Page 137 of Penalty to the Heart

“Don’t you dare say it, Caleb Donovan!” she shouts in my face, stunning me silent. “Not in my house. Not here. And not in front of me or where my girls can hear you. My husband will come back to me. My girls and this baby I’m carrying will have their father in their lives. So before you open your mouth to say such things, remember who Jack is. Honor him by believing in him. If you can’t do that… then I don’t want you here. I don’t want you near me or my girls.”

“You don’t mean that, E.”

“Oh, I mean every word. If you’ve lost faith, that’s on you. I haven’t. I will never lose faith in Jack.” Her words crack with such misery that my throat clogs with the same emotion.

“Erin… I…”

“I think you should leave now. The girls and I have a busy day today, and we need to get ready.”

“Erin…”

“Just go, Caleb.” She shakes her head, wiping the fallen tears she couldn’t prevent escaping. “Just go.”

As I walk towards the door, I watch Erin put herself back together before returning to the kitchen, a broad smile lighting up her face when she finally reaches her girls.

Chapter 25

Caleb

“What are you doing here?!” Roxanne blurts out, eyes wide, when I sit beside her on the park bench.

“I needed to see you.”

“And it couldn’t have waited for our session later this evening?” she retorts, vexed.

“No,” I deadpan.

“This… this… is such an invasion of my privacy, Caleb. First, you practically blackmailed me into being your therapist, and now you hijack my lunch hour. How did you even know I’d be here? Do I even want to know?”

“Nope, I don’t think you do,” I answer since Roxanne isn’t the type of woman who would take a bit of light stalking as a romantic gesture.

Though, to be fair, she probably already figured that out on the night I showed up on her doorstep. I mean, how else would I have known where she lived?

“You really are—”

“Charming? Irresistible? Cute as a button?” I tease.

“Relentless was the word I was looking for,” she grumbles, closing her eyes and taking three deep breaths in an effort to control her anger.

While she meditates on her will not to kill me, I just sit back and look at her, my heavy heart feeling lighter already from her being within an arm’s length.

“Okay, Caleb. Tell me what was so urgent that you couldn’t wait for our session?”

“Maybe I just needed to see you,” I retort, running my fingers through her long, brown hair.

“And maybe what I need is to pack up my things and return to the office,” she threatens, standing up to prove her point.

“Fine.” I let out a frustrated exhale. “I caught Erin telling the girls this morning that Jack is coming home. That, soon enough, their dad will walk right through their door, as good as rain, like nothing ever happened.”

“I see,” she says pensively, sitting back down beside me. “And how did that make you feel?”

“How did it make me feel?” I parrot.

“Yes, Caleb.” She plants a comforting hand on my thigh. “How did that make you feel?”

“I don’t know. Angry. Sad. Confused as fuck. Take your pick,” I grumble while brushing my fingers up and down her hand.

“Explain,” she probes, her soft voice no longer holding a challenging tone.

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