Finding Our Reality (The Reality Duet #2)

Chapter 30

CRUTCH

Twelve Days.

I haven’t seen her in twelve days. I’m like a damn giddy schoolgirl counting down the minutes.

When I finally made it back to the bedroom on that Saturday night, she was passed out. Dead asleep. I wanted nothing more than to crawl into the bed next to her. To slide my throbbing dick deep inside her, to wake her with a mind-blowing orgasm, to cover her body from head to toe in love.

But that wouldn’t have been the right thing to do. So I slept downstairs on the couch. Once again, I couldn’t even trust myself to sleep in the guest bedroom upstairs. I mean, her scent carried down the hallway. How could I ignore that?

We spent the whole next day together—Laura, Lulu, and me. And when I dropped Lulu off that night, Holt was home. Call me old fashioned, but I don’t really want to make passionate love to Lulu while her protective, football-playing cousin is one wall away. Plus, she had to leave early the next morning for the trial in Jackson.

We spent the days calling and texting. She didn’t have much free time between the trial and meetings, but I eagerly took every second I could get.

She actually got back in town yesterday afternoon. I had every intention of seeing her last night after work, but her body had other plans. After she didn’t return my phone calls or texts, I called Holt. He told me she unpacked and was asleep by four p.m. She hates sleeping in a hotel room—never actually sleeps well—and was exhausted.

Now, I would give nothing more than to call in sick and spend the entire day making Lulu come all over my face. But…alas, it’s our interview day with Caleb.

So, instead, I’ll have to settle for a three-hour drive to Atlanta.

I knock on the door, impatiently waiting for her to answer. The second she swings it open, my voice catches in my throat.

I made it nearly twelve whole years without seeing her. Sure, they were miserable years in many ways, but I still made it. Now, here it is, just twelve days and I feel like falling to my knees and begging her to never leave me again. Not even for one minute.

Her smile is happy. Genuine. Perfect.

Not able to stand it for one more second, I sweep her into my arms and cover her mouth with mine. Her lips part and her tongue darts out to taste me. Her fingertips trail up my forearms, tickling my skin.

“Ahem.” Holt clears his throat. Loudly.

Laughing, I pull my face away from Lulu’s. Not ready to let go of her just yet, I possessively hold her hip. “Sorry, man, didn’t see you.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” Holt holds up a carton of orange juice from his perch at the kitchen counter. “Want something?”

“No, I’m good.”

Lulu blushes. She tries not to, but she can’t help it. “Let me pack my work bag, and we can head out.”

Holt watches in amusement as Lulu tosses her laptop and notebook into her bag. “So, it’s safe to assume you two don’t hate each other anymore?”

“Holt!” Lulu throws an ink pen at him.

He easily dodges it. “What? It’s a valid question.”

I lean across the counter, grabbing a grape from his breakfast plate and popping it in my mouth. “Well, if this is hate , I’m damn excited to see what like brings to the table.”

“Ry!”

***

We’re walking through the parking deck, heading toward the lobby, at the downtown building where Caleb’s office is, when Lulu’s question catches me off guard.

“I never did ask you what happened to my clothes.”

“Huh?”

“At your house? My clothes were wet. And I woke up in your T-shirt, wearing my bra and panties. Did you undress me?”

“I did. But really, I had no choice.”

“What do you mean?”

I chuckle, running my hand through my hair. “Well, you kind of threw up on yourself.”

Lulu freezes mid-stride and her jaw falls open. “What? Are you kidding me? Please say you’re joking.”

She’s horrified.

I try not to laugh. “Sorry. Not joking.”

“Where did I throw up?”

“In the truck when we were leaving the bar.”

She covers her face with her hands. “Holy shit. How mortifying.”

I tug at her hand, teasing her. “So, it’s not the right time to tell you that you threw up on me too?”

“What!”

“Down my shoulder.”

Squaring her shoulders, she lifts her pouty little chin in the air. “No, Ry, it’s not the right time to tell me that.”

I can’t help it. I burst out laughing.

She tries not to giggle. Really, she does. But she’s not successful. “Well, that solves the mystery about why my clothes were washed.”

I punch the button on the lobby elevator, straightening the badge and weapon on my belt.

Lulu tilts her head, studying me. “And what about the T-shirt? You saw me in my bra and panties?”

“I did. But don’t worry, I didn’t look.” I smirk. “Much.”

We step into the elevator, and at the last minute a pretty blonde woman races in. She’s putting her phone in her purse and nods at the keypad. “Ten, please.”

I press the buttons for the nineteenth floor and the tenth floor and take a step back. Finally getting her cell phone where she wants it, she sighs deeply and glances over at me and Lulu.

And comes back for a second glance at me.

And a third.

Well, this ought to be interesting.

She runs her manicured hand through her hair and smiles. “Thanks.”

I nod.

“I haven’t seen you in the building before, officer. Here for business or pleasure?”

It’s a thirty-story building filled with offices. What kind of pleasure would I find in that?

Lulu dramatically rolls her eyes. When she catches me watching her, she turns to the side, using her shoulder to block my view.

The lady takes a step in my direction, garnering my attention. Before Lulu came back into my life, I’d really consider finding a secluded corner restroom with this girl and banging out a quickie. That is, assuming one of us had a condom. And of course, I would be picturing Lulu in my mind the entire time. Every woman on the face of the planet pales in comparison to My Lulu.

“In town today for business.”

“Well, if you have any time for pleasure, I’m free for lunch.”

Holy crap. I have to say this woman has brass balls. It’s impressive. “Thanks for the offer, but my lunch plans have already been made.” I slide behind Lulu. Dipping my head, I brush her hair out of the way and kiss the scar on the back of her neck. Her body immediately relaxes into mine, and her ass grinds against my crotch. I don’t even think she realizes that she does it. Taking advantage of her lapse in composure, I wrap my hand around her waist, hugging her from behind.

The bell dings and the doors open to the tenth floor. The blonde tsks our public display of affection and races out of the elevator with her high heels clicking the whole way. Lulu giggles.

I whisper against her ear. “There. Wasn’t that more effective than just rolling your eyes.”

“I do not roll my eyes.”

“You most certainly do.”

Lulu pulls out of my grasp, and furrows her brow in playful irritation. “Well, stop looking so damn hot, and women wouldn’t hit on you left and right.”

I wink. “You love the way I look. And if you keep up that cussing, I’m gonna wash your mouth out with soap.”

Her face flushes and her eyes widen in delight.

Fortunately, the elevator opens on the nineteenth floor, saving her from more banter. Caleb’s employer takes up the whole floor, so the receptionist’s desk is right out front. I inform the woman we have an appointment with Caleb, and she calls back to his office. After a minute, his secretary meets us and walks us back through the winding halls. I can tell Lulu is nervous. She’s rubbing her scar and glancing out the windows we pass by, watching the traffic on the streets far below us.

We’re barely past the threshold to Caleb’s office when he’s racing around the desk and engulfing Lulu in a hug. “Ella!” He holds her at arm’s length to look at her and then hugs her again. “I can’t believe you’re really standing here. It’s so good to see you.”

She clears her throat, trying to wipe away the emotion, but I still hear a slight tremble in her voice. “You too. It’s great to see you, Caleb.”

He holds out a hand to me, introducing himself.

“Sergeant Ryland Crutchfield. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. I know your schedule must be busy.”

He studies my bulletproof vest and glances down at my weapon, before turning back to Lulu. “The police, Ella?” His eyes grow wide with horror. “Oh my god, did you find her? Did you find Carrie?”

“No, we haven’t found her.” Lulu reaches out, rubbing Caleb’s arm. The familiarity between the two of them stings a little bit.

He reaches up and rubs his sternum. “Good.” He furrows his brow. “Well, I don’t know if good is the right word. At this point, I honestly don’t know if I want her to be found or not. If we don’t know what happened, then I can still imagine her alive. Alive and happy and living on a deserted island somewhere, you know?”

Lulu smiles sadly. “It’s time to be realistic, Caleb. I haven’t felt Carrie’s presence in a really long time. We need to find out what happened and bring those people to justice.”

Solemnly nodding, he waves us over to his desk. “Please, sit. Can I get either of you anything? Water? Coffee?”

I pull the chair for Lulu and set her work bag beside her. “We’re fine, thank you.” While Lulu’s pulling out her notebook and my file, I get permission to record the interview.

Caleb fiddles with an ink pen on his desk. “Why do I get the feeling this has nothing to do with a book?”

“There may be a book one day, but right now, there’s no ending for it. That’s what we’re searching for, Caleb.” Lulu takes a deep breath. “When I came home for my parents’ funeral, I found some new evidence. So we are re-interviewing everyone.”

“I’m so sorry about that, Ella. After my secretary told me you called, I did an internet search on you. I read about Robert and Susan’s plane crash. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

She licks her lips and picks at a fake piece of lint on her shirt. “Thanks.”

Somehow, I get the picture that he knows her relationship with her parents wasn’t the best. I can only assume Carrie shared some of the same feelings and thoughts with him that Lulu shared with me.

He nods. “So, new evidence? What did you find?”

I jump in, taking the lead. “First, why don’t you go ahead and tell me about your relationship with Carrie? I took the case over about two-and-a-half years ago, and I would love to gain more insight on Carrie’s life at the time of her disappearance. As her boyfriend, you knew her better than most people.”

Caleb is easy to talk to. He openly answers all of my questions about his and Carrie’s past. He even discusses the drug activity, confirming that it’s the reason he broke up with her. Lulu listens intently, taking notes. When it’s time to show Caleb the pictures, I nod to her.

“After my parents’ funeral, I was finally moving some stuff out of Carrie’s room and I found some pictures.”

“Pictures? What kind of pictures?”

Lulu slides the stack—except for the last picture—across the desk. Before lifting her hand, she warns Caleb. “They’re not easy to look at, Caleb. Take your time. Tell us if you recognize anyone in the photos.”

I notice that his hands are trembling when he picks up the pictures. He shakes his head. “I nearly forgot how beautiful she was. I still can’t believe she even agreed to go out with me.” He slowly flips through the pictures. Silent tears roll from his eyes when he sees Carrie passed out cold. Tossing the stack back across the desk, he wipes his face with the back of his hand. “No, the only person I recognize is Carrie.” He shakes his head.

Lulu sits straighter in her chair. “I found something else.” She takes a deep breath, inhaling in small spurts. “A pregnancy test.”

“Excuse me?”

“A pregnancy test. It was positive. There’s reason to believe that Carrie was pregnant when she went missing.”

Caleb had no idea. The shock is written all over his face. In fact, he would probably be less shocked if Carrie walked through the door right now and sat on his lap.

He’s stuttering so badly, he can’t even form a word. “Wh…what? I mean, huh? N…no. Are you sure?”

“We are still waiting on the DNA test to confirm that it’s Carrie’s DNA on the pregnancy test, but it’s safe to assume it was hers.”

“Who? Who got her pregnant?”

Lulu squares her shoulders and stares into his eyes. “Well, I was hoping you could tell me.”

“Me? You think it was me?” His eyebrows lift so high, they disappear into his hairline.

“Carrie didn’t share the intimate details of y’all’s relationship with me all that much. She thought I was too young. But I do know that y’all were sexually active. Very, very active from what I remember.”

“Of course, we were. We were young and in love. But we broke up months before she disappeared. And we always used protection. Always. She said your parents would go completely ballistic if she ever came home pregnant, said they would disown her.”

Lulu stirs uncomfortably in her chair and accidentally knocks her notebook and pen to the floor. She nervously fumbles to pick them up.

I press on, not wanting to lose the momentum. “And you didn’t share any time together after the breakup? A lonely night? A drunken party?”

“No, of course not. I was staying firm to my ultimatum that she had to stop selling and get clean before we could get back together. It hurt not being with her. It hurt like hell, but I wanted her to know how serious I was.”

Lulu discreetly reaches across and gives my knee a little squeeze, letting me know she’s back in the right mindset. “What if the pregnancy test was old? Did y’all ever experience a pregnancy scare during y’all’s relationship?”

Caleb sits back in his chair, rubbing his fingers across his chin in thought. Spinning around, he grabs a framed photo from the windowsill behind him. He hands it over to Lulu. It’s a framed picture of him with his wife and children standing on a rocky beach. “That’s my wife, Amelia, and our children.”

Lulu smiles, nodding. “You have a beautiful family, Caleb. You look happy.”

“I am happy. Trust me, after Carrie went missing, I didn’t think I would ever be happy again. I met Amelia during my very first week in Atlanta. Falling in love with her came as a surprise. I always thought there was one person for everyone on this earth. I knew without a doubt that Carrie was mine. She was my forever. And just like that, she was gone. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to find love like that twice in my life. Amelia knows all about Carrie. She knows how much I loved your sister. She’s never asked me to choose. Not once. She’s never asked me to pick who I love more—her or Carrie. Amelia has this,” he chuckles, trying to grasp the right word, “amazing grace about her. She knows that love isn’t linear. It’s not a straight line. It’s a circle. And she knows that she and Carrie fit into the exact same circle.”

Lulu lowers her voice, whispering. “That’s great, Caleb. It doesn’t answer my question, though.” She gently places the frame on his desk.

He points to the image of his family. “We adopted our son when he was two years old. We adopted our daughter when she was just five weeks old.”

She cocks her head to the side, thinking. “Caleb? What are you saying?”

“I can’t have biological children, Ella. I have an autoimmune disease that makes me infertile. I didn’t know it when Carrie and I were together, but the doctors say I’ve most likely been infertile since puberty.”

Shit. I wasn’t expecting that.

“Oh, Caleb, I’m so sorry.”

He shrugs, clearly having come to terms with his situation long ago. “Don’t be. I couldn’t imagine my family being any different. My children are amazing.” He leans forward, wrapping his hand around Lulu’s. “But if Carrie was pregnant when she went missing, it wasn’t because of me. And I know without a doubt that she wouldn’t have been pregnant before our breakup. Carrie would have never cheated on me. Never. We loved each other. Plus, she never wanted to be like your father.”

Lulu nods. Turning to me, she holds out the last picture. She can’t do it. She can’t show it to him. She wants me to do it.

Of course, I will. I’d crawl through fire for this woman.

“We have one last picture to show you, Caleb,” I say. “Now that we know about your medical condition and your history with Carrie, it may provide some context to support the idea that Carrie was pregnant at the time of her disappearance.”

Caleb glances back and forth between me and Lulu. “Okay.” The trepidation in his voice is palpable.

“It’s disturbing and graphic. It’s hard to look at, but I need you to focus on the man in the picture. Tell us if anything about him is familiar.” Not giving him the chance to reconsider, I put the photograph in Caleb’s hands.

He loses it. Completely loses it.

He’s seeing the woman he loved—still loves—getting raped. If it were me? Well, let’s just say that hell itself wouldn’t even be a competition for my anger if something like that happened to My Lulu.

He cries. He screams. He paces.

It’s one of the most intimate and intense experiences I’ve ever been forced to watch. I turn off the camera on my vest, giving him some modicum of privacy.

His secretary rushes in to check on him. Not once, not twice, but three times. Each time, quietly closing the door without saying anything. By the third time, she’s even crying with him—for him—even though, she has no clue what’s happening.

Eventually, he calms enough for us to finish the interview. He has no idea who the guy is.

With red eyes, he walks us to the office door. He shakes my hand and hugs Lulu tightly in his arms. As we’re walking out, he calls after her. “Ella?”

My hand finds the small of her back, holding her close, when she turns to him. “Yeah?”

“My son’s name is Jackson. My daughter’s name is Caroline Olive. We call her Ollie.”

Lulu gasps and her hand flies to her heart. “Oh, Caleb.” She sniffles, “I’m honored. And I know she would be too. Thank you, thank you for loving my sister the way you did.”