I never thought I'd leave this story this long without an update but... feels have been hard to come by for a sustained period of time. But I'm back and loving my Haleb babies.
I feel like this is slightly ooc and was tempted not to upload but you guys deserve something so... recent Guest, you kind of read my mind with making Caleb a little vulnerable.
tvfanlife ~ thank you for your sweet review, tbh although only 5 chapters left now it'll still be going in 7B so I'll just be writing gggb alongside it
Guest ~ potential for an epilogue :) although for some reason my brain never wants to see haleb age and therefore, never see their kids age / be teenagers!
Guest ~ another Haleb baby? I think 4 is ooc, but what do you guys think? To me, 3 babies is Haleb
Guest(s) ~ lots and lots of amazing requests, majority will be written
Enjoy below...
Summer
Caleb grinned as he made his way across the parking lot of Logan's elementary school. It was finally the last day of school and he could not wait for the summer break to begin. It would be the first summer since Logan was born that he wouldn't be working and there was nothing he wanted more than to spend his days in the sun, watching his kids simply enjoying life.
But before he could even think about grabbing Logan and kicking off their summer together, he had to follow the laborious sign-out procedure every parent had to go through when they were collecting their child. He didn't know exactly how many times he had to sign his name before Logan was given the freedom every child in school dreamed of.
"Daddy!" The little boy yelled, wrapping his hands around his neck as Caleb finally scooped him up.
"You ready to go?" Caleb asked, squeezing him tight before placing him on the ground.
"I got my bag," He nodded as Caleb ran a hand through his hair.
"You got everything from your classroom?" He asked again, "It's the last day bubba, so we're not coming back for a couple of months," He said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I got it all," Logan said determinedly, leaning into Caleb's side as he began to guide him towards the exit. "Miss Georgia gave us a picture," He started excitedly as they made their way out into the Pennsylvania sunshine.
"You got a picture?" He asked, taking Logan's hand as they reached the edge of the pavement, making sure he was safe crossing the parking lot.
"Uh huh," Logan replied, "It was of a—" He was about to finish his sentence until he became completely distracted by their car, "Mommy's here," He cried as Hanna waved her fingers at him out of her window. "Mommy!"
"Hey Lo," She grinned, reaching out let him grab onto her hand before Caleb ushered him towards the back of the car.
"Everyone is here!" Logan gasped again as Caleb opened up the door for him before taking his backpack and moving to throw it in the trunk of the car next to George who was patiently lying in his travel cage.
"They are," Caleb agreed, encouraging him up into his seat. "You in?" He asked, checking his seatbelt before he shut the door and made his way round to the driver's side.
"Did you have a fun last day?" Hanna asked, glancing over her shoulder at Logan as Caleb reversed out of their spot and headed towards the exit.
"We played outside Mommy," He said, "And I got a picture!"
"A picture?" She gasped as Caleb reached for her hand to wrap his fingers around hers. "What's it a picture of?" She asked as Caleb's thumb ran over the back of her hand.
"Mama, moosic," Mila interrupted, reaching forward as far as her seat would allow her.
"Not now bunny," She said gently, "Lo's telling us about his day and we want to listen to him."
"She's obsessed with music," Caleb murmured, squeezing Hanna's hand before he let go to focus as they headed into downtown Rosewood.
"Mommy this isn't home," Logan said, staring out the window as he processed exactly where they were, "Are we goin' shopping?"
Caleb swallowed a laugh as Hanna rolled her eyes, "No Lo, we're not going shopping," She said, shooting Caleb a glare, "Daddy and me thought because it's finally summer we could have a special treat."
"Choklit!" Mila yelled as loudly as she could.
"Not chocolate by itself," Hanna replied, "But what about… ice cream?"
"Ice cream!" Logan and Mila yelled together, prompting Hanna to shoot Caleb a wry smile. Their kids were way too predictable. "I want chocolate ice cream," Logan added as Caleb pulled into a side street and parked up.
"You can have chocolate," Hanna agreed, grabbing her bag as Caleb jumped out, "Mila, do you want chocolate ice cream too?"
"Yes!"
"We better go get some chocolate ice cream then," She smiled, climbing out of the car and moving round to the trunk to see if Caleb needed any help with grabbing all their stuff and sorting George out.
"I got it," He reassured her, not even waiting for her to open her mouth as he pulled the stroller out and set it up before encouraging George out and tying his leash to the stroller, "But," He stopped her as she tried to walk away, "You can't walk away without giving me something," He teased her, grinning as she headed straight back towards him to wrap her arms around his waist, placing a gentle kiss on his lips.
"That's something," She told him, squeezing his side before headed back round to the side of the car to help Logan and Mila out before they went crazy in anticipation, "We're playing the hands on the car game," She told them as soon as she opened the door, letting Logan out before she reached across to the middle to unclip Mila.
"I'm gonna win," Logan cheered, sticking both his palms on the black body of the car.
"Me win," Mila pouted, copying him as soon as Hanna put her on the ground.
"Keep them both there and we'll see who wins," Hanna said, tucking her hair behind her ear as she waited for Caleb to appear with Everly.
"Me!" Mila yelled, jumping up and down excitedly whilst she kept her fingertips on the car.
"Okay," Caleb finally appeared, Everly in his arms and smiling away, "Pix didn't wanna go in her stroller," He murmured, "But I'm okay with that," He smiled, kissing the baby's cheek as she gripped his shirt.
"You got everything else in there?" Hanna asked, stroking Logan's hair as she moved past him to check what Caleb had packed before dumping her bag in the seat of the stroller.
"We got it," He reassured her, holding Everly close to his chest as she looked around to take in her surroundings.
"Mama," Mila called impatiently, her hands coming off the car as Hanna finally held her hand out for her.
"I win," Logan cheered, taking Caleb's outstretched hand as they began to follow Hanna who was pushing the stroller with one hand and holding Mila's fingers with her other.
"You did," Caleb agreed, keeping him close as they walked down the sidewalk towards Lucky Leon's Cupcakes.
"Mila and Mommy look the same," He laughed, pointing at the two blondes in front of them. "And George has the same hair!"
"They do," Caleb looked up and felt his heart tighten; Mila sashaying in her white summer dress, holding on tight to Hanna's hand as their blonde hair glowed in the sunlight, "Evvy might have hair like them too when it grows longer," He added, brushing a hand through the blonde curls that were starting to come through properly on Everly's head.
"Daddy!" Mila turned around and yelled as Hanna came to a stop outside the shop, "Huwee."
"We're here," Caleb laughed as Hanna held her hands out for their youngest daughter. "I wonder who she learnt that from," He shot Hanna a knowing look. She didn't say anything, just kissed Everly's hair as she fought a smile.
"Daddeeeee," Mila whined again, tugging on his jeans.
"Okay, okay," He placated her, scooping her up and blowing a raspberry against her cheek.
"We're going to go and set up on the grass," Hanna said, "Don't be too long," She flashed him a dreamy smile, stealing a tender kiss before she left him standing there in a daze and headed across the road with Everly, George and the stroller to find a space for them in the middle of the square.
"Daddy," Logan tugged Caleb's arm impatiently, shaking him out of his reverie.
"Come on," He encouraged him into the shop, "Choose what you want Lo."
"Daddy mo ice cream," Mila said, pointing at the counter.
"More?" He said, rubbing her side tenderly, "We haven't had any yet. Are you gonna get all hyped up on sugar and then be a nightmare for me and Mommy tonight?" He asked her, grinning as she nodded nonchalantly, "Can't wait baby. What flavor do you want?"
"Choklit," She replied excitedly as Logan came back over.
"Can I have chocolate too Daddy?"
"Two chocolate ice creams?" The cashier smiled behind the counter, having heard most of their conversation.
"Two small tubs," Caleb agreed, "Can we also get one small strawberry and one medium caramel and vanilla?"
"I like vanilla," Logan said, looking up at Caleb hopefully.
"You like chocolate too," He raised a knowing eyebrow, keeping Mila in his arms as the small pots of ice cream began to be placed down in front of them. He paid, giving Logan and Mila their treats to hold onto as he carried the other two in his free hand and led Logan across the road when the traffic paused.
"Mommy's there," Logan yelled, pointing at Hanna as he spotted her on the blanket she'd laid out. "It's like a picnic," He said excitedly, charging off across the grass.
"Careful," Caleb muttered under his breath, half-expecting Logan to fall and catastrophically lose his ice cream in the process. But he reached Hanna safely, sitting himself down right next to Everly and George who was being more than patient as Everly played with his ears.
"That was quick," Hanna smiled, shaking a toy in front of the babbling baby to try and save their pooch from having his fur tugged on. "What did you get me?" She asked, taking the ice cream from him to let him put Mila down safely. "Mmm," She took a scoop of his, testing out all the flavours, "The caramel's good," She said, handing it back to him.
"You want that one instead?" He asked, taking a seat next to her and stretching his legs out.
"No," She smiled, "You got me my favourite, I'm good."
"Mommy, can Evvy have some?" Logan paused from shoveling the cool treat in, holding a spoonful out towards his baby sister.
"No baby," Hanna said gently, "She's too little to have ice cream, but thank you for sharing."
"Babe," Caleb stole her attention, nodding at Mila who'd decided her spoon wasn't getting her ice cream in her mouth quick enough and had proceeded to try and eat straight from the tub. "We have a situation," He muttered, placing his cup down to try and save as much as he could.
"You take your eye off her for 30 seconds," Hanna said, rolling her eyes as Caleb pulled Mila's ice cream away from her face to reveal a melting chocolate mess around her mouth, "Okay crazy girl," She started, leaning over to wipe her face as Mila began to screw her face up unhappily, "Ice cream is for eating, not drinking," She explained, pulling her onto her lap before taking what was left of Mila's treat back and helping her with her spoon.
"Mommy!" Logan shrieked again as George began to sniff his ice cream, "George, no," He tried, holding the pot away from him, "George!" He yelled as the dog's tongue appeared for a lick.
"Okay," Caleb intervened, pulling the dog away from Logan by his collar. "That's enough," He muttered, giving his fur a stroke as he settled down next to him.
"Ja," Everly whimpered, her little arms reaching out for the pup who was now out of reach, "Ja!" She cried, her face scrunching up as angry tears began to appear.
"Is anyone happy?" Caleb asked, handing Hanna his ice cream to hold so that he could lean across and pull Everly into his arms, "Don't cry on Daddy," He pouted at her, kissing her face before he placed her down on her butt next to George. "I'm surrounded by drama queens," He remarked as he watched his youngest daughter begin to smile again as she played with their loyal and beyond-patient dog.
"My fingers are about to drop off," Hanna said, holding Caleb's ice cream out for him.
"Serious drama queens," He rolled his eyes, watching as Hanna cleaned Mila up again and then propped her on her feet to go and play.
"But you love us," She turned her head to him, smiling as she leant across to place her lips on his. "Mmm," Her lips tilted up against his, "You taste good."
"Mommy," Logan broke them apart as he appeared in front of Hanna, handing her his empty pot, "Can I play?"
"You can," She agreed, "Daddy put your soccer ball in the stroller," She told him, stroking his back as he leant forward and wrapped his arms around her neck, "Stay close to the blanket, okay?" He nodded and smiled as she pressed a kiss against his cheek before she let him go and watched him start the hunt for his soccer ball.
"Are you finished?" Caleb stole her attention, wrapping his arm around her waist and tugging her closer as she nodded.
She pursed her lips for a kiss, fighting a smile as he placed his mouth tenderly on hers, his hand squeezing her side as they pulled apart. "Again," She demanded teasingly, stroking his chest with her hand as she pouted again.
He grinned, stealing her lips quickly before he encouraged her back and he made a move to stand up, "Let me go put all this in the trash and then we can make out."
Hanna watched him move around the blanket before her eyes naturally diverted to Logan and Mila, checking they were okay as they played in the sunshine before she moved to prop herself up on her side as she watched Everly play with George, "Evvy, don't you think your Daddy is handsome?" She asked, kissing her face.
"Da!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.
"That's right, Dada," She grinned, running a hand through the baby's hair, "He is handsome isn't he?" She cooed, stroking her palm down Everly's back.
"Mommy," Logan came charging over, "Who's Daddy talking to?" He asked, climbing on top of her.
Hanna frowned, looking over her shoulder at Caleb who'd been stopped by a man near the park bench. "I… don't know," She said, the furrow on her brow deepening. She could see Caleb's body tense as he crossed his arms and the worry naturally surged through her body. "Mila," She called, her eyes darting to the little girl who was playing with her dolly on the grass, "Come here baby," She encouraged her distractedly, holding an arm out.
"Look Mama, flow-er," Mila pointed at the daisies that were growing near her.
"Come look at the flowers over here," She said, her eyes fixed on Caleb as he spoke to whoever it was. She wished she could hear what they were talking about.
But Caleb could feel Hanna's eyes on him and he was doing as much as he could to not be forced to introduce her to the man in front of him. He didn't want to become part of his present. "You remember me, right?" The brunette brought his thoughts right back to the present.
"I'd tried to block it out," He muttered, "But yeah, I remember."
"It was a long time ago," The man acknowledged, "But these things stick with you."
"Not long enough."
There was a pause in the conversation until the man cleared his throat, "Are you here by yourself?"
"No," Caleb swallowed, "My little boy's just finished pre-k so we thought we'd take him out for ice cream to celebrate."
"We? Married?" The man asked.
"Yeah," Caleb nodded, glancing over at Hanna who was staring at him with concern, "Hanna," He indicated over towards her, "She was actually my girlfriend when…"
"When you moved out."
"Yeah."
"How many kids have you got?"
"Three," Caleb finally cracked a smile, "My little boy and then I've got two girls."
"Wow."
"Yeah," Caleb bit his lip and nodded, "Well," He squeezed his arms tighter across his chest – he wanted this conversation to be over with.
"I'm glad it worked out for you."
"Thanks," Caleb smiled tightly, nodding at him before he was finally left alone.
Back over on the blanket, Logan was getting antsy about who Caleb was talking to – almost as antsy as Hanna. "Is it Daddy's friend?" He asked Hanna again, both of them watching as Caleb turned and began to make his way back over to them.
"I don't know who it is Lo," She said, sitting up as Caleb reached the blanket, "Are you okay?"
"Daddy who was that?" Logan yelled, cutting Hanna off.
"Lo," Hanna hushed him, "Daddy can hear you with your normal voice," She said gently as Caleb sat back down behind her, immediately pulling Everly into his arms and holding her tight against his chest. "Caleb," She turned towards him, looking at him with concern.
"Later," He shook his head, inhaling Everly's precious scent before he placed her back next to George who'd started to snooze in the sun.
"Are they okay to play?" She asked quietly, reluctant to let Logan and Mila go too far when there was someone who'd made Caleb uneasy in the near vicinity.
"Yeah, they're fine," He swallowed, "Actually," He shook his head, "Can we go home?"
"Sure," She nodded, reaching out a hand to stroke his thigh, "We can go home," She smiled reassuringly, "They can play outside and we can have dinner on the deck."
"Let's go," He murmured, giving her a quick but tender kiss.
"Okay," She nodded, biting her lip as she watched him stand again, pulling away from her, "Let's go."
Hanna sighed as she glanced out the kitchen window later that afternoon. Caleb had been quiet ever since he'd spoken to the mysterious stranger when they'd gone to get ice cream and it was killing her that she hadn't had the opportunity to ask him what was going on. She checked on the chicken she had cooking in the oven before grabbing the jug of water she'd refilled and making her way out onto the deck. With Logan and Mila finally content playing on their own, it left only their youngest baby girl as a distraction from the conversation she was about to have with her husband.
"There's Mama," She heard Caleb cheer at the 9-month-old sat on his chest as he lounged on their outdoor sofa.
"Ma-ma," Everly repeated, smiling as Caleb tickled her tummy.
"Is Daddy playing with you?" Hanna grinned, placing the jug of water on the table before she made her way over to join them, cuddling up close to Caleb as Everly fell forward excitedly.
"Da!"
"Big kisses for Daddy," Hanna smiled, wrapping her hand around Caleb's neck as she placed a gentle kiss against the side of his head. He grinned, reaching to the side of him for Everly's butterfly raffle that was colorful enough and noisy enough to cement it was one of her favourite toys. "You gonna tell me who that guy was, yet?" Hanna asked, running her fingers through the back of Caleb's hair.
He sighed and looked down at the baby in his arms before looking up at Hanna. "He was… a guy who was in foster care with me," He muttered.
"What?" She sat up a little taller. Caleb didn't speak about people who were part of his childhood and it wasn't something she'd ever pushed him on. This was new, this was different.
"Yeah," He sighed again, "I didn't even recognize him to be honest," He shrugged, "He stopped me and asked me if I was Caleb Rivers."
"Who is he?" Hanna asked gently, stroking his arm.
"His names Grant," He said, "He was staying at Janet's when I was there."
"You mean the wicked witch of Rosewood?"
He shot her a smile, "Her," He agreed before letting her connect their lips. "The witch you saved me from," He reminded her.
"Seeing him brought back memories, huh?" She said tenderly, her hand dropping to his chest. She knew how briefly Caleb was actually living at Janet's, so she doubted he would have been able to build up a strong bond with someone else staying there.
"Just a bit," He nodded, kissing her again, "The ironic thing is that was by far one of my nicer experiences in foster care."
"Because you got the cheque but didn't have to live there?" She asked, wrapping her hand around him again, her fingers gently running up and down his jawline.
"Something like that. I guess it still wasn't good enough."
A silence encompassed them, the only sounds in the air being Logan and Mila as they ran around and had fun with each other in the Rosewood evening sun. "You know what I was thinking earlier?" Hanna started, reaching her hand down to stroke Everly's back, desperate to provide him some form of comfort. She didn't want to push him to talk about the man in more detail when he was clearly trying so hard to block it out.
"What?"
"That we used to go to get ice cream," She said, "When it was just us," She smiled at him, "Waaaaaay before we were even thinking about anything other than Rosewood."
"I remember."
"And we would always sit on the curb opposite Lucky Leon's and look at the typical Rosewood families who were going to get ice cream together," She rolled her eyes, thinking about the things they used to talk about.
"I seriously hope to god we are nothing like them," Caleb muttered as a smile graced his face.
"We're not," She reassured him, "But we are here," She soothed him as best as she could, "And we did take our kids for ice cream today," She grinned, "Even if one did almost get theirs eaten by George and the other tried to drink hers straight."
"They are pretty special," He smirked, bouncing Everly on his chest. "Are your brother and sister crazy?" He asked her as she tried to shove the butterfly in her mouth.
"I know it's hard when things from our past turn up unexpected," Hanna said, resting her forehead against his head, "And I know it's hard to block it out," She added, "Impossible even," He nodded and she finally felt like she was getting through to him, "But so many good things have happened since we found each other. We're not that family sitting outside Lucky Leon's eating ice cream, but we are our family and that's all that matters."
Caleb took a deep breath before nodding, connecting their lips tenderly, "I love you Hanna Rivers," He murmured, stealing her mouth again.
"You haven't said that in a while," She teased him, keeping him close as her lips naturally gravitated to his once more.
"I tell you I love you all the time," His brow furrowed but there was still a smile on his face.
"Hanna Rivers," She shook her head, leaning back against the seat, "Sometimes I forget what my full name is."
"I didn't put that rock on your finger for you to forget," He muttered, reaching for her hand.
"Ba," Evvy yelled, reaching forward for the diamond that was now sparkling in the light.
"That's Mama's engagement ring," Caleb told her sweetly, "It means Mama said she'd be with Daddy forever."
"Baba ma!" The baby squealed, abandoning her toy butterfly as she attempted to pull Hanna's finger into her mouth.
"No," Caleb shook his head, "You can't eat it," He hitched her up on his chest, holding her hands as he kissed her face over and over.
"She is so in love with you," Hanna smiled, "She's only seeing the perks since you stopped working," She said, squeezing her baby girl's sock-clad foot.
"I didn't realise there were negatives," Caleb grinned, following Hanna as she stood up with Everly on his hip. Her words had made him feel instantly better.
"Just that you're the biggest distraction in the world."
He reached for Hanna's waist and pulled her back against his chest, earning a shriek from his wife, "That's not a bad thing," He murmured in her ear, patting her butt before letting her head into the house to finish sorting out their dinner. Hanna was right, he thought, as he found Logan and Mila digging up one of the flowerbeds together. They were definitely their own family and that was all that mattered.
"I've been thinking about you."
It was 10pm when Hanna looked up from the purchase order she was reading through for her shop, to find Caleb leaning against the doorway to their en suite in his boxers.
"I'm always thinking about you," He clarified, folding his arms across his chest.
"I guess it's a pretty good thing you chose to marry me then," She said, taking her glasses off and placing them on the side with the paper she'd just about finished checking.
"Seriously," Caleb said, making his way over to her, climbing up onto his side of the bed. "You are so amazing," He whispered, moving under the covers with her.
"So are you," She smiled, moving her arm across his chest.
"No," He murmured, "You are… " He didn't finish his sentence, just dropped his head to hers, stealing her mouth as he kissed her deeply. "That," He finished, his eyes flaring as he pulled back and smiled teasingly at her.
"That's nice," She bit her lip.
"Nice?" His hand dropped underneath the comforter, stroking her hip underneath the t-shirt she'd stolen from his wardrobe. "That was a you've changed my life, had three kids and changed my life again kiss."
"I kinda got that," She tilted her head slightly, propping herself up on her elbows. He kissed her again, pushing his tongue into her mouth as he encouraged her on top of him, his hands wrapping around her back as her fingers went to his jawline, holding his face in place as their lips moved against each other's. "Now I got it," She smiled down at him, running a hand through his hair before it trailed down his ear.
"I've been thinking about today," He started again, pushing her hair behind her ear with his fingers as she settled on top of him.
"I thought you were thinking about me," She pouted, resting her forearms on his chest as she leant down to be closer to him.
He smiled, "I was," He reassured her, "I am," He corrected himself. "Seeing that guy... Grant… it was a good thing," He finally said, "Sometimes you need something to remind you how good you've got it," He murmured, "He was that something today."
"I know you," Hanna told him tenderly. She'd lived the same life as him since they were 16. She felt his happiness, felt his pain. "You deserve everything we have."
"So do you," His hands dropped to her thighs, stroking up and down, "I can't wait for summer," He whispered before she moved her mouth onto his, telling him with her body that she felt exactly the same. It was the end of the conversation. It was the beginning of their night, the beginning of the next two months of taking, enjoying, being together as the two of them, the five of them. It was everything that was summer.
Enjoy? Review? xoxo
