by Lexi Blake
Callie sat on the recliner with her hand over her huge belly and her feet up.
“Well, why don’t you join in, Callie? You want to let me know how stupid I am?” Holly was getting frustrated with her houseguests.
She shook her head. “Oh, no. I’m just happy to be out of my house. I thought Zane was going to have to roll me over in a wheelbarrow, though. If I don’t have this baby soon, I think I’m going to pop. But if you’re asking me, then I do think you’re making a mistake.”
“Caleb lied to me.” She would say it over and over again until someone understood.
Callie looked at her sympathetically but shook her head. “So did Rachel and Laura.”
“That was different.” Apparently everyone was planning on acting obtuse today. The situations were completely different.
“How?” Callie asked.
“They were trying to hide from something.” Laura had been on the run from a serial killer and Rachel from a stalker. It made total sense that they would change their names for protection.
“So is Caleb.” Laura sighed and sat down. “I’m sorry. I’m coming on way too strong. Holly, I love you, but I think you’re wrong. I changed my name because I was running from my past. I didn’t want Rafe and Cam to find me. I also didn’t want the serial killer to find me, but it was about Rafe and Cam, too.”
“And I was on the run.” Rachel’s mouth became tight as she obviously thought about her life before Max and Rye. “I still don’t go by my old name. I changed it because I’m not that woman anymore. I’m Rachel. I’m the person I found here in Bliss. I think Caleb is the same. He smiled at me yesterday. Do you know how little that man smiles?”
“Did you ask him why he didn’t tell you about his name?” Laura sat back.
“He said he couldn’t be sure I wasn’t a gold digger.” She could still feel the humiliation that had flared.
Rachel snorted. “Idiot.”
Laura’s eyes narrowed. “Is that what he said? Or what you heard?”
“No,” Micky called out from the kitchen where he was making coffee. “He said he’d had a lot of women who were more interested in his family than him.” He walked in carrying mugs of coffee. “And I understand that. I get him, Mom. When you’re a member of an incredibly wealthy family, you have to wonder why people are around you. I don’t think he thought you were a gold digger for a second. I think you scared the crap out of him.”
No one understood. She felt frustrated tears pricking at her eyes. “I seriously doubt that. I know you think you know how he feels, but I want you to think about how I feel. I was married to your father for years. It was a huge mistake. The Langs ripped me apart. I can’t do that again. I don’t even want to try.”
“It’s not like his family is here all the time,” Rachel pointed out. “I didn’t even know he had a family. I knew his wife died, but that’s about it. If Jen weren’t on her honeymoon, I would put her on this. Trust me, Stef Talbot knows something about Caleb and his past. No one comes into his town without a file. I wonder. I bet he has an actual file.”
“Rachel, you can’t break into the Talbot Estate,” Callie said.
Rachel’s strawberry blonde hair shook, and her eyes lit up the way they always did when she was planning something nefarious. “I wasn’t going to break in. I was going to walk in and then, whoops, I didn’t mean to go into Stef’s office. I got lost. And I certainly didn’t mean to have that file folder fall open.”
“Or you could ask me.” Micky sat down in front of her. “You must be very isolated if you didn’t hear his story. Dr. Caleb Sommerville was working with a charity group providing medical attention and surgeries in some of the world’s worst places. He walked away from his wealth. Does that sound like Dad? I bet that the Sommerville family wasn’t thrilled that he chose to practice in Africa.”
“He went through something bad, didn’t he?” Laura asked.
Micky nodded.
“I thought so. I recognize the look on his face from time to time. I see it in the mirror.” Laura’s voice had taken on that far-off quality she used when thinking about her former life.
“I see it on Zane’s face.” Callie’s hand smoothed over her belly. “It’s hard for him to talk about what happened while he was undercover. Can’t you give Caleb a chance?”
When had she become the bad guy? “I thought you guys were supposed to support me.”
Nell leaned toward her. “We are, sweetie. But we wouldn’t be very supportive if we let you make the biggest mistake of your life.”
Was it a mistake? How could she trust him again? And what else hadn’t he told her?
And did any of it matter? Or was she letting her past ruin her chances for a future?
“I can’t live that life again.” She said it more to herself than anyone else.
“I don’t want you to. I don’t want that life. That’s why I’m here.” Caleb stood in the doorway, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. His face was lined with care, as though the last moments had aged him.
Alexei stood beside him.
How much had they both changed for her? What had it cost these possessive men to decide to share her?
“I’d like to know your story.” She said it simply, though it meant the world to her. If he wouldn’t talk to her, she wasn’t sure there was a chance.
He nodded, but no words came out.
“Could we be doing this in private? Ladies, I appreciate your love for Holly, but we need time alone.” Alexei opened the door.
Laura stared him down, never one to let a little thing like a six-foot-five-inch, slab-of-muscle renowned-for-his-former-violent-tendencies man intimidate her. “You better take care of her.”
“Laura, they will. That’s why they’re here.” Nell stood, looking perfectly happy with the outcome of the afternoon. She settled Paige on her hip. “Come on, guys. Let’s get Callie home. She’s going to bring another beautiful soul into the world any day now. We should make sure her house is ready. I want to bless the baby’s room and invite the goddess in.”
Rachel held a hand out to Callie. “Ugh, I hope you don’t mind some smelly herbs, Cal.”
She shook her head. “I don’t mind. But I’m pretty sure I’m never having this baby. I know it’s Zane’s because it’s so big. I think this baby weighs thirty pounds. He planted a giant inside me. And I swear this sucker has more than four limbs.”
“Uhm, I can do another ultrasound.” Caleb put his hands on Callie’s belly. “How about tomorrow morning? You’re not due for another two weeks, but if the baby is big, we might need to schedule a C-section.”
“Oh, no, Callie,” Nell said, her eyes wide. “Maybe we should call the shaman back in.”
“Nope,” Callie said. “If the doc wants to split me open right now, I’m up for it. I’m done with being pregnant. And I will happily let you take another look at my boy.”
Rachel snorted as she lifted her baby from Nell. “Doc is a good man, but he’s not the greatest at reading a sonogram. Is he, baby girl? He thought you had a penis. You don’t have a penis. No, sir. Callie’s baby won’t have a penis, either. She’s going to be your best friend.”
“Now, we need to talk about this,” Nell said, her skirt fluttering around her ankles as she ran after the other women.
Laura gave Holly a long hug. “You just holler if they give you trouble. I think I’m going to have to save Nell. Rachel can get touchy about drugs and childbirth. We’re going to be over at Callie’s making casseroles to freeze so Zane doesn’t have to cook after the baby comes. Why don’t you come with us, Micky? You can get to know your new aunts, and I think Rafe and Cam are going to be doing some yard work. We can pull up lawn chairs and whistle until they take off their shirts.”
“I think I’m going to love my new uncles,” Micky said with a smile. He stopped in front of Caleb. “Talk fast, man. I’m pulling for you.”
The door closed behind them, and they were alone.
“Cheap lay?” Cale
b asked, obviously ready to get to the fight. His face was tight.
She wasn’t about to let him make her the bad guy by throwing her words back in her face. “You’re the one who lied, Caleb.”
“I didn’t lie.” Caleb’s words were clipped, short, revealing his frustration. “I’ve gone by my mother’s maiden name for years. I didn’t like everything that came along with being a Sommerville, including the money. I like living simply. The only time my money has come in handy is when you needed things, like a roof. Which wasn’t cheap.”
She put a hand on her hip. “Oh, so now you’re owning up to that? I asked you before and you wouldn’t answer.”
Caleb scrubbed a hand through his short hair. “I didn’t want you to feel beholden. You think I didn’t look into your past? I knew who your ex-husband was. I knew what he did to you. I might not have known all the details, but I could make some great guesses. You obviously didn’t want to leave your son behind when you got divorced.”
“Of course I didn’t.”
“Your husband used his money and power to separate you from your son.” It wasn’t a question. Caleb said it with a familiar disgust, as though he’d seen it before.
She took a long breath. “Yes, he did. Actually he managed to come up with some damning photographs of me with his head security guard.”
“Bastard,” Caleb cursed. “What did he do? Hire someone who looked like you?”
She stilled. She hadn’t told him she wasn’t guilty. So why did he assume she was innocent? “Maybe he simply followed me, Caleb.”
“Bullshit. You wouldn’t cheat. I know you. You wouldn’t cheat on him no matter how big an asshole he was. He was the father of your son. You took vows. You wouldn’t cheat.”
Tears pooled in her eyes. “How can you know that?”
“Dushka, he knows for same reason I know. He sees your soul. Why can you not see his?” Alexei stood by the door, his face grim. He watched the argument with dark eyes and a flat mouth.
It struck her that Alexei had as much to lose as either of them. Though he wasn’t a part of this argument, he was involved. He was part of this. She could yell at Caleb all she liked, but it wouldn’t help the three of them.
“Explain why you wouldn’t tell me your name.”
Now it was Caleb’s turn to calm down. He paced a little. “Because after I found out about your ex-husband, I was afraid you wouldn’t like me. And I wanted you to like me.”
“Why?” Holly asked.
The words burst from his mouth like a cork popping from a champagne bottle. “Because I loved you from the minute I saw you. I walked into the café and you smiled at me and I felt like the sun had come out after years of rain, and that scared the shit out of me. It still scares the shit out of me. But I’ve figured out that something else scares me more. Losing you.”
She stood there in her tiny cabin—the very place where she’d been exiled—and realized that she could believe him or not. She could pull the mantle of past pain around her and be safe. She could go on as she had before. She could even keep Alexei. She didn’t need Caleb. Caleb would always have ties to a world she hated, a world that could come back to hurt her. Alexei would stay with her.
And they would all be living a half life because this weird thing between them worked. It was beautiful and odd and worth fighting for. And it was far past time to put her fear aside.
She didn’t speak. Words had always failed Caleb, but his actions spoke volumes. He’d taken care of her when she’d needed it. He was damaged, and she didn’t exactly know why. It didn’t matter. It didn’t matter if he never healed. She would take him damaged and broken. She would try to heal his hurt.
She put her hands on his face. “I love you, Caleb Burke.”
Not Sommerville. Micky was right. This was who Caleb wanted to be.
His green eyes were solemn as he looked at her. “I love you, too. I just don’t know that it means much.”
Holly put a finger to his lips. “You don’t have to tell me anything. I don’t need to know. I love the man you are now.”
“And you would love the man he was,” Alexei said quietly. “He is very stubborn. He always has good heart.”
“I want to tell you. You need to know.” Caleb looked so miserable standing there, as though he was sure she would reject him.
She’d put that fear in his eyes by walking out. She should have yelled, fought with him. She should have stayed. She was well aware that if Alexei hadn’t been there, there was a great chance that Caleb wouldn’t have come to her.
They needed Alexei. She held out her hand.
Alexei hesitated. “Dushka, perhaps you two should be alone.”
Caleb shook his head. “No, I want you to hear, too. You should understand. I know I said I would be happy to just be around for the sex, but that was bullshit. I want this thing to work, and you’re a part of it, Alexei.”
Caleb stepped away. He started to pace again, and Holly could see how this would go. He would tell her in his clinical way, detached and outside himself. She didn’t want that. She wanted him to know that he was safe with her. She’d taken that from him when she’d walked away. He should know she wouldn’t do that again.
Holly pulled off her shirt and let it drop to the ground. Without hesitation she pulled off her bra.
“What are you doing?” Caleb asked, his eyes going straight to her breasts.
“She is getting ready to talk.” Alexei smiled warmly at her. He could read her mind. He worked the buttons on his shirt, exposing his chest.
Caleb turned between the two. “We’re going to talk naked?”
She pulled her hair out of the ponytail holder she wore. “Yes, consider it our first family tradition. When we have terrible things to talk about, we do it in bed, naked. I want to hold you, Caleb. Will you let me?”
He stilled. “I can’t do this if you’re going to walk away every time I upset you, because I’ll probably upset you a lot. I know that maybe isn’t fair, but I can’t handle not knowing where I stand. I can’t play games. I’m not any good at them.”
He wasn’t. He was horrible at hiding his feelings. Alexei was good at it, but she didn’t want to play games with either of them.
There was only one way she could think of to prove that she was in. Without bothering to cover her breasts, she went to the phone. “What’s your brother’s number?”
Caleb’s head came up. “What?”
“Eli? What’s his number?” The only way to prove she could handle him was to throw herself into the fire.
“Holly,” Caleb started.
“Give her number.” Alexei had gotten down to his underwear. She was never going to get used to that body. It was beautiful. It matched his soul.
“Do your clothes just fall off you?” Caleb asked, shaking his head.
Alexei shrugged. “It is skill. Now give Holly number. I am intrigued to see what she will do.”
Caleb rattled off a number, and within seconds the line was being answered.
“This is Sommerville. Who is this? I don’t recognize this number. This is a private line for family only.”
He sounded gruff, a man who knew his place in the world and wouldn’t appreciate it being questioned. Holly had no desire to question Eli’s place in the world, but he was going to understand hers as well.
“Eli. I’m going to call you Eli because I think we’ll be family soon enough. My name is Holly Lang. I live in Bliss, Colorado.”
There was a brief pause, and then he sounded almost amused. “I know your name, Ms. Lang. I keep tabs on my brother.”
Well, of course he did. “Then you know we’re seeing each other.”
“I know he’s interested. My brother likes to move slowly. He’s the tortoise of the dating world.”
He really was. Luckily Alexei was the hare who had pushed Caleb forward. “Well, his slow ass finally crossed the finish line. I’m going to be honest with you, Eli. I’m in love with your brother. And I’m keeping hi
m. You can send in your spin doctors or image consultants, but it won’t make a difference. You can’t turn me into some perfect political wife.”
“Well then, it’s a good thing you’re planning on marrying a doctor.” There was zero question of his amusement now. She could practically hear him smiling.
But she hadn’t told him the whole truth yet. “I don’t have a college degree. I’m divorced with a son who recently came out. I live in a town known for its unconventional relationships.”
“And apparently its aliens,” Eli interrupted her.
Holly continued. “And you can’t run me off. I will have you know that my son is accomplished at blackmail. And Caleb and I have a friend who knows a thing or two about getting what he wants. A very good friend. A partner.”
There was a long pause. “Oh, fuck. Seriously? Caleb’s gone native?”
Finally she’d managed to get a rise out of him. “Yes. It’s perfectly acceptable here in Bliss. And our partner used to be involved in a crime syndicate, but he’s gone straight now. So if you want this relationship of ours to remain private, you better keep the press off us. But you can’t get rid of me. I love your brother, and I won’t be bought off or scared off or blackmailed off. Do you understand?”
Eli’s voice was warm as he spoke. “I think I do, Holly. I’m going to call you Holly since we’re going to be family soon enough. Consider me properly intimidated. Now that I know who the boss is, perhaps you can get my brother to call his family more often. We miss him. And Josh wants to come see him soon.”
“I think we can arrange that. Your brother says hello. He’ll call you later, but for now he has some things to do.” Before he could reply, she hung up. She turned to Caleb, her heart racing. It had gone far better than she could have imagined. It still could all go to hell, but she’d made her stand. “There, now we’ve started on the proper footing.”
Alexei smiled at her, his cock already straining at his boxers. “That was very sexy, dushka.”
Caleb’s hands came out in supplication. “He won’t try to break us up. Eli isn’t your ex. Are you sure about this? Eli can try to keep us off the radar, but I can’t guarantee that we won’t have nosy reporters sniffing around. I can promise that I’ll protect you as best I can. I can promise that no matter what anyone says, I’ll be here.”