Unfinished Ex (Calloway Brothers, #2)(31)

“Then why did you even come?”

I shake my head. Why did I? “It was obviously a mistake.” I go back to the bar and Paige, who is holding up another shot. I’ve never needed one more. “Thanks. And now I’m leaving.”

She checks the time. “Well, you almost made it an hour. Truth be told, that’s longer than I thought you’d last.” She glances behind me. “Oh shit.”

I turn to see Calista standing in the back hallway, the sadness of her stare burning through my skin from twenty feet away. She saw us dancing.

Not bothering to say goodbye to anyone, I wave to Carlos and Donny and hightail it to the back door. I’m barely to the back gate when I hear, “Why can’t you leave well enough alone?”

Slowly, I rotate around and face Calista. She walks toward me in what seems like slow motion.

Is she going to call me names? Pull my hair? Tackle me to the ground? Behind her, people pour out from inside.

“Calista, now is not the place or time. We’ve both been drinking.”

“You think I’m going to cause a scene?”

“No, because I’m walking away.” I get another thirty feet when I hear her heels on the pavement behind me. Oh my god, she’s really doing this.

She runs ahead of me and stops my progress. Not with her fists or her body, but with her eyes.

Her sorrowful, poignant stare that makes me feel even more guilty over being here.

“Calista, I have to be up in six hours. I don’t have time for this.” I start walking.

“You left him. You cheated. You chose your career over him. You were selfish, uncaring, and insensitive. Not to mention you broke him. Do you know how long it took him to even ask someone out?” She laughs sadly. “Come to think of it, he never did. I asked him.”

“Cal—”

“No. You don’t get to speak. It’s my turn. You had your turn. You had your chance with him. You don’t get to waltz back into town and pretend like everything is normal when you’re the reason he can’t be. You ruined him. He was just starting to heal. And tonight, I had a feeling he might even commit to this relationship. Then you show up, and all anyone can do is look at you and look at him to see if he’s looking at you and look at me to see if I’m bothered by any of it. Why are you here? You made your choice. You don’t even want him, so why don’t you stay away and give him room to breathe? Please, Nicky. I’m begging you.”

I’m stunned by the lack of anger in her confrontation. But I shouldn’t be. Even when we butted heads back in high school, she was still nice about it. She didn’t get to be head cheerleader, class president, and prom queen by intimidation. She did it because she was delightful, caring, and perky.

The kind of person who’s perfect for Jaxon.

Jaxon comes out of the pub, and a few of his buddies hold him back when he tries to head our way.

Calista turns and then glances between us. “Unless you still want him.” Her eyes become glassy.

“Do you?”

“I…” I clutch my pendant. “I have to go.”

I run through the parking lot. Then I run down the street. Then I take my shoes off and run barefoot until I get inside the house and up to my room. Then I collapse on my bed, knowing everything she said was one hundred percent true.

Especially the part about me wanting him. Because I was lying to myself. Being in his arms wasn’t suffocating. It was like going home.





Chapter Thirteen



Jaxon




As if on autopilot, my car ends up in front of Calista’s apartment. I don’t turn the engine off. I’m still reeling from tonight’s events.

Calista has been staring at me the whole ride home. Ever since she confronted Nicky she’s been staring at me, like she’s trying to see inside my soul. I reach over and give her hand a reassuring pat.

Reassuring her for what, I can’t say, because honestly I don’t know my ass from my head right now. I can’t even blame the fuzziness in my brain on alcohol as I cut myself off hours ago.

We’re silent, the only noise coming from the engine and the muted conversation of some passersby.

She sighs heavily. Then she leans over and kisses my cheek. “I think this is goodbye.”

“Okay.” I rub my brows. “See you tomorrow?”

“No. I mean this is goodbye, Jaxon.”

“Seriously?”

Her shoulders slump. “Will you even be sad after I get out of the car?”

“Yeah, sure. So why are you doing this?”

“You’ll be sad, but not devastated.”

“I’m not sure what you want me to say. I’m trying here.”

“That’s the difference between us. I will be devastated. I am devastated. And I deserve someone who would be, too. Someone who feels like when I’m not with them a piece of them is missing. But I get it now. You could never feel that way about me when it’s how you still feel about her.”

I scrub a hand across my jaw. Because how do I defend her accusation when it’s entirely fucking true? “Calista, I—”

“Don’t say anything, Jaxon. There’s nothing you could say. This is my fault as much as anyone’s.

I don’t blame you for my getting too attached. I kept coming back even though the signs were there. I stupidly thought things might get better. And then earlier tonight, before Nicky showed up, I even felt something might have changed between us. For a while there, it was different— you were different.