Page 11 of Outlawed Treat
I’m finally home.Caleblost the fight and I am home and not at the compound.Kreed tried to talk me into staying at his house on the compound instead of the clubhouse, but I refuse.That’s his space and I didn’t want to take it away from him.There are plenty of times Kreed likes to go to his house and be alone.Mainly when the shit hits the fan and things become too overwhelming.Laura, Sam, Shy, and I are the only women who have been in his house.He doesn’t take the club girls there and none of the women he hooks up with randomly are ever taken to his house.He either goes to a hotel or the girl’s house.When I asked him about it, Kreed’s response was he didn’t want his home tainted when he finally finds his person.The only other woman who will ever step foot inside is the one who will become his ol’ lady.It’s a decision of his I love because Kreed has always wanted to have a girl of his own.One who will give him the family he craves and help him with Laura.
Caleb did make the trip with us despite me telling him to leave me alone.Kreed’s truck smells like pure sex from Caleb.He must have been mid-fuck when Doc called them to come get me.It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that was the case because it’s happened before.Yes, I know way too much about these two men.Especially when it comes to things I’m better off not knowing about them.Now, he’s out in my living room all alone while Kreed sits in my room with me.I don’t want anything to do with Caleb and have made that perfectly known to them both.
“Do you need anythin’?”Kreed asks me as he pulls up the chair he brought from the dining room closer to my bed.
“No.You’ve made sure I have everything I could need or want, Kreed.Tiffany is on her way to get the kids?”I ask him, wanting them back home in our space while I start to recover away from the hospital.
“Yeah.Manic is meetin’ her at the gate with them.For some reason, the kids love him and Rory has been with us or him the entire time you’ve been in the hospital.All the guys have stepped up, but Rory wouldn’t settle unless one of us had her in our arms.Caleb had her in his room every night though.I had Bryce in mine,” he answers me, his voice low as if he’s sharing a secret with me I’m not supposed to know.
Nodding my head in response to him is a mistake.It sends a sharp pain through my skull.Closing my eyes, I take a few deep breaths to calm my raging stomach so I don’t get sick and have to remake my bed.Kreed already made it once when we got to the house.He’s also ordered food for me and gotten me more than enough drinks.I’ve got water, juice, soda, and chocolate milk.When our food order gets here, I’ll also have a chocolate milkshake.It’s Kreed’s go-to drink for me when I’m hurt or upset.I can’t remember when that started, but I think we were in middle school the first time he got me a chocolate milkshake from the diner in town.
“Why is Caleb still here?”I ask Kreed, looking at the door as if I can see Caleb in the living room or wherever he’s at now.
“I don’t know, ‘Lil Bit.He rushed out when we got the call from Doc.He’s been havin’ a hard time since you got attacked at the hospital.Been goin’ out of his mind and doesn’t know how to handle the situation.I didn’t really know how to handle it either,” Kreed informs me, his voice full of the hurt I know he’s been feeling for the last two weeks since this all happened.
“So, he was fucking one of the Feral girls and stopped mid-fuck in order to come get me?I’d rather he stayed behind and finished what he was doing.Right now, he’s doing nothing but throwing that shit in my face.You know how I feel, Kreed.I’ve loved him since before I knew what I was truly feeling.And you’ve told me so many times over the years that he loves me and has fallen in love with me.The only reason he won’t make a move now is because of my past with Darren.He doesn’t want to cross that line and I want him to smash through it.Kreed, I can’t keep seeing him like this,” I tell him as the first tears fall down my face and I do nothing to stop it from happening.Kreed is the only one these days who gets to see my tears.Caleb doesn’t deserve to see this part of me for any reason.Not when he’s the one causing them to fall.
“Cali, I wish I could say things will get better, but I can’t give you that promise.I can’t tell you Caleb will pull his head out of his ass and become the man you need him to be.The one who steps up and makes you his ol’ lady as he’s dreamed of doin’ for most of his life.I wish I could say for sure he’ll become the Caleb you remember and nothin’ will stop him from takin’ that step with you.Unfortunately, Caleb has this weird idea in his head that he’d be betrayin’ Darren by bein’ with you.In the end, I don’t know what the hell is goin’ to happen.None of us do.Give him some leeway when it comes to you and the kids, ‘Lil Bit,” Kreed says, his tone pleading with me to give our best friend a chance to make things right.
“I don’t know that I can give him that chance or the time to see if he’ll actually get his shit straight.Caleb is just as stubborn as the rest of us and he’ll either figure shit out and make a move after all these years or he’ll remain the coward hiding behind the memory of Darren.You know the entire situation and he won’t give me a chance to explain anything to him,” I tell Kreed as the tears continue falling down my face and landing on the blankets covering me.
“Take all the time you need, Caliana.One of these days the two of you will have the conversation that’s long overdue and work things out.It’s what we all want to happen.Do you know how many people have been rootin’ for the two of you to be together?I can’t think of anyone we grew up with that didn’t want to see that happen,” Kreed says as if I don’t know the truth of that statement.Sam and Playboy were our biggest supporters when we were younger and I know they still want the two of us together.Tank was another huge supporter of us.
“I’m going to sleep.Bring the kids in when they get home please.And you can wake me when the food gets here.I don’t want Caleb in my room at all.He’s not allowed in my room and I’d prefer him to leave my house altogether,” I tell Kreed as I slowly and carefully roll over onto my side and close my eyes.
The tears are still falling from beneath my closed eye lids, but there’s nothing I can do to stop them.It’s bad enough I’m having a hard time catching my breath because I’m trying so hard not to let Kreed know I’m still crying.He can’t stand to see my tears and it always makes him feel horrible when it happens.Before too long, sleep once again claims me and I let it pull me into the dark abyss where I don’t have to think or feel about anything involving Caleb.
Chapter Six
Reckless
I’VE BEEN SLOWLY dyinginside for the last week.Kreed and I have been staying at Cali’s house with her and the kids.Tiffany is still there during the day, but she has family at home she helps while her mom works.The girl is constantly being responsible for Bryce and Rory during the day and then her younger brother and grandma at night.There’s nothing wrong with her grandma, but it’s getting harder for her to get around the house and do the things she used to do.That’s just what I learned in the few days about the girl who’s been caring for Cali’s kids while she works.The only time Tiffany doesn’t watch them is when Cali works overnight.Kreed and I step up for those shifts and stay with them.It’s not a chore to be with them because they’re our niece and nephew.Not by blood but by choice.I love spending time with them and have seriously missed listening to Bryce ask a million questions and all of his innocent observations about the world around him.It’s refreshing after being cloaked in all the memories of each mission I was on during my eight years in the military.
Cali’s been ignoring me when she leaves her room.She doesn’t look in my direction or answer any question I ask her.Instead, she talks to Kreed and Tiffany.Sometimes when I look over at Caliana, it appears as if she’s looking right through me.Like I’m not even in the same room as her and I don’t know what I can do to change the situation between us.I can’t stand Cali being upset with me or pissed off about something I’ve done.Unfortunately, I know exactly what has her mad at me this time.The day we picked her up from the hospital, I smelled like sex and still had the skank’s lipstick all over me.It was a horrible thing to do, but I wasn’t thinking clearly.My only thought was getting to her and helping her home where she could truly be comfortable.I thought of getting her back to her children who missed her terribly.Now, she won’t talk to me and I can’t blame her because I’d be pissed if I showed up and caught her just after she got done fucking someone.
“What are you doin’ today?”Kreed asks me, his voice almost a whisper as he rocks Rory in his arms.She’s fighting sleep and crying nonstop right now.
