Cal's POV
I spent the day relaxing while Steph was at work. After a morning run and shower, I went to my sister's for lunch and spent some time with my niece and nephew. Victoria is three years younger than me, and we've always been close. Her husband, Brad, travels extensively for business, so I spend a lot of time with her and the kids when I'm not at work.
She had interrogated me endlessly about Steph, wanting to know everything about her. Thank God I'd run into her again and we were together; I would be in a world of hurt if I had to explain that I had told them that I met someone to get them off my back. Instead, she had needled me until she knew almost as much about Steph as I do. She made me promise that I would bring her to Sam's christening and then to lunch with the family after. I am anxious to see how Steph gets along with my family; I think they will love her as much as I do. Whoa, wait! Love?! Well, it certainly feels like it.
I left Victoria's when she put the kids down for their afternoon nap and headed off to the grocery store to grab things for dinner. It seemed from Steph's text that she was having a rough day at work and I instantly knew that I wanted to do anything I could to make her day better when she got home. She told me while we were at Point Pleasant that her favorite guilty pleasure was sausage alfredo, so I grabbed all of the necessary ingredients for that along with a bottle of wine and a cheesecake for dessert.
I decided that Steph needed some romance as well, so I searched the closets until I found a tablecloth. After setting the table and placing some candles around the bedroom for later, I began on dinner, trying to time it just right so that it would be ready a few minutes after she got home. I was surprised when she walked through the door with a box and gave her a questioning look.
"It's a long story. Let me change and then I'll tell you all about my day?" she asked.
"Of course," I agreed. She looked like she'd had a shit day.
"But first…" she trailed off. She walked into my arms and wrapped herself around me, almost as though she was gathering strength and peace from being close to me. I pulled her closer and kissed her forehead.
I'm sorry you had a rough day, Angel. Is there anything I can do for you?" I asked.
"You are," she assured me. "I just need a minute to center myself and then I'll be good."
I held her tightly until her body relaxed and she let out a deep breath. She pulled herself back and reached up on her tiptoes and kissed me, lingering a moment with her lips pressed against mine.
"Thank you, Cal," she whispered.
"Anything for you, Baby. I'm glad I'm here. Now, go change and I'll have dinner and wine on the table when you get back."
"She headed off toward her bedroom and I plated up our dinner and poured the wine. She emerged a few minutes later in yoga pants and a t-shirt and looking much more relaxed. I pulled out her chair and helped her into it and then placed her wine in her hand.
"Go ahead and relax," I told her. She looked like she still needed a few minutes, and I had all the time in the world for her.
Steph picked up her glass of wine and took a few sips and then took a bite of her pasta. "This is amazing, Cal. Thank you," she said after her first bite. "There was a bust at work today. I had a meeting with my boss right after our weekend at the beach that made me think things weren't on the up-and-up. I started digging and found out that the bosses were laundering money and in bed with the mob."
My spine stiffened at hearing this and I took a deep breath. The mob was bad news. "Who knows that you found that information?" I asked, quickly trying to decide if she was in danger.
"Just the guy who led the bust today; his windbreaker said FBI. He's the only one who I've spoken to, and I get the feeling he's trustworthy. I was detained all afternoon until I could give him all of the information that I had. It was a long, crappy day," she replied between bites of her food.
The tension in my body decreased and I nodded at her. "I'm so sorry that you had to deal with that, Angel. What does this mean for you?" I asked.
"It means that I'm officially unemployed," she said with a frown. "Guess I'll start looking for a new job tomorrow. Thankfully, I have a nice savings so I don't have to stress too much."
"Do you have any idea what you want to do?"
"I know that I want to make a change," she replied immediately. "I think I may see if my dad can meet me for lunch tomorrow and see if he has any suggestions."
"That sounds like a good idea," I encouraged her.
"Would you go with me? I know it's soon, but I'd like for you to meet him. I think you two will have a lot in common and get along well," she asked, and I'd never felt more excited to have lunch in my life. This meant she was really letting me in if she wanted me to meet her dad.
"I would love to. Thank you for inviting me," I answered quickly, before she could change her mind.
"Perfect. Guess we can just relax until time to head to Trenton tomorrow."
"You still okay with spending the weekend with me?" I asked. I was already growing quite accustomed to spending time with her.
"Yeah, nowhere else I want to be," she assured me.
"I'm so glad, Angel.
