ELLIE
When I switch on my phone again after a quiet breakfast with Justin, I find a lot of missed calls from Caleb. I can’t get myself to listen to the messages he left. It will hurt too much.
But there’s another phone call that came in this morning from a number I don’t recognize. It could be Caleb trying to trick me into picking up his phone calls, but what if it’s not?
While Justin is talking to his therapist in the living room, I go to my bedroom to return the call.
As I wait for the person to answer, I ignore the throbbing in my head and the aches in every part of my body. I hardly slept all night, worrying about Justin and whether he will ever be happy. I wish I could do something to take away some of his pain. I wish I could give him some of my strength.
“Dr. Rogers, how may I help you?” The voice on the other end is deep and smooth.
I massage the frown from my forehead. “Um... this is Ellie Summers. I got a call from this number about an hour ago.”
“Ms. Summers, yes, I did give you a call. There’s something I wanted to discuss with you. It’s about your son.”
“My son?” I lower myself into my desk chair. “Are you from the hospital?”
“No. I have a private practice in Boston.”
“I don’t understand.” I rest my screaming head on the cool desk.
“What I’m trying to say is, I would like to treat your son. I have a private practice in Boston, but I’m willing to fly to St. Louis to talk to you and to meet him.”
“But I didn’t... How do you know about him?”
“A good friend of mine told me about him and the SMA.” I hear a ruffle of papers on his end. “I’m ready to come to St. Louis next week to meet you and Justin.”
I wet my dry lips. “You said a friend of yours told you about—”
“Yes, Caleb LaClaire. He says your son needs help.”
A heavy feeling settles in my stomach. I don’t know what to think. Should I be upset or grateful that Caleb talked to a doctor about Justin behind my back? My head is a jumble of confusion right now.
I lift my head from the desk. “Dr. Rogers, what kind of help are you offering?”
“There’s a treatment for SMA that’s just come on the market, an injection that would slow down the progression of the disease and strengthen the patient’s muscles.”
“I know about the treatment.” An ache spreads through my chest. “But I’m sorry, we can’t afford it.”
“You don’t need to. All the costs will be taken care of.”
“By Mr. LaClaire?” A tear rolls down my cheek.
“You have nothing to worry about, Ms. Summers. I just need to talk to you and Justin, then we can get the process started. There will be a few tests before he starts treatment.”
I wipe my eyes with my t-shirt. “Dr. Rogers, would you mind if I get back to you about this?”
“Of course. Call me anytime at this number.”
“Thanks for calling.” As soon as I hang up, I give Caleb a call. He picks up on the first ring.
“Why did you do it?” My fingers tremble to the base of my throat.
“Do what?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” I grip the phone tighter.
“Ellie, let’s talk in person,” he says. “Can I see you? Just for a few minutes.”
“Okay.” I bite my lower lip. “When and where?”
“How about now? I’m outside your house. You could come to my car.”
“What are you doing outside my house?” I rush to the window. There’s no stretch limo parked outside, but there’s a luxury Mercedes on the other side of the street.
“I need to talk to you and you were not answering my calls.”
“I’m coming out.” I hang up the phone and hurry outside.
Before I get into his car, I notice the curtain on one of Cindy’s windows twitching. She’s watching us.
“How’s Justin?” Caleb asks as soon as I get into the passenger seat.
“He’s fine. He had an anxiety attack.” I clear my throat. “I got a call from a Dr. Rogers. Why did you reach out to him?”
“Because Justin needs help.” He pushes his hands into his pockets. “I want to be there for you, Ellie. And I’m going to make it very hard for you to push me away.”
“What makes you think I need you to be there for me? I’ve been doing this alone for years.”
“That’s right. You’ve been caring for your son alone for a long time, and no one was caring for you. I want to change that. But I need your permission.”
I study his face for a few seconds. Like me, he looks like he hasn’t slept at all.
“Why are you doing this?” I tilt my head upward so the tears don’t slide down my cheeks.
“Because you’re the first woman I have ever felt this deeply for. I need to be with you. I want to be in your world.” I’m surprised when I hear tears in his voice.
I look at him and sure enough I see a teardrop sliding down his cheek and getting caught in his stubble. “Caleb, I’m sure you know by now that my world revolves around my son.”
“I’ll take whatever you can give me. Five minutes here, five minutes there. Anything. I just want to be here for you. And I want to make your life and your son’s life a little bit easier.”
“By paying for Justin’s treatment? It costs thousands of dollars per year. I can’t let you do that.” I glance out the window at Cindy’s house. She’s at her kitchen window in full view, giving me a thumbs-up. I can only imagine the excitement she’s feeling after trying so hard to change my mind about Caleb last night.
Caleb brings a hand to my cheek and turns me to face him. “I have more money than I need. I want it to mean something.”
“I don’t know what to say.” What I know is that I’ll never be able to live with myself if I turn down an offer to help Justin. If there’s something out there that can help him even a bit, how could I possibly reject it? “Maybe I can pay you back someday?” I’ll never be able to earn enough money to pay him back.
“No. It will be a gift.” Caleb drops his hand from my cheek. “And if you choose not to let me into your life, I’m not taking that gift away. It will just be a goodbye gift.”
The sadness in his eyes does something powerful to me. It pushes my body closer to him. “I don’t want it to be goodbye, Caleb.”
Our lips meet in a painfully beautiful kiss that lasts for a moment but leaves a permanent mark on our hearts. When we break apart, I place my hands on both sides of his face. “My life is complicated. I need you to know what you’re getting yourself into.”
“I know.” He puts his hands on top of mine. “I’m more than ready for anything.”
A bright smile warms up my tear-stained face. “In that case, welcome to my world.”
“Thank you.” Caleb pulls me in for another deep kiss.
CALEB
One year later
My mouth comes down on Ellie’s, swallowing her moans, and I position myself just right so I can slide into her without the aid of my hands. My tongue thrusts into her mouth at the same time that my dick sinks into her.
My strokes are deliberately slow. I want to enjoy every second I’m buried inside her. She wraps her legs around my waist, her skin creamy soft as it presses against mine.
“Good morning, darling,” she whispers against my mouth.
“It definitely is a good morning.” I crush her lips with mine again and push my hands under her ass to both hold her in place and draw her closer to me. My mouth stays on hers, stroke after long stroke.
“Faster,” she begs, arching her back so I can dive deeper into her warmth.
Giving her what she wants, I tighten my grip around her ass and quicken my pace until I feel her inner muscles clenching around my shaft, begging for my cum. I’ll give it to her, but not yet. She has put herself last for far too long. With me, she comes first.
“Let go, baby,” I whisper into her ear. “Come f
or me.”
“Oh, Caleb.” Her short fingernails dig into my shoulders, then she throws her head back to reveal her fragile neck. I kiss the flushed skin, waiting for her to let go.
She closes her eyes as she gets ready to lose control. When she does, she completely rocks my world.
Watching her come increases the pressure inside my balls until I can’t take it anymore. With a tortured groan, I slam into her one last time. Then I explode and collapse on top of her.
“Woman, I can never get enough of you.”
“Good thing you don’t need to go without me.” Her morning giggles are just so delicious.
“Mom,” Justin calls suddenly from down the hall. It’s 6:00 a.m.
Ellie’s eyes flutter open, but they’re drowsy with the aftereffects of sleep and orgasm. She curls into me. She wants to get back to sleep, but Justin won’t stop calling her until she gets out of bed. I’ve spent the night at her house long enough to know that. In fact, I sleep at her place more than mine.
“I’ll go to him.” I swing my legs out of bed and pull on my boxers.
“Are you sure?” she murmurs, hugging the pillow to her body. She looks so beautiful with her hair spread out all over the pillow.
I lean down to press a kiss to her forehead. “I’m sure. It’s Saturday, your day to sleep in, remember?”
Six months ago, when Justin got used to having me around, I made the decision to lighten Ellie’s load. Saturday mornings are her time to catch up on the sleep she lost during the week. While she rests, I take care of Justin. Once a month, I also take him bowling or to the movies.
“I love you,” she whispers before I reach the door. “You’re hot and sweet.”
“And you’re hot and sleepy. Stop talking and get back to dreamland. We’ll go out for brunch later.” I walk out of the room, close the door softly, and make my way to Justin’s room.
“Morning, Just Justin,” I say, opening the blinds to let the light in. “Did you sleep well, buddy?”
About three months ago, when I took Justin bowling, there were some guys at the bowling alley who kept staring and pointing at him. On the way home, he told me he hated his body, and wished he were like the jerks who bullied him. He envied them for their ability to move without restrictions. I made it clear to him that he didn’t have to be anyone else to feel complete, that no matter what anyone else thought, he was perfect in his own unique way. I told him it was okay for him to be Just Justin. After that day, he demanded I call him that name until it stuck.
“I think I slept well. I can’t remember.” There’s nothing that makes Ellie happier than hearing her son speak more than a few words after being silent for so long. I like to think that the shots he’s getting every couple of months are doing him a whole lot of good, so is seeing his mother happy.
“I’ve got something to show you,” Justin says. “Watch my hand.”
I watch in awe as Justin slowly lifts his hand from the bed. It doesn’t get too high, but it gets high enough to spark joy in me. The treatment is working.
My heart racing with pride, I give him a light pat on the back. “Did your mother see that?”
“Yeah, she was pretty impressed, especially when I picked up the remote.”
“Way to go. I’m so proud of you.” I peel the covers from his body and carry him to the bathroom, where I carry out the tasks Ellie would normally take care off.
The doorbell rings just as I lower Justin into the electric wheelchair that I bought him for his birthday last month, with the initials JJ imprinted on one side. I wanted him to have the kind of ride he’s proud of.
By the time I get to the front door to see who’s outside, I find Ellie already there, pretty in a black silk kimono.
“What are you doing up?” I wrap my arms around her. “I thought you were sleeping.”
“You were busy with Justin, so I decided to answer the door.” She pulls away. “It was Coby, the mailman.”
“That looks familiar.” I point to the cream envelope in her hand.
It does. “Why would Grace Graham send me another one of these?”
“Maybe you wrote to her behind my back to tell her you’re not satisfied with your match.” I lean against the nearest wall, arms crossed.
“Not a chance.” I watch as she opens the envelope and frowns at the letter. “It’s from you, silly.” She swats my arm before she turns her back to me and starts reading the letter out loud.
Dear Ellie,
I’ll keep this short because writing letters by hand is not my strength. But since our journey started with a letter, I thought it’s a good idea to seal the deal this way too.
I’m writing to let you know that you’re my perfect match, and I want you to be my forever, you and Justin. Don’t worry, I asked for his blessing first. He’s on board.
Marry me, Ellie. I’m greedy. I want you to make me even happier than I already am.
I love you.
Yours hopefully forever,
Caleb
She turns around slowly with tears in her eyes. “You mean it? You really mean it?”
“I do.” I cup her face with both my hands and kiss her hard on the mouth. When we break apart, we find Justin next to us in his wheelchair. In his paralyzed hand is the ring we both picked out for his mom.
“Thanks, buddy.” I take the ring from him and get to my knees. “Marry me, Ellie Summers. I want you now. I want you forever.”
Ellie covers her face with her hands. She’s crying hard now.
“Come on, mom,” Justin says. “Say yes. I already did.”
“I guess I have no choice then.” She laughs and cries at the same time as she drops to her knees between me and Justin. “Yes, yes, and yes.”
Her hand is trembling as I slide the ring onto her finger. After the job is done, we kiss again until Justin starts making disgusted noises, then Ellie puts her arms around both me and Justin. We are a family now and I wouldn’t have it any other way. With Ellie and Justin by my side, my life has truly begun.
THE END
If you enjoyed this book please consider writing a review. Ellie and Caleb will be getting married this summer.
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Lavelle, Dori, Dear Mr. Maybe: The Matchmaker Series
Dear Mr. Maybe: The Matchmaker Series Page 7