My Best Friend's Ex (Daring Divorcees)

by Shannyn Schroeder

  He went back into the house, and she returned to her bed and stared up at the skylight. At some point, she’d have to face him, make some decisions about what they were and where they were going. She loved him. That was the only thing she was sure of. Whistling in the yard caught her attention. Sharp and clear with a melody, the sound was not someone calling in a dog.

  The calming tune soothed her, and she closed her eyes to listen. A guitar joined the whistling. She knew the song but couldn’t place it. Somewhere in the back of her mind, like a long-ago memory. She hummed along trying to recall the words.

  Then Trevor’s voice began singing, and it all came rushing back to her. Trevor in the band, the first time they’d met. The band had performed “Patience” by Guns N’ Roses. The iconic whistle should’ve been enough to trigger the memory. She’d swooned over him that night, and she’d nudged Lisa to pay attention to the band.

  She slid from bed again and slunk to the window to watch. He stared at her window, undeterred by her lack of acknowledgment. He just kept performing. Except she knew this show was just for her. Moving into view, she made eye contact and felt his gaze deep in her soul. She opened the window to hear him more clearly as he sang about having patience and being willing to wait because they had what it would take to make it.

  He was telling her that he wanted to make them work, no matter what. He believed in them.

  She licked her lips. History made her look like a bad bet. She did have a habit of taking off at a moment’s notice. She wanted to be here for him, though. She wanted to be the one he leaned on.

  Could it be that simple?

  Swallowing hard, she straightened and did what her heart demanded. She went to get what she wanted.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Trevor stared up at Callie’s window. When he’d come up with this crazy idea, he hadn’t considered how stupid he would feel carrying it out. Luckily, none of his neighbors had yelled at him yet. He should’ve chosen another song. Something more upbeat. Something shorter.

  Being in a band had been easy. He’d never sung solo, except when he was screwing around at home. Pouring his heart into a song for the woman he loved was no joke.

  When she disappeared from the window, he almost stopped—gave up—but the musician in him continued, despite the worry and fear.

  Her door opened as he finished the final chords of the song. She leaned against the doorjamb, arms crossed, wearing a pair of shorts and an old T-shirt that had been one of his. Her wet hair clung to the front of the shirt, covering the name of the band whose concert he’d attended years ago. That shirt had never looked so good.

  He stood and set his guitar on the patio chair. She said nothing.

  He wanted to go to her, but his feet were stuck, his legs frozen in place. “Why didn’t you tell us you were coming home?”

  “My flight was late, and you’re usually in bed early.”

  “I would’ve picked you up.”

  “How’d you know I was here?”

  “I saw some lights on and heard the air conditioner.” Should he admit that he came out every night and looked for signs of her being home?

  She hitched a thumb toward her second floor. “Thanks for the skylight. I wasn’t serious about that, you know.”

  “Don’t you like it?”

  “I love it.”

  Silence stretched between them for a moment, hanging on the weight of the words she’d spoken. Love. He’d installed the skylight because of love. He hoped she knew that.

  “The song was pretty damn good, too.”

  “Words don’t always work for me, but music and building are things I’m good at.”

  “You express yourself differently. I get it.”

  Did she? Did she understand how it was killing him to not rush to her and hold her?

  “Why didn’t you come over when you got home?” he asked.

  “I was still sorting things out.” She pushed away from the door and walked barefoot across the grass toward him.

  “Did you figure it out?”

  She nodded slowly. “I think so.”

  Air whooshed from his lungs. He couldn’t read her expression, didn’t know if she planned on dumping his dumb ass for good, but he wouldn’t go down without a fight.

  She stopped about a foot away from him. Close enough to touch, and he wanted to reach for her.

  “Did you mean it?” she asked.

  “Mean what?”

  “The lyrics. The song. Do you believe in us? That we have what it takes to last as long as we have patience?”

  “I do. For the first time in a lot of years, I’m able to picture a future with someone. You.”

  “I want us to work, Trevor. We’re not kids anymore. When things get tough, we should be able to turn to each other, to have someone to count on. I thought we could be that for each other.”

  “That’s what I want, too.”

  “But you’re not showing that. You keep everything bottled up and under such tight control, I don’t know what to expect. I want you to trust me enough to lean on me, to let me help.”

  “You already do so much—”

  “The small, meaningless stuff. You hang on to every ounce of control, and I can’t live like that.”

  “I’m afraid to dump too much on you. I did that to Lisa. She took care of everything, and I thought I knew, but I didn’t. Not until it was too late. I don’t want to make that mistake again. I don’t want to be a burden.”

  Callie stepped closer and sat on the step, tugging his hand so he would join her. The small contact set his skin on fire. He wanted to touch her and not stop. But once he sat, she released his fingers and tucked her hands between her knees.

  “You have to trust that I’ll tell you if it’s too much. Lisa loved being in charge. She lived for being a mom and running everyone’s lives. She thrived on it.” Callie turned to face him. “On the weekends when you had the kids, she was lost. We used to do movie night, but she spent most of the time doing laundry and trying to feed me.”

  “She shouldn’t have had to shoulder it all.”

  “She chose to, Trevor. She could’ve asked you to step up and do more, but she didn’t. And now you’re doing the same thing.”

  “I’m just trying to be a good father.”

  “But you don’t have to do it alone.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  She took his hand, and for the first time in this conversation, he felt hopeful. “Then let me in. Trust me to take on some of the burden, to be your partner.”

  “It seems unfair.”

  “It’s not. If you ask too much, I’ll tell you to back off.”

  “I want to try. I’ve missed you so much for the past two weeks.” With his free hand, he ran fingers through her hair. “What do you get out of this deal? It seems a little one-sided.”

  “I get a partner, someone to count on, just like you do. More importantly, I get family and a place to call home. I haven’t had either in a really long time.”

  Trevor couldn’t wait any longer. He leaned over and brushed his lips against hers, needing to taste her, show her how much he’d missed her. When his tongue touched hers, he vibrated with need. He wanted to scoop her up, strip her bare, and slide into her forever.

  Forever.

  The word buzzed through his mind, and a new need took over. He pulled back and waited for her eyes to reopen. Cradling her face, he said, “I love you, Callie. I don’t want you to run away anymore. You belong here—with us, your family.”

  Her eyes filled, and his heart lurched again. He’d only considered his need to say the words, not whether she was prepared to hear them.

  “I love you, too,” she whispered. “But I don’t run away.”

  A laugh burst from his chest, and he held her close. “Oh, honey, yeah you do. You’ve been running almost as long as I’ve known you. The first time you ran was when I proposed to Lisa.”

  “I thought I was losing my best friend.”

&nb
sp; “I’m no shrink, but I can see that you always run when you think you’re going to be left. Like you want to be the one to do the leaving.”

  She slid away and looked at him. “And yet you want to be with me?”

  He wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her close again. He had no intention of ever letting her go. “Well, since I don’t plan on leaving, it seems safe. Besides, something Hannah said the other day reminded me of Lisa’s words years ago. ‘Callie runs, but she always comes home.’” He kissed her temple. “I’m patient. I’m strong enough to stand and wait, as long as you always come back to me.”

  “I think I’m done running.”

  “Yeah?”

  She nodded against his chest. “Pretty sure. I was kind of miserable in Italy, which is a travesty.” After another tight squeeze, she slid away again. “I didn’t take the job. At least not what they offered. I’m going to go to Great Britain for a couple weeks. I might do some tours later, but I won’t be traveling all the time.”

  Trevor’s heart lifted. She planned to stay with them, plant some roots.

  A noise behind them caught Trevor’s attention. “Hey, is that Callie?” Evan called from the kitchen.

  “Yeah,” she answered, taking Trevor’s hand. “Making out with your kids as an audience probably isn’t a good idea, huh?”

  He smiled, and Evan came out onto the deck. “Why are you guys sitting out here in the dark?”

  “We were thinking about running naked in the yard to celebrate summer,” Callie answered.

  “Ew. Not an image I need to have.”

  Callie doubled over with laughter. When she straightened, she said, “Sometimes you guys are so easy.”

  Evan came to the top of the steps. “I’m sorry for the trouble I caused between you and Dad.”

  Callie’s forehead wrinkled. “That wasn’t your fault.”

  “Felt like it was.”

  “It wasn’t. You have nothing to apologize to me for.”

  “Thanks for getting me that night. Not sure if I said it before you left.”

  “It’s okay. Part of the job.”

  Warmth spread through Trevor because she was right. She’d been acting as a parent to his children, but he kept trying to draw boundary lines. It was time to erase those lines.

  “Why don’t you go tell Hannah that Callie is back? She’ll be excited.”

  Evan nodded and took off into the house. They heard his yell from where they sat.

  Trevor groaned as he pulled Callie to stand. “Not quite what I had in mind.” He put an arm around her and led her up the stairs. “I owe you another apology.”

  “What for?”

  “You’ve been taking care of the kids for a long time. From what I can tell, even before Lisa died, and I dismissed it. I’m sorry. In my effort to try to do it all, I neglected to notice—really pay attention to—how much you do and how much they already count on you. Bad news for you, though.”

  “Why?”

  He held the back door open for her. “Because now we’re never going to let you go.”

  She stretched up and kissed his cheek. “That’s good, because I love you. All of you.”

  He’d never tire of hearing that.

  …

  Trevor dragged himself in from a long day at work. Evan trudged behind him. He gave his son credit. He’d been working every day, keeping up with Trevor and paying attention to almost everything Trevor tried to teach him. Of course, there were times when Evan acted as if he knew what he was doing, or maybe he thought he could figure it out on his own, and it inevitably blew up in his face. Trevor remembered what it was like to be an apprentice, to want to prove yourself. But for the most part, the boy worked hard.

  In the kitchen, he poured them both a cold glass of water. “I’m proud of you. You’ve been doing a great job.”

  “Thanks.” His son ducked his head at the praise.

  Trevor gulped the water. “I’ll admit you lasted way longer than I thought you would.”

  Evan lifted his head and looked at him with narrowed eyes. “Nice to know you had so little faith in me.”

  “It’s not that. I brought you to the job because I hoped to scare you off. Your mother and I always expected you would go to college. To be better than me.”

  Evan lifted a shoulder. “I like working construction.”

  Trevor sighed. He believed Evan, because he saw the eagerness on his son’s face when they were challenged on the job and he was really invested in learning. He expressed way more interest there than he ever did in school.

  “I guess college doesn’t have to be a requirement. You can always decide to go later, right?”

  Evan huffed. “Yeah, sure.”

  “I’m serious. I’m not going to pressure you now, but I want you to keep your options open.”

  “I guess I can do that.”

  “Good. Now go shower. I have a meeting to get to.”

  Evan set his glass in the sink. “Do you even need meetings anymore?”

  Trevor was still getting used to his kids asking about his addiction openly. “Maybe not need. But if you keep in touch with the things that are important, you’re not out of practice when you do need them.”

  Evan nodded, satisfied with the answer, and left the room.

  Less than an hour later, he was heading to his AA meeting, and Hannah sidelined him at the door.

  “Can we talk for a minute?”

  “One minute. I’m on my way to a meeting.”

  “I’ll talk fast.” She took a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking about school, and I want to do a semester abroad next semester. The deadline to apply is in like a week, so I know I should’ve started sooner, but I just found out about it.”

  “A semester? Like six months? Where?”

  “There are a lot of options, but I’m thinking about maybe Korea?” The hesitation in her voice told him she knew the likelihood of him agreeing was slim.

  “No.”

  “But, Dad. You didn’t even consider it.”

  “I’m not sending my daughter halfway around the world to a place that might start a war with its other half.”

  She huffed. “How about Spain, then? Spain is totally safe.”

  “Nothing is totally safe when you’re on your own, thousands of miles away.”

  “I wouldn’t be alone. I’d be with a host family.”

  “Oh yeah. I’m going to send you to live with strangers in a strange place. Not gonna happen.”

  “But—”

  “I have to go to my meeting.” He kissed the top of her head, even as she pulled away with crossed arms. He’d gotten hip to how Hannah played things. She often tried to ask for permission when he was distracted or leaving. Asking for money to hang out at the mall didn’t hold a candle to asking to move to the other side of the planet.

  But maybe when she was done being mad at him, they could talk about options for traveling for school when she was older, like in college.

  As he climbed into his truck, he thought that maybe he was getting a handle on this parenting thing.

  …

  Callie had a great day taking photos in the city of people and places. She’d begun to think about maybe putting together a gallery show of her pictures. She hadn’t done one in years—more years than she’d like to consider—since before she began doing travel photography regularly. She’d taken them on film and figured tonight might be a good time to give Hannah a lesson in developing.

  She didn’t know how interested Hannah was in photography or if her interest was mostly in spending extra alone-time with Callie, but she’d take it. When she pulled up to the house, Trevor’s truck was already gone. Damn. She’d hoped to catch him before his meeting. They’d missed each other this morning, and she wanted to talk to him about her upcoming trip to Great Britain. She’d meant to talk to him last night, but as usual, Trevor had distracted her with other things.

  Gathering her camera bag, she climbed from her car and went into the
house. “Hannah?” she called.

  Hannah came flying down the stairs. “Good. You’re here.”

  “What’s going on?” Callie tamped down her worry. If it was something bad, they would’ve called her.

  “I need your help with Dad. He’s being so…overbearing. He won’t listen. He didn’t even pretend to consider it.”

  Callie shook her head to try to follow. “Consider what?”

  Evan passed behind his sister. “She wants to go live in Korea for a year.”

  “What?” Callie asked.

  Hannah huffed. “I want to do a semester abroad next semester. The deadline to apply is in a week. I mentioned Korea, but when he talked about me going someplace unsafe, I suggested Spain. He still wouldn’t listen.” She tugged Callie’s hand. “You have to talk him.”

  “I don’t know, Hannah. You’re young to be that far from home for so long. It’s a huge decision to make with less than a week’s notice.”

  “But you travel all the time. You can tell him it’s safe.”

  “I can’t say that. I don’t know anything about the program you’re interested in. I have no idea what kind of oversight there is. I didn’t start traveling around the world until I was an adult. And if that travel has taught me nothing else, it’s that the world is a very unsafe place.”

  “Seriously? You’re not going to help?”

  “I agree with your dad on this one. Especially since we don’t have time to check out the program. Maybe another year after we’ve investigated all the options.”

  “I can’t believe this! You’re supposed to be on my side.” Hannah turned and stomped off.

  Callie was flabbergasted. Hannah’s barb shot right through her. She was on Hannah’s side.

  Evan came from the kitchen with an apple in his hand. “Looks like you’re more of a mom than our friend now, huh? That sucks.”

  Then he walked away.

  Callie had no idea what to do. She was trying to be a role model for them, an adult they could count on, someone Trevor could lean on. But she was going to make them hate her. And that was something she couldn’t handle.