Page 13 of Caleb

Caleb groaned, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “What do you want, Eugenia?”

“I want to help you, Caleb.” She floated toward the chair and mimicked sitting, though her form hovered just above the fabric. “But first, we need to have a little chat about your father.”

His throat closed instinctively, a reflex honed from years of dodging the topic. “Not interested.”

Frankly, he didn’t want to hear anything about his parents. They were gone, and he’d been left to clean up the mess they left.

“Oh, but you will be,” she said, her tone turning uncharacteristically serious. “Because the truth about your father might change everything for you.”

“Nothing about him could surprise me,” Caleb said bitterly, leaning against the edge of the desk.

Eugenia studied him for a long moment, her playful expression fading into something softer, almost sad. “He didn’t want to marry your mother.”

The room seemed to tilt momentarily, her words crashing into him like an unexpected gust of wind. He straightened, his jaw tightening. “What are you talking about?”

“Your father,” Eugenia said gently, “was in love with someone else. But back then, he thought it was his duty to marry your mother. After all, she was expecting you. He thought he could force himself into a life that fit the family’s expectations. And, well... we all know how that turned out.”

Caleb’s fists clenched at his sides, the words sinking into his bones like ice water. He’d known that his mother was pregnant when she married his father, but he’d not known there was someone else. Had his mother gotten pregnant deliberately to snag a Burnett?

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I see the same storm brewing in you,” Eugenia said, her gaze piercing. “You’ve built your whole life around avoiding his mistakes, but in doing so, you’ve made a prison for yourself. You’re so afraid of becoming him that you won’t let yourself live.”

Her words struck a chord, and Caleb turned away, his hands gripping the edge of the desk. “I’m not him,” he said quietly.

Years ago, he’d promised never to be like his father.

“No, you’re not,” Eugenia agreed, her voice softening. “But you’re also not the man you could be. Not yet.”

The weight of her words pressed down on him, stirring something raw and unfamiliar in him. He thought of Taylor—her guarded smile, how she’d thanked him tonight, even though she didn’t want to. The way she’d looked at him, just for a moment, like maybe she still saw the man he used to be.

“You think I should chase after her,” he said, his voice low.

“I think you should stop running from yourself,” Eugenia said. “I think you should become the man inside of you that I know is worthy of love.”

Caleb let out a sharp breath, his grip tightening on the desk. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”

“Don’t I?” she said, rising gracefully from her phantom perch. “I’m asking you to be brave, Caleb. Stop hiding behind your father’s mistakes and make your own choices. Taylor deserves that.Youdeserve that.”

Her form began to shimmer and fade, her presence retreating like the last rays of sunlight.

“Think about it,” she said, her voice lingering like a whisper. “The only thing standing between you and happiness is your own fear.”

And then she was gone, leaving Caleb alone with the steady hum of the city outside and the storm raging inside him. His fear?

Was he letting fear guide his life?

He let out a long breath, his shoulders slumping. The ghost had a point—she always did, damn her. But knowing that didn’t make it easier.

Caleb’s gaze drifted back to the window, the city lights blurring as his thoughts churned. Taylor deserved better than a man haunted by his shadows. She deserved someone who could give her everything, not just pieces.

Inside him, a little boy raged at how he’d been raised. At the nights of hiding beneath the blanket, hearing his parents screaming at one another. Of his mother accusing his father of cheating.

At the time, he hadn’t understood, but now he knew.

CHAPTER6

Taylor closed the door to her hotel room with a soft click and leaned back against it. Glancing out the window, she saw the city lights and knew she couldn’t wait to get home to her son. While Washington was beautiful at night, her heart was back in Austin, hopefully sound asleep.

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