Page 3 of Caleb

Caleb snorted, dismissing the thought. If love was a storm, he’d already survived the worst of it. He wasn’t about to let it sweep him away again.

And yet, as he stared at the blinking cursor, the certainty he clung to felt a little less solid.

Eugenia was one determined ghost, and she’d already matched his cousins. There were only three of them left unmarried. And now she’d set her sights on him.

CHAPTER2

Taylor Montgomery stood at the kitchen counter, her hands dusted with flour as she worked the dough for Liam’s favorite blueberry muffins. Sunlight streamed through the window, warming her childhood home’s small, cheerful space. The faint hum of cartoons drifted from the living room where her three-year-old son was sprawled on the rug, clutching a toy fire truck with intense focus.

Her gaze flicked to the clock on the oven—10:13 a.m. Time was slipping away faster than she wanted. By this time tomorrow, she’d be on a plane to Washington, D.C., her carry-on stuffed with pitch decks and polished shoes, preparing to navigate a room full of big-city professionals at the marketing convention.

A knot of guilt tightened inside her. Oh, how she hated leaving Liam, but this could be what her career needed to get her and Liam into a home of their own—a place where she didn’t depend on her mother so much. And yet, her mother was the only one she’d ever leave her son with.

Not long after she’d given birth to Liam, Taylor’s world had been rocked again. Her father, strong and steady as the oak trees he loved, had suffered an unexpected heart attack. One moment, he was there, teasing her about naming the baby after him, and the next, he was gone.

The loss had left her reeling, but it was her mother she worried about most. Her parents had been inseparable, their love a quiet, unwavering presence in her life. Watching her mother navigate the heartbreaking void of his absence had been devastating.

Taylor was grateful she’d been there, rooted in Austin, to help her mother through those dark days. Together, they had grieved him, finding solace in shared memories and the laughter Liam brought to their lives. It hadn’t been easy, but being there for her mother had been as much a comfort for herself as it was for her mom.

“Mommy, look!”

Taylor glanced up to see Liam waving the fire truck triumphantly, his dark curls bouncing. His face was lit with the kind of unrestrained joy that only a toddler could manage. Her heart squeezed. He had Caleb’s smile—a little crooked with just enough mischief to melt defenses.

His big brown eyes, framed by impossibly long dark lashes, were a mirror of his father’s. Even his hair, now turning the same dusty brown with streaks of auburn, was another unmistakable mark of where he came from.

Taylor couldn’t help but smile, bittersweet and amused, as she studied him. Someday, Liam would grow up to be quite the charmer—just like his father. The thought was equal parts endearing and exasperating, knowing firsthand how Caleb’s easy grin and natural confidence had a way of turning heads and stealing hearts.

“That’s awesome, buddy!” she said, mustering a smile.

Liam giggled and zoomed the truck along the edge of the coffee table, complete with his sound effects.

Taylor returned to the dough, kneading it harder than necessary. The thought of leaving Liam even for a few days felt like a physical ache. He was her whole world. The reason she’d rebuilt her life from the ashes of her broken heart and a surprise pregnancy.

College had been a whirlwind of ambition and uncertainty until Caleb Burnett had walked into her life like a cowboy out of a movie. He’d been magnetic—confident and charming in a way that made her believe in fairy tales again. But fairy tales didn’t account for real life. And Caleb had shattered her illusions with a single, cold phone call when she needed him most.

She could still hear his words, clipped and distant: “I can’t do this, Taylor. My family needs me. I’m sorry. I’m not coming back. It’s over.”

The memories bubbled up unbidden, and Taylor shoved them down with practiced determination. That was a lifetime ago. She wasn’t that naïve, lovesick girl anymore. Now, she was a mother, a professional, a woman with a carefully curated armor. And if the convention went well, she might finally land high-profile clients that could elevate her business to the next level.

Still, the thought of being away from Liam left her aching with sadness. She’d never been away from her son before.

“Taylor?”

Her mother’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. Turning, Taylor saw her standing in the doorway, a dish towel slung over her shoulder. Grace Montgomery had the serene confidence Taylor had always admired—earned from decades of a steady, loving marriage to Taylor’s father.

The kind of marriage she’d always dreamed of but now had no chance at.

“You’re quiet this morning,” Grace said, entering the kitchen. She gestured toward the counter. “Muffins for Liam?”

Taylor nodded, wiping her hands on a towel. “He loves them.”

Grace smiled. “He’s going to miss you while you’re gone.”

“I know,” Taylor said softly. She hated the rawness in her voice. “I’ll miss him too.”

It wasn’t often that she left him behind; this was the longest time they had ever been separated. Phone calls were no comparison to reading to him each night, tucking him into his bed, and kissing him goodnight.

Grace leaned against the counter, her expression careful. “It’s only a few days. He’ll be fine with me. You know that.”

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