Page 70 of The Boy Who Loved Wicked
“His name is Caleb.”
I grew faint, and pulled him closer to me to ensure he wouldn’t fall from my useless arms. “Wha-what?”
“Caleb,” Sebastian repeated, nodding in anticipation of my next question.
“As-as in…” I couldn’t catch a breath.
“As in Dr. Caleb R. Michaelson.”
“You-you named him after my father?”
“Yes. He lives on in him. Not a night goes by that I don’t share you with him. Your name brings him peace, quiets his cries, inspires his laughter. Your picture makes him sing. He loves you. As do I.”
We didn’t have time for the tears that threatened to stream down my face, and I didn’t want to squander however many seconds or minutes that we had. I felt at home with baby Caleb in my arms, and Sebastian hovering over us protectively. Time did not diminish our love, and more time wouldn’t blemish it either. My bones were cold, in need of his warmth. My heart stretched toward its counterpart, sliding over to make room for Caleb in the process. We weren’t stuck in reverse. We weren’t going to waste like I’d claimed when alone with my thoughts. Hope ignited in me then, enough to burn down every barrier that kept us apart. And I thought back to something I’d asked myself once. I’d wondered how much longer I would love him. And my answer then wasforever.Then I’d asked myself how long I’d be willing to wait for him, and without hesitation I answeredas long as it takes.
Caleb slept in my arms, his hand refusing to relinquish my finger. To Sebastian I whispered, “Forever and as long as it takes.”
“Our time will come,” he whispered back.
Mason and I were exhausted from the long drive, but when we pulled into the campground and saw everyone waiting, we perked up.
“Pheeny!” Theory yelled, and we all did an exaggerated run in slow motion, arms flailing in the air, mouths distorted, until we crashed into one another, lifting each other off the ground.
“God, I missed you guys.” I kissed their cheeks, Danny shoving me away.
“Still sappy,” he said, and I hugged him. “I love you too, bud.”
“To the lake!” Jules shouted, and we grabbed our bags and took off running.
We swam, laughed, and ate along the water’s edge until the sun went down and with it the temperature.
After setting up our tents we worked on a fire, then got caught up further. Jules sat in Danny’s lap, curled around him like a monkey, and Theory snuggled into Juan’s side. “When did this happen?” I asked them.
“Down by the lake.” She shrugged shamelessly, and when Juan pecked her on the forehead she melted into a puddle of goo before clearing her throat. “Alright, let’s start with you, Pheeny. Give us the dirt.”
I met everyone’s eyes. My friends, the only people outside of my mother and Sebastian that I trusted implicitly. “He named the baby after my father,” I said. Danny, Theory, and Mason gave me identical looks of surprise.
“Wait, who?” Jules asked, and Danny gave a subtle shake of his head confirming that he’d never said a word to her. I’d stopped talking about Bash after the breakup, so Jules and Juan never knew about us, but I trusted them, and now I was talking.
I filled them in, bringing everyone current on events, and outside of the sounds of nature, you could hear a pin drop.
“Wow,” Theory said. “I was sure he was using you, but I gotta admit, my disdain for him has now dropped from a death-by-nuclear-warfare level ten, to a cut-off-a-limb level five.”
“That’s an improvement, I guess,” I said.
“So you guys haven’t hooked up at all?” Danny asked.
“No.”
“It’s the right call, Pheeny,” Theory cajoled. “Aside from losing his job and license, there could be lawsuits from the school and not to mention parents. Students that failed legitimately could use this as an excuse.”
“Yeah, I thought of that too.”
“And if your goal is to one day teach there? You can kiss that goodbye—”
“—I get it, Theory.”
“Sorry.” She sat back in her chair. “I care about you. We all do. And giving it to you straight is sort of my job. One I should be paid for,” she said under her breath.
