Page 48 of Second Chance Fate (Hope Falls: Brewed Awakenings #5)

“It is hilarious,” she confirmed through laughter. “And a genuine mistake. I knew exactly what happened as soon as he told me. One of the other guys in the group, who looked like your dad, is a doctor. A Welsh man named Bruno.”

His mom pulled her phone out of her purse, which got both the dogs’ attention.

They dropped their bones and were at her feet in the blink of an eye.

“Oh, do you think Grandma has another treat for you?” She reached back in and pulled out two treats, smaller than the bones; these were biscuits in the shape of peanuts.

“Can he have this?” she checked with Taylor this time.

“Yeah, of course. Thank you.”

After doling out the goods to the drooling pups, she pulled up a photo of a man who didn’t just look like he was related to Caleb’s dad; he looked like he was his dad’s twin.

“Oh my gosh!” Taylor’s hand clapped over her mouth. “That is crazy. I wouldn’t have known that was a different person. He’s your doppelganger.”

“I know, right?!” His mom squeezed Taylor’s forearm.

She was a very touchy-feely-huggy-nicknamey person. He hoped it wasn’t too much for Taylor. He’d seen the way she’d reacted when his mom called her sweet pea.

“Harrison genes are strong.” His mom pointed to the photo. “And Bruno has the dimples, even the chin dimple. I told him that he should do the genealogy site that I had us all do a few Christmases ago. Remember?” she prompted Caleb.

Caleb sensed Taylor tense beside him. That site was the proof she had that Owen was his son, not that she needed any.

He’d already known that was the case before she told him.

“Yeah, I do. But, wait, there’s a cruise doctor, isn’t there?

Why didn’t they go ask him?” Caleb steered the conversation away from the DNA site for Taylor’s sake.

“Ironically, because they didn’t want to be embarrassed,” his dad explained.

“Soooo,” his mom circled back to her original purpose with surgical precision. “Taylor, how’s Hope Falls treating you? I’ve heard you’ve been in town for a while, but we haven’t seen much of you.”

“It’s been good. Really good,” Taylor answered vaguely before pressing ahead with more cruise-related questions: Were there any comedy or singing performances on the ship?

What did they think of their port stops?

How was the food? For every question answered by his mom or dad, another would boomerang right back in Taylor’s direction about Owen, her health, even how it was working at Brewed Awakenings.

It went on like this for half an hour, like conversational ping-pong. She asked questions about the cruise to try and keep the conversation off of her, and his mom turned the conversation back on Taylor; it was impressive.

After about half an hour, Taylor received a text message. She read it, and her eye twitched. It was the slightest flinch, and then she instantly masked her reaction as she set her phone back down.

“Is everything okay?” Caleb asked.

“Yeah.” She nodded and grinned, but he noted that her lips were pursed slightly. To anyone else, she might seem fine, but he knew that text had something in it that upset her. He also noticed that some of the color had drained from her face, and dark circles were starting to form under her eyes.

Acting on pure instinct, he stood and clapped his hands. “Well, thanks for stopping by,”

His parents and Taylor looked up at him as if he’d just grown another head, and from the looks on their faces, he realized how abrupt his behavior had been.

“Taylor just got out of the hospital yesterday,” he explained to his mom and dad, then looked at her. “I don’t want you to wear yourself out.”

“Yeah, I think maybe I’ll go lay down. But, you guys should stay and visit.” She stood. “It was so nice meeting you both.”

Caleb’s mom stood and wrapped Taylor in a hug, and then his dad did the same. She hugged them both back, already looking more comfortable than the first embrace.

Before she turned to leave, his mom took both of Taylor’s hands in her own. “You remember, we’re here if you need anything, Sweet Pea.”

“Thank you.” Taylor’s smile was polite, but there was something else beneath it, something Caleb couldn’t pinpoint, and it bothered him that he didn’t know what it was.

He followed her out of the family room and kitchen and placed his hand on her back when they rounded the corner and were out of sight in the hallway. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, go back in there.” Her eyes and tone were pleading with him.

“What was that text about?”

She sighed, and he saw a very brief internal battle over whether or not she was going to tell him, thankfully; telling him was the victor. “Martin’s trial was supposed to start today, but he was just granted a motion for continuance.”

“On what grounds?”

“Medical.”

“For how long?”

“It didn’t say.”

Caleb hated knowing that piece of shit was walking around free.

He’d held a woman at gunpoint and then shot her boyfriend trying to find out where Taylor and Owen were.

The fact that he wasn’t in jail was insane.

The only thing that gave him any peace was that he had an ankle monitor, but he should be behind bars.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’m fine.”

It was clear to him she didn’t want him to make a big deal about this.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead, kissing her.

He wasn’t even sure what their boundaries were or if he was allowed to do that, but he did.

She stilled for a moment, then he felt a tremor rush through her before she lifted her eyes to him, turned, and walked down the hall to his bedroom.

He stared after her, watching, wishing so badly that he could go with her.

That he could lie down and pull her into his arms and protect her, love her.

He could tell himself that he wanted to do that for her, but the truth he was learning was that he needed her just as much, if not more, than she needed him.

When he came back around the corner and walked into the back of the house, he found his mom cleaning up the kitchen and his dad sitting at the island, eating a plate full of pancakes, eggs, and bacon he’d helped himself to.

He would tell his mom she didn’t need to do that, but it was something Annie May Harrison did have to do.

Cleaning, cooking, and caring for people were her love languages. So he didn’t say a word.

Once the dishes were done, the leftovers were wrapped up and put in the fridge, and Minnie and Casper were three pieces of bacon fuller thanks to his dad, his parents were ready to leave, and he walked them to the door.

His mom pulled the strap of her purse on her shoulder.

“Just so you know, Valerie messaged me yesterday to let me know Patsy called an emergency prayer meeting last night, and when she got there, the subject was you living in sin with a single mom. She’s going on a fast and strongly encouraging others to do so as well to give her clarity over whether or not to call for your resignation. ”

Patsy Clemons had taken it upon herself to be the moral compass for the entire “body of Christ” in Hope Falls.

She was the nosy neighbor peeking out her metaphorical curtain.

She showed up in Caleb’s office a couple of times a month with concerns ranging from a romance author becoming a member of the church after Emma Locke, who wrote under the pen name Chelsea Paige, moved to Hope Falls and started attending because Patsy felt the subject matter Emma wrote wasn’t appropriate.

She also showed up when two kids in the youth group came out and when she noticed Matt Stellars, who was in leadership at the church buying a six-pack of beer before a fishing trip.

When she felt that several women in the choir were dressing inappropriately, showing “too much skin.” The list went on and on.

Patsy had been doing it for years before Caleb stepped into the senior pastor role.

Caleb had tried to be as pragmatic as his father had been with her, but his patience was running out.

He’d spoken to her privately on a number of occasions and warned her about her behavior.

It wouldn’t be a problem if she only affected herself, but his concern was that one day she would say something to someone that harmed them in the name of “God.” People who grew up in Hope Falls knew her and didn’t pay her any attention, but what about people who didn’t know her?

It was getting out of hand, and he knew he needed to do something.

“Is that why you came home early?” he asked his parents.

“Anything you want to tell us?” his dad answered his question with a question in the tone he used when he already knew the answer, like when he asked Caleb if there was anything he wanted to tell him after he found cigarettes in his room when he was fifteen.

He’d love to tell his parents everything.

He’d love to tell the entire world. But he couldn’t.

His hands were tied. Taylor was going to talk to Owen when he got home later today.

She’d said that once he knew, she felt comfortable with Caleb speaking to his parents.

They hadn’t thought they would be home for another week, but since they were, he would simply be talking to them sooner.

“Are you guys going to be around tonight?”

They both nodded.

“I’ll stop by.”

Once his parents left—after his mom hugged both him and the dogs once more—Caleb headed down the hallway to check on Taylor.

On the way his phone buzzed, and he pulled it out to see a message from Judy letting him know that she’d just been informed by several people that his parents were spotted driving down Main Street, so they were back in town, and that Carol Miller was at the church office because she’d been to a prayer meeting the night before and heard that he was living in sin with a single mom.

He typed back a message letting Judy know that he knew his parents were in town, he had just seen them, and he asked her to get Carol a tea and tell her he’d be there in about ten minutes if she wanted to wait to speak to him.

When he rounded the corner and walked into his bedroom, he lifted his head and found Taylor curled up in his bed in the fetal position, on her side, sleeping.

Her breaths were slow and steady, and her expression was angelic and peaceful.

She looked so tiny, so fragile, so precious.

The thought of anyone saying anything negative about her being in his home for any reason infuriated him, no matter what the intention behind it was.

Even though he knew it on an academic level before, in that moment he knew on a cellular level, on a primal, caveman, primitive level, he would do anything to protect Taylor and Owen, his family.

Whatever it took to make sure no one ever hurt them with words or actions again, he was willing to do it.

After writing a quick note explaining where he was going and that he’d be back before Owen was getting dropped off by Gabe that afternoon, he crossed the room, left it on the nightstand, leaned down, and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead as he whispered, “I love you.”

He’d whispered the same thing to her while she slept in his arms the night before. He doubted she’d heard it, but he had to say it. It was compulsory. He had to tell his wife that he loved her.