Listen to Your Heart(56)

“I don’t like it.”

Caleb grins. “I know, but he’s a good kid.”

“A good kid with crazy-ass parents.”

“And you.”

I lean my head on his shoulder. “And you. You’re so patient, Caleb. I’m so glad you’re in his life. Lord knows he needs a positive male role model because my brother—”

My cell interrupts my rant. My eyes narrow when I see Nick’s name on the caller ID.

“It’s after midnight, Nick Douglas. Do you know where your child is?”

“Please tell me he’s there.” His voice shakes with fear and desperation. I almost feel sorry for him.

“Of course he’s here. Both you and your ex-wife need your asses kicked.”

“Thank God. How did he even get there?”

I hear Jill in the background, telling him to put the phone on speaker.

“Hey, Skye.” She has the good sense to sound embarrassed. “We didn’t even know he was gone until I went in just now to check on him. You know he always kicks the blanket off when he sleeps. I just . . . I didn’t want him to get cold.”

Jill starts to sob, and I hear my brother try to console her.

“Your son took a cab across town at midnight because he heard his parents having sex one minute and arguing the next. He heard it all, and he can’t handle it. You two have to get your shit together. What if I’d been out of town? What if the cabbie was a child molester? What if . . .”

My voice trails off as my entire body starts to shake. Caleb puts his arm around me and pulls me closer. Taking deep breaths, I melt against him, letting the warmth of his body calm me down.

“You two have to figure this out. Be together. Don’t be together. But do something. Eli needs stability and neither of you are giving it to him.”

“You’re right,” Nick says softly.

Jill sniffles. “You are. You’re absolutely right. If . . . you wouldn’t mind keeping him for a few days, I’m headed to Detroit for a conference. I’ve asked Nick to go with me. My schedule’s light, so I thought it’d be a good chance for us to get away and really talk about things.”

“I’m taking a few vacation days,” Nick says. “I’d like to go if you don’t mind watching him, Skye. Despite everything, we still love each other. We . . . really want to try to make this work.”

“I think that’s a great idea, but you can’t just stay in bed the entire trip. You have to talk. Really talk. And, of course, Eli can stay with us.”

“Us?” Nick asks. “Who’s us?”

I glance at Caleb. Oops.

“There’s someone I want you to meet when you get back,” I explain to my brother. “We’ll take care of Eli. You take care of your marriage.”

We make plans for Jill to drop off some of Eli’s clothes at my apartment, and by the end of the conversation, I’m not feeling nearly as murderous. As we hang up, Eli returns to the living room, fresh from his shower and ready for bed. He grabs his iPod and tells us goodnight before heading to his room.

“Are you sure he isn’t your child?” Caleb asks with a laugh. “He loves music almost as much as you do.”

I grin. “Almost.”

With a smile, Caleb takes my hand and leads me to our bedroom.

“This has been some night,” he says as we climb under the blanket.

“For real. I’m sure this isn’t how you envisioned it.”

“I don’t have one regret about tonight.” Caleb wraps his arms around me, and I rest my head on his chest. “Eli needed an escape. I’m glad he’s here. And I’m glad he has you.”

“He has us.”

Caleb sighs. “I love that word.”

I smile.

“Me, too.”



The news doesn’t come as a surprise, but it’s still a shock when Juliana calls early the next morning to tell us that Luisa passed away in her sleep. My heart breaks as I watch tears trickle down Caleb’s cheeks while he talks to his best friend. After a few moments, he kisses my forehead and takes his phone to the bedroom. My first instinct is to follow him—to offer him any comfort I can—but he closes the door behind him. I’m not offended. Right now, Caleb needs his best friend, and she needs him.

When Eli wakes up around nine, Caleb still hasn’t come out of the bedroom. I tell him that Caleb’s on the phone with someone important before handing him a bowl of cereal and sending him back to his room to play video games. I never let him eat in his bedroom, so he’s excited and doesn’t ask any questions. I’ll tell him later. Right now, I just want to give Caleb as much privacy as possible.

When Caleb finally emerges an hour later, his eyes are red-rimmed and tired. He doesn’t say a word as he sits down on the couch next to me. Reaching for his hand, I wrap it in mine.

“I’m so sorry, Caleb. I know how much you loved her.”

He nods numbly. “I don’t know why it’s hit me so hard. We were prepared. I just didn’t think it’d be so soon, I guess.”

“How’s Juliana and her dad?”

“They’re a mess, but they’re also grateful. They take comfort in knowing that she’s no longer in pain. That was one of Juliana’s fears—that her mom would linger and suffer. They’re thankful. Sad, but thankful.”