One Step Closer(93)

Caleb couldn’t help but smile. She knew him so well. “Yeah. I had to make sure you were okay, especially after that night downstairs.”

She nodded against him. The way he left afterward still stung. “Why did you leave like that?”

“I was freaking out. It didn’t matter how I felt about you, in the eyes of the world, we were—,” He paused to gather what he wanted to say, lifting his arm up off of her and then letting it drop again.

“I get it,” Wren said.

“At first, I was just relieved to put distance between us. I was ashamed of what happened, ashamed of the way I left it, and worried sick that you might get pregnant. We didn’t use protection and I blamed myself. I felt like hell when I got back to Boston because I worried I’d ruined your life.”

Her heart dropped. She’d never considered that he might feel anything other than regret and embarrassment. “I thought you only did it because you’d been drinking, and then afterward, were embarrassed you’d ever touched me. I didn’t even consider I might get pregnant.”

Caleb sucked in enough air to fill his lungs to capacity and then let it out in a deep sigh. “I did. I used to call home and check in with Jonesy a lot more often. I asked her to send me a bunch of shit I didn’t need, because I knew she’d tell me if you needed me. And I hoped you’d call me, if it happened, but when I heard you were auditioning for Juilliard, I knew you were in the clear.” The strain in his voice told Wren that those months had been as much a struggle for him as they had been for her, but for very different reasons.

“Juilliard was a good distraction, but I was heartbroken. That night meant so much to me, and it ruined us. I missed you every day.”

“I was afraid you hated me, and I couldn’t face it.” Relief at finally being able to talk to her about it surged through him. “I was so mad at myself. You were my little bird and I took advantage of you.”

Wren lifted her head to look into his face, and then shook her head slightly. “No, you didn’t. I was of age and I wanted to be with you.”

His eyes met hers unflinchingly, and his hand stroked the back of her head again. It was so soft, like a feather touch and it was all she could do not to melt into him. “But, I knew you looked to me to protect you, and I couldn’t even protect you from myself.”

“I’m glad it happened, Cale.”

His arms tightened and she laid her head back down on his shoulder. The arm she laid across his midsection reached for his hand and they threaded their fingers together. Caleb felt the last piece of deceit between them vanish. “God, it feels good to finally tell you the truth. We belong together, bird.”

Despite his actions of the night before and now, Wren needed clarification about the status of his relationship with Macy. She wanted to tell him she was in love with him, but not until she knew for sure it was over between them.

“What about Macy?”

He shook his head again, his brow furrowing seriously. It wouldn’t be easy to tell her that his relationship with Macy was fairly new, and still convince Wren that he was in love with her. “At the risk of sounding like a dick, Macy and I were casual. We met at a time when I needed money to start my design firm and she had connections. One thing led to another and we dated; it was fun for a while, but it wasn’t serious.”

“Does Macy feel that way?” Wren was well aware the other woman felt threatened, otherwise, she wouldn’t have done and said the things she had. She desperately wanted to tell Caleb, but decided not to add insult to injury. Macy was about to lose any chance with Caleb and that was punishment enough. “Intimacy changes things for a woman.” Wren hoped he understood her double entendre. “She traveled across half of the country to be here for you.”

“I didn’t ask her to. When I was leaving, it was more of an annoyance than emotionally painful. Honestly, I just wanted to get it over with.”

“She just showed up, then?”

“No, I knew she was coming, but I didn’t initiate it. Wren, I told her that she and I don’t have a future together. I’m moving here and she has a life on the west coast. That’s that.”

Her fingers stilled on his chest when he didn’t say what she wanted to hear. “I’m sure she’d move if you asked her to.”

Impatience erupted inside Caleb. The last thing he wanted to do was discuss Macy. “Probably, but obviously, I have other plans.”

“Does she suspect it has anything to do with me?”

“Macy is a lot of things, Wren, but stupid isn’t one of them.”

Wren pulled out of his arms and sat up in the bed next to him. Calm settled over Caleb and he reached out to take her hand in his.

“I don’t want to feel like you’re sacrificing everything for me. You deserve to have your design firm, Cale. Maybe Jonathan still has the other version of the will. If it all comes to you, will you be able to sell everything, now? Then you can stop worrying about me.”

Her heart was breaking but she owed it to him to think of him first.

“What makes you think I can stop worrying about you?”

“You can try.”

His face twisted in frustration. Why was she doing this? “No, I can’t, and we burned the other version so the will stays as it is.”

“Why, Cale?”