I pressed my lips shut, remembering Luke’s love for those things.
“I did everything I could to look out for you. And when I left, I couldn’t take you! You were still a kid, and I didn’t even know where I was going. I just needed out, and you needed to finish school. You had to stay with Mom.”
“Why!?” Luke asked, his voice desperate. “Why couldn’t I live with Dad!? He hit her, not us.”
I gasped, stunned that the rumors around town were more than gossip. Byron Townsend had been abusive.
When Caleb didn’t respond, Luke lowered his head. It was then I noticed the hard fists Caleb was clenching at his sides.
Luke shook his head. “I didn’t mean that. I know he…he regrets the crap that happened back then, but it was a long time ago. And if you hadn’t gotten in his way that night—”
“He would’ve what?” Caleb’s voice cracked. “Broken her nose instead of mine?”
I cupped my hand over my mouth, tears welling in my eyes at the singe of rage in his words, challenging his brother. He stood taller, his stance almost menacing, as if waiting for any reason to release the fury he held inside. Luke had struck something dark within Caleb—something that, instead of frightening me, only drew me emotionally closer.
Luke teetered back then whirled around, pacing the dark alley. “Dad knows he fucked up, Caleb! And he felt terrible about it. Still does. But he wasn’t himself. I mean come on, she was fucking his best friend and didn’t even try to hide it!”
“That makes it okay?” Caleb asked, slowly. Luke’s silence was answer enough. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”
“All I’m saying is she pushed him too far. And ever since they divorced, he’s been cool with me. But you and him…it’s like you’re trying to piss him off. But that’s not me. I wanted to live with him and because of you, I wasn’t allowed. You fucked me over and then just left—dropped me from your entire life. You turned into a selfish son of a bitch the day you graduated!”
“What?” Caleb’s voice held an echo of confusion. “Why would you think I’d have any control over who the hell you lived with?”
“Don’t bullshit me! Dad said he wanted me to move in with him but that you convinced him I was better off with Mom. Caleb, I never wanted to leave with you. I just didn’t want to stay with her.”
“Why?” Caleb sincerely seemed puzzled.
“Why?” Luke mimicked, laughing harshly. “Because the second Mom remarried, I no longer existed. At least Dad noticed me when I was around. You may have been too cool to care if she noticed you, but I sure as hell did.”
Caleb walked slowly toward his brother, placing his hand on Luke’s shoulder to stop his pacing.
“I never told Dad not to let you move back here with him,” Caleb assured him. “I told him he’d risk fucking your life up as much as he fucked mine up if he did, because he’s a prick who believes his way is the only way. But I also told him that I knew you were unhappy with the new stepdaddy situation. What he chose is on him. That’s all I ever said on the subject.”
“Apparently that was enough.” Luke made a scoffing sound so loud I winced, then smacked Caleb’s hand away. “Why are you really back home? And why the hell do you care so much about helping me out now?”
“Besides the fact that you’re my brother?” Caleb laughed, and his attempt to lighten the mood seemed to work, as Luke blew out a small chuckle.
“I don’t regret leaving Harmony,” Caleb continued. “I do, however, regret not keeping in touch with you. But I was lost for a while—no bullshit, no excuses. I didn’t even know how to take care of myself back then. I spent a lot of time searching for answers when I didn’t even have the right questions.
“But I’m back now, and I’ve made something of myself. Logan’s made me realize how important family is, and you’re all I have as far as I’m concerned. So if I can help you out while you wait for Dad to hand over the firm, that’s exactly what I’m going to try and do.”
“Back for how long?”
Caleb tipped his head to the side. “A few months, maybe longer. Not sure yet, and don’t care to figure that out anytime soon. I’m just enjoying life, but I want to enjoy it a bit with my little brother also. So if you want to hate me a while longer, I’ll endure it. But I’m going to make this shit right.”
Luke was appearing to consider his words when Caleb threw up his arms.
“Made something of yourself?” Luke questioned.
Caleb tilted his head to the other side. “A few good investments proved fruitful.”
“That mean not all of your money is from running drugs?”
Caleb’s voice grew dark again, the fury rising back to the surface. “Why the fuck would you think any of my money has to do with drugs?”
Luke glanced my way, then back at Caleb, so I ducked inside. Drugs? Was he serious? I slouched my back against the wall, my ear at the doorframe.
“Heard a few rumors, that’s all.”
“They’re bullshit, and if I hear anyone repeating that shit, they’ll be answering for it. We clear on that?”
“I can’t control what people say, so you deal with that yourself.”
Silence filled the cool air, continuing for so long I peeked back out. They were still standing in front of each other, Caleb’s back still to me, their entire frames both tense.
“I’ve said my piece,” Caleb said, finally breaking the ominous silence. “If you have more shit you need to get off your chest, now’s your chance. But how about we do this like the good ol’ days? Instead of fucking around with our feelings and talking this out like little bitches, I’ll let you show me just how pissed you really are.”
“What?”
I was wondering the same thing. What was he talking about?
“Come on!” Caleb barked. “Be a man, not some little sissy boy, and get this over with. You wanna be pissed at me, fine. But let’s see how much anger you really have in there!”
Before my sputtering brain could comprehend, Luke hurled his body forward and threw a heavy punch, hitting Caleb somewhere in his face.
Caleb stumbled back, laughing. Yes, he was fucking laughing. How was any of this even remotely funny?
“Come on, lil’ bro, get this over with! You’ve got more than that!”
Luke rushed at Caleb this time, knocking him against the brick wall, and got one more punch in before Caleb threw him back so hard Luke landed on the ground. Caleb strolled over, cocking his head to the side and spitting blood. I covered my gaping mouth, eyes wide, unsure what to do.
The moment he reached Luke, Caleb’s leg was kicked out from under him, forcing his body to the ground where what could only be described as an actual wrestling match prevailed.
“Holy shit!” Two kitchen staffers suddenly bombarded the door, with more staff following as someone shouted, “Fight!”
Word spread quickly. My attempt to block the doorway, keeping the Townsend family drama as private as possible, led to being shoved and jostled until I was pushed out of the way and straight toward the mangled mess rolling around on the alley’s dusty white gravel.
“Stop!” I screamed, my voice echoing around us. And just like that, both men halted their exact movements, gazing up at me with barbaric expressions.
“If you want to kill each other, do it at home, or somewhere else without a crowd!” I gestured toward the back door, which was still crammed with onlookers.
Caleb was up first, dusting one hand down his trousers while reaching his other down to Luke, who slapped it away. Caleb kept it there and after a long, silent moment, Luke accepted it. Caleb pulled him up off the ground and into a half embrace. And then, as if they’d suddenly been reunited after years apart, they were laughing and admiring each other’s handiwork.
“That’s gonna swell up real nice,” Luke said, pointing at Caleb’s eye.
“Shit,” Caleb drawled. “It won’t even bruise. But your lip’s gonna be bigger than your fat nose in the morning.”
br />
Caleb exchanged a look with Luke, then they both glanced at me. “Sorry I kept you waiting, Honey Bee,” Caleb said as charmingly as ever, running a bloodied hand through his tousled locks.
Honey Bee? What happened to Honey Pie—and what the hell does it mean?
“Ah, it was my fault, Hilary,” Luke jumped in, distracting me from deciphering his brother’s nicknames. “Caleb didn’t know I was coming tonight. Don’t be mad at him if we ruined your dinner.”
I shot a look between the two of them. “I’m not mad,” I said slowly. “But are you two…?” I trailed off, unsure what they were.
“Hey, I’m supposed to meet some friends out at Josh’s,” Luke said, ignoring my attempt at prying and granting an easy smile to Caleb. “You coming out to play cards later?”
“Not tonight,” was all Caleb said before Luke nodded, then headed out the back of the alleyway. His face was bright red, he had gravel imprints on the backs of his arms, and his shirt was ripped, but he was wearing a satisfied grin.
“Back to work!” Caleb shouted to the staff piled into the tiny space around the doorframe, and they scattered instantly.
“What the hell was that?” I asked, unsure why Luke had seemed so happy. Was this really how men settled issues? They fought it out, while girls hugged it out. Are we really that different?
“That was me being a boss,” Caleb replied, taking my hand. “And this is me apologizing for making you wait.”
Instantly, his hand took my chin as his mouth crashed against mine. His tongue skimmed across my closed lips, seeking entrance that I granted on a languid moan. Nothing else mattered; he washed my thoughts clean right then and there. Only Caleb could make me forget everything and feel utterly desired.
His strong hand crept down my back, grazing over my ass to the back of my thigh, and then the other followed. He lifted me up, my legs winding around his waist, and walked a few steps until I was pressed between his hard, sweaty body and the gritty brick wall.
His mouth moved down to my neck. “So damn gorgeous,” he praised, pressing kisses over my shoulder. “Oh, the things I’m gonna do to you.”
I tightened my legs, my core throbbing, panties drenched. “Please,” I begged—for what, I didn’t care. Just him. Only him.
“Soon,” he said, returning to my mouth and letting his tongue mingle with mine before lowering me back to the ground.
When he stepped away, my entire body sagged, despair consuming the depths of me. It was a terrifying feeling, to want someone so much it was almost debilitating.
“Very soon.”
Chapter Eighteen
Apparently, fighting got Caleb worked up. The way his mouth had controlled mine, the gentle aggression in how he’d handled my body…just the thought nearly made me come undone.
With my hand locked in his, he led me to a table in the corner of the restaurant, then excused himself to clean up. Not that he had to do much, unlike Luke. Aside from his shirt being slightly stretched out and stained with white residue from the gravel, the blood on his hand, and a red welt under his eye, he looked fine—especially for a guy who seemed to enjoy the rougher side of life. It made him even sexier, if that was possible.
Jill was there by the time he returned, wearing a clean white button-up and a bandage over one hand. She filled our glasses with ice water and brought out a bottle of wine, which she poured into our glasses. We sat staring at each other, the silence between us deafening.
Once she was gone, I took a sip of the red wine, needing some liquid courage. “So, you and Luke are…good, then?”
“Good enough,” Caleb stated, gazing around the restaurant.
Unsure what else to say considering he appeared to have no interest in the conversation, I took another sip of wine. “I’m glad. He’s never like this. He’s always been the cliché sweet boy. I’ve never seen him angry before.”
“He has his moments, trust me,” Caleb said, staring directly at me now. “I’m sorry you had to witness our scuffle. Hope you weren’t there for long.”
I shook my head quickly, embarrassed that I’d watched their entire family drama unfold. “No,” I lied.
“Good,” he said slowly, tilting his head to the side to examine me. Could he tell I was lying, or had he already known I was there? My paranoia was out of control. Maybe I should just confess and apologize for eavesdropping.
My growing anxiety at lying caused an uncomfortable tension to thicken between us. The longer the silence lasted, the more intense Caleb’s gaze became. His attention never wavered from me, observing my every nervous tic.
“Marcie seemed upset,” I blurted out, an admittance that I’d lied and watched as his expression remained stoic except for the tiniest twitch in his left eye.
“You know her well?”
“Small town, same age. Yeah, pretty well,” I said, taking another drink. “You two used to date?” I asked, despite Luke already spelling out the exact extent of the relationship for me earlier in the park.
Caleb planted his elbows on the table and linked his fingers together. When he didn’t answer, I went in at a different angle.
“She’s a good girl. Sweet, funny. Her parents own the pet shop on the other side of town. They used to let us come in and play with the puppies for hours.”
Still nothing, aside from the slightest tilt of his chin.
I took another drink, this one more of a gulp, finishing off the glass. Caleb wasted no time refilling my glass, his actions smooth and steady before returning to his previous pose.
“Anyway, so besides the alley drama, how’s your day been?” I asked, changing the subject of past relationships.
“Marcie’s lovely enough.” He lowered his arms, lifting his glass and swirling the liquid inside, his eyes locked on mine.
“I took her home one night about a month ago or so, while I was here renovating,” he said so matter-of-factly my face went slack. “It was a weekend thing—nothing more, nothing less. We had fun. I made a mistake in thinking that was all she wanted. I wish her nothing but the best, but I’m not interested in anything else.”
Anything else with her, or in general? There was a huge difference—one that I wouldn’t be able to stop focusing on.
“I understand.” I took another big swig of the wine and when I placed the glass back on the table, Caleb took it, setting it beside him.
“No, you don’t. At least, I hope not.”
I was seriously confused, and I didn’t think it had anything to do with the wine that I’d, admittedly, drunk too quickly. “What do you mean?” I asked hesitantly.
With a sigh of resignation, he relaxed back into his seat. “I just know what I want and what I don’t. I’ve spent years discovering who I am and what I’m capable of. Marcie can do a lot better than me.”
But I can’t? Do I want to? My head was spinning out of control in its attempt to decrypt his words.
“We’re all capable of things we don’t expect to be,” I said glumly.
Caleb’s expression darkened with a tight frown. “Yes, we are.”
“I believe everything happens for a reason, though. The bad things we do only make us stronger. Sometimes it helps to talk about that stuff, to gain perspective.”
“I thought we agreed to leave our pasts exactly where they should be: buried.”
“I know,” I said quickly. “We did, and I want to, it’s just…I don’t know…” I reached for my glass but he lifted it and took a drink, leaving only a sip behind, then handed it to me. This time, when I finished it, he didn’t refill my glass.
“You brought it up, and…I just…I want to know you better. That’s all.”
“If there’s something you want to know, then ask.”
He made it seem so easy that I suddenly felt dumb. “Okay, well, when you left Harmony after graduating, where exactly did you go?”
Finally, the question I’d pondered for years. It was almost freeing to say aloud, and excitement filled my veins as I waited f
or an answer. I’d played out hundreds of scenarios where I’d run into him far away in different cities, countries, even on a different planet once. It always started with me surprised to see him and ended with us in bed.
“I traveled,” he replied casually.
No way was that all he was divulging. He was even worse than my father at opening up.
“You traveled?”
“Yes.”
“Okay,” I said. “Where did you travel to?”
“Mostly the west coast, but overseas a bit as well.”
My shoulders deflated on the frustrated sigh I released. “Seriously?” I smothered a humorless laugh. “You can’t give me any more than that?”
He swallowed a sip of wine, taking his time, setting the glass slowly on the table. Each movement was calculated, keeping me literally on the edge of my seat. My entire body was leaning in for more.
“Tell me why it’s so important,” he finally said.
“I already told you, I want to get to know you better,” I said with a giant huff, falling back against my chair. “Is that so bad? I’d think you were used to it.”
“And why would you think that?”
Laughter fell from my lips. “You searching for an ego boost or just need it stroked? Want me to sit here and tell you how handsome you are or how you still have girls falling all over each other for a chance to hang out with you, just like in high school?”
“I’m very interested in this stroking you’re offering.”
I bit my bottom lip and crossed my legs, squeezing my thighs together tightly to dull the throbbing he triggered.
“I never spent much time talking to girls. Far better things to do with our time together. But I do enjoy talking to you.” He leaned closer, lowering his voice to a pitch above a whisper.
“You, Honey Bee, have secrets. I can see them written across your beautiful face. It’s in the way your eyes light up when you feel safe, and the way they darken when you’re scared. You don’t trust anyone except your father, and you hide his secrets as much as your own. But not because you’re embarrassed by him. You want to protect him. I respect that.”