Caleb

Chapter Forty

Caleb ~

Caleb was thrilled that Lainey wanted to join his teammates for a party that evening, but after eating dinner and dropping their bags off at Caleb's apartment, he noticed Lainey starting to rub at her calf muscles as they headed out the door, prompting him to go ahead and insist she take a double dose to try and get ahead of any impending drops of her potassium.

She was emotionally and physically worn out and her body was starting to rebel against her, which worried Caleb at first until he considered where they were going.

Lainey is about to walk into a house full of the most concerned and caring people I've ever met.

Lucky for him, Declan and Pierce had already informed the entire crew about Lainey's medical condition, telling them which warning signs to look for and what to do when they see any concerning symptoms. He thanked his lucky stars to have his brothers rally around him when he needed them. They all knew the end goal was to get Lainey to feel comfortable enough to stay permanently and had all vowed to do everything in their power to help make that happen.

James seemed to fit in with the group seamlessly as well which was an added bonus. Sure James was only staying for a few days, but his approval and support went a long way when it came to Lainey.

As Caleb, Lainey and James entered Declan's house, the girls were all standing in the kitchen, gathered around the marble kitchen island, and the rest of Bravo and Delta team were outside on the back deck, with Nate busy getting a beer from the fridge. James went to join the men outside while Caleb got Lainey settled in with the girls.

Lexi lit up like a Christmas tree when her eyes landed on Lainey, but before Caleb could pull Lexi aside to tell her that Lainey needed to take it easy, Lexi's sweet voice was already offering to make her a drink.

"Hey sweet girl! Want me to make you a...." Lainey stalled her words as she lowered her brows at Caleb who was sweeping his hand across his throat, giving her the kill sign, hoping she'd think quick enough on her feet to realize Lainey didn't need to drink alcohol.

"...Saaaandwhich?" Lexi said in an unsure tone.

Smooth Lex. Really smooth.

Caleb raked his hand down his face and chuckled at Lexi who mouthed a quick "sorry" from behind Lainey as she turned around to eye him.

Lainey looked up at Caleb with a playful grin, knowing exactly what he had been trying to do.

"Did you set a no alcohol rule that I'm not aware of?" Lainey asked, arching a brow at him.

"A rule? Nah I don't set rules for you Lainey girl. Think of it as a strong suggestion." Caleb countered, flashing her a charming half smile.

"You know, you are so..." Lainey's sentence was cut off by Caleb who quickly filled in the blank for her.

"Dreamy?" he said, shooting her a wink.

Shaking her head with an exasperated smile, Lainey folded her arms and laughed at his antics.

"I mean of course you're dreamy, but you already know that," she said playfully.

"You're right I do. You told me about a hundred times when you were drunk." he chuckled, watching her cheeks turn the cutest shade of red.

"But I loved every second of it and I can't wait for it to happen again, just maybe not tonight, when your levels are a little out of whack." He said softly as he used his knuckle to tilt Lainey's chin up toward his mouth, planting one deep kiss on her lips.