Chapter Ten
Time passed slowly, and Caleb took the time to look for houses to arrange their wedding. Lydia and Henry both agreed to be their witnesses. Donna refused to have a big wedding, and she didn’t want a honeymoon either. Looking for a place to live was also proving to be rather difficult, or the truth was, Donna was being difficult. The places they’d visited she found something wrong with them.
The rooms were too small, the garden too dangerous or the price too steep. He was patient knowing he was taking her out of her comfort zone. Henry wasn’t sticking his nose in to shit that didn’t concern him, and work was moving by peacefully. He hated the peace. In his line of work he knew something big was going to happen, but he didn’t know what.
Thinking about his friend, he was reminded of the time he’d told Henry he was going to pay a visit to Lydia. Henry had gotten angry and told him to leave shit well enough alone.
In all of his life, he’d never been able to leave shit alone. Taking a visit to her place one night he found Lydia alone. He warned her what talking would do. She wasn’t going to be telling anyone. The thought of losing Donna or his kid because of someone running their mouth filled him with fear. He couldn’t lose either of them. When he was at the club late at night, his thoughts would always return to Donna. She was his reason for continuing on with his life.
She gave him a reason for fighting another day to keep the bad shit at bay. The rumor mill was running riot with news of his upcoming wedding. He employed a guard to keep Donna safe whenever he wasn’t there. She didn’t know she was being followed, but he’d always been overly cautious. As the days passed, turning into weeks, she stopped being so cold toward him. Last night they shared his bed, and she didn’t push him away. He felt closer to her than ever before.
On the thirtieth house when Donna found more than three reasons not to live there he lost his temper. When the realtor left the room he turned on her.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he asked.
She turned toward him. “I’m not doing anything.”#p#分页标题#e#
“Every house we’ve been to is a problem. I want to know what your game is. Are you going to wait until you’re ready to drop to pick a place or are we going to go around in circles?”
Donna looked at the floor. He saw the red in her cheeks.
“You were.”
“No, I mean yes. Erm, I didn’t want you to make a rash decision.” She tucked some hair behind her ear. “Buying a house is a huge deal, and I’m not going to be able to be part of it. This is your decision, but I don’t want you to come home one night hating the fact I’ve stolen you away from your life.”
Staring at her, Caleb tried to see if she was telling him the truth or lying. “This is all about me?”
“Lydia told me you’re not the man to settle down. This was before you told me the truth. I don’t want you to think that I got pregnant on purpose.” She was fidgeting where she stood.
Reaching out, he cupped her cheeks. “Baby, I’m the one who forgot protection. If anything, I don’t want you to hate me.” He pulled her within his arms. “I’ve been giving you time to get accustomed to me.”
“You’ve not touched me, Caleb. Ever since you found out about me carrying your child you’ve been cold toward me.” Tears filled her eyes, and he watched them fall. He wiped her tears away.
This was all a big misunderstanding.
“I’ve been giving you space, baby. Fuck, if I’d known you wanted me I’d have been on you sooner. After everything we’ve been through I didn’t want you to think I was using you.”
She smiled. “You were being sweet?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, don’t tell anyone. I lose my mind when I’m around you. And I’ve got a hard rep to keep up.”
Wrapping his arms around her, he stroked her cheek.
Donna opened her mouth then closed her lips. He wondered what she was going to say before she stopped.
“Pick a house, baby.”
“This one.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I like the size and the garden.” She rested her head against his chest. “I think this one is perfect.”
Stroking a hand down her back, he inhaled the scent of her. This was heaven to him. He couldn’t live without her, and he needed to keep her close to him, protect her.
“Can we go back to your place?” she asked.
“We can go back to my place. I’ll go and speak to the realtor.” Cupping her cheek, he dropped his head and kissed her lips. “Go and get in the car.”