by Ashley Blake
“Thank you, Mr. Morgan.”
A man in a uniform stood by as we talked and I found out that he was their butler.
“Michael will put your things in your room and Caleb can show to your room in a few minutes. Towels, soaps and lotions are in your bathroom which is attached to your room. Dinner will be served in 30 minutes and I’m sure you want to freshen up first, so we will see you in the dining room in a little bit. Do you need anything right now dear?” She smiled at me and it lit up her face. She was so pretty.
“No Mrs. Morgan, I’m fine, thank you.”
“Okay then, Caleb honey, please show Emma to her room, and then we will see you soon for dinner.”
“Okay mom.”
Caleb’s dad didn’t talk a lot and he just followed his mom down the hall. As we walked through the house I marveled at how beautiful it was. It must have been at least 20,000 square feet.
“Caleb, this house is amazing, I can’t believe that you grew up in something as magnificent as this.”
I was gushing and I think it embarrassed him a bit because he tried to downplay how awesome his house was.
“It’s really not all that Emma, just a home like any other, and we are normal people just like other families, we just happen to have a few more financial resources than some people.”
I really loved that he was so humble about the privileged life that he lived, it made him so much more down to earth and relatable. It was another one of the many reasons that I loved him.
As soon as I walked into my room, I understood exactly what Caleb meant when he said that the house may seem big on the outside but it had a cozy feeling inside. Once I was inside my room, you would never have guessed that it was housed inside of a huge mansion. The room was big but had all of the comforts of home. The pillows were big and fluffy, the comforter was nice and thick, and there was even a brand new robe waiting for me in the closet. I instantly felt really comfortable there.
Caleb closed the door behind us, gathered me into his arms and his eyes searched mine. “I’m so happy that you’re here Emma.”
The butterflies fluttered in my belly again as he gently caressed my back and I smiled up at him. “Me too.”
He bent down to gently kiss me on the lips, and then he went to his room to freshen up before dinner. Just as we were walking downstairs for dinner, I heard a male voice bellow throughout the house.
“Mom, Dad, I’m home!”
Caleb looked at me with a huge grin on his face. “Colton is here…finally! I can’t wait for him to meet you.”
As soon as Colton saw Caleb he ran to him and gave him a big hug.
“I didn’t know you were home already, mom and dad thought you might be coming tomorrow!” He turned to me and raised the back of my hand to his lips. “This must be the woman who has stolen my brother’s heart. It’s nice to finally put a face to the name Emma.”
He was just as charming as his brother and the good looks ran all throughout this family. Colton was gorgeous! I couldn’t help but flirt back just a little bit.
“Colton, you sure know how to flatter a girl.”
When Caleb saw that we were playfully flirting with each other he jumped in and broke it up. “Okay, okay enough of this, go find your own girlfriend little brother.”
“You have found a beautiful woman here Caleb. Emma, if he doesn’t treat you right be sure to give me a call, and I will take care of him for you.”
I giggled at his silliness. “You’ve got a deal.” It was cute the way he was playing with me and I really liked him, he had a cool personality.
“Okay you two, cut it out. Let’s go eat, I’m sure that mom is waiting for us.”
Their personal chef prepared a delicious meal for us and we were sitting around the dinner table chatting as we waited for dessert when Caleb’s dad asked me more questions about myself.
“So Emma, you said you are from a small town and you went to a private liberal arts university in Wisconsin and graduated summa cum laude, which is terrific. You want to be an advertising executive which is I think is fantastic. A smart woman will get very far in this world. What do your parents do?” The way he asked the question was not rude at all, he genuinely seemed interested in knowing more about me.
“My dad owns a bunch of luxury car dealerships throughout the state of Wisconsin.”
Caleb’s dad’s eyes widened a bit and I could tell that he seemed a little bit impressed because it was probably not what he had expected to hear.
“Really? How did he get started with that? Was it a family business that was passed down to him?”
“Oh no, my dad started the business when I was a little girl. He worked really hard to build it and he continued to expand throughout the years and now he has 10 dealerships. He is a self-made man.”
He looked at his wife. “Do you hear this Carol? This is what America is built on, hard work which will yield you great results. I really respect a man who works hard for what he has. Your father sounds like a terrific man Emma, I would love to meet him one day.”
“He is a great man and I am sure he would enjoy meeting you as well Mr. Morgan.”
He then turned his attention toward Caleb. “Emma, did you know that Caleb has been turning me down for years. I want him to come work with me but it doesn't look like that is going to happen, is it Caleb?” I could feel the tension in the air when his father broached the subject and I’m sure that Caleb was not happy that he had dragged me into it. But since he had, I felt that it was okay to speak up on Caleb’s behalf.
“I would like to interject here, and I mean no disrespect at all, but your son is extremely talented. I think artistic talent is a gift and that gift is not given to everyone. I really believe that life should be about following your passion and I also believe that if you are smart, you will be able to turn that passion into a successful living. Have you seen any of Caleb’s work, Mr. Morgan?”
His dad seemed to be a little caught off guard with my words but I really wanted him to understand what was important to his son, not what he wanted for his son.
“I haven’t, but my wife has. I don’t doubt that he’s talented dear.”
I looked at Mr. Morgan with nothing but sincerity in my eyes. “I really think that you should see his work when you have a chance, you will be very proud.”
Colton added his two cents. “Dad, his stuff is really cool. Mom knows, you really should check out his work. Caleb is a really talented artist.”
It was interesting to me how his mother just sat there and observed what was going on, but said nothing. Caleb chimed in to talk about his art gallery.
“Dad, I would love for you to come to my art gallery opening in August. I’ve been telling you and mom about it for a while and I think it will help you understand why I love what I do. When it gets closer I will give you guys all the info and I would really love to see you there.”
Caleb’s dad hesitated and looked like he was going to say something, but he remained silent. My heart was breaking for Caleb because I knew that he really wanted his dad to be at the opening, and he looked really upset when his dad didn’t say anything.
I saw Caleb’s mom look at the sad look on her son’s face and she instantly pursed her lips and shot her husband a stern glare. “John, we will be there won’t we?” Her voice was firm and I instantly knew who called the shots in that family. After hearing the tone of her voice, I knew that they would both be going to the opening of Caleb’s gallery, I had absolutely no doubt about that.
He gave his wife a sheepish look and then answered her and looked at Caleb. “Yes, we will be there.”
Caleb smiled at his parents and I knew that he was happy about that. We all chatted for a while and then it was time for bed. I thanked his parents for a lovely evening, told Colton I would see him in the morning, and then Caleb walked me to my room.
Caleb closed the door behind him as he came into my room and we sat on my bed for a few minutes.
“Caleb, your
parents are actually going to be at your gallery opening, that is so amazing! Aren’t you happy?”
I could tell that he was happy, but something seemed to be bothering him. I gently held his hand and looked into his eyes. “What is it, something is bothering you, I can tell.”
His eyes searched mine and then he gave me a half-hearted smile. “You know me so well. It’s just, I wish that my dad wanted to come on his own without my mother kind of forcing him to go, you know?”
“I know, but look at it this way Caleb, at least he’s going to be there, and once he sees your work I know that he is going to completely change his thinking about you being an artist. You are so talented and he needs to see that, I really think it will help him understand you better and it will help both of you get to a better place in your relationship.”
He thought about what I said for couple of minutes and then he agreed with me. “You’re probably right, I should just be happy that he is going to be there. I really want him to see what I can do, I do think it will help him understand me better.” His eyes perused my face and he reached out and gently caressed my cheek with his finger. “You are really good for me, thank you.”
I smiled at him as butterflies fluttered in my belly. It felt good to be able to be there for him in a way that he needed me to be. “You’re welcome.”
His eyes smoldered as they held mine and then settled on my lips. “I should probably go to my room, because if I stay here I can’t be responsible for what I will do to you.”
“That’s probably a good idea because I can’t be held responsible for what I might do to you.”
He smiled at me and playfully touched the tip of my nose. “Promises, promises.”
I walked him to the door and he gathered me in his arms and smoothed the hair out of my eyes. “I know that I already said this but, I’m really happy that you’re here Emma. I love you. So much.”
“I love you too, honey.”
He leaned down and gently kissed me on the lips.
“I will see you in the morning, love. Sleep well.”
Thanksgiving at the Morgan house was so much fun. I met a lot of Caleb’s aunts, uncles, and cousins that day and I was surprised that his mom was the one who actually cooked the turkey. Their chef prepared everything else for us, and it was delicious. It was such a pleasant surprise to meet everyone and to see how down-to-earth this über wealthy family was. I called my family to wish them a happy Thanksgiving and to let them know that I was having a really good time, and that I missed them.
We spent the rest of the weekend with his family and they had a full house for the remainder of our trip. We flew back to Chicago on Sunday and before we left I thanked his parents for everything and told Colton how awesome it was to meet him, and I hoped to see him again sometime soon. I felt so comfortable around them and they were so welcoming to me. The trip was like nothing I had expected and it was such a nice surprise to see how easily I fit in with them, or at least I thought I did. I didn’t feel uncomfortable with them for one second the entire time I was there.
“Emma, you are welcome in our home any time. It was lovely to get to know you dear, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.” Caleb’s mom gave me a big hug, and so did his dad.
On the flight back to Chicago, I couldn’t stop gushing about how awesome Caleb’s family was.
“Everyone was so nice to me, Caleb, I just didn’t expect that. I know that sounds horrible and I’m not trying to be mean or anything, but I didn’t expect that people who are so incredibly wealthy would be so down to earth. I know that I come from a privileged family also, but what we have compared to what your family has, I mean there is no comparison at all. I thought they might prejudge me because I didn’t go to an Ivy League school, and I didn’t feel that from them at all. Your parents are just so awesome. And Colton, oh my goodness, I bet he has to beat the girls off with a stick, much like I’m sure his older brother had to until I snapped him up.”
He laughed at what I said and seemed to be amused by my love fest over his family.
“Well, I’m happy that you enjoyed yourself, and I know that they all really liked you. I think people always tend to have a preconceived notion about my family because they are so successful, but like you found out, once you get inside the doors and peel back the layers, you see that they are regular people just like everybody else.”
When I got back to my apartment, Kelly was already home from New Holstein and she wanted to know everything. I told her how nice I thought his parents were and how welcoming they were to me, and I also told her about Colton and how the good looks really ran deep in that family. She was really happy for me and she kept telling me that she knew that this was it for me and he was the one, and then she went on and on about how she wanted to be my maid of honor when we got married. I told her she was being silly, that we had not been dating for very long and she wanted to hear none of that.
"Emma, I totally see you guys getting married, I’m telling you, he is the one for you, you guys are perfect together. I bet he’s never met a girl like you before, am I right?”
“Yeah, he did say that to me. But Kelly, we are having a great time getting to know each other, okay? If it gets close to what you’re talking about, I promise you, you will know. Now, tell me how your holiday was with your family. Did David have a good time?”
“Yeah, you know they love him, he’s practically part of the family already.”
“You’ve been going on and on about me and Caleb getting married, what about you guys? Any talk about that?”
“No, silly, not yet!”
“Hmm, so how do you like having me ask you about it?”
She looked at me and playfully scrunched her nose at me. “Alright, I get it, no more getting married talk.”
“Thank you, it’s way to soon for that.”
“You’re right Emma, my bad. Let’s make dinner and watch some bad reality TV.”
“Sounds good.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The semester was winding down and Christmas was just around the corner. Friends of Seniors was having a Christmas party and Caleb and I were helping Jean and a couple of other volunteers do everything from decorate to cooking the meal. We arrived at the center a little bit earlier than normal that Saturday of the Christmas party, and Jean put us to work right away. A couple of hours later the room was transformed into a Christmas paradise and the meal was in the oven. We were having baked chicken with potatoes and mixed vegetables, and then we were having lemon cake for dessert. We put candy canes and little chocolate Santa’s at everyone’s place setting, except for those who had diet restrictions.
At 11:00, everyone started to arrive to the party. Caleb was in the kitchen and I was putting finishing touches on the decorations when Jack and Mary came over to me to say hello.
“Hi Emma! It’s good to see you.”
“Hi Jack, hi Mary! How are you both doing? Any more dates to Starbucks?”
They looked at each other and smiled and Jack spoke up first. “Oh yes! Mary and I go every week!”
“Yes, Jack is very good about picking me up on time. He walks over to my place and then we walk to Starbucks together and just enjoy each other’s company and a delicious cup of coffee!”
“I’m so happy that you guys are still going for your weekly coffee date. Do you want to sit down? I can show you where your seats are. Today we have done things a little bit differently and assigned everyone a seat.”
“Thank you dear.” I showed them to their table and got them settled in their spots, when Jack turned to me.
“Is Caleb here?”
“He is, he’s in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the lunch. Did you want me to go get him for you?”
Jack patted my hand. “Oh no, no, don’t bother him. I just wanted to know if he was here, he’s such a nice young man. Are you both sitting at our table with us?”
I gently put my hand on Jack’s shoulder and smiled at him. “Yes, we are
Jack. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Do you need anything?”
Jack turned to Mary. “Do you need anything Mary?”
“No, I’m fine. Well, maybe a little more apple juice.”
I winked at her. “You got it, coming right up. Jack, what about you?”
“I’m fine dear, thank you.”
I headed to the kitchen to get some apple juice for Mary and to see if Caleb needed any help in the kitchen. Just as I was walking in, he was walking out and I nearly crashed into him. He grabbed my arms to steady me.
“We have got to stop meeting like this.” He was smiling as he bent down to give me a quick kiss on the lips.
I giggled and quickly glanced around to make sure that no one saw us. “You’re silly and you’re going to get us in trouble with Jean!”
“Oh, Jean was young once too. Did you need me for something?”
Oh do I. I batted my eyes at him and whispered so that no one could hear me. “You have no idea, but we’ll have to take care of that another time.”
He took a step toward me. “Oh really? Tell me more.” His eyes smoldered as they slowly perused my body and, for a split second, I forgot that we were surrounded by people.
I lightly placed my hands on his chest. “Someone will see us.”
He took a step back. “You’re right, I just can’t help myself around you.”
“You’ll have to try,” I whispered to him as I flashed him a flirtatious smile. “Mary wants more apple juice.”
“I’ll get it and meet you at the table.” He winked at me and he lightly swatted me on the behind as I started to walk away.
Caleb came over to our table with the apple juice a few minutes later and sat down to join us.
“Caleb, it is good to see you. How have you been? We missed you a couple of weeks ago.” Jack seemed really happy to have Caleb back.
“I was swamped with school work Jack, I’m sorry I couldn’t be here. Are you doing alright?”
“Oh yes, I’m fine. We just like seeing you around here.”