by Nalini Singh
"Let's go celebrate!" someone shouted. There was an immediate round of applause, followed by a rapid discussion of where to go.
"What do you think about that new restaurant-bar on the waterfront?" Kent called out to him.
Caleb raised his hands. "Count me out. I'm heading home."
A chorus of disappointed cries met his words, until Kent winked and said, "Hey, come on now, guys. The man's crazy about his wife."
Caleb laughed along with them. "Enjoy yourselves—put it on the firm's account. Don't worry, I won't take it out of your bonuses."
"I love that word, bonus." One of the junior legal clerks did a little jig but Caleb knew his people had more than earned it. He wouldn't forget their dedication.
"Come on, let's get going. Have a good night, Caleb." Excited chatter flowed out of the elevators as they left. He waited until they'd gone before locking up and taking an elevator to the basement garage. He was in a rush to get home.
Because he was crazy about his wife.
Standing there surrounded by people who trusted and respected him, he'd come to the realization that this or any other success would mean nothing if Vicki wasn't there to share it with him. She was the only one who'd ever cared enough about him to be proud of his achievements, the only one who'd ever fought to protect him, the only one … she was, quite simply, the only one.
He could stop running, stop trying to prove himself to Max. The other man no longer mattered. Caleb felt no pain at the thought, just a kind of pity at the self-hatred that had driven Max to alienate a son who would have made him proud. That was too bad for Max but made no difference to Caleb's happiness, because it was rooted in far tougher soil and nurtured by far gentler hands.
He was ready to go home at last.
There was only one more thing he had to do before he left, one step he was finally equipped to take. Using his cell phone, he called Kent's mobile. "Can you meet me for five minutes?"
"Sure, we're not even halfway to the restaurant. I'll walk back up. Something wrong?"
"No." Caleb smiled. "Something's very right."
* * *
Caleb walked into the house after ten that night. Tonight of all nights, he hadn't wanted to be late, but fate had conspired against him.
Vicki stepped out of her study, a smile on her face and a pale blue sweater on her slowly thickening body. "Did you get held up at the office?"
He shook his head. "A truck carrying chemicals overturned at one of the major intersections. Traffic was backed up everywhere." Putting his briefcase on the hall table, he pulled off his black wool coat.
Vicki walked over and took it from him. "I'm glad you're okay." She hung the coat in the closet then hugged him tight. "I missed you."
How had he gotten this lucky? Caleb wondered. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." Her smile grew. "I've been waiting to tell you something."
He pressed her closer, caught by the shining light in her eyes. "What?"
"I got the job. Even though it hasn't been a whole month, they said they want to hire me permanently!" She was almost bursting with excitement. "They were so impressed by that series of radio interviews I lined up that—"
Giving a whoop of delight, Caleb swept her off her feet and swung her around. When he stopped after several revolutions, she was laughing at him, her face flushed with happiness.
"I always knew no one could resist you."
Her grin softened into something unbearably tender. Putting both her hands on his cheeks, she kissed him before sliding down to stand in the circle of his arms. "No wonder I love you so much."
His heart stopped beating. "What did you say?" No one had ever told him that. He couldn't quite believe that Vicki, this woman he adored beyond life, had.
She moved until their faces were a breath away. "I said I love you, Caleb Callaghan. I love you madly, passionately and completely inappropriately. I'm only sorry it took me so long to screw up the guts to say it."
He searched for words to give her in return, trying to find the silver tongue that had led him to the top. "We saved the deal," was what came out.
"Eek! Caleb! Why didn't you say so?" Vicki thumped her fists against his chest. "Why didn't you call?"
"Because I wanted to hold you."
Her joy turned into a smile so lovely, he felt it to the core of his masculinity. "What's the matter?"
"I—I can't find the words."
"The words to say what?"
"How much you mean to me."
"Caleb, honey, I know. I know." She touched his face with a trembling hand. "I listen to you each time you touch me, I finally hear what you say."
It was at that moment that his heart broke wide open. "You are my everything," he whispered, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Don't you ever forget that, and don't you ever let me forget." Without her, he'd be lost, a hollow man with no heart and no soul.
Her arms wrapped around him, her face against his chest. "I'm through with being quiet," she said. "Start getting used to a mouthy wife."
He released her enough to look into her face. "You've been very good about the late nights and the lost weekends."
"The deal was important. I'm not unreasonable. I know your work will sometimes demand those sorts of hours from you. As long as it's not always, I can handle it and so can our child."
"Well, I'll be under far less work stress as of next month." He couldn't believe he'd done it but it felt so right, so perfect. "Callaghan & Associates is about to become Callaghan, Jacobs & Associates."
Vicki's eyes went wide. "You offered Kent a partnership?"
"He's earned it. If I hadn't, I might've lost him to another firm." But that wasn't why he'd done it and it was important to him that she know that. "I don't need to prove myself to anyone anymore." Everything that was important to him was right here in his arms. "All I need is to keep you happy." Vicki had tears in her eyes. He froze. "Honey? What's the matter?"
"I'm so happy." It was a husky whisper. "Oh, Caleb, this means your workload will halve, won't it? I mean, since Kent will have the same responsibilities?"
He smoothed his hand over her hair, trying to stop the tears that always tore him to pieces. "I'll still be the senior partner but yes, Kent is going to start taking over some of my responsibilities, both with files and the management of the firm."
"I'm number one." A tear slid down her cheek. "I never thought I'd be number one no matter how much you loved me."
"I don't und—" Then suddenly he did. "You're the most important thing in my life. Work would mean nothing if you weren't here to come home to. Nothing." He wiped away another fat tear. "Honey, please."
She made a face. "Stupid hormones." Then she hugged him tight, her cheek pressed against his heartbeat. "I think I love you way too much. Can't help it."
He held her and oddly, felt himself start to smile. The smile grew until it creased his entire face. Vicki hated crying because she saw it as a weakness and here she was, sniffling away in his arms. It was as much a declaration of love as the words she'd spoken. "Then cry, honey. I'll always be here to keep you safe. Even if you ever succeed in divorcing me, I'll still be here."
She laughed through the tears. "Idiot. I never wanted to divorce you."
"I know." It had taken him a while but now he understood why she'd done it. "How about a bell?"
"A bell?"
"A really big one."
"Caleb, have you lost your mind?" She shifted to look up at him, a puzzled expression on her face.
"Next time you want my attention, all you have to do is—"
"Ring your bell." She dissolved into laughter. "Caleb!"
He grinned and scooped her up in his arms. "Why don't we go give it a try?" She was perfect—the happy ending he'd never expected from his life. Then she reached up to kiss him and he realized their story was only just beginning.
* * *
Epilogue
« ^
Caleb watched Vicki at that podium, his heart bursting with prid
e. She was speaking to an auditorium filled with prospective donors and there was nothing but absolute conviction in her tone. When she finished her presentation, the entire chamber applauded enthusiastically. Even Ada.
Vicki's relationship with her grandmother had changed because Vicki had changed. His wife took no crap from anyone, including him. And he loved her for it. He opened his arms as, with a final smile, the woman at the center of his thoughts walked into the wings and into his embrace. "You were brilliant."
"I was terrified." She grinned.
"It didn't show."
"Where's Hope?"
He pointed behind him to where an adorable three-year-old flirt was trying to talk the stage manager into letting her operate the lights. "She's been charming everyone in sight."
Vicki smiled. "She looks more and more like you every day. Those eyes, that hair—we're going to have to beat off boys with a stick when she starts dating." She ran her fingers through his hair as she spoke.
"Who said my daughter is ever going to date?" He scowled at the very idea.
Vicki laughed softly as they walked to where Hope was standing. When they got to within a few feet of her, she spied them. Giving a shriek, she ran straight into Vicki's arms. "Mommy!"
Caleb knew he shouldn't stand there looking so sappy. It was hardly the image he wanted to present as the senior partner of one of the most successful law firms in town. But there was something magical about seeing his wife's golden head bent over his daughter's dark brown curls.
"What do you want to do tomorrow, muffin?" Vicki asked Hope.
"Sand!" That was Hope's enthusiastic way of saying she'd like to go to the beach.
"Sounds good to me. What about you, honey?" She looked up at him, beautiful, smart and so openly in love with him that he occasionally had to pinch himself to ensure he wasn't dreaming.
"The beach it is." Tomorrow was Saturday. And Saturday and Sunday were for family.
After a few hiccups, they'd eventually managed to find the right work-life balance. When Vicki's position with Heart had started to demand too much, she'd asked Helen for an assistant, something the charities could afford after Vicki's efforts on their behalf.
It had allowed her to be a stay-at-home Mom for Hope without giving up the intellectual stimulation she thrived on. Rather than losing part of Vicki, Caleb had gained more than he could've imagined. As she grew more self-confident, she seemed to love him more, unafraid to wear her heart on her sleeve.
As for himself, he'd had little trouble delegating most things after Hope's birth. Quite simply, he was fascinated by the tiny creature he'd helped create. He had no intention of missing out on her life. Instead of an absentee father, their Hope was growing up with an overprotective one who loved her to pieces.
But it was Victoria who was the center of his world. Her smile meant more to him than he could ever tell her. It was lucky for him that she could read his love in his every touch. "Hey, beautiful," he said. "You done here?"
"Yes. All I had to do was deliver the speech." She passed Hope to him when their daughter reached for her father, used to having her daddy carry her around. "Spoiled little princess." Vicki laughed as she tickled their child.
Caleb leaned down and kissed his wife's smiling mouth. "I could carry you, too."
Slender fingers tangled into his. "Maybe I'll let you … tonight."
His whole body awakened in anticipation. "I've been thinking. Actually, me and Hope have been having some serious discussions." They usually took place when he drove her to the kindergarten she attended a few mornings a week.
"Uh-huh." It was a suspicious sound as they walked out the exit that led to the parking lot. "What are you two up to?"
Hope snuggled against his shoulder and giggled. Caleb grinned and raised Vicki's hand to his mouth to run his lips along her knuckles.
"Now I'm really suspicious," Vicki said.
"We already have Hope." He caught her gaze. "What do you think about Charity and Mercy?"
Her lips twitched. "Not a chance of our future children having those names. Do you want them teased to death?"
"But yes to the future children?" he murmured.
Standing up on tiptoe, she kissed him. "Definitely. You want a brother or sister, Hope?"
"Yes!" Her cheeks dimpled.
Caleb listened to the sound of his two women talking and felt peace whisper through him. Then Vicki looked at him with those blue eyes and a different, wilder emotion rocked his body and soul. "Everything," he whispered.
You are my everything.
Her smile was jagged with emotion. "Caleb Callaghan, don't you make me cry."
Chuckling, he hugged her to him with one arm, holding his daughter in the other. "Let's go home." So he could love her, adore her, show her exactly what she meant to him.
Everything.
* * * * *