Callum’s muscles vibrated with the need to hit the asshole who was cornering his woman. Yeah, he was referring to Fiona as his woman, because that’s exactly what she was this weekend.
“We’re having a conversation,” Freddie said through gritted teeth, obviously too damn stupid to sense the danger.
Callum’s muscles flexed as he moved closer to Fiona. “She tried to walk away from your conversation more than once. That makes it less of a conversation and more harassment. Don’t you think?”
Freddie’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t like what Callum was saying, but then, bullies rarely liked it when they were called out on their shit.
“Move.” One word from Callum. But a word so low, and so strongly emphasized, there was no missing the threat beneath it. They might be at the guy’s rehearsal dinner, but that didn’t change the fact that Callum would knock him out with a single hit if he continued to detain her.
Freddie’s chest moved rapidly with his breaths, his cheeks tinging pink.
Fiona’s voice was hard when she spoke. “You need to go, Freddie.”
He huffed, then finally turned and headed back to the dining room. Callum moved in front of her and touched her arm, right where the asshole’s hand had gripped her. He wanted to kick his own ass for not getting here faster. He’d seen the two of them from down the hall. He should have fucking run.
He swiped his thumb over the reddening skin. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, that was just…unexpected.”
Maybe for her. But he’d seen the way Freddie had been looking at her all night. The man was still into her—and it was clear for all to see. Even his damn fiancée must have noticed.
He gave her a gentle look. “It’s okay to not be okay, you know.”
He wanted to know the history between her, the asshole, and her sister, and he wanted to know it tonight. She’d gotten hurt in the tangle, and it looked like Freddie was trying to keep her tangled.
She swallowed. “It’s not really the right time to not be okay, is it?”
“I don’t care where we are or whose function it is, when you’re not okay, I’ll take care of you.”
There was an audible catch in her breath. “There you go again, being too nice to me.”
“Not possible.”
Her bottom lip snuck between her teeth, and he suddenly got an overwhelming urge to tug it out.
But before he could, she nodded toward the restaurant. “We should get back.”
They should, but telling his feet to move and take him back to other people was harder than it should have been. He forced his hand to slide down her arm and slip through her fingers. Her hand fit in his so well.
Once they were seated again, he didn’t need to look up to know Freddie was staring at Fiona. It made him angry as hell.
When Fiona met the other man’s gaze, she rolled her eyes before lifting the new wine that had been set in front of her and downing half the glass.
Yeah, Callum was definitely finding out what the hell had happened between them.
Half an hour passed before her father stood and lifted his glass, clinking the side with the flat edge of a blunt knife. “Good evening, everyone. For those who don’t know, I’m Mark, Amanda’s father, and this is my wife, Edna, Amanda’s mother. First, we would just like to say thank you to everyone for joining us this weekend. Tomorrow will be a big day, while we watch her get married.” He looked down at Amanda. “Amanda is our first, and she was a bit of a miracle baby. We tried for a long time before she came.”
Tears welled in Amanda’s eyes.
Mark’s gaze shifted to Fiona. “Fiona was our second miracle. So unexpected, but so needed in our family.” This time, Amanda’s eyes tightened, the smile slipping from her lips. “Together, they were our gifts from God. Two perfect children.”
Callum kept watching Amanda throughout the speech. Why did the woman dislike her sister to the extent that their father couldn’t even talk about her without clear disdain shading her face?
Mark didn’t touch on how Amanda and Freddie had come to be together. In fact, he only spoke about the two as a couple very briefly, mentioning it was a whirlwind romance. There was no talk about one making the other a better person or being meant to be or soul mates.
When he felt Fiona’s leg move up and down beside him, he again reached under the table and wrapped his fingers around her thigh. Immediately, her movement stilled.
Touching this woman was starting to feel like second nature. It was something he could get used to.
Once the speeches were done, dessert was brought out, and the rest of the evening went quickly. The aunt kept asking invasive questions, but Fiona held her own.
It wasn’t until people started to leave that Fiona rose and wobbled on her feet. He stood and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Hey, are you all right?”
“Yeah, I think I had too much to drink,” she whispered, breath smelling of wine.
Callum chuckled. She’d definitely had a few refills. He shifted some hair behind her ear. “Let’s get you back to the room so you can sleep.”
He was able to bypass most goodbyes on the way out. When they reached the elevator, she leaned heavily into his side.
“Am I a terrible person for not wanting them to live happily ever after?”
The corners of his mouth twitched. “No.”
“Good. Because I might even smile if they end in divorce.” Her voice lowered, like she was telling him a secret. “I might even hope for it.”
“It’s hard to root for people who hurt you.”
She snorted. It was the least ladylike sound he’d ever heard, and he fucking loved it. “And easy to root for the bride to fall on her face while she walks down the aisle.” She quickly covered her mouth like she was surprised she’d said the words out loud.
The elevator stopped and the doors opened. “All right. Come on, you, before you see her and give her a shove yourself.”
“Payback for sleeping with my boyfriend.”
His muscles tensed, and he almost stopped walking. He waited for the elevator to start moving before he said, “He cheated on you with your sister?” What kind of a scumbag did that?
Her face scrunched in disgust. He had his answer before she responded. “Yeah. I got home early from work one day and found them in bed together.”
Asshole.
“I liked that bed too,” she continued. “We’d only bought it a month earlier. It was the most comfortable bed I’d ever slept in. Big and squishy. I let him keep it when I moved out.”
On their floor, he walked her down the hall, then swiped his card on the door and led her inside. “Did you buy another when you moved?”
“Yes. I wanted different everything.” She dropped to the bed and closed her eyes. “Amanda didn’t even look shocked when I found them. She didn’t look guilty or remorseful. In fact, I’m pretty sure I saw just a hint of a smile on her lips. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d set the entire thing up. Asked my boss to let me go early or something.”
He sat on the bed and lifted her feet onto his lap before undoing the strap on a heel. “I can see why you moved away from them.”
Another snort. “Maybe I should have moved further. There’s this town called Svalbard. It’s on an Arctic island and close to the North Pole. But I didn’t think I could take the months of no sun in the winter.”
He switched to her other foot. “I’m sure there are also dangerous polar bears near the North Pole, so Cradle Mountain was a safer choice.”
Her smile widened. “You and your team are way more dangerous than polar bears.”
“True. But we only pose a threat to bad guys.” When her shoes were off, he ran a hand over her calf, loving the smooth skin. “What did Freddie do when you found him with your sister?”
“He begged me to stay, but I just turned and left. I refused to take his calls or texts. I waited until a day I knew he’d be at work, and Stacey helped me get my stuff. The call just a few months later to say they were getting married was the final kick in the gut.”
Jesus. “You’re better off without people like that in your life. Sister or not.”
She pushed on her hands to sit up. It was like watching a baby panda try to sit, slow and uncoordinated. He laughed and tugged her arm to help her up, then she shuffled to sit beside him. “Have you ever cheated on anyone?”
“Never. And I never would.” He had too much integrity for that.
She held his gaze for a beat longer before nodding. “I believe you. But Fiona who hasn’t drunk her weight in wine might not.”
“Well, I’ll just need to fill you with wine every time I see you then.”
She didn’t even smile at his joke. “You’re too nice to me. I’ve been horrible to you about your book returns. And I’ll probably push you away again, even though I want to run my hands over your washboard abs while they’re oiled and hot.”
He pushed that image out of his head, because no fucking way could he get hard right now. It wasn’t the right damn time. “Why will you push me away?”
She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. “Because I’m waiting for Mr. Short, Chubby and Bald.”
Callum laughed again, a full belly laugh. Whatever he’d been expecting her to say, it wasn’t that. “So I have to be short, chubby and bald for you to trust me?”
“Mm-hmm. Maybe wear one of those tight sleeveless shirts and show some round gut. Because that guy will have less chance of cheating, right? Well, it makes sense in my brain. I haven’t looked at statistics or anything, and hell, I might be way off in that assumption, but it just feels safer in my head.”
He cupped the back of her head and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I told you, Fi, I would never cheat, especially not on you.”
“That’s what Freddie said.” She dropped back down to the bed, and he felt the loss immediately.
Slowly, he rose and helped her adjust, then pulled the sheet over her body. She still wore her dress, but she looked on the verge of passing out, and no way was he tackling her clothes when she was too drunk to consent.
“You’re sleeping with me, right?” she mumbled, eyes never opening.
His heart gave another massive thud in his chest. “I can if you want.” The only other choice was the floor, but he’d sleep there for her.
“I want.” She yawned. “And can you turn my phone off? I don’t want to get any more of those messages…”
“What messages?”
“The awful ones that call me a bitch and a whore.”
Something dangerous ticked in his jaw. “Is that what had you turning pale in the car?”
“Mm.” That was all she gave him before she fell into a deep sleep.
Fiona’s eyes popped open at the roll of her belly. She sucked in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. The room was dark, and so quiet that her and Callum’s breaths were all she could hear.
She closed her eyes and touched a hand to her stomach. Please don’t be sick. Please don’t be sick.
Man, why had she drunk all that wine last night? She knew she didn’t tolerate alcohol well.
On her third inhale, her stomach rolled again, and bile crawled up her throat. She was moving before she could stop herself, shooting out of bed and running to the bathroom. A deep, raspy voice sounded behind her, but she ignored it, throwing the bathroom door closed and dropping to her knees in front of the toilet just in time for the contents of her stomach to empty.
She wanted to groan when she heard the footsteps from the bedroom. There was no part of her that wanted Callum to see her like this.
Do not come in. Do not come in. Do not—
The door opened right as her belly rolled and she was sick again. A second later, fingers threaded through her hair, pulling it back from her face. Then a warm hand rubbed large circles on her back. Those words in her head died at his touch. It was heaven. How did a simple back rub while dying make you feel so much better?
They remained like that for a few more minutes, with her head in the toilet and Callum behind her, comforting. He didn’t say anything, neither of them did. They remained quiet while her belly released everything inside it.
When she was finally feeling almost normal, she flushed the toilet, then leaned back against the wall, letting the cool of the tiles seep into her body. That’s when she realized she was still wearing the dress she’d had on at the rehearsal dinner. Good God, she was a mess.
Callum rose and grabbed a small towel. He ran it under some water before lowering and pressing it to her forehead. The coolness had her eyes shuttering. “Thank you.”
“How are you feeling?”
She peeled her eyes open to find him on his haunches in front of her, concern coloring his eyes a shade darker. Her attention lowered to his bare chest. He only wore pajama pants, which hung dangerously low on his hips, showing those familiar jam-packed abs.
Even sick, she appreciated this man’s work-of-art body. “Better. Teaches me to be a more responsible drinker.”
Callum reached forward and shifted some hair from her face. Every time he did that, she wanted to melt into him. “Maybe I should have filled your glass with water before the waiter got there.”
Her lips curved into a smile. “I might have bitten off your hand. That wine was all that kept my butt in the seat.”
“Why are you here?”
Her brows flickered, surprised by his question. “It’s my sister’s wedding.”
“I know. But they hurt you. Badly. No one would have begrudged you for not coming. I’m sure a lot of people expected it.”
“Exactly why I’m here.” His brows flickered in confusion, so she continued. “I need them both to know that I’m okay. That they haven’t hurt me beyond repair. Because I am okay. A little battered and bruised but living a new life that I’m happy with.”
Understanding lightened his eyes.
“I don’t know why,” she continued softly, “but that was really important to me.”
“I get it.”
“Plus, no one knows about the circumstances of my separation with Freddie. Even though my parents would have understood me not coming because he’s my ex, me not being here still would have made them worry.”
“You don’t want them to know about what Amanda and Freddie did?”
She shook her head. “It would kill them. It’s not their fault she’s the way she is, but they would shoulder the blame. All they’ve ever wanted is for their kids to be happy.”
Something flashed in his eyes. Admiration, maybe? “Are you happy?”
Another surprised eyebrow lift. No one had ever asked her that before. Was she? “Most days.”
A slow nod from him. “Most days is good.”
“Are you?”
One side of his mouth lifted. “Right now? Most definitely.”
She swallowed, wanting to drown in those eyes. Drown in his words and gentleness and the way his voice made it seem like he really cared.
But she’d officially embarrassed herself enough for one night. She blew out a breath and went to push to her feet. Callum wrapped his fingers around her upper arms and helped her up.
“I might just brush my teeth and put my pajamas on before heading back to bed.”
“You got it.” He gave her one of his wide smiles before moving away. “Call out if you need anything.”
She nodded and turned to the sink. She had to stop herself from dropping her head into her hands. The man had watched her drink too much, then throw her guts up. He should be running. Jumping in his car and getting away from the mess that was her life as quickly as possible.
Once her teeth and mouth were clean, she went into the bedroom and rummaged in her bag for pajamas. Jeans, shirts, underwear…but no pajamas. She hadn’t brought them.
Jesus Christ.
“Everything okay?” Callum asked, making her wonder if she’d said those words out loud.
She scrubbed a hand over her face and straightened. “I forgot my pajamas.”
He didn’t even blink, just grabbed a T-shirt from his case and passed it to her. “Use this.”
Tentatively, she took it, already able to smell his masculine, woodsy scent on the garment. She wanted to say no, but the dress was uncomfortable as hell, and she didn’t have any shirts big enough to cover her. “Thank you.”
Back in the bathroom, she peeled off her dress. The shirt was huge, reaching her knees. And yep, she smelled Callum everywhere. It was suffocating, in the most torturous, erotic kind of way. She wanted to bathe in it.
She stepped out and moved to the bed. Callum was already there, lying on his side. His eyes heated as they locked with hers. He almost looked at her with…possession?
Quickly, she flicked off the light and slid under the covers.
“Your stomach okay?” he asked quietly.
“Yes.” Her ego on the other hand…not so much.
She was tempted to turn her back to him but didn’t. Something stopped her. Instead, she did the opposite. On her side, she scooched closer and touched her hand to his chest. She could feel the thumps of his heart beneath her palm. They were steady and even, almost aligning with her own.
“Thank you for being here with me. I’m not sure exactly why you are, but I’m grateful.”
His fingers curved around her hip. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”
Her breath stopped. She told herself to move her hand, to shift away from his touch. But the lull of his pulse beneath her skin was soothing, and the heat of his hand to her hip an extra layer of warmth. So she remained where she was, letting everything that was Callum soothe her back to sleep.
