Page 53 of Caleb

It wouldn’t be easy. She might not understand. She might even be angry. But Caleb knew he couldn’t ask for her trust if he wasn’t willing to give her the same.

Starting the truck, he felt the ring box heavy in his pocket, a flicker of determination sparking inside him. Taylor had given him a second chance, and he wasn’t going to waste it.

It was time.

Time to tell Taylor the truth about what had forced him to leave college so abruptly, to finally explain what had been waiting for him when he came home.

She deserved to know the chaos he’d walked into, the fractured state of his family, and the weight he’d carried on his shoulders ever since. She needed to understand the pain and turmoil that had shaped his decision to leave her behind without an explanation.

And most of all, she had to know how it had all ended—so tragically, so suddenly—that it had left him reeling, unable to face her or anyone else.

He owed her that much. To lay it all out, no matter how hard it was to relive those moments. If there was any chance of building a future with her, it had to start with the truth.

It was time to face his past so they could build their future. Together.

CHAPTER24

Taylor sat at the kitchen table, her hands gripping the edge of her laptop as the words of the email stared back at her. It was everything she’d worked for—her dream job, the kind of position that could redefine her career and give Liam a secure future. But her stomach churned, her excitement dulled by the weight of the decision.

Chicago.

The word loomed over her thoughts, a cold reminder of what this opportunity would mean—uprooting Liam. Leaving behind the life she’d begun to rebuild here and leaving her mother and Caleb.

They had just begun to rebuild the relationship they had lost, fragile and tentative like saplings growing in rocky soil. Taylor feared what this job offer might do to them all.

Would Caleb even consider leaving the Burnett Ranch? The thought seemed almost impossible. The ranch wasn’t just his livelihood but his identity and his family’s legacy. She couldn’t imagine him walking away from it, not even for her.

And if he stayed? What then? Could they make a long-distance relationship work? Or would the miles slowly stretch between them, fraying the delicate threads of trust and connection they had worked so hard to weave?

The uncertainty gnawed at her, twisting in her gut until she couldn’t breathe. Taylor had spent years protecting herself and Liam, building walls to keep them safe from heartbreak. Now, with Caleb in their lives, those walls had started to come down—and the vulnerability left behind terrified her.

She didn’t want to lose him. But she also couldn’t ignore the possibility that this job, this chance to provide a better life for Liam, might tear them apart.

Her gaze drifted to the living room where Liam sat cross-legged on the floor, his face scrunched in concentration as he built a tower of blocks. He hummed softly, oblivious to the storm brewing inside her.

Was moving her son miles away the best solution?

The question weighed heavily on Taylor’s mind, each word pressing down like a stone. She thought of Liam, how much he adored Caleb, how his face lit up every time they played together. He had finally started to bond with his father, to feel the warmth and security of a connection Taylor had always wished he could have.

Pulling Liam away from that felt cruel, even if the opportunity in Chicago offered stability and a brighter future. But was it stability if it meant uprooting Liam from the life he was starting to build with Caleb?

She didn’t have an easy answer, but she knew one thing—whatever decision she made had to be the right one for Liam. Not just for her career, not just for Caleb, but for her son’s happiness and well-being.

The sound of Caleb’s truck pulling into the driveway snapped her out of her thoughts. She glanced at the clock, realizing she had been sitting there for nearly an hour, lost in her head. Closing the laptop, she stood, brushing her hands against her jeans as if the motion could steady her.

Tonight, she would tell Caleb about the opportunity weighing on her mind since it landed in her lap.

They’d sit down together, talk it through, and figure out where they stood. Ultimately, the decision would be hers to make—whether to stay or take the new position.

It was a prestigious offer, promising a bright future and a salary that could give her and Liam a life of stability and comfort—a great life.

But the most prominent question in her heart was whether that life would include Caleb.

Could she have it all—a career she’d worked so hard for and the chance to build something real with him? Or would this decision, no matter how carefully made, end up pulling them apart?

When Caleb walked in, he paused, his sharp eyes catching her uneasy stance immediately.

“Hey,” he said cautiously, setting his keys on the counter. “What’s going on?”

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