The Home-wrecker (The Goode Brothers)

You have to talk to him.

Caleb’s words have been echoing in my ears since he uttered them. I know he’s right, but I can’t bring myself to have that conversation with Sean.

It’s been almost a month since that first night at Caleb’s house. Nearly every night since he’s snuck me into his bedroom after his family has gone to sleep.

I know it’s wrong. No matter how terrible Sean can be, he doesn’t deserve this.

And neither does Caleb.

But I can’t bring myself to do what needs to be done. Once I tell Sean it’s over between us, he’ll know. He already had his suspicions about Caleb even before anything happened.

Now, if I break up with him and start dating Caleb, he’s going to wreak havoc on us both. Sean doesn’t take things lightly. He won’t handle this well.

To him, we’ve made a fool of him. Someone bested him. I chose someone else.

All of this will drive him mad. I keep telling myself that I can keep things going like this. If I stay with Sean, Caleb will be better off.

Of course, I can’t put off sex with my boyfriend without it raising suspicion. But every time Sean touches me now, a small part of me dies. And I worry it kills Caleb a little bit every time, too.

Walking across campus with Sean’s arm around my shoulder, I paste a smile on my face and try to pretend as if everything is normal. As we reach the humanities building, I search for Caleb among the crowd moving to and from the main doorway.

Sean is going on and on about the football game this weekend. Everyone has been talking lately about how good Caleb’s game has been. Even Sean can’t shut up about it. And as the guy on the field who catches most of his passes, you’d think he’d be ecstatic about that, but I can feel the bitterness in his tone.

“You listening to me, babe?” he mutters next to me.

I blink and glance up at him. “Of course. You said you should make the finals.”

“Wouldn’t that be amazing?” He presses his lips to the side of my head, and I resist the urge to pull away.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I assure myself that it’s better for Caleb if Sean never finds out. I can’t tell him. I won’t tell him.

But I don’t know how much longer I can do this.

Something in my chest warms as I spot Caleb walking toward us. Just seeing him now makes me feel safe. Like everything is going to be okay.

And I know it’s terrible, but I can hardly wait until tonight when I know I’ll find myself on his front porch again, silently sneaking into his bed just to be back in his arms.

Sean is still going on and on as we reach Caleb, but rather than stop and speak with him, Sean bumps into Caleb, knocking him hard against his shoulder without looking back or apologizing.

My jaw drops and I try to look back at Caleb, but Sean jerks me forward, forcing me to stay on the path to the building.

I can’t ignore the very bad feeling in my stomach when we reach the classroom.

Maybe he didn’t see him. It could have been an accident. But deep down, I know the truth.

That wasn’t an accident at all. Sean’s suspicions have turned serious.

When he leans down and presses his lips to mine, he kisses me harder than he normally does, knowing that Caleb is now in the hallway. He makes him watch.

When he releases me and I see Caleb stomp angrily into the classroom, I realize that there will be no easy way out of this for us. Eventually, Caleb and I will have to pay for our sins.

Present day

It’s after midnight by the time Caleb and I crawl into our own bed. We don’t say much to each other. It’s not awkward, though—just comfortably silent.

That is, until we each rest our heads on our pillows, facing each other. The moment our eyes meet, everything that happened tonight hits us both at the same time.

A slow, blushing smile stretches across Caleb’s face, and as soon as I see it, I can’t keep my giggle back. Once I start, he starts. And the next thing we know, we’re both laughing profusely in our dark bedroom.

“I can’t believe we just did that,” I say with wide eyes when the laughter finally dies.

“I can’t either,” he replies.

“Who are we?”

There’s warmth in his eyes. “You were incredible. I’ve never seen you like that.”

“You were incredible,” I reply. “I didn’t even know you were into something like that until tonight.”

“But you liked it?” he asks.

“Caleb, I loved it.”

His expression grows contemplative, and I wonder if he’s thinking about Dean. If I liked it because of him or because of both of them. I don’t know. But I secretly hope he doesn’t ask me that because I don’t know how I’ll answer.

I loved Caleb being so dominant, but I also loved having them both like that. So, I can’t say with any certainty that it was just Caleb.

To my relief, he just softly whispers, “I loved it too.”

Over the past couple of hours, his mood regarding the entire thing has definitely lightened. I could tell he was very in his head about it. He truly was afraid this one night would change our marriage forever, and I find that incredibly…endearing.

Our marriage means that much to him.

I don’t remember what we were even fighting about this morning.

For the first time in ages, I find myself rolling closer to Caleb. When he extends his arm, I rest my head on his shoulder, using his body as a pillow. His arm wraps around me, and I breathe in the comfort he brings.

Caleb has always been my safe space. My home.

Tonight solidified that. I would have never been so open or vulnerable with anyone else. And in this very moment, it feels as if the sky is the limit. What else can we do together? What more can we explore?

What more can Dean show us?

Because it’s truly Dean at the helm. I put my faith in both of them, but Dean was the one who was leading the way. I wonder if he realizes how special he is in all of this. It’s not just about another warm body in our bed. It’s the energy he brings. The security and warmth.

When I drift off to sleep, I do so with the cadence of my husband’s heartbeat in my ear. For a moment, everything feels right. And I have myself fooled into believing that one night would be enough to fix everything.

The next morning hits like a tidal wave. Abby wakes up with a fever and an upset stomach.

As if that wasn’t enough, Caleb comes downstairs around nine, staring at his phone with wide, frantic eyes.

“What is it?” I ask from the couch with Abby’s head in my lap.

Caleb doesn’t answer. He just ambles into the kitchen, and I take it as my signal to follow.

When we’re alone, he looks up at me with an anxiety-riddled expression.

“My father made a statement,” he says.

“What did he say?” I ask, stepping toward him and touching his hand.

Reading his phone, he continues, “After serious contemplation, I’ve decided to separate from my current legal team and plan to fight these charges with the help of the most prominent and successful defense attorney in the city of Austin, my son, Caleb Goode.”

I feel the blood rush from my face as Caleb’s eyes drift up to mine. The shock and terror I feel in his expression shake me to my core.

“Oh my god,” I mumble. “You didn’t agree to this…”

He shakes his head emphatically. “No. Fuck no. Briar, I can’t help him.”

My arms move to pull him in, wrapping him in comfort. I hate to see him with such fear and worry. I wish I could take it all from him.

“I know you can’t,” I reply. “And you don’t have to. It was just a statement. He lied, Caleb.”

“That’s all he does,” he mutters into my shoulder.

I hold Caleb for a while, rubbing his back and feeling him breathe into my neck. As much as I hate this for him, I feel a sense of relief that he’s finally leaning on me. He’s letting me in.

“Mom!” Abby calls from the living room.

Caleb pulls away. Before going to Abby, I take his face in my hands and force him to look me in the eyes. “This doesn’t mean anything, Caleb. You can make a statement of your own on Monday after you meet with your team. This can be fixed.”

I watch the tension in his shoulders melt away as he nods. Then he leans forward and presses his lips to my forehead. “You really are an angel,” he whispers.

A smile stretches across my face. As my eyes meet his, he gives me a quick wink.

Then, at the unmistakable sound of our daughter vomiting in the living room, we both jump into action. We rush toward her together, consoling her as she sobs. Caleb pulls her into his arms and cradles her against his chest, not caring about the mess.

“I’ll get something to clean this up,” I say as I touch his shoulder.

As he’s carrying her to the bathroom and I’m gathering up the towels, we pass each other in the hallway.

“How quickly things go back to reality,” he says with a despondent smirk.

“Always,” I reply.

And it’s true. The fantasy never lasts long—but the reality isn’t half-bad, either.