With Everything I Am (The Three #2)(75)

“Yes,” Callum agreed with a thread of amusement in his deep voice.

Sonia had to do something about this. This could go on all day.

So she said, “Kerry, Mabel, quit drooling and meet my husband. Callum, these are my girls, Kerry and Mabel.” She indicated each in turn. “Girls, this is my new husband, Callum.” She gestured to Callum.

Callum’s fingers curled around her shoulder flexed almost convulsively and definitely fiercely each time Sonia said the word “husband”. Sonia thought that was a bit overkill considering no one but Sonia could feel his fingers on her shoulder.

“Ladies,” Callum greeted.

Mabel tore her eyes from Callum and looked at Sonia.

“I can see why you hid him, Sonny,” she observed. “I would hide him too. Good call, keeping him to yourself until you got the ball and chain on that leg.”

There was more laughter even though no one, but Sonia, knew the proverbial ball and chain was worn by the wife this time. Then they heard a champagne cork pop.

Everyone looked to Ryon who’d done the deed.

“Let’s stop talking and celebrate,” he declared on a boom.

“Yee ha!” Kerry shouted.

Plastic glasses were passed around, even to the five customers browsing the shop. When everyone (including the customers) had a glass and were gathered close, they all turned to Callum and Sonia.

“To the newlyweds!” Mabel cried, lifting her glass.

Everyone but Callum and Sonia followed suit and shouted in gleeful harmony, “To the newlyweds!”

Sonia wished she could disappear.

Instead, she smiled.

Callum, on the other hand, much better at playing his part in this travesty, took her chin in his fingers, gently tipped her head back and he kissed her.

It was soft and sweet but it was also long.

Long enough for laughter and catcalls to ring out and long enough for it to build from soft and sweet to something else. Something that required Callum to drop his fingers from her chin, slant his head and drag her into his arms.

She was regretfully in a daze when his mouth broke from hers and his head moved, his temple sliding against her hair.

His lips at her ear, he murmured, “To the newlyweds.”

Then his arms gave her an affectionate squeeze.

The hoots, laughter and giggles surrounding her penetrated her daze and Sonia closed her eyes against the pain in her heart.

Then in Callum’s ear, she whispered, “To the newlyweds.”

* * * * *

Sonia sat on her bed and massaged lotion into her feet, absently listening to the voices of Callum and his men downstairs.

She was running through her day in her mind in an effort to control the panic and, if she was honest (which she was not), the expectation of what the night might bring.

While the champagne celebration went on at Clear, Callum had explained that he’d arrived because he, too, was curious about her shop.

But also, he explained, because he disliked being parted from her.

She’d been gone less than an hour and he claimed he disliked being parted from her.

Really.

He said this after he’d firmly detached them from the group in a way that appeared he wished for them to have a moment to their newlywed selves. They were far enough away so no one could overhear which meant, to Sonia’s way of thinking, without an audience, he said it with no purpose at all.

But he said it like he meant it.

Maybe, she thought, he was trying to convince himself.

Or maybe her.

Or maybe both of them.

She’d struggled with how to respond then she decided to give him a hug.

This worked. His arms closed around her and he gave her another affectionate squeeze. She made a point to remember that for future reference.

He and Ryon stayed for a while then Ryon gave Callum a look, Callum sighed with resignation, touched his mouth to Sonia’s and they left.

Shortly after, to Sonia’s surprise, Waring arrived at Clear on the errand of loading up Regan’s four bags of purchases even though Sonia lived four blocks away (and Regan and she had walked) and nothing in the bags was that heavy.

Instead of packing up the bags and whisking them away for his dowager queen, he’d had a glass of champagne, managed cheekily to chat up both the enchanted Mabel and Kerry (who were staring at him with an amazement that was almost, but not quite, how they gazed at Callum) then he loaded up Regan’s bags and took them away.

That was when Sonia realized that she’d suddenly acquired a number of new names on her Christmas Gift List and asked Regan if they could go to the mall. Regan’s eyes lit, she instantly pulled her cell out of her big leather designer bag, hit some buttons and said into the phone, “Caleb, Sonia and I need a ride to the mall.”

Why Caleb needed this information, Sonia didn’t know.

It became clear ten minutes later when a shiny SUV pulled up outside Clear. Another man who was obviously one of Callum’s people collected them (to Mabel and Kerry’s delight as he, too, was enormously good-looking). His name was Nikolas. He seemed a bit (but not much) older than Waring but he was far more serious and thus didn’t spend any time drinking champagne or chatting up Mabel or Kerry, much to their obvious dismay.

He took them to the mall where, with Regan’s guidance, Sonia bought Caleb, Calder and Ryon Christmas presents and where she and Regan had a late lunch. This included a lovely, getting-to-know-you-better conversation that, luckily, didn’t include Regan asking about Sonia’s claiming. But, unfortunately, didn’t include Sonia having enough courage to ask Regan about Diana’s open curiosity about the same. Then he took them to the grocery store where Regan bought Sonia and Callum a mountain of very unhealthy food. Then he took them back to Sonia’s house.