How You Know It’ll Work:
He includes your cat in important life decisions
Tiny carvings of my name in the old wooden table held my attention as I traced the sloppy letters with my finger. A steaming cup of hot chocolate was placed next to my hand, drifting my focus upward to Mom.
“Your father wanted to sand that over,” she told me, sitting down at her usual spot.
I wrapped my fingers around the Pug mug I’d given her last Christmas. The dog was wearing a Santa hat and smiling. “He wasn’t very happy when I carved my name into it.”
She laughed, sipping her coffee. “No, he was not. But I informed him that he wasn’t allowed to sand over it until after I was dead.”
I blew on the scorching liquid. “How’d that go?”
“I’m fairly certain he looked to see if I had a life insurance policy,” she answered casually.
We stared at each other, and then broke out laughing.
She patted my hand. “So, what brings you here, darling? Something tells me it isn’t Swiss Miss hot cocoa, since you prefer that awful sweet caramel crap from Dunkin.”
I gasped. “How dare you.”
She rolled her eyes.
I took a sip of my drink. “Maybe I just wanted to say hi.”
She eyed me doubtfully. “You never have this much time to come visit. Your father and I know how busy your work schedule is, or we would have come seen you.”
I fidgeted with my hands, a dead giveaway that I was there for more than just a quick hello.
“It’s funny you should mention seeing me,” I hedged quietly, shifting in the wood chair. It creaked under me. “Because I actually was thinking of having you and Dad over for a barbecue.”
She leaned back. “A barbecue?”
I nodded.
She cleared her throat. “Paisley, do you really trust yourself near an open flame? Remember when you tried making me a birthday cake all those years ago?”
I huffed. “That was, like, ten years ago. And the firemen put out the flames before they did any serious damage.”
“Babe, your father had to repaint the walls.”
I glanced at the coat of grey paint. “You guys always mentioned touching them up anyway.”
She chuckled.
I waved my hand in dismissal. “Anyway, I’m not the one who would be grilling. So, you know the food will be edible.”
She straightened up. “Who’s grilling?”
I clicked my tongue. “Just…a guy.”
She squealed so loud my ears rang. Waving her hands suddenly, her coffee slushed over the sides of the cup. That was when you knew she was shocked, because nobody purposefully wasted coffee without serious consequences in this household.
“A guy?” she repeated, grinning.
When she was excited, her eyes flashed the same color mine were daily—hazel with little flecks of green. I looked identical to Mom, pale skin and all. Same nose, eyes, dark brown hair, and freckles. Only Mom was shorter, standing a cute five feet even.
Whenever Dad or I would tease her about it, she’d make sure we knew that a two-by-four could take us down to her level easily.
We always left her alone after that.
I finally answered, “Yep.”
“A guy is cooking you food?” she repeated.
I looked at the carvings again. “Well, he’ll be cooking us all food if you agree to come over. It isn’t at my apartment, but—”
She abruptly stood up. “Praise puppy Jesus. You’re living with a man. It happened. Oh, the girls at the salon are not going to believe this.”
Confusion arched my brow. “What are—”
“Staci swore you were a lesbian, but I told her she couldn’t be more wrong,” she cut me off, grabbing the phone book and landline from the shelf by the table. “I mean, I’d love you even if you were one, but I know you better than that.”
She started flipping through the pages.
“Mom, what are you doing?”
She stopped, looking up at me. “Calling Staci, obviously. She can’t brag about how her daughter is engaged to be engaged to a doctor like it’s the only news in town.”
I grabbed her hand when she picked up the phone to dial out. “Would you stop! This isn’t some big thing. And I’m not living with Caleb. We’re just having a barbecue at his new house.”
“Oh, what a precious name. Caleb.”
Were her eyes watering? They totally were. My mother was officially the person who cried over the mention of a boy’s name.
I backpedaled, crossing my arms and resting them on the edge of the table. “Staci really thought I was gay?”
“Oh, sweetie. A lot of people did.”
I gaped at her.
“But not me!” she added quickly.
This conversation took a really weird turn. I wasn’t that surprised though, most of the conversations Mom and I had ended way outside the box from where they started.
“So, this boy,” she pressed, putting the phone down and leaning forward. “How did you two meet? And if you’re not living together, why host a dinner at his house?”
This was why I wanted to talk to her alone. She’d want to play twenty questions, which would really be closer to fifty. And when she was satisfied, which was rare, she would promise not to gossip about it and then not so subtly text thirty people the news.
The last time she did that was when I mentioned being interested in Tyler. But now? I had no idea what I was in for. A tagged Facebook post, a group text with my family, or maybe she’d hire a sky writer to announce to the world that I wasn’t gay after all.
“Remember Iris? Caleb is her brother.”
“She’s a pretty girl,” Mom recalled. “Do the looks run in the family?”
Was that her way of asking if he was hot?
Cocoa forgotten, I answered, “Uh, yeah.”
Her grin was huge. “When is the barbecue?”
I picked at the napkin in front of me. “Next Saturday at noon. Do you think you guys can make it?”
She made a disgruntled sound. “Darling, even if we had plans, you bet your ass I would cancel them. Do you know why?”
“To spy on me and Caleb?”
She laughed. “No. I mean, yes, that too. It’s just you’ve never wanted us to meet anyone you’ve liked before, Paisley. I’d like to think that means this is something special.”
I parted my lips, but nothing came out.
I’d always held back telling them about people who came into my life because I was afraid of what they’d think. My parents weren’t judgmental people, but they could tell when somebody was playing me long before I did. If they ever met Nathan or Tyler, they’d force me out of my fantasy.
They would’ve saved me from getting hurt.
“He is,” I agreed after a long moment.
She found my hand and squeezed it. “I speak for both your father and I when I say that we’re happy for you.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
She withdrew her hand and grabbed her coffee, pulling it toward her lips. “So, tell me more about this army man.”
I blinked, noting her sly lips.
“I didn’t tell you he was in the army…”
She gave me a nonchalant shrug. “Dave Chen mentioned it when I picked up dinner the other night at China 19. I guess he mentioned seeing dog tags on Caleb when he delivered to your apartment…”
I was silent.
Fucking Dave Chen.
Staring at Caleb’s front door suddenly made me wonder what kind of realm I was about to walk into. Narnia? Hogwarts? The Hunger Games? With Iris there, it might just come down to a WWE match for the last hamburger.
Caleb’s hand found mine. “You look like you’re going to puke.”
Straightening my blue sweater, I went through a mental list before stepping inside. I’d remembered pants. Check. Shirt. Check. Underwear, despite Caleb telling me they were optional, was a check. The nagging feeling in the back of my head told me I was forgetting something.
I glanced down at my feet, clenching Caleb’s hand.
“Ow,” he muttered, withdrawing like I’d actually hurt him. “What’s wrong?”
Wiggling my toes, I shook my head in disbelief. “Why didn’t you tell me I was wearing two different shoes?”
His eyes traveled toward my feet. The ballet flats were both black, but one had a little bow on the top, and the other was a quilted design.
He snorted when he saw the two designs.
He picked me up at my apartment. I was pretty sure it was just an excuse to get me alone, because we spent ten minutes making out in his sedan before leaving. If Caleb hadn’t distracted me, I might have noticed my shoes sooner.
I smacked his arm. “This isn’t funny!”
“It’s kind of funny.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I whined.
“Why would I pay attention to your shoes?”
“You’re always checking me out!”
He thought about it, and then nodded. “Valid point, but it’s not your shoes I’m checking out.”
I backed away from the door, tightening my hand around my purse. “I can’t do this.”
He stopped me, gently tugging me forward. “Pais, they’re just shoes. It can be a new trend, like mismatched socks.”
I deadpanned. “This isn’t the 2000s.”
“Styles always circulate. Remember that lady at the fair who was wearing neon tights and animal print?”
“She was part of the 80’s throwback booth.”
His lips twitched. “Well…they still make clothes to fit the theme.”
Huffing out a sigh, I glanced back at the door. “They’re going to think I’m an idiot.”
Rubbing my arms, he slowly guided us toward the front door. “Babe, you’re with me. You can’t possibly look like one while I’m around. I’m sure if they do notice, which I doubt they will, they’ll chalk it up to nerves. That’s cute.”
Puppies were cute.
Kittens were cute.
This situation was not cute.
He tapped my chin. “Just take your shoes off. Some people do that when they’re inside.”
I groaned. “But the barbecue is outside.”
He swiped his palm down his face. “You’re exhausting.”
“But you love it.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, I froze. The only time I used the L word was with my parents or Mashed Potato. For such a tiny word, it meant a lot.
Caleb stared at me, something flashing in his eyes. “I do love it.”
He made it sound like we weren’t talking about my talent to exhaust him anymore. My heart pounded in my chest when he pulled me into him, brushing our lips together. It was like he was trying to tell me something that he couldn’t put to words yet.
The door suddenly opened, and a deep chuckle that sounded a lot like an older version of Caleb’s cut through the silence. “Well, I imagine you’re what he has to tell us about.”
Heat blasted my face as I backed a safe distance away like we’d just been caught doing something we shouldn’t have been. Caleb chuckled at my red cheeks, hooking his arm around me and drawing me into his side.
“Nice to see you too, Dad.”
They clapped each other’s hands.
Their resemblance was definitely a family trait. His blond hair was peppered with grey, and his eyes crinkled with crows feet when he smiled. Even their up-to-no-good smirk was identical.
He held out his hand. “You must be Paisley,” he said, when I made no effort to speak.
My throat thickened. “Uh…” Name. What was my name? “Yes! Me. That’s…I’m her. Paisley.”
His dad chuckled, glancing at his son. “I remember you from the Christmas party at Iris’s last year. It’s good to see you again.”
Maybe Caleb had a point about them thinking my awkwardness was cute. There could be worse things they thought of me.
“It’s nice seeing you too, sir.”
His dad chuckled. “Your mom will love her, Caleb.”
Caleb leaned down and kissed my cheek, tightening his arm around me. “She’s not the only one.”
His voice was low, but not enough for his father not to hear. In fact, his father just smiled at us like he hadn’t seen anything like it before.
“Anyway, you guys should come in.”
Caleb laughed, walking past his dad and pulling me with him. “Nice of you to invite me into my own house, Pop.”
I blushed, smiling at his dad as Caleb guided us through the foyer. I’d been at the house when he first moved in, helping him and his buddies get him settled. Unlike the first time I’d seen his friends at the laundromat, I’d actually had decent conversations during the move. They all teased him about me, making me feel like one of them.
There was laughter coming from the backyard where Caleb was taking us. I recognized Iris’s loud laugh over the others and smiled when she came into view from the glass door that led to the patio off the kitchen.
She was with Tony and an older woman that I recognized as her and Caleb’s mother. She was sweet then, but I wasn’t sure how she’d be now.
Caleb squeezed my hand. “You’ve got this.”
His dad appeared next to me. “We don’t bite too hard, kid. Only Iris when she’s hungry, but you’re already on good terms with her.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. At least I knew most of their family already. It wasn’t like I was walking into this blindly.
Not like Caleb was.
My eyes searched the yard for my parents as soon as I walked out. Mom texted me saying that her and Dad got here early, and that Iris had let them in.
Max and Andy’s loud giggles caused my attention to go toward the corner of the yard, where a swing set was set up. It hadn’t been there last week when I came over. Mom was pushing Max on the swing, while Dad watched Andy go down the connected plastic slide.
Caleb noticed my attention. “I bought that the other day for when the boys come over. My buddies helped me set it up.”
Teddy, Caleb’s best friend, came over and put Caleb in a headlock, causing me to step back. Shaking my head at them and their antics, I brushed Caleb’s arm before heading toward my parents.
“Hey,” I greeted.
Dad looked up first. “Hey, kiddo. Glad you could join us.”
I walked over to him, hugging his torso. “I know how much you love kids, don’t pretend like hanging out with Andy doesn’t make you happy.”
He hugged me back. “Not as much as seeing my own kid does.”
I playfully poked his stomach. “You’re just a big ol’ teddy bear, aren’t you?”
He grumbled under his breath, neither confirming nor denying it.
Mom joined us, Max wandering toward his dad across the yard. “So, when do we get to officially meet the man?”
“Man,” Dad repeated in distaste.
Mom smacked him. “Enough of that.”
Caleb must have sensed that we were talking about him, because he came over and stood right beside me, extending a hand toward my father.
“You must be Paisley’s father.”
Dad eyed his hand, accepting the shake before Mom could smack him again. We both knew she would if he didn’t play nice.
“Gabe,” Dad replied.
Mom didn’t bother sticking out her hand to Caleb. Instead, she bumped Dad out of her way and wrapped her arms around Caleb’s torso.
He looked over her head at me, clearly amused by her gesture. It was funny seeing Mom’s five-nothing form tucked into Caleb’s massive arms. It was like watching him hug a child.
I giggled at the thought, causing Mom to withdraw and peer over at me. I bit down on my lip to contain myself, but my shoulders shook until Dad started chuckling.
“What is so funny?” Mom frowned.
I shook my head. “Nothing, nothing.”
Dad patted my shoulder like he knew exactly what I found funny but didn’t rat me out. He pulled Caleb aside instead, one arm around his shoulder like he was about to have a man-to-man talk.
“Do you think he’s threatening Caleb?” I whispered to Mom.
Mom rubbed my arm. “Probably,” she admitted casually. “But I think Caleb can handle himself. I mean, look at them. They’re already laughing.”
I’d never seen Dad laugh with anyone like he was. And…did he just clap Caleb’s shoulder like they were buddies?
Oh my god.
Caleb was a magician.
I shook my head. “I should go say hello to Mrs. Winters. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”
She patted my butt as I walked off, going back to watch Andy on the slide. I made my way to Elena, who was fussing over Iris’s hair while Iris swatted her hand away. She hated people messing with the blonde locks that she usually just put up in a ponytail.
Iris had a laidback kind of beauty that came natural to her. Despite her mother wanting her to wear more than just the usual workout attire and dark makeup, Iris owned the basics.
“Hi, Mrs. Winters.”
She turned her focus to me, her red lips stretching into her usual warm smile. “Oh, Paisley! I’ve been wanting to talk with you ever since Caleb mentioned he was seeing you! How are you, sweetie?”
She pulled me into a hug, which I returned. When had Caleb mentioned me to his mother? It seemed like this wasn’t some new conversation they’d had.
“I’m doing well, thanks.”
She took my hands in hers. “He told me that you were planning on going back to school to become a teacher. Did you know I was an administrator for a high school back in Colorado?”
Iris laughed and gave me a good luck look before running after Max. She’d warned me that her mother would try interrogating me more than their father, but I hadn’t realized it’d be on topics that I hadn’t even discussed with my own parents yet.
“I didn’t,” I admitted, pulling on the hem of my sweater nervously. “But I was thinking about maybe doing something outside of community schools.”
“Like what?”
“I’d love to be a college professor.”
She squeezed my hand. “There aren’t many jobs available in this area. You’d have to do quite a bit of traveling. Or move.”
Her tone was still warm, but I could hear the worry weighing her words. Even the blue eyes she shared with her family were dull.
She was worried I’d take Caleb away.
I gave her a knowing smile. “I know that Oakland University is the only college around, but they have plenty of openings for English professors because of how wide the field is. I actually had a meeting with advisement there, and they told me if I became a teacher’s assistant, I’d have a better chance at getting a job there after graduation.”
Her eyes watered as she squeezed our hands together. “I just got him back,” she whispered, looking over at where Caleb and my father had joined the other men by the grill. Caleb was flipping some burgers and Dad was passing him chicken to put on next.
“I’m not taking him away from you,” I promised. “In fact, I think he loves it here too much to go anywhere else. Especially with this new house.”
She laughed, pulling me into her. “Oh, sweetheart. It’s not just the house he’s staying here for.”
She winked at me, before letting go of my hand and walking to her husband. They all laughed at something Max did. Walking under Caleb’s waiting arm, I settled into his side as he closed the top of the grill.
“My mom looks like she’s crying.”
“You told her I was going back to college.”
He kissed the top of my head. “I thought it’d be a good conversation starter since she’s familiar with the field. I know you wouldn’t be doing the same thing she did, but it’s always good to have connections.”
I nodded. “True.”
“Your father didn’t bring up pigs,” he noted.
I smiled. “Good to know.”
“I’d say we already won our parents over,” he stated victoriously.
We watched our families chat amongst themselves, passing out drinks and playing with the kids as they ran around the yard.
The smoke billowing from the grill made the air smell like sweet barbecue sauce and the end of summer. Considering it was going to be October in a short couple of weeks, I soaked in the last of the season before it disappeared for good. It made me smile knowing I was enjoying it with the people that I loved.
Loved. There was that damn word again.
“You know,” he told me, “it wasn’t just the swing set that I added to the house.”
I drew back, looking up at him in confusion, then searched the yard for something that I missed. “What else did you add?”
“Come on,” he directed. He passed the tongs to Teddy, saying we’d be right back.
“The lovebirds are already going inside,” Teddy announced loudly.
My eyes bulged when Dad shook his head, cheeks reddening over the thought of us sneaking away.
Caleb laughed. “We’ll be back in a minute.”
Iris snorted. “Paisley is going to be in a world of disappointment if a minute is as long as you can give.”
“Oh my god!” I squeaked, hiding my face.
Caleb leaned into my ear. “Don’t worry, babe. When the time comes, you won’t be getting any sleep for a very long time.”
He tugged me into the house, ignoring the cheers and chuckles we left behind. Steering us through the kitchen and living room until we made it to the master bedroom, he stopped at the doorway.
“Caleb,” I whined, “we’ve got guests.”
He chuckled. “Relax. I didn’t bring you in here for sex. Go check out the bathroom.”
The bathroom?
My suspicious gaze went from him to the bathroom door across the room. He let go of my hand and nudged me forward. I gave him one last questioning look before walking past the queen size bed and into the beach themed bathroom.
Searching the familiar layout of the room, I waited until I came across something I hadn’t seen before. The vanity was still set up in the corner, with the blue hand towels I’d bought him hanging on the bar. The tub was covered by a grey and blue bath curtain that I insisted he buy because it matched the linen, and the toilet still had the fuzzy grey cover on it despite Caleb informing me he’d take it off as soon as I left.
But what wasn’t there when I’d helped him move in was positioned in the corner of the room, resting on the floor between the towel rack and toilet.
“Caleb…”
“Hmm?”
I stared at the litterbox, blinking. “You don’t have a cat.”
He came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “No, but you do. And I figured that you wouldn’t want to leave Tater alone when you spent the night here, so I wanted to make sure she had everything she’d need. I bought some toys and catnip, and there’s cat food in the kitchen cupboard.”
I turned into his arms. “You bought stuff for my cat?”
He smiled. “She’s part of the family.”
Family? Did he just…
Instant tears welled in my eyes.
Awe warmed my body. If I was being honest with myself, it was more than that. But after being so sure something so strong didn’t exist, it was hard to admit I’d found it.
“Tater really loves you,” I told him, wrapping my arms around his torso. “And I…”
His eyes flashed as he stared at me.
Holy shit, I was going to say it.
“I love you too,” I whispered.
“Thank fuck,” he growled, taking me by surprise and kissing me.
He picked me up, so my feet hovered above the ground, spinning us until we were walking into the bedroom. Setting me down on the edge of the bed, I leaned back to look at him.
“I wasn’t sure if you felt it too,” he admitted.
Too?
Did Caleb love me?
He kneeled, so we were eye level, brushing hair out of my face. “I love you too, Paisley. Probably have since you told me off at the motel.”
I swallowed. “But we’d just met.”
“When you know, you know.”
Now tears really were running down my face. I tried drying them off, but he beat me to it, swiping his thumbs across my cheeks.
“I know that your lease is up soon on your apartment,” he noted gently. “I’m not saying that you have to move in with me, but there’s plenty of room if you decide that’s something you want to do. Plus, this place is closer to Oakland-U than your apartment. It’d cut at least fifteen minutes off traveling time.”
My heart couldn’t take everything he was throwing at it, but it absorbed every word until I was sure it’d burst. Could you die from being in love? They said you could over a broken heart, but overexertion had to be a thing too.
“I won’t even start there until the spring,” I reminded him, knowing I’d been too late to attend the fall semester. It gave me more time to figure out what I needed to do to prepare anyway.
“The house isn’t going anywhere,” he answered. “And neither am I.”
I stared at him speechless. How could I say no to him when everything screamed at me to answer yes?
Answer: you didn’t.
I sniffed again, taking a deep breath. “I mean, you’ve already got a litterbox…”
He grinned, kissing me over and over again until I couldn’t breathe. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him to me, wanting to take this further than just a simple kiss.
But he stopped it when I laid back, making him hover over me. “Our families are outside.”
I groaned. “Mood killer.”
He leaned down and kissed my cheek before pulling me back up to sitting. “After they’re gone, we’ll go grab Mashed Potato and bring you guys back here. You can spend the night.”
My breathing got heavy. “O-okay.”
“We don’t have to do anything,” he assured.
But after what just transpired, I wanted to.
I nodded. “Ready to go back out?”
He stood up first, offering me his hand. His playful smirk was back. “Let’s go dazzle the parentals, shall we?”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re a dork.”
“But you love it.”
I did.