Page 3 of Changing Caleb
Caleb
“Maybe we should get a drink first,” I suggest, halting Brady and Lilly before we reach the table.
I thought I was ready to be in the same place as Casey. Ready to do whatever it took to prove to her I’ve changed and win her back. But what’s the point? She’s with Derek, and he can give her so much more than I can. Maybe he can give her what we lost.
“I’ll be right back,” Lilly offers.
“Coke for me, Lilly,” I say and Brady eyes me suspiciously. Not my typical order. I get that. But I’m not going to slip right back into my old ways.
“What?” I ask after Lilly walks off to the bar.
“Nothing.”
Brady steps back and looks me over as though he still can’t believe I’m standing in front of him and that I don’t already have a beer in my hand. He shakes his head and grins, the same cocky grin he’s always had.
“I was starting to think you’d become a Californian,” he smirks, but there is a hint of seriousness there.
I laugh and shrug. “And miss out on everything this small town has to offer?”
I’m joking, but we both know there was a part of me that wanted to stay and never come back. I quit drinking when I didn’t have to face Casey every day. She’s obviously happy. Things were easier with me gone.
“You got some new ink?” Brady questions, and I look down at my arm where black ink swirls at the hem of my t-shirt. He can’t see the full tattoo or possibly know the relevance of it.
“Yeah, it was time for something new,” I reply. “And no, I didn’t get rid of the other one. I did think about it though.”
“Seeing you two brand yourselves has turned me off tattoos for good,” Brady shudders.
“Young and stupid,” I comment.
“Young, stupid, and in love,” he adds. “Still, no matter how much I may care about a woman, her name is not getting inked on this body.”
“Can’t change it now,” I shrug.
I nod at Lilly, who’s coming back with our drinks, and she smiles, despite the shit I gave her before I left. I was hard on her, giving her hell for hooking up with Brady.
“I see you two are still fucking around,” I state, but wink, so she knows I’m teasing.
“What can I say?” Brady laughs. “There’s something about the waitresses at Jack’s Bar, right?”
I smile weakly, not wanting to think about the number of waitresses from Jack’s Bar that I’ve been with. Especially the one I can’t stop thinking about.
“So, you’re back!” Jade’s sweet voice sounds behind me, and I feel her hand on my shoulder. “I thought you were coming to our table.”
I suppose I’ve avoided them long enough, and I knew eventually she would come welcome me. That’s just the way she is. I don’t think she knows how to be mean unless you break your word or screw with her boyfriend. Well, her fiancé now, I guess.
“I’m back,” I reply. “I guess I should tell the two of you congratulations, although I’m not sure what the fuck you’re thinking.”
Madden rolls his eyes and then shakes my hand. “It’s not me you should be worried about. If those two keep carrying on like they do, I swear, Brady Thompson will be my brother-in-law soon, and I don’t think I like the sound of that.”
“Wait, brother-in-law? What the hell did I miss?”
Landon snickers. “And to think, people say nothing happens in a small town. There’s more drama in this fucking town than anywhere else I know.”
“Lilly is our sister,” Keegan explains, and Amelia nods, a big smile on her face.
“The waitress?”
“Oh shit, please tell me you’re not trying to bag another waitress already.”
