Page 41 of Caleb's Salvation
He grunted then turned to Sam with another spoon of applesauce. Caleb was a pro with the baby spoon. Feeding Sam what he would take then scraping off what didn’t make it into his mouth from around his lips only to feed it to him again.
“So I guess I should go back to work,” I added.
There. That would do it. Nothing declared back to normal like going to work.
He looked at me but said nothing. Then he fed Sam the last bite of applesauce, cleaned him with a damp rag and pulled him out of the high chair only to put him in his pack and play. He handed Sam two blocks that he loved to smash together.
I sort of loved he knew Sam’s favorite toys already.
Caleb came back and started picking up plates from the table. I jumped up to help him, not able in good conscience to sit and let him do for me anymore. Together we were at the sink. He was washing. I was drying and putting away the dishes. The remains of our shared breakfast.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” I asked.
“Tomorrow.”
“What about it?”
“You can go to work tomorrow. One more night to make sure your fever doesn’t come back.”
One more night sleeping in bed with him, even though I knew I was fully recovered, and he knew my fever was not going to suddenly come back.
“Okay,” I said breathlessly, feeling like I was stealing a night for myself. “That makes sense.”
“Today, we’ll walk into town. See where your stamina is if you’re thinking about doing a shift at Bud’s.”
“Okay,” I agreed again. That was probably a good idea. Lots of exercise that would hopefully wear me out so that when I did get into bed with him tonight, I wouldn’t do something as pathetic as run my hands over his body like I wanted to.
* * *
Later that night
Cal
“I talked to Shelby today. Eli wants me to bring me to Sammy to them tomorrow. He says my cabin is too drafty for Shelby. Can you imagine that? I mean, I was sick and made out just fine in this cabin.”
I listened to her as she got into bed and pulled my blanket up high to her chin. I walked over to check on the kid. He was sound asleep after a day of getting to play with both Vivienne and me.
I kept my back to the bed while I stripped out of my jeans, socks and shirt. That was our agreement. I turned my back while Vivienne got dressed. I kept my back toward her when I got undressed.
“He had a scare. He’s going to be extra cautious with his woman,” I explained.
“I don’t think people these days use that term—his woman.”
They didn’t? Why not when it made things so simple to explain? Seeing each other, hanging out, dating, girlfriend, fiancée, wife. So many labels for something that was simple.
Stripped down to my boxers, I turned and made my way toward the bed. I was semi-hard, but I didn’t try to hide it. There was no point. She wasn’t a virgin, she knew what an erection was. And she knew she’d been safe in her bed these past few nights. A hard dick certainly wasn’t going to change that.
“Anyway, I’m just going to leave Sammy overnight with them. No point in waking him up to bring him back here where I might not get him to go down again. Still, it will be my first night without him. I don’t know if I like that.”
I lifted the covers and got into bed. On my back, my arm underneath my head to give her room to get close.
She did it without even thinking. A shuffle toward me, her face close to my chest even though she never actually got so bold as to touch me.
“He’ll be fine,” I said, allying her fears. “He knows Shelby, trusts her. It won’t bother him to be with her and the truth is, he’ll be asleep through most of the time you’re apart. For that matter, so will you. Don’t stress over it.”
“Easier said than done.”
Didn’t I know it. For example, I was lying here chastising myself for thinking about how close she was to me. How I might like the feel of her soft leg over mine, her arm around my chest.
