Caleb ~
What the fuck just happened?
It was like he was back to square one with Lainey again, maybe even worse. She wasn't just skeptical of him, it seemed like she downright hated him, but why? What on earth had changed in the few hours they'd been home?
Right after his conversation with Hunter, Caleb had come to check on Lainey and heard the shower running. There's no way she accidentally heard him from inside the house, down the hall and in the shower. So what the fuck happened?
What the hell did I do?
Marcus and Declan had intercepted him in the hallway, following him as he brushed past them, still rubbing the back of his head in confusion.
"She's mad as fucking hornet." Marcus grumbled.
"Yeah no shit." Caleb muttered.
"You think she heard what you said to Hunter?" Declan asked.
"There's no way she heard what I said to Hunter. I was outside and she was in her room in the shower. I even went and checked."
Declan and Marcus had been in the pool house with Caleb for hours discussing the awful lies Caleb had to tell Hunter in order to stay in Colombia with Lainey. At first Declan was pissed about the paparazzi photographs, but he ultimately let it go once Caleb had explained that he was in love with Lainey and fully planned on trying to make something work with her long term.
The three men sat in the pool house and mused ways to break the news to Hunter that Caleb had lied out of an act of panicked desperation for the woman he loved, which was going to be difficult for Hunter to relate to. Of all the men at Knight security Hunter was the least likely to sympathize with matters of the heart. He was all business all the time, with very little room for romance in his life while he commanded all four teams. The consensus was to wait until after the election to break the news to Hunter and that they would talk to Hunter as a team in order to support Caleb. Hunter might not have time for romance, but he wasn't heartless and Declan was confident that he would come around.
The next step of Caleb's plan was to sit down with Lainey and figure out a way to get her father on board with their relationship. If they could get Ricardo's approval it would be ten times easier to get Hunter's approval. Caleb left the pool house fully confident in their plan, but all that confidence had been shot to tell when Lainey jerked her head from his hands and told him to go.
What the fuck is going on and how do I fix it?
*****
Everyone was dressed and ready to leave for the dinner party that was being held in Ricardo's honor. With the election just days away, Ricardo was the guest of honor and the entire family was expected to attend a cocktail reception and dinner party to celebrate his successful campaign.
Lainey hadn't surfaced from her room yet, and Caleb was practically coming out of his skin with nervous energy.
He had called Lexi while Lainey was getting dressed, desperate for advice. Granted, he didn't really care for what Lexi had to say, but he was going to take her advice anyway.
"If Lainey said she needs space then give her space, even if you don't want to. She's not a child or a possession of yours Caleb. She's a grown woman with boundaries and you need to respect them even when you don't understand them."
Lexi's words replayed in his mind over and over as he reminded himself to respect whatever boundaries Lainey was going to put up that night, even if he hated them - which he did.
When Lainey finally emerged from her room, she was absolutely breathtaking in a form fitting gown that was a deep green color, making her eyes pop with color. The only problem was her eyes were red rimmed and puffy, void of any light or joy and the sight broke Caleb's heart in two.
She entered his space as she moved past him to get a drink from the fridge allowing him to lean down and whisper in her ear.
"You look incredible Lainey." he said in a voice low enough that only she could hear.
Lainey didn't even acknowledge the compliment or that Caleb had even spoken to her. She stayed her course to the fridge without looking at him, grabbed her drink, then brushed past him again as if he were a perfect stranger - worse - as if he were an enemy.
What the actual fuck is going on?
As the group filed out the door, Caleb hung back, snagging Lainey by the arm before she reached the door.
Lainey wrenched her arm harshly out of Caleb's grasp and put space between them.
"Lainey please just talk to me." he begged, holding his hands up showing that he wasn't going to touch her if she didn't want him to.
"I don't have anything to say to you Caleb." she said with absolutely no emotion on her face.
It was as if she were a shell of the Lainey he knew. Like her body was there, but her soul was hiding and her light had been extinguished.
"What did I do Lainey? Just tell me and I'll fix it. Please. I can't take care of you if I don't know what's wrong."
Lainey's eyes were a deep shade of green and he wasn't sure if it was because of her dress or her apparent anger toward Caleb that had turned them that color.
"Because taking care of me is your job. And you are so fucking good at your job aren't you Caleb." she hissed, narrowing her eyes at him.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean Lainey? Are we back here again?" he asked, completely bewildered by her sudden change in mood and personality.
"Yeah I guess we are. All the way back. So let's just get through the next week. Then you can go home and we can pretend this never happened."
Her words slammed into his chest with the force of a mac truck. Get through the next week? She was counting down the days for him to leave and wanted to pretend everything between them had never happened?
Caleb shook his head completely shocked and devastated by her vicious words, but before he could question her, Ricardo appeared in the doorway.
"Everyone's waiting on you Lainey-bug. Everything okay? Are you feeling alright?"
"Everything's fine." Lainey said with her eyes hatefully glued to Caleb's before she pushed past him and joined her father.
This can't be happening. I have to fix this.
*****
The team stood on the outskirts of the room as the Flores family sat around an immaculate table, eating a dinner that probably cost more than most people make in a week. Lainey was an absolute ghost. She was empty and lifeless, going through the motions, void of any joy. She didn't eat a bite of dinner and could barely muster more than a courtesy smile much less hold a conversation.
"We gotta figure out what's wrong with our girl. She's hurtin' something fierce Doc. You gotta fix this." Marcus said.
"I know, but I don't know what the fuck I did." Caleb said through clenched teeth.
"Try to get her alone during the cocktail hour after dinner. She won't make a scene here and might stand still enough to hear you out." Declan offered.
James stood from the table and headed toward them, clearly picking up on Lainey's sudden change in demeanor.
"What the hell happened while we were gone? Something's seriously wrong with Lainey," James said as he casually joined the group of men.
"We are trying to figure out the same thing." Marcus answered.
"She's pissed at me about something, but I can't figure out what it is." Caleb admitted.
With his brows lowered, James turned over his shoulder and eyed Lainey carefully.
"I'll get her to come talk to you during the cocktail reception. I can't stand to see her like this and she needs to forgive you for whatever petty bullshit she's mad about. She's fucking adores you man." James said to Caleb.
Caleb's heart swelled at James' words and he was beyond grateful to have Lainey's brother in his corner. Lainey and James were as thick as thieves and if anyone would be able to get through to her, it would be James.
With his heart in his throat, Caleb watched the family finish up their dinner and saw James pull Lainey aside. At first Lainey was stone faced and silent, but something James said must have triggered her to finally open up to him because her mouth started moving a hundred miles an hour. Angry expressions and pain-filled eyes were all Caleb could focus on as Lainey spoke to James and just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, James turned around with his sights set on Caleb, looking just as pissed as Lainey. James took heavy steps toward Caleb, with his fists balled as if he were going to throw a punch.
"Shit." Pierce muttered as he intercepted James, subtly holding him in place as James glared at Caleb.
Holy fucking shit what the hell is going on?
After a few seconds, Pierce seemed to have talked James off the ledge and patted James on the shoulder, sending him back toward Lainey by the bar.
"She heard you." Pierce said to Caleb.
"Huh?" Caleb asked, visibly confused.
"She fucking heard you Caleb. She went to put her shoes outside and overheard your conversation with Hunter." Pierce clarified
All of the blood rushed from Caleb's face and he felt like his knees were going to give out.
No...please God no.
"Fuck." Marcus muttered under his breath.
"I've got to go talk to her." Caleb said, with his feet already moving and Marcus and Pierce following close behind.
James had his arm around Lainey at the bar and was talking down into her ear when Caleb approached. To be honest he wouldn't have blamed James if he turned around and decked him. In fact, he would put his arms behind his back and allow it because quite frankly, he deserved it.
"Will you let me explain Lainey?" Caleb said softly from behind.
Lainey turned and narrowed her eyes at Caleb before she stepped forward out of James' hold with steel in her spine and fire in her blood.
"You've said enough, Caleb," she said coldly.
Please don't do this Lainey. Please let me explain.
"You don't understand. The things I said on the phone...they weren't true. I had to lie to my boss so he'd let me stay. I had to lie. If he knew we were romantically involved he was going to send me home and I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't leave you. I still can't."
Her eyes softened slightly for a brief second, then hardened again with more anger behind them than before.
"And the other part? The gathering intel from the financial records in my office. That was a lie too right? You haven't really been using your proximity to me to gather information for your job?"
Fucking shit. Of course you'd ask me that.
Caleb sucked in a hard breath and let it out slowly as he ran his hand backward through his hair before he delivered his verbal blow.
"That part was true." Caleb finally admitted, bracing himself for what was about to come next.
"So you were lying to your boss about me... and you were lying to me about your boss. That only means one thing to me Caleb. It means you're a liar. You used me." Her voice cracked as she said the word used and it completely broke Caleb.
"Lainey my feelings for you are real. It's all real to me. You've gotta believe me baby, Please. I lied because I knew if I didn't I'd be sent home and I'm not ready to leave you. I can't physically be away from you Lainey. You're right, I should have told you about the intel, I should have and I'll make it up to you I swear, but my feelings for you are real. They weren't driven by anything else, I promise you Lainey." He was begging, groveling, pleading with her to believe him.
"Then prove it." she said flatly, taking a step toward him.
I'll do anything to prove it to you Lainey, just name it.
"Just tell me how and I'll do it." Caleb said with hope in his voice.
Taking another step forward Lainey closed the space between them and looked up at him with an intense stare that seemed to burn right through him.
"Kiss me. Right here in front of all these people. If you really want a future with me and your feelings are what you say they are, kiss me in front of your team, my family, the reporters...everyone. No more hiding...just be with me."
Anything, but that Lainey.
Hunter's words flooded Caleb's mind and he panicked. He fucking panicked. There wasn't one rational cell in his body at the moment as he tried to calculate the weight of his actions. If another photo came across Hunter's desk, Hunter was going to lose his shit and pull him from the op. If Ricardo saw them kissing from across the room, he'd lose his shit and fire Caleb. Kissing Lainey meant he'd have to leave her - he might even be banned from seeing her depending on how angry Ricardo was. He wasn't ready for that, he couldn't do it.
Lainey stared up at him, waiting for his response and Caleb hated himself for the words that were about to come out of his mouth.
"I can't." Caleb could barely get the words out, they were so painful to say.
Please forgive me baby...Let me explain.
Lainey stumbled backwards as if his words had struck her. She clutched her abdomen and her shoulders caved as the air left her lungs in one loud whoosh from her lips. Caleb hated himself in that moment. He saw the intense undiluted pain in her eyes and hated himself for putting it there.
"Please let me explain Lainey...I can't because..."
She cut him off before he could say another word.
"I don't want to hear your explanation Caleb. You made your choice." she said in a shaky voice that shredded Caleb's heart.
"But I..."
"Enough..." Lainey snarled as she straightened her posture and regained her composure as she looked around and remembered where she was.
"You were supposed to be different Caleb...but you are just like them."
Rubbing his hand across his chest, Caleb physically felt her words slam into his heart and they fucking hurt, but he deserved it.
She turned to leave before he could explain, before he could react, before he could find the words to say. Dread filled his heart and the color drained from his face as he came to one terrifying realization.
Oh my fucking God...I lost her.
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