by SJ McCoy
Cal smiled. He was thrilled that she was so pleased.
Skye grabbed his nose. “When you marry Grandma, you’ll be my real grandpa.”
He nodded, not quite sure that he should say yes.
Skye looked at Elle and then back at him. “Will you be my mommy’s daddy?”
He frowned, hoping that Terry or Elle might take over here. Of course, he’d be happy for Elle to see him as a father figure, but …
Elle surprised him when she laughed. “Well, I’m a bit old to be calling him Daddy. But if Cal doesn’t mind, I’ll think of him that way.” She looked at Terry. “He’s already proved he’s better at it than the other one.”
Terry smiled and nodded. None of them wanted the subject of Elle’s father brought up but it felt as though that conversation had laid it to rest anyway. The names they used didn’t matter—they all knew what they meant to each other.
“Anyway, coffee.” Elle led them to the kitchen, and before long they were loading up the van.
Donovan showed up fifteen minutes after they started, and Cal did his best to be upbeat and friendly. He was here to help after all, and it was good to have him to help move the few heavy items.
They finished loading the last few things and went back into the kitchen. Cal frowned when he saw Terry’s face; she didn’t look happy, and Elle was agitated.
“What’s wrong?”
Elle scowled and rolled her eyes. “Apparently, Steve’s here.”
Cal sucked in a deep breath to stop himself from cursing. Terry came and touched his arm. “It’s okay. We’re done here anyway.”
Elle shook her head. “It’s not okay, Mom. I told him no and I meant it. I won’t let him spoil this weekend for you guys.”
“Nothing could spoil this weekend, sweetheart. Not even your father.”
Cal loved her for saying it, but he wasn’t sure that she was right. He wanted Elle and Skye there tomorrow to celebrate with them and all their friends. He could feel the muscle twitching in his jaw.
Terry rubbed her hand up and down his arm. “It’s okay. Relax.”
He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
Donovan was the first to break the awkward silence that had descended. “What did you tell him, Elle?”
“That I was busy, as I’d told him I would be. And that you guys were helping, so I didn’t want him around.” She blew out a sigh. “He said he and Maddie could come over this afternoon and help.”
Donovan looked at Cal. “So, how about we get all the stuff moved now. We can just unload it. I’ll put it away later. Then you guys can have your afternoon free, and Elle can see Steve.”
Cal stared at him. He didn’t know which was more difficult to process—the fact that he was taking charge, or the fact that they both kept referring to Elle’s father as Steve.
Terry spoke before he managed to pull himself together. “I think that’s the perfect plan. Thanks, Donovan. Let’s get going.” She looked up at Cal. “It’s not a big deal. It’s not much of a change to what we’d planned.”
He frowned. “We were going to get everything moved in and set up.”
“I can take care of it,” said Donovan.
“And what about tomorrow?” Cal knew he should keep his mouth shut and let things work out, but he didn’t want the asshole ruining the party he had planned for Terry.
Elle met his gaze. “Don’t worry. We’ll be there. I’ll get rid of him by lunchtime and we’ll be at your place just like we planned.”
“See.” Terry smiled at him. “It doesn’t have to be a problem.”
She was right. He smiled back at her and it turned into a laugh as he realized what she was saying. “As long as I don’t make it one?”
She nodded emphatically.
~ ~ ~
Cal seemed relaxed and happy as they drove back from Stanton on Sunday. He loved the patio furniture, as she’d known he would. It was the final touch for the house. She couldn’t help smiling—their house! She looked down at the ring and her heart swelled with happiness.
She reached across and took hold of Cal’s hand. “Have I told you today how much I love you, Blake Callahan?”
He smiled and lifted her hand to his lips. “You have now. And I know I’ve told you at least three times, but I’ll tell you again if you don’t think I’m overdoing it.”
She laughed. “I’ll never get tired of hearing that.”
“Good, because I never plan to stop telling you.”
They rode on in silence for a little while before he spoke again. “Are you looking forward to this afternoon?”
“I am. I think it’ll be lovely to have everyone over—especially now that we can share our news with them.”
He chuckled.
“What’s funny about that?”
“It will be news to them. They’re the ones in for a surprise, but they think that you are. They’re expecting to see me ask you. I thought that was how I wanted to do it; with everyone there. They don’t know that I’ve already asked.”
She laughed. “Wow. I had no idea.”
“That was the plan. It was all going to be a big surprise. But then … I couldn’t wait and more than that I wanted it to be about you and me, just us. Not for show.”
“Aww. I love that. I love the way you asked me. And I’m glad you did it that way. I would have loved it with everyone there too, but not as much. It’s between you and me. I’m glad we get to share with everyone, but even happier that they weren’t a part of it.”
He squeezed her hand. “That’s how I feel. I’m glad you see it that way, too.”
“I do—” Her phone rang, and she reached for it, but stopped and made a face when she saw the name on the display.
“Is that him?”
She nodded. She so did not want Steve to spoil today. She understood now why Cal had been so adamant that he didn’t want him here this weekend.
“You should take it.”
“I don’t want to.” She waited for it to stop ringing, but it only started again a few seconds later. She blew out a sigh and looked at Cal. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“What do you want, Steve?”
“Hello, Terry. It’s nice to talk to you, too.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m busy.”
“So I heard. I was calling to congratulate you.”
She sucked in a deep breath, surprised that Elle had told him. “Thank you.”
“Grandma finally found herself a grandpa.” He laughed.
“Excuse me?”
There was a hard edge to his voice. “Skye told me that she has a grandpa now. So, I’m guessing you went and found yourself some old fart.”
She had to laugh. If he only knew.
“Well, you should let him know that we’ll be coming up here more often now that Elle’s decided she’s staying. Skye might call this old man of yours Grandpa. But I’m her grandfather. And you should tell him that. My daughter. My granddaughter. My sloppy seconds.”
Teresa’s mouth fell open before she recovered. “What did you just say?”
“You heard me.”
“You bastard! That’s a horrible thing to say.”
“I imagine it’s a horrible thing to be. Anyway, I just wanted to congratulate you on getting your claws into an old fart. Maddie and I will stop by your party before we leave.”
“You’ll do no such thing!” She glanced at Cal. He’d kill him if he showed his face at the house, and right now she wasn’t sure that she’d want to stop him.
“I’ll do whatever I like, Teresa. Elle says she’s taking Skye over there no matter what. And I’ll want to say goodbye to them before I leave. You should warn your man.”
She glanced at Cal again. He was scowling—looking more intimidating than she’d ever seen him. She should probably let him know now what was coming—though she doubted he’d cal
m down before Steve showed his face.
“So, you’re telling me that I should warn my old fart, Cal, that you plan to come by the house this afternoon so that you can set him straight?”
Cal looked fit to explode. “Put him on speaker.”
She did, just in time for Cal to hear, “That’s right. And tell him I’ll understand if he wants to stay out of the way while I see my girls.”
Teresa’s heart pounded when Cal spoke. He put the fear of God into her.
“We’re having a private celebration this afternoon. Consider this your warning that you’re not welcome. If you come anyway, I will consider you to be trespassing on my property.”
Steve’s laugh sounded a little less cocky this time. “And what are you going to do, call the police?”
“No.” Cal didn’t elaborate, but the threat contained in that one syllable was enough to make Teresa’s blood run cold.
“I’ll see you later.” Steve hung up.
Teresa’s breath came out in a rush. Cal’s jaw was set, and he was scowling at the road ahead.
“I’m sorry.” She felt terrible.
His expression softened. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault. It might turn out to be a good thing.”
“How? I can’t lose you now. You can’t get sent to jail for murder just after you ask me to marry you.”
He chuckled and the sound of it washed over her and made her relax a little. “Don’t worry. I won’t.”
“What murder him, or get caught?”
He laughed again. “Either.”
~ ~ ~
When they got back, the whole of Lakeside Drive was lined with parked cars.
Teresa shook her head. “Did you invite the whole town?”
“Just your good friends.” He smiled. “And it seems that at least half the town thinks of you as one.”
He pulled into the garage and cut the engine. His heart was still pounding, and all his senses were on high alert. He couldn’t get over the gall of the guy. He took a deep breath and turned to Terry. No matter how angry he might be, she was all that mattered. He leaned across the console and closed his fingers around the back of her neck. “Don’t worry.”
“How can I not?” She looked panicked.
He claimed her mouth in a deep kiss before letting her go. “I intend to make your life better now that I’m in it. I give you my word that I won’t do anything that would disappoint you.”
She let out a shrill laugh. “Yeah, but you know that I’d happily castrate him myself!”
He chuckled. “I do. But we’re better than that, you and me. We won’t stoop to his level. But I will put a stop to him.”
“What …?”
“Do you trust me?”
He relaxed a little when she nodded. She didn’t hesitate even for a second.
“Thank you. I won’t disappoint you. Now, let’s go in there and have fun with our friends.”
She pursed her lips.
“Okay, so let’s just get through it until he’s gone, and after that we’ll have fun with our friends, how about that?”
She chuckled. “That at least, sounds possible.”
“Will you do me a favor and give me two minutes to have a word with Manny and Ryan?”
“What are you going to do?”
“Nothing bad. I promise.”
“Okay.”
“As soon as I’ve talked to them, I’ll find you and we can make our announcement, okay?”
She nodded.
“Do you want to tell them or shall I?”
She looked down at the ring on her hand. “If you take more than a couple of minutes, I think someone will notice.”
“Ah.”
“I don’t want to take it off.”
He leaned across and kissed her again. “I don’t want you to—ever.”
She smiled. “You’d better be quick then.”
~ ~ ~
Nina greeted them at the door that led into the kitchen. “We saw you coming. Manny’s over—” She didn’t get a chance to finish before Cal headed over to him.
Teresa scanned the room for Elle. It was crowded. It looked like maybe three quarters of the town was here.
“Are you okay?” asked Nina.
Teresa smiled. “I’m wonderful. I’ve never been happier. But Steve’s trying to spoil it.”
She held her hand out a little way and looked down. Nina beamed when she saw the ring. “He asked you already! Oh, Terry!”
“Shh! We want to tell everyone together, but I had to tell you.”
“Of course. But what do you mean about Steve?”
She blew out a sigh. “Skye told him that she has a grandpa—who’s going to marry Grandma. And he’s pissed, but he thinks I’ve found myself some old fart!”
Nina laughed. “He has no idea!”
“No, but he’s going to find out. He said he’s going to come over to see Elle and Skye before he leaves. He’s got it in his head that I’m with some old man who’ll be scared of him.”
Nina’s eyes grew wide. “Cal would squish him like a bug!”
She had to laugh, but she was worried that it might be true. “He’s assured me that he won’t, and I trust him not to do anything stupid. But Steve’s … oh, shit!”
Her hand came up to cover her mouth. She could see Steve and Maddie coming up the path to the front door. She looked around and spotted Elle standing with Donovan, who was holding Skye.
“I’d better get over there.”
Nina scurried after her.
Teresa didn’t get to Elle before Izzy opened the front door. Her heart started to pound as she looked for Cal. She couldn’t see him, but now Steve was heading for Elle. Teresa just reached her first.
“Mom! I’m so sorry. I don’t know if he’d really do it but …” she turned and followed Teresa’s gaze. “Steve! I told you not to come here!”
Steve smiled at Teresa. “And I told you I’d see you here.”
“Get out, Steve.”
She had to wonder what had happened to him. He hadn’t always been this bad, she didn’t think.
Maddie appeared beside him and gave Teresa an apologetic look. “Come on, Steve. Let’s just say goodbye to the girls and we can go.”
He shook her hand off. “I want to meet this Cal before we leave.” He made a face at Teresa. “I need to set him straight about a few things.”
“What things?”
They all turned to see Cal scowling down at Steve. He was flanked by Manny on one side and Ryan on the other—as if he needed them!
“That’s none of your business.” Steve looked nervous when he spoke.
Cal glared at him. “You said you want to set me straight.”
Teresa watched Steve’s adam’s apple bob up and down—it was funny the little details you noticed in moments of stress.
“You’re Cal?”
He nodded.
“Well, I err …”
“I’m Cal. This is my house.” He looked at Teresa. “Our house. I told you that if you came here, I would consider that to be trespassing.”
Teresa’s throat went dry as she wondered if it was legal to shoot trespassers.
“Grandpa!”
Skye wriggled to get out of Donovan’s arms and ran to Cal. He glared at Steve one more time before he scooped her up and sat her on his hip.
Teresa’s breath caught in her chest when she spotted a holster on his other hip. Steve saw it at the same time she did. He turned white.
“I don’t want any trouble. I just want to say bye to my girls. Skye …”
Teresa wanted to kiss her when she rested her little head on Cal’s shoulder and snuggled against him. “Grandpa, that’s Steve. Do you know Steve?”
“I don’t, sunshine. And I don’t think I’m going to either.” His smile for Skye disappeared as he looked over her head at Steve. “Am I?”
Steve shook his head.
�
��They have to leave now,” Cal told Skye.
She lifted her head and gave a little wave before turning back to Cal. “Can we go down to the beach now, Grandpa?”
He planted a kiss on her forehead. “In a little while, sunshine. Will you keep an eye on Donovan for me while I take care of something?”
Teresa watched, fascinated and terrified at the same time as he handed her back to Donovan. It felt as though he was establishing the hierarchy of male figures in her life and there was no room left for Steve.
“You were just leaving.” Cal put his hands on his hips.
“Elle?” said Steve.
Teresa felt bad for her, but she didn’t seem upset in the least. “Yeah. See you, Steve. I told you not to come here.” She turned away from him, and Donovan put his arm around her shoulders and led her away.
Cal took a step toward Steve and he scurried for the door. Nina put her hand on Terry’s arm as they watched him go, closely followed by Cal, Manny and Ryan.
“Wow!” Nina shook her head. “I think you’ve seen the last of him.”
She let out a shaky laugh. “I think you’re right. He looked like he was going to pee his pants when he saw the gun.”
Nina laughed. “That was clever.”
“You weren’t scared? You don’t think it was dangerous?”
“It was empty!”
“It was?”
Nina laughed and hugged her. “I’d put money on it. Manny’s told me about that trick before. He says you don’t need to carry a loaded gun, that people see it and their imagination—their fear—fills in the rest.”
“Pft! Well, I don’t mind telling you that I was scared.”
“Not of Cal?”
“No, but of what I thought might happen.”
Nina smiled. “My guess is that nothing bad will ever happen in your life again—he’ll make sure of it.”
She nodded and looked at the door, hoping that he’d come back before anything bad happened out there.
Her heart and her eyes filled up when he came back inside and immediately found her gaze. He held it every step of the way until he was back in front of her.
“It isn’t loaded,” he assured her before he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.