Page 74 of Free to Dream
“I want you to leave,” I whisper. Now my shaking is transforming from anger to something different. Something buried and painful.
“You don’t remember anything about how you got there? Did you ever want to find out?” He pushes harder.
“You need to go. Now.” I try to make my voice stronger, more commanding.
“Did they ever try hypnosis techniques to get you past the block you have up from before you were four?” he persists.
“Yes! They did all of that, Keene!” I finally shout. “The working theory is what I left behind was either so bad I can’t let my mind go back there, or it was so good I’m ashamed to. Is that what you want to know?” I’m breathing hard. Tears start to fall from my eyes and I turn away and sob. Heart-wrenching sobs. I’m so lost in my tears, I don’t hear the angry voices behind me throwing Keene out my office.
I’m not sure how much time passes. The next thing I’m aware of are footsteps behind me and a hand laid on my shoulder. I tense, ready to scream when I hear in a heartbroken voice, “Baby.”
I fly around and there’s Caleb. I launch myself into his arms, mumbling, “He had no right…” into his chest.
I feel Caleb’s arms tighten around me and he whispers, “I know, baby. I’ll deal with it when we get home.”
Bending down, he catches me under the knees and carries me out of the office. I vaguely hear him ask one of my siblings to get my phone and purse, and dropping it by the house later.
Right now, I was going home.
27
Caleb
If Keene was standing in front of me right now, I probably would have ended a lifelong friendship, a business partnership, and shot him with his own gun.
Instead, I have him offering quiet apologies while I have my woman sitting outside, wrapped in a blanket, looking at the water.
“What were you possibly thinking, Keene? Isn’t there a fucking law term for this shit? Asked and answered?” I rail at him relentlessly.
“You’re right, Caleb. I was wrong to keep pushing. There’s nothing to excuse what I did to Cassidy earlier.” His calm voice makes me wish I could reach out and plant my fist in his face.
“You weren’t just wrong to push. You were wrong to ask in the first place,” I spit out.
“I was only trying to determine if she got the proper care, Caleb. Based on the life she had before, it was questionable whether mental health care would be included,” he calmly tries to explain.
“You’re not the one who’ll have to listen to her damn nightmares tonight, asshole,” I rasp out. I hear his sharp intake of breath. Yeah, put that in your perfect world of black and white and spit out some logical analysis. “For all our sakes, can we go back to what you should have learned in Kindergarten? If you can’t find something nice to say to my woman, don’t say anything at all? Better yet, just stay away from Cassidy until she’s ready to see you. And if something comes up because of the wedding, we’ll figure it out.” I’m suddenly exhausted. Out the window, Cassidy pulls up her knees to her chest and wraps her arms around them. She’s rocking herself.
I need to get out there.
“Gotta go.” I abruptly hang up on Keene saying, “Caleb, tell her…”
I toss my cell on the counter and make my way outside to Cassidy. She doesn’t even glance up when I walk out.
Shit.
I maneuver myself carefully between the glass of wine I poured her earlier, the arm of the lounger, and get behind her. She’s stiff at first, but finally rests against me. I comb my fingers through her hair, trying to relax her, and eventually, her curves yield into the planes of mine. She shifts slightly, placing her head against my heart.
I pull the blanket up and tuck it tighter around her. “I’m so sorry, Pixie.” There’s not much else to say. I sent Keene there not only to bring her lunch, but to maybe see her in her element and thaw toward her a little bit.
Not bring devastation to one of her places of solace.
She sighs, tipping up her head to rest her chin on my chest. “You had no idea he would go there, Caleb. Even if you were trying to force Keene into playing nicer with others.”
“Still, if it hadn’t been for that, you never would have been in that position,” I counter quietly.
I had come clean to her earlier about my reasons for sending Keene to her office. I wanted to push my lifelong best friend to see the woman I loved for everything she is.
Too bad I couldn’t push myself to be as forthright about other things.
