He nodded in agreement, and they all sat quietly for a moment, and he let his parents process what he’d told them.
“So, this means we’re grandparents.” His mom’s eyes welled up again, but this time he knew they were happy tears.
“Yes, Owen is your grandson.”
His mom stood and pulled Caleb to his feet, throwing her arms around him. His dad did the same, patting him on the back. “It’s a little late, but congratulations, son.”
“I told you he reminded me so much of Caleb.” His mom swatted his dad’s arm as they all sat back down, and she wiped the happy tears from her face. “Didn’t I tell you after Bingo?”
“There’s one more thing.” Caleb took another deep breath. “When Taylor was in the hospital, right after she got out of the ICU, we got married.”
Both of his parents stared at him, wearing matching stunned expressions.
“What?” His mom blinked. “Married?”
“Yes.”
“You had a wedding?” she emphasized.
“No,” he quickly corrected her. “I just had Belinda, you know, from Tahoe, come to the hospital, and we just said our vows, if you could call them that. It was basically just agreeing to be husband and wife while she was in her hospital bed and then signing paperwork.”
He waited for their reaction, for the onslaught of questions. He was ready to defend his actions. He was locked and loaded and ready to go.
“So you are legally married?” his mom clarified.
Okay, that wasn’t exactly what he’d expected. In fact, he’d classify that as a softball, but maybe she was just ramping up.
“Yes.”
He waited. After a few seconds, he saw the corners of his dad’s mouth twitch before they curled up, and he looked over at his mom. The moment his mom and dad locked eyes, they both burst into laughter.
“What?” Caleb asked, looking between them, searching for what he could possibly be missing.
As his dad’s laughter died down, he took his glasses off and used his thumb and forefinger to wipe moisture from under his eyes. He had laughed so hard he was crying. He was still chuckling as he said, “I can’t wait to see the look on Patsy’s face when she finds out our son is not living in sin, that he’s not leading his flock astray with the desires of the flesh, that he’s not bringing the spirit of fornication and deceit into the house of God, and whatever else she’s been all over town running her mouth saying about my son, spreading lies. Look in the mirror, lady; who’s going to hell now?”
“George, stop,” his mom warned, even though she was still grinning a little bit.
Caleb’s dad was a preacher, but his mom was definitely the moral compass in the family. His dad was the best man he knew; he was an honest, hardworking, God-fearing man, kind, empathetic, and strong, who would do anything for the people he loved or even for a stranger, but he also was a member of the Hell’s Angels for about five years in his early 20s. His mom liked to tease his dad that when he got pushed too far, his time with the Hell’s Angels overruled his time with God’s angels.
“Stop what?” His dad doubled down. “Do you know how many meetings I had to have with her, how many issues I had to deal with? This is priceless. First, a grandson, and now this. Man, this is the gift that keeps on giving. It’s like Christmas came early.”
“George,” his mom’s tone was still in the warning zone, but she was still smiling.
Caleb had no clue that his secret wedding would bring his father so much joy or that Patsy’s behavior would add years to Nonna’s life, but hey, a win was a win. He’d take it. It was all just the cherry on top of the cake. The cake that was his life with his wife and son. His family.
24
Taylor twisted in her seat,looking over her shoulder at Owen, who was seated in the back of Caleb’s Jeep, sandwiched between Minnie and Casper. “Are you sure you’re good with this?”
“Yeah.” Owen nodded with a grin, but she knew there was something off.
It had been about twelve hours since they had their talk, and even though he already knew that Caleb was his dad, having that information out in the open might still be an adjustment for him. They were on their way to Caleb’s parents’ house. They’d both met Owen one of the nights he’d called Bingo at Golden Years, but they wanted to officially meet their grandson. Caleb said they were “over the moon.” So much so that when they found out Owen was allergic to cats, they offered to rehome Captain and Tennille.
Taylor, Owen, and Caleb all agreed that Owen would take Claritin and look into allergy shots. He didn’t want anyone to give up their pets because, to him and Taylor, pets were members of the family. This morning, Caleb’s mom texted that his dad had already researched and ordered a top-of-the-line, medical-grade HEPA air filtration system that apparently captures 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns, which includes most pet dander. Since that wouldn’t be delivered until the following week, his parents had cleaned every surface in the house, walls and ceilings included and had scrubbed down or washed all the fabrics so that there was not a speck of dander or cat hair. In the past twelve hours his mom had also fit in a shopping trip. She’d texted Taylor asking for Owen’s sizes and permission to get him a few things since they’d missed so many holidays and birthdays.
She’d also texted that in all her excitement, she hadn’t realized she was out of a few key ingredients she needed from the grocery store, so Caleb was in the store grabbing what his mom asked him to pick up on his way.
“If this is too much too soon, we don’t have to go. I can tell themI’mtired and need to rest.”
