The Resolution of Callie & Kayden(55)

When we reach the center of the floor, I pull her to me and she rests her head on my chest as we start swaying to the beat of ‘Ho Hey’ by The Lumineers.

‘So why’d you really come home early?’ she asks so softly I can barely hear her over the music.

‘Because I wanted to make sure you were okay.’ I press my hand to her lower back, the other on her hips as I rest my chin on the top of her head.

‘But there’s more to it than that.’ It’s not a question, but a statement.

My initial reaction is to lie, but then I realize I don’t want to lie to her anymore, don’t want to be that guy. ‘Because I wasn’t handling things well.’

Her hands tighten around the back of my neck, pulling me closer to her. ‘Did you—’

‘No,’ I cut her off so she doesn’t have to ask. ‘I wanted to, though. Things were already hard when I learned about my father and about what happened with Caleb, but then it got worse when my mother called and wanted to talk to me.’

Her hold on me tightens. ‘Did you talk to her?’

‘No … I couldn’t.’

‘Good. I’m glad. You shouldn’t. Not until we know where she stands. And maybe not even then.’

‘I love you,’ I say because it’s all I can say at the moment. The way she’s always protecting me, it’s too much sometimes to even comprehend.

She leans back to look me in the eyes. ‘I don’t think you should ever even consider talking to her again unless you want to, no matter what happens.’

‘I won’t,’ I say. ‘Although, I was kind of curious what she had to say … probably something bad, but still she’s …’

‘She’s your mom and you feel like you have to talk to her,’ Callie finishes for me. ‘But she needs to start acting like a mother before you treat her like one.’

‘I’m not sure I ever want to anyway.’

‘Then don’t. You don’t owe her anything.’

Her words are exactly what I need to hear, and I no longer want to dwell on family stuff. I want desperately to let go of it, so I change the subject. ‘You and your brother seem to be getting along.’

She shrugs, staring up at me with those beautiful eyes of hers. ‘It’s been nice hanging out with him.’

‘Good. I’m glad. It’s nice to see you happy around your family.’

‘My mom wants us to come visit,’ she says, emphasizing her point that I’m included in this.

‘Dylan wants us to do the same thing,’ I say, mimicking her emphasis.

It gets her to laugh, her eyes crinkling at the corners. ‘Families are needy, aren’t they?’ As soon as she says it, she looks worried, like she’s offended me or something.

‘Callie, you don’t have to be careful with me. You can say the word family and I’ll be fine.’ I catch her gaze flick to my wrists, which I’m proud to say are free of any fresh cuts. ‘And besides, I’m learning that family doesn’t always mean what I thought it did. Dylan and his wife are nice, and Tyler wasn’t a dick.’ Keeping one hand on her back, I put the other on her cheek. ‘But honestly, you’re more of my family than anyone else. All I need is you and me and our tiny little apartment, and I’m good. I realized that while I was in Virginia.’

She swallows hard, her eyes welling up, but she looks happy not sad. ‘Good, because it’s all I need, too.’ Then she stands up on her tiptoes and plants a soft kiss on my mouth. ‘From now on,’ she whispers against my lips, ‘we take all trips and vacations together.’

‘Deal,’ I say then coax her lips apart with my tongue so I can kiss her as deeply as I want.

We keep moving and kissing until the song ends. When it switches to a faster tempo one, I decide to step up my skills. Like the first time we danced, I slide my hand down her arm, push her out then spin her around until she crashes into my chest.

She busts up laughing, throwing her head back. ‘You know, we may not have gotten to party like rock stars, but we sure as heck can dance like them.’

‘We sure as hell can,’ I say, spinning her around and around until she’s laughing so hard she’s crying. ‘We can do anything – you and me – when we’re together.’

Her laughing silences as she stares up at me. ‘I want this … you and me … forever.’