Safe with Me (With Me in Seattle, #5)(65)

“It’s just a graze,” Caleb shakes his head, his eyes still on me, full of worry and fear, but I ignore him and launch myself at Matt, hugging him tight.

“Are you okay, honey?” He asks me.

I nod, and turn back to Caleb. “You need to go to the hospital.”

“No, I’m fine,” he shakes his head and pats Josie’s back, who has latched herself around his waist, hanging on with dear life.

“The ambulance is on the way,” Matt informs us just as sirens come from the driveway. “They can patch you up.”

We finally all move downstairs after the coroner comes in and removes the body. The girls and Bix huddle together on the couch while Caleb is cleaned up by a paramedic and I give my statement to Matt and his partner, distracted by the mess surrounding us; broken furniture, glass littered on the carpet. Even the loveseat is sitting on its back. Blood is pooled on the hardwood floor in the dining room.

The process is long and exhausting, and as we all come down off the adrenaline from the break in, it’s all the girls and I can do to keep our eyes open.

“We can’t stay here until the window is fixed and this place is cleaned up,” I murmur to Matt.

“I’ll take you to a hotel,” he responds with a smile.

“They can stay at my place,” Caleb replies as he joins us.

“We’ll take the hotel,” I mutter, not meeting Caleb’s gaze with my own.

“I think…” Caleb begins but I cut him off.

“I don’t want to be at your house, Caleb. We’ll go to the hotel.”

His blue eyes harden, but I look away and swallow as Matt watches us both closely.

“I’ll take them,” Caleb murmurs softly.

“I…”

“I’ll take you,” he repeats, his voice hard and leaving no room for argument.

I turn away without responding and kiss the girls. “I’ll be right back, okay? I’m just going upstairs to pack our bags. You stay here with Bix and Matt and Caleb.”

They nod sleepily as I turn to Matt. “Make sure the hotel takes dogs. He goes where we go from now on.”

Matt smiles and nods. “Good girl.”

Once our bags are packed, Caleb loads us into his car. Matt has offered to stay behind and oversee the cleanup and make sure the window is boarded up.

“Bryn…” Caleb begins but I sigh and cut him off.

“You’ve already said all you need to say, Caleb. We’ll be fine.”


Although I don’t know if we’ll be fine. I don’t know that we’re out of danger. Who was that guy that broke in and tried to hurt us?

The check-in process is blurry and I feel like my feet are filled with led as Caleb leads us to our room. He’s carrying both girls, and I’m pulling our one suitcase behind me. Bix is at my side, even without a leash.

I think I forgot the leash.

The room has one giant king sized bed, but I requested that. I want my girls with me tonight.

Caleb tucks the kids in the large bed and motions for Bix to join them. I pull my own pajamas out of my suitcase and move into the bathroom to change.

“You don’t have to do that on my account,” he whispers.

“You never get to see me naked again,” I reply, noticing the way his jaw tightens and his eyes harden at my words. I can hear the sadness in my voice and I don’t have the energy to try to be brave.

He’s leaving us.

When I return to the room, I join the girls in the bed. Josie has begun crying again, and is clinging to Caleb.

“Where is the bad man now?” She cries softly.

“He’s gone, sweetheart,” Caleb croons to her. “He can’t hurt you.”

But he hurt you. I glance at his arm and frantically temper down the need to crawl to him and kiss his wound, to fuss over him and make sure he’s okay.

He doesn’t want me.

Finally Josie’s cries disappear and Caleb lowers her back into the bed. He’s stretched out on his side, on the other side of the girls, watching them sleep. Bix is curled up at their feet, and I’m lying opposite to Caleb, also on my side, but I’m watching him.

Memorizing every line of his body, every hair on his head.

Finally, he brushes their hair back and leans in to lay a soft kiss on each of their foreheads. He lifts his gaze to mine, and in his bright blue eyes is sadness and regret. He reaches across the girls and cups my cheek in his hand, wipes a tear with his thumb and takes in every inch of my face with his eyes. He sighs deeply and releases me, rolls away from the girls and stands, turns off the light and walks to the door.

As he pulls it open, he looks back at me and whispers, “I’m sorry, Legs,” just before he walks out and quietly pulls the door closed behind him.

For several long seconds I stare unseeing where Caleb left, then I roll away from my babies and bury my face in the pillow, letting my tears and grief flow out of me in violent sobs.

Caleb is gone.





Chapter Nineteen


Three months later.



Caleb



“Your usual?”

I nod at the redheaded bartender and keep my head down, staring at the scarred bar top in front of me.

“Isn’t your contract up?” She asks me as she reaches for a tumbler and a bottle of Jack Daniels.