Hook, line, and sinker.
I'm a goner, she thought.
THIRTY-TWO
Two months passed in the blink of an eye. And every day, Maddie thought about that moment between her and Caleb in the deserted parking lot, where he'd said that he wanted to prove how good they could be together. And every day, he did.
Of course, it had been difficult at first. Maddie had to adjust to living with two men, as she was sure they had to adjust to living with her. The first week had been filled with unpacking boxes, visits to furniture stores, and exhausted nights in between classes and work.
What was most difficult was coming home to Caleb each and every night.
Mostly, Maddie was finding it more and more difficult to sweep their situation under the rug. She'd put all thoughts of a romantic relationship on hold as she adjusted to her new life, but now that every day she was becoming more and more pregnant, and every day Caleb became more and more irresistible, as if he hadn't been already, Maddie was starting to sweat bullets.
And she just knew that Caleb realized it.
He'd given her space, as if he sensed that she needed that time. She began to see a side of Caleb that she'd only caught minor glimpses of before. Gone was the man who'd once cut her with his sharp-edged words, who'd once shown her more ugliness than kindness.
Caleb was so much more than just bitterness and anger. He believed in loyalty and hard work. She'd overheard him one night on the phone with Alex, one of his close friends, who seemed to be ranting about a problem at work. Caleb had stayed on the phone with him for an hour giving words of encouragement, even though she knew he had to be dead tired from a tough work week. And Maddie heard him the next night checking up on how everything had worked out. He was a good friend. He was the kind of man where if someone earned his trust and loyalty, they had it for a lifetime.
And some nights, she even had to drag him home from the garage or else he would be doing paperwork until two in the morning, or working on one of the numerous restoration orders that were flooding in. It seemed that Caleb was excellent at his job, but Maddie had already told him-more than a few times-that he needed to hire more help. He would kill himself trying to do it all, as independent as he was.
He didn't hire new help, but he did take Peter on as an apprentice to help with restorations. Maddie was pleased to note that every day the once shy teenager seemed to open up just a little bit more. He'd always been so skittish before and had never liked to ask for help, but even Maddie could see that he was happier. Most nights after dinner, he would sit at the kitchen counter all evening, sketching in his book, art supplies littered around him, while Maddie sat on the stool next to him and studied. They were content, quiet nights, and Maddie had never felt so at peace. Caleb would find them both there whenever he managed to pull himself away from the garage and he would watch her for a few moments-making Maddie's skin tingle and awareness sweep through her body-before turning in for the night.
Besides those moments, Caleb hadn't made a move on her and … it disappointed her. She'd finally broken through Caleb's hostile outer layer and now that she'd gotten that taste, she wanted more. But she didn't know how to bring it up. He seemed okay to leave their 'relationship'-if she could even call it that-on hold for now, just as she had done in the beginning. Now, she was beginning to resent that each night they went to separate bedrooms, even though she'd been the one to insist on it.
Then, there had been 'the box.'
The first week, when Maddie had still been unpacking boxes, she'd discovered a box of Caleb's that the movers had deposited in her room by mistake. When she lifted the lid, it had been filled with rope. Of all kinds, neatly wrapped and organized. And she knew. She just knew what they were for. He'd once told her that he needed 'certain things' during sex and she remembered the way he'd expertly tied her up with his belt that one night so long ago.
She'd touched the manila rope, felt its roughness chafe her fingertips, and suddenly, she was struck with jealousy so potent that tears sprang into her eyes and she'd had to close the box lid before she burst into tears. She couldn't help but wonder when the last time Caleb had used the contents of the box. The thought of some random, faceless girl, tied up with those ropes for Caleb's pleasure, made Maddie almost … envious. They'd never discussed whether they were going to be monogamous or not-the thought hadn't even crossed her mind until then-but Maddie couldn't stomach the idea of Caleb with another woman. It was too painful.
When she handed over the box to Caleb that first week, he'd been shifting furniture in the living room, muscles flexing. He froze when he saw it in her hands and she didn't say anything when she handed it over to him. His gaze was rapt, trying to gauge her, as usual, but she liked to think she gave nothing away. She was a coward for not confronting him about it, but what could she say? That first week, she didn't want to think about them. She didn't want to think about what that box meant, so she stayed silent and walked away. Caleb had never brought it up again and neither had she.