The American Lover (29 page)

“Faith isn’t just my ‘latest lady friend’ as you put it. Faith’s my partner, and she wasn’t upset, she thought it was pretty funny actually. You see, after everything I went through with your lying, cheating sister, Faith knows I’d never cheat on her. Never. Not in a million years. So, for anyone to imply that’s the kind of lowlife guy I am, well it’s downright disrespectful and shows how little they know me, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, of course…I… just… I never meant…” Vanessa stuttered.

“So I’d really appreciate you getting those pictures taken down, and making it clear to everyone that there is
nothing
going on between us, and that there will
never
be anything going on between us.
Ever
. Do I make myself crystal clear, Vanessa?”

“Yes, Caleb,” she whispered.

“Good. I trust that’s an end to the matter.  Have a nice life Vanessa, but leave me out of it.”

And with that he hung up, and we didn't hear any more from her, thank the lord.

***

Although I’d stuck to my guns about having my own place, in reality most of the time either Caleb stayed over at mine, or I stayed at his, just because we really enjoyed being together, even if we just sat and worked at our laptops in companionable silence, ordering a take out if neither of us fancied cooking, rather than eating out somewhere.

Caleb had helped me pick out an apartment that wasn’t far from his place, and I think he really appreciated the fact that I’d given him his own set of keys, and never minded if he dropped in unannounced.  I also made it plain that I had no problem whatsoever with him seeing anything on my laptop, phone or any other device I had at my disposal.  Didn't worry me, as I had nothing to hide, and I was happy to do whatever it took to help him get over any insecurities Cassie’s betrayal had left him with.

This fresh start Caleb had engineered for me meant I was finally casting aside the heavy cloak of unhappiness that I’d been trailing along with me ever since Drew had died, dragging me down with its weight of grief and sorrow. 

Thanks to Caleb’s persistence in persuading me to relocate, I no longer had anyone watching and waiting for me to crumble or disintegrate with grief, and it made me realise that sometimes you find yourself matching people’s low expectations of your ability to cope, until eventually it becomes ingrained behaviour that gets harder to break the longer it goes on. 

By breaking away, that expectation had been erased.

Of course I hadn't forgotten Drew. I never would, it just wasn’t possible.  I carried him in my heart at all times, and would until my dying day. But I was discovering that your heart can expand and grow to absorb new loves, while still cherishing the old; that you didn't have to discard the past to accommodate the present, and move on into the future.

It helped massively that Caleb never minded if I talked about Drew. When I asked if it bothered him, he said it really didn't, and tried his best to explain how he saw things.

“I ask myself if your Drew is up there watching us, would he be happy about what’s going on between us?  I’m pretty sure the answer is that he would, that he’d see I’m doing my best to look after the little lady he loved so much.”

Just as I understood Caleb’s need for total transparency, he accepted that he had to let me know if he was going to be delayed, or back later than expected. He understood that otherwise, I'd be worrying that history was repeating itself, that he’d been in an accident like Drew.  So he was always very good about keeping me updated on his whereabouts, which I really appreciated.

Although I still found it hard to believe that a guy like Caleb was happy to be with me, when he could pretty much have the pick of anyone he wanted, I did believe that I could trust him absolutely, that he’d never cheat, not after everything he’d been through with Cassie.

In the back of my mind, maybe I suspected Caleb was with me precisely because I was plain, and therefore unlikely to draw much male attention, making it far less likely I’d be tempted to cheat on him. But he got cross if I said anything about him being out of my league in the looks department, and kept telling me that I was beautiful, and sexy.

I thought he was just being kind and trying to make me feel better.

That was until I saw some photos Caleb had taken of me one day on the beach when we’d been messing around together. In these pictures, I saw this happy, carefree girl laughing, her sun-kissed hair blowing in the breeze, her eyes sparkling with love for the person behind the camera, and I saw that being in love was making this girl -
me -
look really quite beautiful. Because that’s what love can do to a person, it can bring out their inner beauty, and of course I had fallen totally, madly, crazily, head over heels, in love with Caleb. 

How could I not? He was gorgeous, kind, loving, and caring, and now that I’d got under his skin enough to see how vulnerable he was, I really wanted to show him that not every woman was as two faced and untrustworthy as his ex-wife had been.  I had to find the strength to support him and be there for him, and the good thing was that thinking about Caleb, and putting his needs ahead of mine was finally helping me climb out of my grief and stupor of the last two years. Caleb knew all about my baggage, but he was there helping me unpack it, so I had to do the same for him.

Another reason I’d settled in so well and didn't miss home nearly as much as I thought I might was Caleb’s family.

I was understandably very nervous the first time he took me home to meet them.  I found excuses to put off meeting his family for as long as I could, thinking they must be worried about their son getting involved with a rather kooky, weird English girl, and that they’d have much preferred him to pick a nice uncomplicated home-grown-all-American girl, but Caleb wouldn’t let me hold off on meeting them for too long.

“It’ll be fine, Faith,” he assured me. “My family are all really looking forward to meeting you. They certainly won’t be giving you a hard time, so you have nothing to worry about.”
Unlike my family, eh?

Even so, Caleb sensed my nerves when he took me home to meet them, so he gripped my hand tightly as we walked in together, giving me a big reassuring smile, and keeping me right by his side.

But I needn’t have worried. His family welcomed me with open arms, and could not have been nicer.

And my word, there was no doubt that good looks certainly ran in the Mackenzie family. Caleb’s dad, Nate, and his two brothers, Seth and Lucas, were all a variation on the same theme, with their striking amber eyes, and thick dark hair, all carrying off the casual jeans and casual shirt look to perfection.

His dad was still a very handsome guy, very distinguished looking, his dark hair streaked with grey, like some kind of silverback to these impressive Mackenzie men. 

In total contrast, Caleb’s mum, Hannah, was much smaller and petite, fair haired and pretty, although she too was rocking the casual jeans and T-shirt look. I was glad I’d taken Caleb’s advice not to dress too formally, so my comfy jeans and top fitted right in with his relaxed family.

Right now Hannah was beaming at me, as if I was somehow the answer to all her prayers, and I felt myself starting to relax a little. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad after all.  Maybe Caleb’s family weren’t going to be as hostile as mine had initially been.

“Welcome to California, Faith. We’re so happy to have finally gotten to meet with you, after hearing about you from Caleb,” his mum greeted me with a big welcoming hug. “I expect everything seems very different from London, so I would love to help you get settled in and show you around, as I know how busy my son always is.”

“Thank you, I’d like that,” I smiled back, relieved at the genuine warmth of her greeting, before finding myself wrapped up in another big hug, this time from Caleb’s dad. Remembering how great Caleb was at giving hugs, I guessed it must run in the family.

“Really good to meet you, honey. Can't be easy having your own folks so far away, so we just want you to know that you can always turn to us, if you find yourself getting homesick in any way.”

Lord, his dad had got that same wonderful whisky burr to his voice too, in fact Caleb was basically just a younger version of his father.  Well, if this was what he was going to turn out like in middle age, sign me up now, I couldn't help thinking.

Next up was Seth, who looked very much like Caleb, just slightly leaner, with more of a curl to his hair. He was the car mechanic brother, the one who reminded Caleb of Drew, I recalled.

Seth greeted me with yet another of the Mackenzie trademark hugs.

“Great to finally meet you, Faith,” he said with a lazy smile as he let me go.

“Yeah, I gather I have you to thank for sending Caleb over to London,” I smiled back.

“Damn straight I did. Someone had to kick his sorry butt into action,” he chuckled as he glanced over at Caleb. “My big brother likes to think he’s the clever one, but sometimes he’s just plain dumb.”

“Hey, less of that you doofus. Just because I like to think things through before I act does not make me the dumb one,” Caleb retorted, as he cuffed his brother’s head playfully, leading Seth to try and put his brother in a head lock as they wrestled together.

“Okay boys, settle down,” their mum remonstrated, as I imagine she must have done countless times when her boys were growing up.

“Yeah, boys, you just carry on squabbling, then Faith will realise I’m the only civilized one here.  I’m Lucas, by the way. Pleased to meet you.  Hope you're settling in just fine anyhow.” The third of the Mackenzie brothers spoke up as I received yet another Mackenzie hug, but a briefer one this time - Caleb had said Lucas was the shyer, quieter one, and that he worked on the farm with their dad. He was pretty gorgeous too, with shorter hair, and slightly darker eyes.

“I am, thank you. I’m certainly loving the Californian climate, that’s for sure,” I replied.

“Well, now the introductions are out of the way, why don’t we get on with the cook out?” Caleb’s mum suggested, holding her arm out to lead the way.

***

“Faith honey, I was hoping I’d get you on your own for a few minutes, so we girls could have a little chat.”

Caleb’s mum gave me a warm smile as we busied ourselves clearing up and loading the dishwasher in the big farmhouse kitchen.  Caleb had been so sweet and thoughtful, staying by my side the whole afternoon, keeping hold of my hand so he could give it a reassuring squeeze every now and then, knowing how nervous I’d been about meeting his family. But when he looked at me to see if it was okay to go off with his brother to look at some new piece of farm equipment, I smiled and nodded to let him know I was fine about being left alone with his mum. I really liked Hannah; we just seemed to hit it off right from the start.

  “What I wanted to say was… well, truth is, Nate and I really want to thank you,” Hannah continued.

“Thank me? What for?” I asked, puzzled. 

“For giving us back our son, the
real
Caleb, instead of the cynical, party animal he’s been acting as since his divorce.  Nate and I are so thankful to see the change in him, the way his kind and caring side has returned, and we’re sure it’s all down to you,” she said, as she put her hand on my arm.

“I don't know about that… I haven’t really done anything,” I murmured, embarrassed.

“Oh, trust me, you have, Faith. You see, Caleb kind of shut down his emotions after his divorce, just burying himself in his work, spending what little free time he had going out clubbing. He’s never brought anyone home for us to meet since his divorce, so that’s how I know you must be someone pretty special,” she told me. “I'm just so thankful the first impression you must have gotten of Caleb didn't put you off.  You know, the flashy, materialistic kind, who feels the need to show off with a swanky sports car, or have a different girl on their arm every week, that sort of thing.  Our boy certainly wasn’t brought up that way, he was always so level headed and family orientated, but I guess it was just his way of dealing with the fallout from his divorce, after Cassie… well, let’s just say that not only did she cheat on him, she said some nasty things that damaged his self esteem, and that’s what made him act out of character.” Hannah’s face darkened at the memory.

“Yeah, Caleb has told me a bit about some of the things she said,” I admitted.

“He has? Well, that’s good, I’m glad he feels able to open up to you, that’s another way I think you’re so good for him. I could just tell from the first moment he walked in with you today, holding your hand so tightly in his, keeping you close by his side the entire time, that there was something real special going on between you, because that kind of closeness was never something I saw between him and Cassie. In fact, I don’t ever recall seeing them holding hands or looking at each other that way, or even speaking to each other very much at all. So I’m delighted to hear that you and Caleb talk to each other, as communication is just so important in building a solid relationship.”

“Well, Caleb is very easy to talk to, he’s a very good listener. He was there for me at a difficult time, he saw me at my worst and still stuck around, whereas I think most men would probably have run a mile,” I smiled, thinking of how wonderful Caleb had been when I had my melt down after the first time we slept together - not that I was going to tell his mum any details about that of course.