Page 58 of Never Yours

Pop offers, “Can I get either of you something from the cafeteria?”

“Would you mind getting me a coffee?” Caleb asks, then quickly turns his attention to me. “What do you need?”

“I’m okay,” I chuckle. “Thank you.”

As soon as Pop leaves, I take Darcy and lay her on my chest. Caleb’s smile returns and reaches into his pocket. “I know this is probably the worst time to ask?—”

“Don’t,” I yelp. “Cay, I love you, but today is Darcy’s day. We’ll have ours.”

He leans over me and kisses my temple; I hum in response. Little Darcy makes an adorable whimpered sigh and every worry I had that Cay and I would be shitty parents is thrown out the window. It’s going to be a rough few months, but Cass will help me for some of it, and Caleb will be here as much as he can until his six months are up.

“I love you, princess.” He kisses me softly, and I sigh against his lips, but my phone lighting up in the corner of my eye pulls my attention from him.

“It might be Amanda.”

“I don’t think she’s going to ask you to come into work today,” he laughs, handing me my phone.

It isn’t a message, it’s a news alert.

Martin Harris Fired for Alleged Sexual Misconduct

A shiver cascades down my limbs and my throat is dry. “Cay…”

“What is— Fuck.” His jaw tics, but a small smirk appears.

“Did you know about this?”

“I had to slay the dragon, but he deserves more than being fired.”

“Cay,” I screech, but it stirs Darcy. I lower my voice to a whisper-shout. “Cay, what did you do?”

He blows out a long breath and rubs the back of his neck. “I was talking to my therapist one day, and it hit me that when you confessed what happened to you, we were being watched. I asked about who heard it, and they couldn’t do anything because it wasn’t an official statement from you.” He pauses before continuing, “I knew you weren’t the first, so I checked with a few intelligence people I know to look into it. Apparently, there was a woman who made an official police statement, but it was brushed under the rug.”

“So, how is it public?”

“I’m not sure. That’s where my dragon slaying ended. I realized that it could drag you and our baby into it, so I asked that both of us were left out of any reports.”

No other woman will have to deal with his tiny cock again… unless she’s into that.

“You did that?” I whisper.

He huffs a small laugh. “Yeah, I did that. It was on my bucket list.”

“And what else is on your bucket list?” I tease.

He brushes a soft kiss to my lips. “I told you, it begins and ends with you.”

caleb

. . .

Five Months Later

Iwake up in a mild panic that Ingrid isn’t next to me and Darcy isn’t in her crib beside our bed. The faint sound of a blender in the kitchen has my heart slowing. I rush out of bed and put on sweatpants and a tee before making my way downstairs. As I reach the kitchen, I’m finally able to take a full breath when I find Ingrid on the couch, nursing Darcy on one side and using a breast pump on the other. On the table is a green smoothie that doesn’t look like it’s been touched. I feel… helpless. There’s nothing I can do for her in this moment.

Moving her smoothie to the side, I take a seat on the coffee table and prop Ingrid’s feet on my lap. “You should’ve woken me up.”

She sighs a moan as I massage her feet. “You’re going to have her all day, I needed to get everything ready.” My jaw tics; she didn’t need to do anything.

---