Page 46 of Caleb

Caleb leaned back in his chair, his gaze distant. “I think about mine all the time,” he said, his voice low. “About how toxic it was. How they could never seem to get it right. And I think about how much I hated being in the middle of it.”

Taylor’s breath caught at the rawness in his tone, the pain that flickered across his face.

“I was always scared of ending up like them,” he continued, his fingers tapping against the table’s edge. “Scared of screwing it up the way they did. Of becoming like my father.”

“I see you as your own man,” Taylor said softly, her voice steady despite the ache filling her. She paused, studying his face, searching for something she couldn’t quite name.

The truth was she knew so little about the family that had shaped him. She’d never met his mother or father, never even asked much about them. And now, as she sat across from him, she realized she didn’t even know if they were still alive.

It wasn’t for lack of curiosity. Back in college, Caleb had kept his family at a distance, deflecting questions with an easy charm that had made it seem unimportant. At the time, she hadn’t pushed—it hadn’t felt like her place. But now, she wondered if she’d been wrong not to ask.

They were Liam’s grandparents, and Taylor realized with a pang of guilt that she knew nothing about them. For Liam’s sake, she needed to know.

What kind of people were they? Were they kind and warm, the sort of grandparents who would dote on a little boy, or were they cold and distant like Caleb sometimes seemed to hint?

The questions felt too big to ignore now especially with Caleb stepping into Liam’s life. If his parents were still around, they’d likely want to know about their grandson. And Taylor needed to be prepared for whatever that meant—for her, Caleb, and most importantly, Liam.

He let out a hollow laugh, shaking his head. “I’ve spent so much of my life trying not to be him that I don’t even know who I am anymore. And now... now I’ve got Liam. And I don’t want to mess this up, Taylor. I don’t want to let him down.”

His vulnerability cut through her defenses. “You won’t,” she said, her voice quiet but firm. “You’re here. You’re trying. That’s more than a lot of fathers do.”

He looked up at her, his eyes searching hers. “Do you really believe that?”

Taylor nodded, her throat tight. “I do.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The air between them felt charged and fragile, filled with unspoken possibilities.

“Thank you,” Caleb said finally, his voice soft.

“Someday,” Taylor said softly, her eyes steady on his, “when you’re ready, I want you to tell me about your parents. I need to know about them, Caleb—because they’re Liam’s grandparents.”

Caleb’s jaw tightened, and he glanced away, his fingers tracing the edge of his glass. The silence stretched between them, heavy and loaded, before he finally nodded.

“Someday,” he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’ll tell you. But you don’t have to worry about them. They’re dead.”

Taylor studied him for a moment longer, sensing the weight of whatever he held back. She wanted to press, to ask more, but the guarded look in his eyes stopped her. For now, she’d let it rest. But not forever.

Taylor managed a small smile, though her heart was still heavy with the weight of everything unsaid. They had a long road ahead of them, but for the first time in years, she felt a flicker of hope that they could find their way.

CHAPTER21

Caleb crouched in the backyard, his hand resting on the brim of his cap, waiting for Liam to wind up. The boy stood a few feet away, gripping the little foam baseball like a treasure, his face scrunched in concentration.

Teaching his son baseball filled Caleb with a sense of satisfaction unlike anything he’d ever felt. Tossing the ball back and forth, watching Liam’s face light up with every successful catch, stirred something deep inside him. It wasn’t just pride—it was a connection, a bond he hadn’t realized he craved until now.

For the first time in a long time, he felt truly grounded in this moment with his son laughing and playing in the golden afternoon light, with Taylor sitting on the deck watching them, nothing else mattered.

Being with Taylor and Liam filled Caleb with a sense of satisfaction he hadn’t known he was missing. It wasn’t just the warmth of their presence—it was something deeper, something he couldn’t quite put into words.

It felt like love. Like acceptance. Like home.

For the first time, he understood what it meant to be part of something real, something that mattered. This was how he wanted Liam to remember him: not as some distant figure who came and went but as the father who was always by his side.

He wanted to give his son unconditional love and teach him about life—not just the practical things like how to ride a horse or swing a bat, but the more profound lessons. How to be kind. How to stand tall when life got hard.

And most of all, how to love the people who mattered.

“All right, buddy,” Caleb called, grinning. “Show me what you’ve got.”

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