Listen to Your Heart(59)

Poor guys. They have no idea who they’re dealing with.

“Milli Vanilli? For real?” Eli snorts.

Tucker laughs. “You’re not a fan?”

“Well, I am,” Caleb says. “Or was, I guess.”

I nod. “Me, too. Blame it on the Rain is still one of my favorite songs.”

“They were totally bogus, Aunt Skye, and you know it.”

I do, but it’s so much fun watching a ten-year-old get outraged over Milli Vanilli.

While the guys fight it out, I turn my attention to Caleb’s mom, who’s watching their exchange with a content smile on her face. She catches me staring, and I blush and pretend to become very interested in my chicken Alfredo.

“Penny for your thoughts,” she says with a smile.

“I was just thinking you look very serene.”

“I am, despite the sad day. I’ve missed my son, and to see him so happy . . . well, it’s very comforting. I believe we have you to thank for that.”

“He makes me happy, too. Happier than I’ve ever been.”

“You don’t sound happy.”

“I am. I’m just . . . overwhelmed, I think.”

“Love is very overwhelming.”

I nod, and she smiles brightly.

“I think he’s overwhelmed, too,” Sherry says, nodding toward her son. “First love is very powerful.”

“I’m his first?”

“Oh, he’s had girlfriends, but I’m confident that you are his first love.”

Caleb and I have never really discussed past boyfriends and girlfriends. I haven’t even told him much about my ex, mostly because I prefer to pretend he never existed, but truthfully, it’s because he’s not important. I never really loved him. I know that now.

“He’s my first, too.”

Sherry pats my hand affectionately.

The boys move on to a heated debate about the best New Wave bands, and when Caleb’s dad breaks out in a rendition of Karma Chameleon, the entire table erupts with laughter. Tonight’s the most fun I’ve had in so long, and I can tell Eli feels the same. He needs this kind of family interaction.

Maybe we both need it.

A local jazz band takes the small stage, and Tucker asks his wife to dance. Eli, suddenly bored with the adults, pulls his iPad out of his backpack and plays a game. Caleb wraps his arm around me and pulls me close while we watch his parents dance. They’re gazing at each other with so much love that you can literally feel it radiating from them.

“The way he looks at her . . .” I whisper, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. “It’s like—”

“Like she’s his entire world. It’s the same way I look at you.” Caleb softly strokes my cheek. “That’ll be us, thirty years from now. I promise.”

I want to believe him, but it’s so hard. My parents weren’t the best examples of a solid, loving relationship. Could our love withstand all the crap that life is bound to throw at us? I want to believe that Caleb will love me just as much as he does right now . . . maybe even a little more.

My eyes linger on his parents. Can we really have what they have?

“I want that,” Caleb says softly against my ear. “And I want it with you.”

The song ends, and Sherry and Tucker return to the table. They’re headed home tomorrow, so I offer to take Eli back to the apartment so that they can spend time together, just the three of them.

“Absolutely not,” Sherry says with a grin. “You and I need to finish our conversation. And I’m sure Caleb and his father have some things to talk about, as well.”

“We do?” Tucker arches his eyebrow, but his wife shoots him a look that clearly screams play along, prompting him to clear his throat.

“You know, guys, I thought I saw an arcade next door. Why don’t we check it out while the ladies order dessert?”

Eli’s suddenly all ears. “Galaxy Games. It’s awesome!”

“What is this? Divide and conquer?” Caleb smirks.

Sherry nods. “Yes. Now go away.”

He grins and kisses both of us on the cheek before following his dad and Eli toward the exit.

The waiter returns, and Sherry asks for the best dessert on the menu and two forks. He returns with a gigantic piece of strawberry cheesecake and places it in the middle of the table. Sherry giggles like a schoolgirl before taking a bite.

She moans appreciatively. “Delicious.”

With a laugh, I take a bite and wait for the inquisition to begin.

“You look nervous, Skye.”

“I am, a little.”

“Why?”

“Well, I love your son, for starters. And nothing about our relationship has been traditional.”

“That’s why it’s so perfect. Caleb’s never been traditional about anything. He started playing piano when he was five. Guitar by seven. When he was in third grade, I’d get calls from his teacher because he wouldn’t do his class work. He wrote music instead. We made him play basketball, but then he dislocated a finger which interfered with guitar playing, so that was that. He refused to ever play another sport. We finally stopped trying to force him into this well-rounded individual and just let him be who he wanted to be. He was much happier after that, and so were we.”