I run my hands through Lana’s hair. She always loved when I would play with the strands until she fell asleep. My own eyes begin to droop, post-sex drowsiness trying to pull me under.
Time to go.
I’m not ready to leave, although I know I’m going to have to. It’s inevitable with Cami in the house.
“I should go before I fall asleep.” My fingers run down her back, tracing the goose bumps breaking out across her skin. She snuggles deeper into my chest and throws her leg over mine.
“I don’t want you to leave,” she grumbles against my skin.
I chuckle and drop a soft kiss on the top of her head, earning a sweet sigh from her. “I know, but I doubt you want to wake up in the morning to Cami asking you a hundred questions about us.”
This is exactly why you need to leave.
Because no matter what has changed between us, Lana will always protect her daughter first, even if it means hiding what we are until she trusts me fully.
“It’s not that I’m ashamed…” Her voice trails off.
“I get it.” And with me leaving to rehab soon, it’s probably for the best. I have every intention of coming back, but Cami won’t understand.
She releases a heavy sigh. “She was so excited about Victor.”
I wince and my hands remain frozen against her back.
Lana traces an invisible pattern against my chest. “I was careful at first and didn’t have them meet until I was sure he and I were serious.”
The only thing keeping me from slipping away is her soft touch teasing my skin and my growing curiosity at what happened.
“He pressured me into meeting her. That should have been the first sign of many that he wasn’t a good match, but I felt so damn lonely and was scared of losing the one person who made me feel a fraction of what we had.” Her voice cracks, and my arms tighten around her.
I release a heavy sigh.
It’s only right you listen to every word since you’re the one who drove her into this situation in the first place.
I’m an expert at self-inflicted torture, so I can handle one uncomfortable conversation.
“In the beginning, things were good. Cami was happy with him. Even asked me a few times if we were going to get married, although she stopped asking after the first time he babysat her.” Her voice wavers.
I press her tighter against my chest. “You didn’t know.”
She peeks up at me with glassy eyes. “Shouldn’t I have, though? She’s my kid. I’m supposed to know every little thing about her, yet I couldn’t even notice that.”
“He was an asshole.”
“I know that now, but I missed the signs. It wasn’t until she timidly asked me if he would become her daddy that I finally started putting things together.”
My lungs stall, and a hot spike of pain shoots through my chest. I don’t speak in fear of my voice giving me away.
I wished you can be my new daddy.
Did she wish the same about Victor?
Lana continues, unaware of the shift in my mood. “When I questioned her about it, she told me she would rather not have a daddy at all. It was the first warning sign that I actually listened to. Because my girl is a romantic through and through, ever since she watched her first Dreamland princess movie. She even wrote letters to Santa asking for a daddy, only to be disappointed when her search under the tree came up empty.”
A laugh explodes out of me, followed by relief.
She didn’t want Victor to be her dad.
She wanted you.
It’s terrifying yet empowering all at the same time.
A small smile teases Lana’s lips. “One year I had to write a fake letter from Santa to let her know that he can only deliver toys, not people.”
My chest shakes with silent laughter. “A shame.”
“A shame indeed, until she took it up with the next best person.”
“Who?”
“The Easter Bunny.”
My head shakes. “She is the cutest kid ever.”
She sinks into me, her body melting against mine. “I think so, but it’s nice to hear it from someone unbiased.”
I chuckle. “Oh, I was biased the day she hustled me out of six hundred bucks.”
“You didn’t stand a chance, did you?”
“Looks like Castillo women are my one weakness.”
“Only the one?” She grins.
I kiss the stupid smile off her face. She reciprocates, matching my fire with one of her own. I’m not sure how I survived six years without this. Without her. The way I feel around Lana makes the whole world pale in comparison. Like I’ve been stuck living my life in black-and-white, only to have it switched to color.
I’m not sure I can go back to a life without her.
You won’t have to.
So long as I commit to working on myself, I can have Lana forever.
Just like you were meant to.
I pour everything I feel into my kiss. Desire. Love. Hope.
Lana wraps her arms around me and tugs me closer. Everything about us feels right. Like two halves of a puzzle finally joined.
I’m desperate to keep the connection going for as long as I can. I tease, suck, and kiss every inch of her body until she is writhing beneath me, chanting my name with desperation.
It doesn’t take long before I find my head between her thighs again, worshiping her body like I was always meant to. The combined taste of her and me is addicting, and I can’t stop teasing her cunt until she comes on my tongue, rewarding me for my hard work.
Somehow, I end up beneath her with my back pressed against the headboard while she rides my cock.
Every gasp. Every moan. Every little sigh pushes us closer toward the edge.
I drag Lana down with me, teasing her clit until she comes around my dick. She doesn’t stop moving until she comes down from her orgasm. Her body goes slack, and she falls against my chest with a content sigh.
My hands grip her hips as I lift her up and down my cock, desperate to find my own release. Her head rolls back, giving me the perfect opportunity to take one of her nipples into my mouth.
She quivers around me, taking every inch of me like she was meant to.
“Cal.” She grips my hair and tugs, making my scalp prickle from the sensation.
“You like this?” I slam her against my dick, earning a gasp. “Driving me wild?”
She reaches between us and teases her clit.
Fuck. That’s hot.
One of the things I love about Lana is that she has never been shy about seeking her own pleasure. Her finger accidentally grazes against my cock as I slide out of her, making me come so hard I nearly black out. Lana continues riding my cock, playing with her clit until she orgasms again.
Her small smile of triumph draws one of my own. It hits me then that Lana doesn’t just feel like home—she feels like my everything.
I stay inside her for as long as I can, settling back into the mattress while holding her to my chest. Her breathing evens out eventually as she slips into unconsciousness, and I’m left grappling with the emotions she stirred up.
At some point, I drift off to the sound of her steady breathing.
I’ll get up in a minute, I repeat to myself for the third time.
I lied.
“Mommy! Wake up! We’re going to Dreamland today!” Cami bangs against the door.
Lana bolts upright, the sheet falling around her waist. “Oh my God! What are you still doing here?” she whisper-shouts.
“Fuck.” I grab a pillow and cover my head. “I fell asleep.”
“You need to hide!” She rips the pillow away from my hands and throws it toward the end of the bed.
“Mommy? Did you hear me?” Cami slams her palm a few more times.
“Coming! Why don’t you go ahead and pick out your outfit for today.”
“Okay!” Cami’s voice sounds farther away when she answers.
Lana shoots me a look as she slides out of the bed, distracting me with her naked body as she darts around the room, collecting our clothes. She throws her shirt over her head before brushing her fingers through her wild waves.
“Get dressed.” She throws my shorts at my chest.
“I’m going.” I reluctantly climb out of bed.
Lana’s eyes widen as she presses a hand against her mouth.
“What?” I look down at my erection. “This?” I give it a few pumps, earning a hiss from Lana.
“No. I—” Her eyes widen. “I’m so sorry.”
“What’s wrong?” I turn and look at my reflection in the mirror.
Damn.
Lana left some souvenirs of our time together. Besides the few hickeys marking my neck and chest, my skin is covered with faint scratches and a couple of bite marks.
I run my hand over one of the marks. “If you wanted to mark your territory, a tattoo might have been more effective in the long run.”
“Shut up.” She tosses my shirt directly at my smirk.
I pull her in for a quick kiss. Her lips mold to mine, and I run my hands down her body, tracing her curves before giving her ass a squeeze.
I pull away although I’d rather not. “You distract Cami and I’ll sneak out.”
She places a quick peck on my cheek. “Deal.”
Fortunately, the real estate agent is able to drop by early Sunday afternoon. With us leaving to Dreamland tonight for Cami’s birthday, I want to make sure everything with the lake house is settled while Wyatt and Delilah take Cami out for lunch.
The meeting with the agent goes smoothly, and he assures me that the house will be put on the market first thing tomorrow morning while we are in Florida.
I should be happy with that kind of news. Thrilled even. The sooner I sell the house, the more liberated I will feel. Hopefully, the heavy weight pressing against my chest that has been present since last night’s conversation will lessen before disappearing altogether.
Lana stayed quiet, keeping to herself while we reviewed the logistics of the sale and our price tag. She only spoke up after the agent said goodbye and asked me to do one last walkthrough of the house by ourselves. She saves the kitchen for last, something I know is intentional given how much time she spends inside of it.
She opens the pantry door and frowns. “Hmm.”
“What?” I peer over her shoulder.
“Just was wondering if they’re going to paint over this or replace the door and the frame altogether.”
“Probably replace it.”
She makes an indiscernible noise.
“What?” I ask at the sight of her frown.
“It’s a shame.” She traces the different marks etched into the wooden frame—all written in her mother’s handwriting. Five different initials in varying colors mark the entire side: RGK, DLK, CPK, AVC, and CTC. Rowan and Declan’s heights were no longer recorded once they stopped visiting the lake house, while mine continues until my final six-four marking.
“You added Cami’s height?” I squat down and trace over the first small pink mark at the bottom, which is barely two feet tall.
“Yeah. My mom thought it would be a fun idea.” Lana looks at it with a watery smile. “Cami couldn’t even stand yet, but I held her up while my mom used the ruler to mark her spot.”
“You miss her,” I state.
“All the time.” She looks around the kitchen. “Being here… it feels like I’m still connected to her. She spent a majority of her time in the kitchen, cooking, cleaning, eating. It was her favorite place in the whole house.”
“And yours.”
“Most definitely.” Lana gives the kitchen counter a loving pat. “It’s hard to believe that by tomorrow, all of this will be gone.”
“Crazy, huh?” I lean against the counter beside her.
“If my mom were here, she would have been excited to say goodbye to the counters. She probably would have begged Ryder to let her take a sledgehammer to them herself.”
I grin. “Really?”
“Oh yeah. She warned your grandpa against picking blue tile as a countertop, but he was very insistent. Mom said it wouldn’t age well and she was right. Plus, she hated cleaning the grout all the time, and after being stuck doing the same, I completely agree.” Lana’s nose twitches with distaste.
“That was Brady for you. Stubborn as a mule and always thinking he knew best, even when he didn’t.”
She walks toward the window above the sink and looks out at the lake. “I still haven’t wrapped my head around the fact that we’re selling the house.”
Neither have I. “Are you going to talk to Cami?”
Her fingers clutching on to the counter twitch. “After we come back from Dreamland.”
“She will understand.” I walk up behind her and place my hands on top of hers.
“I hope so. I just…”
“What?”
“I’m scared to let go.” Her voice cracks.
“Lana.” I turn her face toward mine. Her gaze remains glued to the lake outside. “Look at me.” The glassiness in her eyes guts me, and I’m questioning giving up on my grandfather’s task altogether.
“We can call this off,” I blurt out.
Are you…
A lovesick idiot? Absolutely. Sue me.
If you don’t, your brothers will.
I shove the thoughts of Rowan and Declan out of my head.
Her eyes shut. When they open again, the watery sheen is gone. “No.”
“Are you sure?”
Her fingers interlace with mine, banishing the cold dread spreading through my veins. “I want you to be happy.”
My lips press together. I feel like the biggest dick on the planet for keeping the truth from her.
You don’t have a choice.
Well, I wish I did. My grandpa’s will makes me feel helpless. Dirty. Dishonest.
“We can start somewhere new.” She sighs. Her use of the word we draws a sharp breath from me and latches on to my heart, breaking through the scar tissue.
I give her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’d like that.”
While Lana and Cami pack for the trip, I sit inside my car with my phone pressed to my ear.
“Callahan Kane. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?” The easygoing tone of my grandfather’s lawyer’s voice draws a small smile from me.
“I have a question for you.”
“What is it?”
“When my grandfather asked me to stay the whole summer at Lake Wisteria, was he specific about how long?”
“I don’t recall off the top of my head. Would you like me to check the will?”
“Yes, please.”
“Give me a moment.” Papers rustle and Leo breathes heavily into the microphone, his confirmatory noise only adding to the growing tension in my shoulders.
“One hundred and twenty days.”
Shit.
“Is there any way of getting around that?” My molars smash together.
He only grumbles to himself.
That can’t be good.
“What’s the rush?” he asks. “You only have a month left.”
“I need to check myself into rehab next week.”
“Rehab?” His voice perks up. It’s a strange way to react to someone who clearly has an issue with alcohol, but Leo was always a weird guy. That’s why he and my grandfather got along so damn well.
“Yes. I have a place lined up in Arizona, but the will is holding me back from going.”
More papers shift in the background. “I see.”
“Well, I can’t, so do you mind sharing?” I shut my eyes and take a deep breath to calm my fraying nerves. Without any alcohol to take the edge off this conversation, I’m stuck facing my anxiety head-on.
Lovely.
“Your grandfather was willing to adjust the time period on one condition.”
“Let me guess: If I go to rehab.”
He laughs. “No.”
My shoulders slump. “Then what? Does he want me to take a breathalyzer test every day for the next however many days? Or maybe he wants me to be homebound with a babysitter?”
“Nothing quite that severe. All he said was the required four months at Lake Wisteria could be null and void if you earn a green chip.”
“A green chip?”
“From AA.”
My lips press together as I consider my two other times attending Alcoholics Anonymous. Green was a color I achieved yet lost not long after.
My grip around the phone tightens. “And you didn’t think to tell me this before I moved in?”
“I wasn’t at liberty to say unless you came to me first regarding sobriety. Your grandfather emphasized the importance of you making this choice on your own, so he didn’t want you to feel enticed to get sober for an inheritance.”
I close my eyes to stop the world from spinning around me.
Leo clears his throat. “Your grandfather already chose an AA program for you as well.”
My laugh comes out forced. “Of course he did.”
The motherfucker set me up.
My grandfather had to have known that if I came back here, it would only be a matter of time before I would want to get sober again.
“Will you please send me the information so I can take a look?” I ask.
“Of course. I’ll have my assistant send you that and the phone number for the person to contact. From what I’ve heard, it’s a small group for those who require discretion.”
Fantastic. Can’t wait to spend my AA meetings with a bunch of rich snobs who can’t get their shit together despite having access to everything.
“Sell the house and get me that green chip so we can get the rest of the inheritance squared away.” He speaks with a light and airy tone, as if getting sober is a simple task.
No big deal. My teeth grind together. “Right. Thanks, Leo.” My finger hovers over the red end call button, but Leo’s voice stops me.
“Just know that your grandfather would be really proud of you. Every choice he made up until his accident was meticulously thought out.”
“Even selling the house?”
“Especially that. For you and Ms. Castillo.”
