Caleb’s dad thought pretty much everything his mom did was the cutest thing in the world.

“But…” His mom shrugged, her palms facing up, her expression one of faux innocence. “It looks like your father decided to leave the bags in the car.”

“Annie May, you think you’re real funny.” His dad smiled as he shook his head and patted his mom on her rear end, a habitthat he’d had their entire marriage, or at least since Caleb could remember.

Some people got embarrassed by their parents being affectionate, but it never bothered Caleb. It was the opposite. One of the reasons he’d never settled down and held such a high standard when it came to relationships was because of the example he had in them. They’d been married for over forty years and still couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

That was what he’d always wanted in a wife. A wife. He had a wife now. It’s not that Caleb didn’t know he did, academically. But for some reason, seeing his parents here, now, made it feel real.

“Hello, there young lady,” his dad’s baritone voice boomed.

Caleb looked over his shoulder and saw Taylor standing in the doorway. She was wearing hisOfficet-shirt and sweats, both of which were about eight sizes too big. Her bare feet sticking out of the rolled-up bottoms and her fresh face, scrubbed free of any makeup, with her hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun, presented such an adorable sight it actually made his chest hurt.

She looked so tiny, swimming in his oversized clothes, and so vulnerable. His impulse was to walk over, pull her into his arms, and tell his parents that she was his wife and the mother of his child. That was how he wanted to introduce her. But he knew he couldn’t do that.

He had to take this at her pace.

“Hi.” Taylor lifted her hand, and he saw that it was trembling slightly.

“Taylor, this is my dad, George, and my mom, Annie. Mom, Dad, this is Taylor.”

“Hi, Mr. Harrison, Mrs. Harrison.”

Without any hesitation, with arms outstretched, his mom beelined to Taylor and enveloped her in a bear hug. She then ushered her to the family room, which was attached to thekitchen. Both dogs followed closely behind at his mom’s heels, bones in mouths, with expectations of affection, more treats, or both. The four humans settled in on the sectional while Minnie and Casper curled up on the dog bed.

Caleb had always been amazed by how his parents could walk into any room or situation and immediately establish a sense of belonging. Despite sensing in Taylor’s body language and the look in her eyes that she felt uncomfortable meeting his parents like this, he was happy that she was. Seeing her with the two most important people in his life, before she and Owen had come into it, felt so right.

From his mom’s expression, he could see she had a hundred questions locked and loaded but was determined to pretend she didn’t. His dad, on the opposite side of the spectrum, was wearing his best ‘I’m not interfering’ face.

“So…” His mom propped her elbow on the back cushion and angled herself toward Taylor with laser-like precision. “How are you feeling, Sweet Pea? You gave everybody quite the scare.”

At the use of the nickname, he noticed her blink as she sucked in a small intake of breath. He hoped his mom’s instant familiarity hadn’t made her uncomfortable. He would have to explain to her after she left that she only ever used terms of endearment when she liked someone instantly. It was a good thing.

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