by Jaye Wells
“Oh?” I said, curious.
“I have a gift for Logan I need you to take to him at Kira’s house. Miranda can keep me company while you run it over.”
I frowned. “Is there a reason I need to be the one to take it? Not that I mind,” I said.
Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “Well, I just figured that since you had to be here with me last night that you’d jump at the excuse to go see Callum. Just make it quick. The makeup and hair people get here at two.”
My jaw dropped. “Sydney!”
“What? Are you gonna deny you two have been having a passionate affair for the last several weeks?”
“Jesus, does everyone know?”
She nodded. “Pretty much.”
“Why didn’t you say anything before now?”
“We all figured you two had your reasons for not being out in the open,” she said with a shrug.
“Wait, you guys discussed this?”
“Well, Logan and I did. I got the impression Kira knew too.”
“Yeah, she does,” I said sullenly.
“Raven, seriously, it’s not a big deal. I think it’s great you two are together.”
“We’re not together,” I said quickly.
“What?” she asked, frowning.
“Well, we’re together,” I said, clarifying. “But we’re not together together.”
“Hmm,” she said. “Well, if you don’t want to see Callum, I’ll just send Jorge over right now.”
“No!” I all but shouted. “I mean, I don’t mind.”
Her smiled was smug, but I ignored it, preferring to pretend I wasn’t acting like a lovesick school girl.
An hour and a half later I pulled up in front of Kira’s house. Miranda had let me borrow her car for my errand when she found out that Syd was playing matchmaker.
“Make it a quicky,” she said as I walked out the door. “We’ve got a wedding to put on.”
Sitting in front of Kira’s house, I felt nervous. The night before at the rehearsal I’d realized a few things. First, I could stand up to my father without making a fool of myself. Second, wine plus wool equals smelly. Third, I cared about Callum.
I wasn’t really ready to use the L word, but not saying the word didn’t mean I didn’t feel something close to it. It was all really confusing because I’d never been in love before.
We hadn’t really had a chance to talk after the rehearsal other than a quick good-bye as we went our separate ways. Syd was right, I really did miss him. The idea of seeing him a few moments made me happy. Surely that was a sign of something.
With all these thoughts swirling in my head, I worried that I might say something to give my feelings away when I saw him. He’d said he wanted to talk after the wedding, but I had no guarantee he felt the same way.
“Suck it up,” I said, getting out of the car.
I had a mission to accomplish for Syd. In my hand was a small wrapped box, which Syd had confided held an antique pocket watch for her groom. My goal was to deliver the gift, not probe Callum for hints about his feelings.
Since I basically lived at Kira’s house, I didn’t bother knocking on the door. Letting myself in, I was amazed at the difference between Syd’s house and Kira’s that morning. Where Syd’s was loud and hectic as people hustled about trying to make the place ready for the wedding, Kira’s house was silent as a tomb.
“Hello?” I called, my voice echoing.
“We’re back here.” Kira’s voice came from the direction of the dining room.
“Hey, guys,” I said, walking into the room.
Kira, Logan and Callum looked up from their breakfast to greet me.
“Raven, how’s Syd doing?” Logan asked.
He held a cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. For a man about to commit himself to a woman for eternity, he looked pretty relaxed.
“She’s great. Very excited,” I said, nodding at Kira and Callum. The latter held my gaze for a second longer than necessary. Looking away, I cleared my throat.
“Care to join us for some breakfast?” Kira asked politely. “Hannah made enough food for an army.”
The woman in question bustled in. “I can’t help it. I cook when I’m nervous.”
Callum chuckled. “Hannah, what are you nervous about? Logan’s the one about to pick up a ball and chain.”
“You know very well you boys are like my own sons,” she said with a hand on her hip. “I can’t help it if I get a little emotional that one of you is about to fly the coop.”
“Hannah, I haven’t lived with Mother for more than a century,” Logan said, smiling with affection at the woman.
“Still, it’s not every day a man takes a wife, Logan.”
“Mother’s not emotional, though,” Callum pointed out.
Kira set down her coffee cup before responding. “That’s because I know my boy is marrying the woman he’s meant to be with. I only wish your father was here,” she said with a regretful sigh.
Hannah swiped at her eyes with a tea towel. “Angus would have been proud of you, Logan.”
Logan nodded as if too moved to speak. I shifted uncomfortably, feeling like an intruder.
“Now,” Kira said, obviously having recovered from her maudlin thoughts. “Callum, just think, next time it will be you.”
Callum slid me a covert gaze from behind his coffee cup. I wanted to run from the room. I was painfully aware that everyone in the room knew that Callum and I had been sleeping together.
Callum cleared his throat and said, “Mother, let’s focus on the now. Logan’s not even married yet.”
“Well, darling, you can’t blame me for wanting both of my sons to be married and happy.”
Callum shot Logan a pleading look. I stood stock still, too shocked by the conversation to react.
Logan cleared his throat. “Raven, what brings you by this morning?”
Thankful for the change in subject, I shook myself. “Oh, right. Syd wanted me to bring this to you,” I said, placing the carefully wrapped box in front of him.
Logan beamed. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll open this in private,” he said, standing. “Raven, don’t leave yet. I need you to take something back to my beautiful bride.”
I nodded, stepping out of the way to let him pass.
“Ah, true love. It’s so touching, isn’t it, Raven?” Kira said.
My teeth clenched. This woman was unbelievable. I almost missed the time when she warned me to stay away from her son.
“Yeah, it’s great. Callum, can I talk to you for a moment?” I said, not caring if she thought me rude.
He hesitated, looking from me to his mother.
“Sure,” he said slowly, rising from his seat.
“Yes, you two run along,” Kira said, smiling.
Callum grabbed my arm and pulled me with him into Kira’s office.
“Do you have any idea what that was all about?” he demanded after closing the door with a thud.
Flinching, I weighed my options. Should I tell him that his entire family knew about us? I wasn’t sure. After all, such a revelation might require we have a—shudder—relationship talk. Part of me wanted to get things out in the open, but I also wasn’t sure what I wanted. Sure, I knew I cared about him, but was I ready to ask him for a relationship? The thought gave me the shakes. What if he laughed in my face?
I went with option B instead.
“I think she’s just excited about the wedding,” I said, examining a fascinating letter opener on the desk.
“Gabby?” he said.
“Hmm,” I replied, picking up a roll of tape.
“I think my mother knows about us,” he said, sounding scandalized.
My head shot up. “You do?”
He nodded solemnly. “I’m so sorry.”
Frowning, I wondered what he meant.
“That’s okay?” I meant it as a statement, but it came out sounding like a question.
“Really? I know you wanted
to keep our . . . situation a secret.”
Our situation? What the hell did that mean?
“It’s not a big deal,” I said slowly.
“No,” he said, picking up a pen and twirling it with his fingers. “I guess it isn’t. I mean, with you leaving soon and all.”
He looked up at me.
“Right?” he said.
So help me, goddess, I didn’t know if he sounded hopeful or disappointed.
“Callum, I—"
Two loud knocks sounded from the door, interrupting me. Logan stuck his head in.
“Sorry, don’t mean to interrupt,” he said.
“No, that’s okay,” I said quickly.
He’d saved me as far as I was concerned. Before I could continue my conversation with Callum, I needed to get away from him and figure out what the heck was going on.
“Okay,” he said slowly, glancing at his brother. Callum stood with his arms crossed, looking like he definitely minded the interruption.
“Here’s the gift for Sydney,” Logan said, ignoring Callum. “Please tell her I love the watch, and I’ll be carrying it tonight. Also, tell her I love her, and I can’t wait to see her coming down the aisle.”
His words helped me momentarily forget my problems.
“Logan, I just want to say that I know we’ve had our disagreements, but I am really happy for you.”
Smiling, he handed me the box.
“Thanks, Raven. I’m glad you and Syd hit it off. She’ll need good friends around her as she continues to adjust to our way of life.”
Instead of answering him, I nodded. His assumption that I’d hang around for a while surprised me. On the other hand, I guess it kind of made sense. Everyone would assume that since they thought Callum and I were dating. But it irked me. Not only because I had no idea if Callum wanted me around, but also because everyone took it for granted that I was now committed to living my life like a good Brethren vamp.
“Well, I guess I’d better be getting back. Don’t want the bride worrying that her maid of honor ran away,” I said, joking.
Callum’s head snapped up.
“Dude, chill,” I said. “I was joking.”
His worried frown faded, and he laughed at himself.
“Sorry, guess the stress of the day’s getting to me.”
“Okay, I’m off,” I said.
“Gabby, one thing before you go,” Callum said, glancing significantly at his brother.
Logan shrugged and left the room.
Callum stood in front of me, his expression serious. Leaning against the desk, I set the present down to give the gorgeous guy in front of me all my attention.
“Promise me you won’t leave until we’ve had a chance to talk tonight,” he said.
“Okay, but I already promised you that,” I said, smiling despite the churning in my gut. “Wanna give me a hint about the topic?”
I’d been trying to keep it light, but his response caused my smile to waver.
“Your future.”
My future? Not our future? Oh God, he was going to dump me.
“Oh, all right,” I said, feeling foolish. “Listen, I really need to go. I’ll see you in a few hours.”
He stepped back and said good-bye, his movements stiff and formal. No kiss, no hug, no flirtation.
I walked back through the house with a heavy heart. Mad at myself for having girlish fantasies about Callum and I ending up together. But who was I kidding? He’d been honest with me from the beginning. No strings. It was all my fault, and I was furious with myself.
My thoughts were such a mess I didn’t notice the man standing in the middle of the driveway until I bumped into him.
“Oops, sorr—,” I began, only to realize who I’d bumped into. “Oh, Father. Sorry, I didn’t see you standing there,” I said, stepping back.
His face was an emotionless mask. “You need to pay attention to where you’re going, Gabriella.”
“Look, I said I was sorry.”
He waved a hand, dismissing me. “Don’t you have somewhere to be right now?”
His dismissal hurt me more than it should have. But I was already feeling down after my conversation with Callum.
“Yes, I do.”
I walked away, leaving him standing there. Perhaps it was rude of me, but I couldn’t have cared less at that point.
“Gabriella,” his commanding voice stopped me in my tracks.
Turning, I waited for him to speak. He walked to me slowly, and I really didn’t like the look in his eyes.
“We have not yet had a chance to formally discuss the outcome of your time here. Last night, I mentioned that I felt your transformation was convenient,” he said.
My hands automatically went to my hips. The defensive posture was an unconscious reaction. Somehow, I just knew I wasn’t going to enjoy this conversation. Not that I ever enjoyed talking to him.
“It has become clear to me that your changes were come by honestly,” he said, shocking the hell out of me.
My mouth gaped open. He’d caught me off guard.
“Really? I mean, you’re right, but I’m surprised by this sudden change of heart.”
His smile was cold.
“Let’s just say some new information has come to light, which explains what has happened.”
Frowning, I tried to decode what he was saying. He sounded like the freakin’ Sphinx.
“What information?”
“Your affair with Callum,” he said.
“Wait a minute. Aren’t you the one who accused me of sleeping with him to begin with?”
He nodded. “Yes, however at the time I thought you were manipulating him.”
“And now?” I asked despite my better judgment. I knew he was setting me up for something.
“And now, it’s clear Callum was using sex to manipulate you.”
“What?” I yelled.
“Lower your voice. Shouting accomplishes nothing,” he said with maddening calm.
“You’re a damned liar! Callum wouldn’t do that to me!”
My fingers curled into claws. I couldn’t believe my own father was spewing this kind of venom at me. He could not have chosen a more hurtful thing to say. The idea that Callum would betray me that way—well, it was too horrible to contemplate.
“Am I?” he asked, cocking a brow. “In New York I offered him a seat on the council if he could rehabilitate you.”
My stomach dropped, and my knees felt weak. I didn’t want to believe that Callum was capable of such duplicity. But the truth was, I’d suspected from the beginning that Callum had set this up to make himself look good.
What better way to ensure his future than to turn the black sheep into a docile lamb by manipulating her one weakness—her need for affection. If my soul had not been shrieking at that moment, I would almost have felt the need to applaud the man for his cunning.
The night I’d almost bitten the plumber, Callum must have seen his chance at success severely threatened. What better way to get me back in line than to pretend to care about my problems and then soften me up with mind-numbing sex? And I had been so desperate for someone to give a shit about me that I’d fallen for it like a desperate sucker.
Clenching my teeth to keep from screaming, I looked at my father.
“Why?”
His eyebrow perked up. “Why did he do this? Isn’t it obvious? Logan is the brain trust of the family. Callum, as the second son, has always yearned for a more important role. Getting on the council is the first step toward big things for him.”
I slashed my hand through the air to stop him. “No, I mean why would you tell me this? Aren’t you afraid I’ll revert back to my old ways?”
He shook his head. “No, it’s apparent you’ve learned a lot here. Whether it was Callum’s manipulation or your own will that was responsible is inconsequential,” he said. “I told you because I don’t want you getting your hopes up that you and Callum have a future. I saw how you looked at him at the rehearsa
l. You’re in love with him.”
I flinched, feeling ten times the fool.
The front door opened, and Callum rushed down the stairs.
“Gabby, you forgot Sydney’s gift,” he said when he reached us.
His smile faded when he saw us squaring off.
“Am I interrupting something?” he said warily.
“No, you’re not,” I said, barely able to look him in the face.
Grabbing the gift, I turned on my heel without another word and stormed to the car.
“Gabriella? Come back here! I’m not finished,” my father commanded as I got into the car.
“Gabby? Are you all right?” Callum called after me, sounding confused.
As I drove off, I looked in the rearview mirror. My father looked like a storm cloud—angry and about to explode—and Callum was obviously questioning him about what had happened.
I knew there would be hell to pay for walking away from them, but right then I didn’t care.
What a fucking idiot I’d been! The speedometer climbed higher and higher as I berated myself, swiping angrily at the tears which poured down my cheeks. Paying no attention to where I was headed, I tried to escape reality. Finally, unable to see through the tears fogging my eyes, I pulled over.
The anger and pain built up so much I needed to hit something. Since the steering wheel was handy, I pounded the damn thing until my palms were red and raw—howling and crying at the injustice of life. It helped a little, but I still felt as if my heart was smoldering to ash inside me. Worn out from the emotional outburst, I thumped my head on the wheel, leaving it there as I gulped air.
The old me would have sought revenge for being made a fool. But the new me . . .
Hell, was there a new me? If everything between Callum and I had been based on a lie, were any of the thoughts and feelings I’d had over the last several weeks real?
Lifting my head, I stared out the windshield looking for the answer in the tall pine trees lining the two-lane road.
Despite Callum’s treachery, the fact remained that I’d grown up during the last few months. Considering my age, it was amazing how much I’d changed in such a short time.
Taking a deep breath, I admitted to myself that while Callum might be an asshole, no one else was in on his plan. Sydney really was my friend. Kira believed I was a better person. Jorge and Geraldine had accepted me. Miranda always was and always would be my best friend. Even Logan and Alaric had begun treating me with a sort of grudging respect.