Page 83 of The Persistence of Thornes
She laughs, the boisterous sound pinging off the walls. “Trust me, Halle, I don’t have anything together. My life has never been rainbows and sunshine. I can promise you that. But where I’m at now? I’m happy. Even on the hard days.” She steps up close and grips my hands. “Come over for coffee and cupcakes sometime this week. That way we can get to know each other. I’m pretty much always home with Samson. He’s a little terror, more so than either of the girls was at this age, so it’s better to limit his exposure to the general public.”
“Okay,” I agree, surprising myself with my easy agreement. “I’ll come over tomorrow around noon, if that’s okay.”
Normally, I’d brush off her offer, but I really like Caleb, and this is the mother of his child. She’ll always be in his life, so I should get to know her.
“That’s perfect.”
I nearly yelp when she throws her arms around my shoulders and squeezes with more strength than someone her size should have.
She beams, eyes crinkling at the corners. “I have a feeling we’re going to be great friends.”
I smile back. When she smiles, it’s impossible not to return the expression.
As I’m ushering her out, my brothers appear, stomping up the porch steps.
“Hey, Casen. Quinn.” She greets them with the same effortless smile she had for me.
“Hi, Salem,” they echo back.
“I’m making tacos for dinner,” I tell them as they dart around us and into the house. “Get your homework done.”
They grumble, but they head straight for the dining table and unpack their stuff.
The insurance company still hasn’t had the damage appraised. The longer it sits without repairs, the more I worry about mold, but despite my dozen or so calls regarding the matter, the process is slow-moving.
Once Salem has descended the porch steps, I lock the door and get back to work on dinner.
Hours later, I climb into bed, determined to read one of the books Caleb got me for my birthday. No matter how many times I start, I get interrupted or doze off. And like every other attempt, my phone rings just as I’m finishing the first page.
Though my first response is one of annoyance, when I realize it’s a FaceTime request from Caleb, the sensationquickly turns to dread, my stupid brain automatically assuming something is wrong.
With a shaky finger, I swipe the screen to accept the request. “Is everything okay?”
Caleb blinks back at me. “Um… yeah. Why?”
Heat floods my cheek. “You haven’t called me like this before,” I say.
“I’ve been gone for days. I thought we could catch up.” He swallows, and I swear concern flashes in his eyes. “I miss you. Is that okay to say?”
“You miss me?”
With a nod, he sets his phone down.
Unable to help myself, I peek at his surroundings. He must be in his apartment. The space behind him is small and outfitted with a couch, ottoman, and TV. Behind him is a set of doors that I assume lead to a balcony.
“Yeah, Hal,” he murmurs. “I miss you a lot.”
I press my lips together and consider the best way to respond. I miss him too, but I’m also incredibly frustrated with him. The desperate-for-sex kind of frustrated. I respect his thoughtfulness. Putting the ball in my court is honorable, regardless of what he knows about my past. But being the one saddled with the pressure to initiate even a kiss is a lot harder than I expected. As much as I want to ask for exactly what I want, each time I consider it, my dreaded self-doubt rears its ugly head.
Mocking me with thoughts likeWhat if his feelings aren’t as strong as I’ve come to believe and he just said that because he knows I’ll be too chicken to act on it again?
I remind myself time and again thatwhen I did act on it, he was very much into it. Yet the memory hasn’t freed me from my fear.
“It’s okay if you don’t miss me,” he says, humor in his eyes.
God, has anything ever ruffled the persistent, perfect in practically every way Caleb Thorne? I can’t imagine it.
“I do,” I admit quietly, heart in my throat. “And that’s weird for me. The only people I’ve ever missed are my brothers. And maybe my mom.”
