Page 148 of Always Red (Chasing Red 2)

“Red.” He kissed my forehead. “I love you.”

We ate breakfast together, and he entertained me with ridiculous stories that had happened at his work. I was glad he seemed to really enjoy working.

“Is there a bug on your plate?” Caleb asked.

I startled, realizing I had been drifting in my thoughts.

I looked up to discover him watching me, his green eyes patient.

“Caleb, would you like to take a walk with me?”

“Yes,” he answered automatically, but then he paused, blinking at me. “Am I in trouble?”

Even with the dark thoughts now clouding my mind, he could still make me laugh. “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me what you’ve done to put you in trouble?”

“Uh-uh.” He shook his head, grinning at me adorably. His dimples winked. “I’m not playing this game with you.” Then his eyes widened. “Wait.” He paused. “Are you in trouble?”

I laughed, and it sounded strained even to my ears. Trouble. There was trouble, all right.

“Let’s go, Caleb.”

“Sure. Let me just get my keys so I can lock up.”

“No need,” I said offhandedly. “People don’t lock their doors around here.”

He looked at me curiously, giving me an uncertain smile, but he didn’t comment.

Outside, the sky was a clear cerulean blue. It was pleasantly warm, and dew sparkled like diamonds on the trees and grass. There were no paved roads here, just a trail and the forest surrounding us. Birds and crickets sang.

Caleb walked beside me, uncharacteristically silent. His head was lowered, his thumb and index finger rubbing his bottom lip.

I reached for his hand and laced his fingers with mine. He turned his head to smile at me, his eyes clearing from the thoughts in his mind.

“Where are you taking me?” he asked, angling his head as he tried to read my expression.

“Nowhere special. Just walk with me.”

“Anywhere,” he said, squeezing my hand. “What…” He paused, and I felt the muscles in his arms tense. “You never told me what happened when you visited…her at the facility.”

He’d never asked me about Beatrice-Rose since the incident because he knew I wasn’t ready to talk about it. But since I visited her yesterday, I was ready to talk about her.

“I only saw her briefly.”

“Why did you even visit her at all?” He sounded confused and frustrated.

I had asked Caleb to visit her with me, but he had refused. He said he wasn’t ready yet.

“Ben told me what Beatrice-Rose’s dad did to her pet rabbit and how her mom abused her emotionally. Maybe that was what motivated me to visit her at the clinic,” I explained. I needed Caleb to understand because I didn’t want anger to control him. He was too soft-hearted to let anger fester inside him.

“I felt compassion for what she had gone through with her parents because, like her, I know what it’s like to be abused by a parent. God only knows, I might have turned out the same way if my mom hadn’t loved me and protected me from an abusive dad. And maybe, just maybe, Beatrice-Rose was seeking forgiveness for what she had done. If not, I just wanted to send the message that if she ever wanted forgiveness, my door wasn’t closed to her. That I understand.”

“Is that what you told her?”

I nodded, remembering that brief moment of connection and understanding between us when I told Beatrice-Rose this during my visit. “She asked for you,” I said.

“I don’t know if I can forgive her. If she… If you…” He took a deep breath. “I couldn’t bear it if something much, much worse happened to you. If…”

I rubbed his arm. “It’s okay, Caleb. I’m safe now.”

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