by Sara Daniel
“Wouldn’t an electric mixer speed up the process?” a man’s voice boomed from of the kitchen.
“Blasphemy. We’re making scones, not rocks. The difference is in the way you mix them. Also, the butter has to be cold. Work it into the flour mixture with your fingertips.”
“I’m getting to the bottom of all your secrets now. Do you offer bedroom secrets too?”
Caleb clenched his fists.
“You’re a dirty old man,” Olivia tsked. “I bet you have more secrets than I do. Take a plate of these to your wife as soon as they come out of the oven. Don’t mix the dough any more than that if you want to keep her satisfied. Smooth dough is the kiss of death.”
“In other words, you’ll blame me for her dissatisfaction.” He laughed.
“Ralph, are you behaving in there?” Shoes clipped across the hardwood floor. A woman approached, laughing as she only did on an emotional upswing. Despite her shorter hair, fuller face, and looser clothing, Caleb recognized her immediately.
He’d taken steps to avoid coming face-to-face with Olivia, and instead he ran into her. Ten years ago as his first Forever book hit the bookshelves, she’d announced she was reuniting with her ex for a third go-around. While he’d worked his ass off to bring Beth’s legacy to life, she’d dismissed his efforts to improve her life.
If you marry Ralph for a third time, you are out of my life. I’ll never speak to you again for as long as I live.
I married him last night, Mom had said calmly.
Then I have nothing more to say. He’d walked away and never looked back. Well, Olivia would say he’d spent his whole life looking back. Ethan had said it too.
“Caleb.” Her eyes widened, filling with a bright sheen.
He couldn’t believe Penelope had suckered him into this meeting.
“Maggie, I’m guaranteeing you intense satisfaction this afternoon.” Ralph sauntered out of the kitchen. He slapped his palms together, white powder billowing off them. His steps faltered and he darted to Mom’s side, draping his arm around her while glaring at him. “What are you doing here?”
“That’s my line.” He could only speculate how many times they’d split apart and come back together again.
“Is there a problem?” Olivia sashayed out of the kitchen then stumbled. A shot of agony splashed across her face before her features shifted into a bland mask of politeness. No matter how well she hid it, his presence hurt her. He’d failed in his attempt to protect her from himself. “Hello Caleb. I see you’ve met my guests, Margaret and Ralph Schneider.”
Married again. Probably in the past year if they were indulging in afternoon sex.
Olivia folded her hands. “To what do we owe the pleasure of your presence?”
No one was pleased to see him. His mother bit her lip, her face crumpling a little more with each passing second. Ralph flexed his fist as if he’d like nothing more than to bloody Caleb’s nose, while Olivia’s formal politeness made him wish she’d take a swing at him. “I didn’t mean to bother you. I’m just on my way to see my fiancée.”
Olivia flinched.
His mother sobbed.
“Then go see her,” Ralph snapped. “If you can’t find the courtesy to say hello to your mother and ask about her health after all these years, stay out of our sight while you’re here.”
“Is something wrong with your health, Mom?” He may have pushed her out of his life, but he didn’t wish her ill or, worse, dead.
“I wear an estrogen patch, and I’m prone to hot flashes. I could also stand to lose thirty pounds. Otherwise, my health is fine. Thank you for asking.” She squeezed Ralph’s hand so tightly her knuckles turned white.
“If you’re still here for community hour, Caleb, perhaps my guests will have adjusted to your presence,” Olivia said.
Adjusted to his presence, like he was some sort of terrifying ogre? Despite his plan to avoid her, he wanted nothing more than to share a meal with her and his family. “You’re not going to invite me for dinner?”
“I suggest you cook something for your fiancée and enjoy a romantic dinner alone.” She pivoted on her heel and pushed through the kitchen door. The door swung several times in her wake.
“We’re about to put the scones in the oven,” Ralph said, squeezing Mom’s shoulders. “Come watch us.” He ushered her into the kitchen.
Caleb stood alone in the foyer unable to distinguish the whispers behind the door. He'd pushed both Olivia and his mother out of his life for their faults, while they'd been plenty aware of his many faults and had accepted him anyway.
If they turned away from him now, he deserved nothing less for acting like a pompous, self-important jerk.
Chapter 21
“I keep fiddling with this perfume for your mother. Every time I think it’s right, I learn something more and have to adjust again.”
“You called me across the country to help fix a perfume?” Just when he thought the day couldn’t get any more discouraging, it did.
Penelope shoved her goggles onto the top of her head. “I can’t marry you.”
No. She was the only thing he had going for him. She couldn’t bail on him too. “Don’t let my mother come between us.”
“Your mother isn’t the reason. I can’t marry you because I’m in love with someone else.”
“I know you don’t love me. I don’t want a marriage based on love.” At least, he hadn’t until Olivia had turned his life upside down. But his wants didn’t matter. He had a duty to Liam and The Forever Marriage. He’d made a promise to Beth.
“I don’t love you, but I do love someone.”
“Who?” He’d chosen her, in part, because she had no baggage. “The only people you’ve been hanging around are me and Ethan.”
“Yeah, Ethan.” Her face conveyed both her love and her chagrin.
“So you want to be wife number four in a line of God-knows-how-many?” He could talk sense into her. She would see the foolishness of following her heart.
“No. I want to be his lover and his business partner till death do us part.”
“What does Ethan say?”
“I don’t know. I called him down here too. In a couple of hours I’ll either be heartbroken or the happiest woman in the world.”
Either way she wouldn’t return to him. He slammed his fist on the tabletop. “I pinned all my hopes of resurrecting Forever on you.”
She gathered her rattling bottles and settled them with more attentiveness than she’d ever bestowed on him. “I didn’t even hurt your feelings. I just made you mad because I messed up your career.”
“Not only my career. You messed up my life and destroyed my chance to create a stable childhood for Liam.”
“If you picked me over my sister because of your baby, you’re an idiot who’s not qualified to be a parent. I’m perfectly happy having nothing to do with his childhood until he’s old enough to use a chemistry set. I picked you because you were the safe choice. But the truth is I don’t want to be safe and miserable.”
“We won’t be miserable. We’ll be practicing Forever.” But he was already miserable. Instead of saving marriages and sparing people from emotional upheaval, Dr. Caleb Paden, Ph.D. created chaos and instability.
* * * *
Since Liam had a late nap at Maude’s and was wide awake, Caleb detoured to community hour before heading to his hotel. His presence would not be welcome, but maybe his son could help bridge the rift between him and his mother. With his life in shambles, he had no pride to keep him away.
As he crossed the foyer, Austin headed toward the kitchen ahead of him.
“You get to stay up late tonight, huh? What’s the occasion?”
The boy jumped. “I’m getting a drink of water.”
“How was your ski trip?”
“It would have been great if you’d taken care of Mom like I asked you to.”
He flinched. How many times had he harped about how closely children observed their parents’ lives? Yet, h
e’d pushed the point aside when it mattered most. Nothing he’d done had had a positive impact. He’d wasted his life on a promise he shouldn’t have made, let alone kept. Not only had he dishonored Beth, he’d neglected his son and intentionally hurt Olivia.
“I’m glad you’re concerned about your mother,” he said to Austin, “but she can handle herself. You better go back to bed.”
“I don’t have to listen to you.” He stomped into the kitchen.
So much for their camaraderie. Their good rapport had only lasted a couple of days. Disappointment shouldn’t sting so badly. He’d been silly to envision their relationship would remain unaffected when he’d severed all ties with the boy’s mother and created emotional upheaval for Austin.
He gazed at Liam in his arms. “The odds aren’t good that I’ll do any better with you.”
Liam grinned and gurgled.
At the sitting room, Caleb paused in the doorway. Everyone else crowded around the silver refreshment tray with their backs to him.
“Those are the maple walnut scones. These are the lemon ginger,” Olivia said, pointing to each.
“Where are the orange currant ones?” Ralph asked.
“I’ll bring them out in the morning. I didn’t want to overwhelm you with too many options.”
“I think I can handle it.” He patted his protruding stomach, causing everyone to laugh.
Mom turned from the tin first, her amusement dying as her eyes made contact. The others repeated her action until agonizing silence filled the room.
He hitched Liam higher in his arms. Suddenly, the boy squealed and wiggled, his face breaking into an expression of pure joy as he jerked toward Olivia.
Surprise, happiness, and anguish flitted across her face before she pasted on a bright smile and opened her arms wide. Liam launched himself at her, and she embraced him wholeheartedly. “I’ve missed you, honey. Oh my goodness, look how big you’ve gotten.”
“Who is your little one?” Mom finally spoke to him.
“Liam, your grandson.”
“And you’re his mother?” she asked Olivia.
“No, I—” Tears filled her eyes, and her voice cracked. “No. His mother gave birth while she was staying with me, and I raised Liam for the first three months of his life.”
“His mom’s not in the picture. It’s just me and him,” Caleb said. Liam’s Forever mother wasn’t in the picture either. She’d run off with Caleb’s brother. “Anyway, you’ll be happy to know Forever as I built it is dead. The Winstons are buying me out and moving the company in a new direction.”
“Why would that make me happy?” Mom asked.
He hadn’t come to fight, but anger welled up from everything she’d put him through. “Oh, come on. You’ve been married and divorced more often than most people shower in a week. I spent years trying to put an end to the cycle, but it never ends, and I have nothing to show for my life.”
Nothing, except a son he’d already made too many mistakes with.
“How dare—” Ralph blustered.
A brief shake of Mom’s head silenced him. “You haven’t seen me or Ralph in ten years. You obviously haven’t spoken to your brother about me in that time. How do you know what I do with your advice?”
The emotional roller coaster sucked him onboard once again. “You’re with Ralph again. It’s obvious.”
She advanced toward him. “How long do you think we’ve been back together?”
“Two weeks. Two months. Two days. I don’t know.” He hated not knowing when the ticking time bomb of their relationship would detonate.
“Ten years,” she said. “Ralph and I have been married with no separations and no divorces for ten years.”
He looked at Olivia for confirmation, needing an outside source to corroborate any relationship of his mother’s being measured in years. But her expression of disdain shamed him.
His mother had stayed married to the same man for a decade and she’d done it while his back was turned. “How did you make your marriage last?” Although too little, too late to save his career, maybe he could figure out where he’d gone wrong with his theories.
“You made it last.” Mom crossed the room to him. “You hate me and won’t speak to me, but you sent me all your books. I read them cover-to-cover. I absorbed everything.”
He didn’t hate her. He’d wanted a better life for her. And for himself, Beth, Ethan, and Liam.
“She made me read them too.” Ralph stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Mom. “We had marriage meetings every Monday night. I missed Monday Night Football for three straight years so I could talk to my wife about how we could be better friends and strengthen our relationship.” He jabbed his index finger at Caleb’s chest. “And we didn’t have a DVR to record the games. I may never forgive you.”
“I still haven’t forgiven you for those horrible meals I had to sit through while you practiced your chef skills on me,” Caleb bit out.
“I’m his guinea pig now.” Mom squeezed Ralph’s hand, exchanging a smile laden with personal meaning. “And I’m making a difference in his dreams.”
They followed Forever, the theories that failed everyone else. The one person who couldn’t keep a marriage together had used it to save her relationship. “How did you make it work?”
“We used your roadmap,” Mom said. “We learned about each other’s hobbies and career goals. We talked and talked until we became each other’s best friend. We already had love and passion in abundance. You brought us logic, steadiness, and direction, so we didn’t get lost in the emotions that had clouded the issues before.”
But they didn’t give up their emotions. They hadn’t followed the model the way he’d meant for it to work—the way Ethan had implemented it and failed. During his several meetings with John Winston this week, the other man had admitted he wanted to add love and emotion to the company’s foundation. Maybe the revised theory would work, but it violated the premise of his and Beth’s dreams. Defeat pressed in on all sides.
“I hate your guts for turning your back on your mother,” Ralph said. “And I’ll always resent you for my years of lost Monday nights. But I do thank you for giving me a happily ever after with the woman I love more than all the football in the world.”
“You love her,” Caleb said. “Mom, do you love him?”
She covered her heart with both hands. “From the moment I met him. You were almost six years old. As I walked out of the lawyer’s office clutching my divorce papers from your dad, Ralph walked in. I’m sure you don’t believe in love at first sight, but it hit us both like a lightning bolt.”
The image struck him as more seedy than romantic, but who was he to judge?
“I wasn’t a good mother,” Mom admitted. “I put my needs first. I left you to fend for yourself too often and gave you too much responsibility at too young an age. But you always rose to the occasion. I knew I could count on you. If this decade apart hasn’t been long enough, I don’t blame you. You’ve earned your freedom.”
The last ten years hadn’t been freedom. He’d lived in a prison of his own making. Now he’d been freed. “If I wouldn’t be intruding too much, I could work in a phone call once a week, maybe during a Monday football game.”
Mom wrapped her arms around him so tightly he nearly staggered. He’d been such a jerk and didn’t deserve her loving welcome. “I babysit on some of the evenings when Ralph works. I understand if you don’t trust me with your son, but I can give you some references if you want to think about it. I’m a better grandma than a mother.”
And she’d been a better mother to him than Jennifer had been to Liam. “Liam needs his grandparents and step-grandparents,” he included Ralph. He wasn’t ready to be best friends with the guy, but he didn’t hate him either. “He needs a stable family.”
“I’m here for him as much as you need me,” Mom said, wiping her eyes. “Let’s call Ethan so he can be a part of this reunion.”
“I’ll get him on my cell.” Caleb reac
hed for the clip on his belt.
“No,” Olivia said, not flinching as Liam mauled her face with his drooly fingers. “I’m sure he’s happy for you, but he’s celebrating privately right now. With Penelope.”
Jealousy didn’t hit him, but restlessness did. Another couple had found happiness by acting on their feelings first and adding logic as an afterthought. To act on his feelings, he’d have to analyze them first. He’d denied that side of himself too long to have any clue where to start.
Mom beamed at him. “I’m glad they finally got you out of the way.”
“I’m opening the wine,” Ralph announced. “A toast. To Ethan and the love of his life, Penelope.”
His ego wasn’t ready to allow him to drink to that. Regardless, Olivia passed him a glass, and he downed it. Losing his fiancée and watching the last vestiges of his career swirl down the toilet surely earned him the right to blind drunkenness. Since college, he’d only gotten drunk twice—the night of Liam’s conception and after Penelope accepted his marriage proposal.
He carried his empty glass to the side table for a refill, nodding toward Olivia. “I know my limit. I’ll be sober by the time I leave tonight.”
She shook her head. “Not with Liam, you won’t. I figured you’d stay anyway. I already have your suite ready.”
Tonight she personified logic, while passion, desire and raw emotion waged a war to take over his body. With Forever in shambles, he had no reason not to surrender.
Chapter 22
Olivia put Liam to bed before the end of community hour. Well after the “hour” had drawn to a close, Ralph announced, “I’m going to call it a night. What do you say, Maggie?”
“I’ve been waiting for you, sweetheart.” Margaret rose from the couch. “I’ll see you at breakfast, Caleb. With any luck, maybe your brother will join us.”
After a round of “Good nights,” Olivia found herself alone with Caleb for the first time since Penelope had accepted his engagement proposal. “I assume you’ll head back to New York in the morning.”
“Considering how late it is, I don’t intend to leave my room until after noon. If you’d like to join me though, the invitation’s open.”