8 Weeks (Time for Love 1)

I felt sick at the thought, and as much as didn’t want to believe that divorce was going to be Shelly’s final decision, I wasn’t a fool enough to realize it was a strong possibility.

“Yes, sir, I understand that, and as much as I’d hate to let her go, I will. I want her to be happy, and if she can’t be happy with me, I’ll walk away.”

Chuck nodded, his eyes sad.

“I never thought the two of you would be in this place, son, I have to admit… But everyone makes mistakes. It’s what we learn from them, and how we change, that determines the people that we become. You’ll be fine, Cal, no matter what happens.”

“Yes, sir,” I said as I stood, my nerves back in full force. “I’m not giving up yet though. I came here today, not just to apologize to you, but to let you know that for our last date, I plan to recreate my proposal to Shelly. I love her and, over the past few weeks, I’ve done everything I could to show her what our future could look like. Now I want her to know that I’m recommitting myself to her and this marriage, that she can trust me, and that I will spend the rest of my days proving it to her.”

Chuck stood and clapped his hand on my shoulder, leaving it there as he said, “That sounds perfect, son.”

I looked the older man in the eye and gave him my first real smile since I’d arrived.

“I’d like to ask you for her hand in marriage, just like I did before I proposed the first time,” I said sincerely. “I promise to spend the rest of my life making your daughter happy.”

He grinned back at me, and I was taken back to that life-changing night, over six years ago, when we stood in this very spot. “There is no other man that I would trust with my daughter as much as I trust you, Cal. You have my blessing.”

Then he pulled me into his arms and held me tightly.

Chapter 34 – Shelly

I sat at my desk, barely hearing the soft music of Hunter Hayes coming from my speakers as I drifted off into a daydream about being at the concert with Cal. The last few weeks had been amazing, and I had to admit that I was impressed by the dates he had planned so far. I was eager to see what he would pick for our final date this weekend.

I couldn’t believe that it had been eight weeks already. Eight weeks since that horrible night that changed everything about our relationship.

I still didn’t know what I was going to do. I appreciated the effort that Cal had put into winning me over, and I knew that I did still love him; I just wasn’t a hundred percent sure that I could forgive and forget what he’d done. And if I wasn’t one hundred percent, there was no way that I could spend the rest of my life with him.

It was scary to think of my life without Cal. He’d done way more for me than just keep my gas tank full and my coffee stocked. He’d always been my partner in the truest sense of the word, and being apart from him over the past few weeks had really helped me realize that. I missed the way he’d buy my favorite snacks every time he went to the store, sometimes stopping by my office and leaving them on my desk, so I’d walk in to a sweet surprise. He’s also kept a secret stash of chocolate at the shop for whenever I stopped by to see him.

I missed meeting him for lunch, and planning out special meals for us to try together. I missed hanging out with our friends, the group of us enjoying a drink or playing games together. Most of all I missed talking to him every night before I went to bed. We used to just lay in bed, talking about our hopes and dreams before drifting off to sleep.

As much as I loved Sasha and Gaby, Cal had been my best friend for the past eight years. I hated to imagine the rest of my life without him.

“Shelly?” I looked up to see Carlos hovering outside my door. Things had been pretty awkward between us since I’d turned him down, and I hoped we’d be able to move past it soon.

“Yes?” I asked with a smile, hoping to ease the tension a bit.

“Um, someone is here to see you. He asked me to come back and see if you had a minute,” Carlos replied.

“Oh, yes. Please send him back,” I responded, curious about who my visitor could be. I wasn’t expecting anyone today. “Thanks, Carlos.”

A few minutes later I grinned broadly, when Craig poked his head around the corner.

“Hey, Shel, I hope it’s okay for me to stop by,” he said sheepishly as I stood up and rounded my desk to give him a hug.

“Of course it is,” I said, genuinely happy to see him. “You can come by any time. I’m surprised to see you though,” I said with a glance to the clock on the wall. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”

“I’m on lunch. I only have a couple minutes,” he replied as I guided him to the chair in front of my desk.

We sat there for a moment, and when I realized he wasn’t going to say anything without encouragement I asked, “So … what brought you by?”

He flushed and looked down at his hands, before bringing his eyes up to meet mine.

“There’s this girl …”

“Oh goody,” I said with a grin, leaning forward on my desk and clapping my hands together. “What’s she like?”

“She’s cool. She likes poetry and art and stuff. She’s nothing like the girls that hang out at my baseball games; she couldn’t care less about that stuff.”