Till Death Do Us Apart
28. I Love You, Caleb
Chapter 28
Caleb got her to the hospital faster than should have been possible on ice-covered roads, his hands unsteady for the first time Tania could remember.
Ashton met them at the door and held up a hand before Caleb could push past him. “Stay out here. Let me look at her properly.”
Caleb grabbed his collar instead. “What is actually wrong with her?”
Ashton hesitated, clearly torn between loyalty and the promise he’d made Tania, until Vivian arrived and stepped smoothly between them.
“Let him work,” she said, calm and firm, and something in Caleb eased slightly, recognizing her now as the woman who’d taken a knife meant for Tania.
Vivian went in with Ashton. Tania opened her eyes a while later to a strange, hollow quiet in her own chest, and found Caleb sitting beside the bed, holding both her hands like he was afraid to let go.
She smiled and sat up, leaning into his shoulder. He startled slightly, having drifted off himself, then straightened and pressed a hand to her stomach.
“Any discomfort?”
She shook her head. He studied her a long moment.
“Tell me the truth,” he said. “What’s your relationship with the doctor?”
• • •
Tania blinked at him, startled, then let out a small breath of relief once she understood the question. She explained Ashton and Vivian plainly, start to finish, watching some of the tension leave Caleb’s shoulders as she talked.
Ashton stepped in partway through, and Caleb’s phone rang almost simultaneously, pulling him out into the hallway.
Tania’s smile faded the moment they were alone. “What’s actually wrong with me? I’ve never just fainted like that before.”
“Your heart’s in a fragile state right now,” Ashton said gently. “Any strong emotion, good or bad, could trigger something serious.”
Her hand drifted to her stomach. “And the baby?”
Ashton’s mouth curved slightly. “Your baby’s a fighter.”
The door banged open before she could respond, Cecile and Nicole bursting in together, and Ashton’s expression shifted instantly into something wary as he squared up toward Nicole.
• • •
Cecile tiptoed over to check on Tania, throwing confused glances at the two men now glaring daggers at each other over nothing at all.
Vivian walked in with a food flask right as fists nearly started flying, her face falling instantly. “Oh no.”
She wedged herself between them fast. Nicole, apparently deciding jealousy was worth the risk, pulled her into a hug out of nowhere.
“I missed you, Vivian.”
It backfired spectacularly. Cecile’s face went thunderous, and she crossed the room and slapped him across the cheek.
“Scumbag,” she snapped, and stormed out.
Nicole chased after her, already regretting it, and the two of them argued somewhere down the hallway for the better part of an hour before returning, considerably calmer. Nicole explained everything to Vivian and Ashton plainly this time, and made his relationship with Cecile official in front of all of them.
• • •
Cecile and Vivian hit it off instantly once the drama settled, chatting like old friends within minutes. Tania glanced around the room. “Where’s Caleb?”
He walked back in a moment later, and Tania seized the opening before he could sit down. “Let’s go ice-skating.”
“Not until you’re better.”
Ashton discharged her later that day anyway, satisfied enough with her numbers, and Caleb took her shopping instead of arguing further. She picked out skating shoes she loved on sight, then, to his visible surprise, added a guitar and a red dress to the cart.
Back at the villa, she spent the evening cooking with Greta’s help, setting up a full candlelight dinner. Afterward, she changed into the new dress and pulled Caleb out to the balcony.
“Play something,” she said, nodding at the guitar.
• • •
He played, and she danced until her breath ran short, and then he set the guitar aside and pulled her in, swaying slowly with her in the cold night air.
She woke the next morning to find herself staring at his sleeping face for far longer than she meant to, catching herself only when his eyes blinked open.
“Ice skating,” she said quickly, sitting up. “It’s time.”
They met Cecile, Nicole, Ashton, and Vivian at the rink that afternoon. Caleb kept one hand near Tania’s waist the entire time, steady, ready to catch her the second her balance wavered.
Cecile and Nicole turned every lap into a comedy routine. Vivian and Ashton skated easy circles, warm and unhurried. Tania and Caleb held onto each other and barely moved at all, content just to sway near the rail.
He kissed her in front of everyone, unhurried, like the small crowd around them didn’t exist.
“I love you, Caleb,” she said against his mouth, before she could stop herself.