Just One Year(76)

“What’s your dad’s name?” she asked.

“Lorne.”

“That’s a funny name. So is Teagan a little, although I like it.”

“Well, Emma is a beautiful name.”

I looked at Caleb.

“My sister’s name was Emma,” he told her. “She passed when we were little.”

“Really? That’s so sad.”

“Yeah. I miss her very much.” He took a deep breath and said, “You and your sister are so lucky to have each other.”

“I can be your new sister Emma, if you want.”

My heart melted, and Caleb smiled from ear to ear. “I would love that.” He looked at me. “The three of us can be like a family. Your dad included, of course.”

“You’re not like a family. You are my family,” she said, reaching out her hand to me.

I held on to her for a long time. “You know what else, Emma? Someday you’ll meet someone, like I did with Caleb, and the fact that our mom wasn’t around will mean even less. Because that person will love you enough to make up for it all. In the meantime, you will have us to make up for it, okay? No more going through this alone. We’re a team now.”

“Do you like s’mores?” Caleb asked.

Emma crinkled her nose. “What are s’mores?”

“Oh, I forgot—you’re English like me,” he said with a laugh.

“S’mores are an amazing treat,” I explained. “People light a fire outside and make them.”

Caleb never wasted an opportunity. “Why don’t I go to the store and buy the stuff to make them right now? I’ll check with your dad first to see if he’ll allow us to light a fire.”

And so, that evening we introduced my little sister to s’mores. It was the start of what I knew would become a family tradition, and the start of an entirely new future I never could have anticipated.





CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE




* * *



TEAGAN




I was nearing the halfway point of my stay in England. Now that summer was over, the reality that my days here were numbered had started to creep in. The beginning of the fall semester meant Caleb’s schedule of classes was heavier, so he was around less. That only gave me more time alone to worry about the future.

Caleb had to stay in the UK to finish school, but I had a couple of choices to make. I could go back to the US and finish my last year of school there, or I could figure out a way to come back here sooner. Either way, the consensus seemed to be that I would be returning to the States, at least for a while, after this trip ended. Unfortunately, although I did miss my parents and Shelley, this was not at all what I wanted.

I loved spending time with Emma, and even the job at the flower shop was starting to grow on me. Arranging bouquets had a meditative effect I hadn’t been anticipating. I was going to miss it.

But most of all, I was deeply in love with Caleb and couldn’t imagine having to separate from him. I felt at home here with him and Poppy. His mother had become one of my favorite people. Caleb would often need to study, so his mother and I would sit in the kitchen and talk or venture out shopping together. She’d taught me how to cook a few things Caleb loved. As much as I hated being away from my own family, Caleb and Poppy had become my family, too. The thought of leaving them—and especially now Emma—had me panicked.

But Caleb and I were handling the unknowns of my impending departure much like we’d handled things for a time before he left the US. We were having lots of sex and not talking about anything upsetting, as if the inevitable weren’t looming. While that helped us to enjoy each moment, it didn’t prepare us for the heartbreak of another separation.

One day, Caleb surprised me with a trip to Nottingham, a place he’d always said he wanted to show me before I left.

We spent the day walking around Nottingham Castle and the big cathedral. We also visited City of Caves, a historical underworld of sorts beneath the city.

Then Caleb pulled up in front of Bo Cheng’s, the restaurant he’d called me about last Christmas, the one that had signaled him to finally reach out to me again.

“I totally forgot about this place,” I said as we exited the car to head in for a late lunch.

“We couldn’t come to Nottingham without noshing at Bo Cheng’s, love.”

Caleb and I went inside and enjoyed the most deliciously decadent Chinese food I’d eaten in a long time.

As we were paying the bill, he announced, “I have a surprise for you.”

I perked up. “What?”

He reached across the table for my hands. “We’re not going home tonight.”

“We’re not?”

“I booked us an evening at a local cottage. I got a good deal.”

“Oh my God. Really?” We’d be alone at night for the first time since my arrival. “We can screw as loudly as we want!”

He wriggled his brows. “Damn right.”

We arrived at the cottage twenty minutes later. It was just a short distance from the city center and totally exceeded my expectations. The small, Victorian structure had an old-world charm on the outside and featured a lovely courtyard out back, but it was more modern on the inside. The living room was bright and inviting with yellow walls and cozy furniture.