Page 61 of All Along

I’m safe.

Those words do not reassure me at all. Quite the opposite in fact. My hackles are raised and I’m terrified he’s off doing dangerous deeds – such as confronting my parents.

He was beyond angry yesterday when I confessed what I endured at home while growing up. Should I not have told him? Should I have kept my past a secret?

I send another message.

Don’t do anything stupid.

I wait but there’s no blue tick to reassure me my message has been sent. He must have switched his phone off.

What do I do now? I could drive to my parents’ house and check if he’s there. I snatch my keys from the side table but halt in front of the door.

I need to calm down. Driving off half-cocked will not help the situation. I don’t even know if Caleb is at my parents’ house. For all I know he’s at physical therapy and doesn’t want me to know. He’s super secretive about his sessions. I’m still unaware of the extent of his injuries.

I do the next best thing, I dial Weston’s number. Sophia’s brother is the cop I called when Dad broke Mom’s arm. He knows what it was like for me growing up.

“What’s up, Maya?”

“Um…I need your help.”

“What is it? Are you hurt? Do you need an ambulance?”

My eyes widen in surprise. Usually, when I ring Weston, he’s worried what trouble I’m in and how much bail money I need. Things have changed since he found Scarlett and fell in love.

Their love story was more exciting than a romance book. They got snowed in with no electricity at Christmas. I bet I know how they kept each other warm.

I shake those thoughts out of my mind. I need to worry about my own love story now.

“No. No. No. I’m fine. I need you to check on Caleb.”

“What’s wrong? What happened? Did you get in a fight? Is he having another anxiety attack?”

“You know about those?”

“Darling, it’s a small island. Everyone knows about Caleb’s anxiety attack atSmuggler’s Cove.”

“He’s embarrassed. Please don’t tell him you know.”

“You can count on me, Maya. Now, why do I need to check on him? Where is he?”

“I think he’s at my parents.”

“You told him?” He whistles. “Good for you, Maya. Proud of you, little sis.”

His words warm my heart but I don’t have time for this. “Can you check if he’s there? And whether I need bail money?”

“You won’t need bail money,” he growls. “Don’t you worry. I’ve got this.”

He hangs up before I can thank him. It’s fine. Everything’s fine. There’s no need to worry. Weston will find Caleb before any blood is spilled. I hope.

I pace the living room of the cabin as I wait for Caleb to return. My phone beeps with a message from Weston.

Caleb is on his way home to you.

Thank the mermaids swimming in the sea! He’s coming home.

Not ten minutes later, headlights from his truck shine through the front window. I rush to the door and fling it open before running down the steps to his truck.

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