he Resolution of Callie & Kayden (The Coincidence, #6)(44)

‘I wouldn’t know, since I live in sunny, awesome Florida.’ Jackson grins conceitedly as he sits down on the armrest. ‘When’s Kayden supposed to be here? He and I could probably get all that shit up the stairs. I’m just super f*cking relieved you’re not on the third floor, although you should have picked the first floor.’

‘Kayden’s not going to be here until Monday evening,’ I tell him, opening my contacts to text Luke because he’s the only other strong guy I know. ‘And I didn’t pick the floor. Or the apartment really.’

He raises his eyebrows at me as he stuffs his hands into the pockets of his tan cargo pants. ‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean, Kayden picked this place out with Seth,’ I say with a shrug. ‘As a surprise for me.’

‘But he knew you wanted to move in with him, right? He didn’t just do it assuming?’ He almost seems like he’s asking for knowledge for himself, like maybe he’s thinking about doing it with his girlfriend or something.

‘Of course he knew I wanted to. I’d asked him a couple of weeks before then and he said he’d think about it, but then he surprised me with this.’ I gesture around at my palace proudly, even though Jackson looks unimpressed. But I don’t care. This is my palace and unlike the one in the story I’m writing, it doesn’t have vines and thorns, but warmth and promises of happiness.

He gives me this strange look that I can’t decipher.

‘What?’ I ask.

He shrugs. ‘It’s nothing.’

‘It is something; otherwise, you wouldn’t be looking at me like a weirdo.’

That gets him to laugh. ‘It really is nothing. I was just thinking about how you seem happy.’ His shoulders keep lifting and falling. ‘It’s nice, and you deserve it.’

‘Thanks, Jackson.’ I smile at him as I text Luke to see if he can come help.

‘Although, I have to say, I wouldn’t tell Mom that whole story of him surprising you,’ Jackson says. ‘She’ll think you’re getting engaged.’ He pauses then smirks at me. ‘Though, I wouldn’t be surprised if you did at the rate you two are going.’

‘Okay, Mom.’ I roll my eyes at him then laugh, but Jackson doesn’t join in.

‘Just giving you a head’s up,’ he tells me with a nonchalant lift of his shoulders. ‘You seem kind of clueless with this stuff.’

I’d be offended, but I’m too distracted by the other thing he said. Is that where Kayden and I are heading? Why have I never thought of this?

I probably would have sat there all day, stuck in my head, if my phone didn’t start going nuts in my hand.

Luke: Yeah, headed over. I’m not at my place, though, so it’ll take me just a little bit longer.

Me: K, thanks. I owe u one:)

I put my phone away then get to my feet. ‘I got you some non-tiny backup.’

My brother looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. ‘What the hell are you talking about?’

‘Luke’s coming over to help you move the heavy stuff in,’ I say, opening the front door. ‘But while we wait, this tiny little girl with her tiny little arms is going to go bring up what she can because she’s not as weak as she looks.’

‘I know that, Callie.’ My brother follows me outside and down the stairway. ‘You’re tougher than a lot of people.’

‘Wow, two compliments in a day,’ I joke, jumping off the last step and into a fluffy pile of snow that reaches the ankles of my boots. ‘It’s a miracle.’

‘It’ll be a miracle if it stopped snowing.’ He zips his coat up to his chin and glares at the cloudy sky. ‘I’m going to freeze my ass off.’

‘The weather in Florida’s making you kind of a baby.’ I pick up a handful of snow and ball it up in my hand. ‘You know that.’

Now he’s glaring at me. ‘You throw that at me and you’re going to pay.’

I make the snow in my hand into a firm ball then I back down the frozen sidewalk. ‘I’ll only pay if you can catch me, but I have a feeling that Florida Boy is going to fail epically when I run up the snowbank.’ Then I stick out my tongue and launch the snowball at him.

I don’t think he thought I had the guts to do it because he doesn’t even duck. It hits him straight in the face and I feel kind of bad, but not enough to stop myself from laughing.

Looking pissed off, he wipes the snow from his face with the sleeve of his jacket. ‘You’re so going to pay for that.’ He cracks his knuckles as he walks toward me. ‘I think you’ve forgotten how good I used to be at mad, crazy snowball fighting.’

‘The key words being used to.’ I take off running before I even finish my sentence, knowing full well that this is probably going to end with me getting my face shoved in the snow. He used to do it all the time when we were younger and Jackson hasn’t grown up enough not to do it now.

Just like I predicted, by the end of our mad, crazy snowball fight, Jackson is smashing snow in my face. I’m on my back on the snowbank near the dumpster, laughing my butt off as he stands over me, pressing snow into my face. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Luke’s truck pull up and park under the carport near the building.

‘Fine, I give up!’ I laugh, kicking at Jackson, feeling like a kid again, having fun with my older brother, something that stopped happening when I was twelve. ‘Just stop! Luke’s here.’