Today is my third day working here, and I’m over it already. Elijah threw a tantrum this morning because he wanted to see Callum, and I promised that he would join us and he still hasn’t. I feel shitty for lying to him, but what choices do I have?
Wiping the counter, I’m lost in my thoughts until someone places a tattooed hand on the counter. Those tattoos. I don’t dare to look up. I know who that hand belongs too, and I’m not ready to face him.
“Are you seriously going to ignore me, Bella?” Callum says, sounding pissed.
“What are you doing here?” I look up, glaring at him.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t find you?” he scoffs.
“Why are you here?”
“You mean, why are we here?” He points out to where Bennett is, and typical Bennett looks at me with a big ass grin and waves at me. I wave back smiling softly.
“Didn’t think you’d be able to convince me to come back on your own?” I smirk at him.
“I never doubted you, just myself. I’m sorry for even thinking those things about you. I didn’t mean them.”
“Yes, you did if you talked about it with someone. They crossed your mind so there must be some truth in there.” I shrug.
“It did, but it was stupid. With what I’ve learned about Alina, it made me think that you could be the same, I can’t say enough how sorry I am.”
“It was stupid and even stupider to think that I’d be just like her.”
“I fell in love with her and turns out she didn’t love me. She just wanted money and protection. With the way we met, it did cross my mind that you could be the same. I fell in love with you hard, and the lack of reaction from you whenever I scream her name in the middle of the night made me doubt you. I’ve never felt love until you.”
“I don’t react to it because there’s nothing I can do. I know you’re not thinking about fucking her and that’s enough for me to know not to worry about it on an emotional level. Of course, I worry about you and how it’s affecting you. Besides, you have your brothers’ love. It’s not like you’ve never had people love and care about you.”
“Not that kind of love. My mother abandoned me and my father. He made my life a living hell as payback. Hell, he’s not even my real father, but I ruined his life nonetheless so he thought he was entitled to it. The few people I’ve loved have been ripped away from me one way or another. I don’t want you to join the long list. I thought I had lost you for good.”
“What makes you think that I want you back in my life? You’ve brought me nothing but heartache,” I say, and I regret it instantly.
“I deserve that,” he says through gritted teeth.
“No, you don’t.” I sigh.
“Yes, I do. I nearly got you killed. Your place was wrecked. You saw me get head. Your car was blown up. I thought you just wanted me to take care of you and Elijah. Where’s my little man anyway?” He smiles looking around hoping to see him there.
“I just wanted you to love us and care for us but not take care of us. I’ve taken care of myself for years, even before I left my aunt. I don’t need a man to pay the bills and keep a roof over my head. Talking about head, almost forgot about that.” I frown. “Elijah is at the daycare center.”
“I should learn to shut my mouth,” he groans.
“Yes, you should.”
“How about I get you out of here and back home?” He smiles and places his hand over mine on the counter, softly caressing small circles near my thumb.
“I like it here.” I take my hand back and fiddle with the rag that I was using to clean the counter.
“No, you don’t. I can see it in your eyes.” He holds my gaze, and I just want to say ‘Yes! Take me home. I hate it here.’ but I don’t because I’m a coward.
“Callum, this is home now.”
“It’s okay, Bella. I’ll wait for you for as long as you need. I know you’ll come back. My door is always open for you. I love you, Annabella, and I know you love me, too,” he says with finality and joins Bennett who seems to be whining because he thought he was getting food. If the severity of the situation wasn’t so great, I’d totally laugh at Bennett’s outburst, but I can’t.
I want Callum. I love Callum, and he loves me. Why am I so fucking stubborn that I can’t just back down from my position on the entire thing and leave with him. That’s all I want right now, to go with him and go back to our lives, to our friends and family. To something better and that feels like home.
“Are you okay? That was intense!” Mary, the diner owner, asks me.
“I’ll be alright.” I sigh watching Bennett and Callum leave. He turns around and looks at me, mouthing the words ‘see you soon, Bella,” at me. If I listened to myself right now, I’d run after him and jump into his arms, but I don’t. I stay behind the counter and go back to wiping it.
“Sometimes you have to re-evaluate what you think is right. You’re miserable here, everybody can tell. Stop thinking that you’re doing the right thing and actually do it.” She looks at me and leaves, letting her words linger.
What the fuck am I supposed to do?
I feel like I’m back to five years ago, lost and confused about what I’m going to do with my life. I didn’t turn out so bad. I actually turned out pretty good considering everything that’s happened in my twenty-two years of life. Why am I making things so fucking complicated for myself?
Callum
January 10, 2017
It’s been three fucking weeks since I’d been to Denver and tried to convince Bella to come back with me, I’d failed miserably.
I know she hates it there. It was written all over her face, but she wouldn’t come back home. Probably out of pride or to prove a point that she could do it on her own all over again. I just hope it’s not too late and that we can get back together. I wanted nothing more than to be able to bring her and Elijah back and for us to start our lives together again, but she thought otherwise.
In the back of my mind, I know she’ll come back eventually. Unless she’s heartless, she’s going to miss her friends and family. Elijah is bound to miss us, and I know she won’t want to make him miserable.
I don’t know why she’s not back yet or where she is. Ryan was keeping an eye on her while she was in Denver, but she managed a grand escape the day after Bennett and I showed up there. I called to check in on her because Ryan said she wasn’t in, and the owner said she quit the day before. I called the hotel and they said she checked out. I called the daycare and they said Elijah hadn’t come back. We have no leads as to where she could be or could be heading, and it’s fucking shit up for me.
I’ve tried to call her, but she never picks up the phone. Although one time I did get to talk to Elijah. She was in the shower and the sneaky little one picked up the phone when he saw my name appear. It was good to talk to him. He didn’t know where they were, but he said they were safe and had a roof over their heads and were having fun but that he missed me. That nearly killed me. I need them both back in my life. I want us to be able to have a family life and be happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.
While she’s been gone, I got a new house. With the help of my brothers, we worked on making it perfect for Annabella, Elijah, and me. It’s bigger than the one I had. It has a few extra rooms just in case we want to have people over or more kids. It’s next door to Nancy, and she was beyond excited. We’re more or less all living on the same street besides Gabe and Viv who live in her childhood house, but it’s only two streets over.
I’m not sure how she’s going to react or if she’s ever going to come back, but I wanted it done for them. Hell, the little hope I had for her to come back is vanishing quickly.
Three long weeks, and she’s still not back. Maybe she’s given up on us.
“Stop frowning, wrinkles!” Nancy shouts at me from her bedroom window.
“How can you tell I’m frowning from all the way over there?” I shout back at her.
“You’ve been frowning consta
ntly for over three weeks!” she says before disappearing inside. I know in less than two minutes she’s going to be here. “And you really can’t afford to do much more frowning. You’re going to look your age soon if you keep at it.” She smirks at me.
“Always so charming. What are you doing here?” I kiss her head, and we go inside my kitchen. I start on her daily hot chocolate.
“Checking in on you.” She shrugs.
“Have you heard from her?”
“As a matter of fact, I have.” She looks at me smugly. “We’ve been talking daily on the phone.”
“You what?” I below.
“Don’t shout, you’re going to scare the babies.” She rubs her ever growing stomach. They found out they were going to have twins. She should give birth in two months now.
“Sorry. How is she?” I bring her a large cup of hot chocolate and get her a slice of the lemon drizzle cake that Josie brought me.
“Fuck yeah, cake!” she says excitedly and takes a bite out of it as soon as I place the plate in front of her.
“So, Bella…” I insist.
“Oh, right. She’s alright.” She shrugs and washes the bite down with hot chocolate.
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“She’s as good as anyone would be after they found out their boyfriend thinks of them as a gold digger or whatever.”
“Touché.” I sigh.
“She’s heartbroken, but she’s safe.”
“Where is she?”
“I’m not allowed to tell you and don’t try to threaten me with more or less cake and hot chocolate, it won’t work. Girl code.” She shrugs.
“Is she really safe?”
“Yes, she’s in the safest place anyone could be in.” She smiles at me as if that should tell me where she is.
“What’s with the cryptic message?”
“You’re stupid sometimes.” She shakes her head.
“I must be. Should I just give up? Is she ever going to come back?”
“No, you should never give up on her and Elijah. I can’t believe you’d even say those words!” she yells at me. I’m sure if she weren’t so pregnant, she’d have hit me.
“Is she going to come back?”
“I don’t know. I’ve asked her, but she wasn’t sure yet. She wants to, but she’s scared.”
“Of what?”
“Being hurt again, Cal. She’s been through so much as it is, but what Shane and Co. have done, she’s wary of putting herself and Elijah through that again.”
“Understandable, but I wouldn’t let anything happen to them.”
“I know you wouldn’t and she knows, but she’s scared.
“This is fucked up,” I groan.
“What is? The fact that you love a woman and that she loves you, or the fact that you actually want to give it another go despite what happened and the curse you thought you had hanging over your head?”
“Both.”
“Man, I’m good at this! Piece of advice, wait for her to come back. Stop sending her countless texts. Send her one telling her how you feel, and that you’ll wait for her but won’t bother her until she’s ready. It’s wearing on her, your constant messaging, and not in a good way. She feels like you’re trying too hard to convince her, and it has the opposite effect. She’ll come back when she’s ready. Just be patient and whatever you do…”
“What?” I look at her, confused.
“Do not get your dick sucked! That shit ruins relationships!” She frowns, and for the first time in a long time I laugh.
“That’s why I love you.” I get up and kiss her head.
“I love you too, Cal. Now, be good and give me another slice. I have two babies to feed.” She smirks, and I oblige. I can’t say no to Nancy.
Following her advice, I grab my phone and send a text to Bella.
Me: Bella, I’m sorry I’ve been constantly messaging you. Not having you and Elijah in my life is killing me slowly, and I’m miserable. I will leave you alone and wait for you. I’ll wait forever if I have to. I love you, and I know you love me, too. I’ll be here when you’re ready. I love you. C.
Now I just have to wait and see if she’ll actually want to come back to me and give us another chance. The waiting game has to be the worst part in all of this, but I’m ready to wait for as long as it’ll take her to come back to me.
Annabella
Today is the day I grow a pair and go back to Callum. I don’t know how things are going to go, but I have to do it. If not for me, for Elijah. As much as he’s enjoyed being here, I know he misses Callum and is sad without him in his life. If I’m honest, I’m the exact same.
I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions and assumed that Callum really was thinking those words despite having said them out loud. People say things they don’t mean. Those words he had toward me cut me deep. It hurt me so much and made me jump back into old habits of upping and leaving at the first sign of trouble, but I’m ready to face reality and make peace. I just hope Callum hasn’t moved on.
Nancy keeps telling me that he never would move on and that he’s as miserable as I am. In a way, I’m glad he would never move on, but I hate the fact that he’s miserable too. I’ve been selfish for far too long and it has to stop.
Besides missing Callum, I miss all the friends and family I made along the way. They have been such a big part of my life for the past few months, and leaving them was hard. I should have never left them, but sometimes you realize later how stupid your actions actually were.
“Elijah?” I ask softly as I poke my head in his room.
“Yes, Mommy?” He looks up at me from playing with his car toys.
“We’re going home.” I smile at him, and he squeals loudly before running to me and hugging my legs tightly. “I take it that you’re happy about that?” I laugh.
“Yes! Are we going to see Daddy?” My heart skips a beat.
“Yes, we’re going to see Daddy.” I kneel and hug my son properly, kissing his head.
“Yay!” He cuddles into me before dashing to his stuff and packing them in his bag.
Well, he really is excited about it all. I just hope Callum will be as happy to see us. I wanted to go alone to see Callum, but I can’t make Elijah wait any longer.
After an hour of packing, tidying and getting snacks for the road, we’re on our way back home.
Parking in front of the house, I get out and help Elijah out. We’re both buzzing with excitement.
Although Callum’s bike or car aren’t in the driveway, we make our way to the door. I try my key, but the lock changed. This is weird. Nancy didn’t mention anything, so I have no idea of what’s going on.
Not two seconds later, the door opens and a beautiful brunette opens the door and manages to confuse me.
“Can I help you?” She smiles warmly at me.
“I’m looking for Callum, is he home?” I ask her confused.
“Oh, you must be Annabella. I have something for you.” She gets a letter from the table that’s next to the door and hands it to me. “He asked me to give it to you if you ever came here. I’ve been dying to know what’s inside, I’m not going to lie.” She giggles.
“You and me both.” I open it, and Elijah looks up at me impatient that he can’t see his dad just yet.
My beautiful Annabella,
At last, you’re back to me.
Almost.
You must be wondering why someone else is living in the house.
I’m calling it a house because it’s never been my home, although home is wherever you are.
I wanted a place for us to grow old and have a family in, a place to make our own.
If you wish to come to our new home, here’s the key.
973 Orleans Street.
I love you.
C.
“So?” the woman asks.
“My boyfriend got us a new home.” I smile happily.
“I’m so happy for you. I know he looked sad when he handed me this let
ter. I hope you can work things out.” She smiles at me sounding genuine.
“I’m sure we will. I was being the stubborn one out of the two.” I chuckle.
“We have to be sometimes.” She winks at me.
“True. I hope you enjoy this house. We have a lot of great memories.”
“And not so great ones, we know what happened here. I’m sorry.”
“Thank you. We both need a fresh start.”
“If you ever want to come over for coffee, feel free. I could do with friends in this city.” She chuckles and hands me a business card with her phone number.
“I will. Have a good day.” I smile at her and write my number on a piece of paper and hand it to her.
“You too as well.” She waves at us as we get back into the car and get on our way to our new home.
“Are we going to see daddy now?” Elijah asks, getting impatient.
“Yes, baby. Looks like he had a surprise planned for us.” I chuckle, wondering what the hell he’s done. I know that address, it’s next door to Nancy. It confuses the hell out of me.
Driving the ten minutes that separated us to the new location, I find a parking spot in the street and get out of the car before helping Elijah out.
“Where, Mommy?” he asks, tugging on my hand.
“This one.” I smile and point to the house to the left of Nancy’s one.
He runs to the door and bangs on it. Callum opens a few seconds later and kneels, hugging Elijah straightaway. My heart skips a beat, and I can’t contain the tears from starting to fall.
This is home.
It takes Callum about ten minutes holding Elijah to remember that I’m here. I’m not mad, he missed his little man and so did Elijah. Callum gets up holding him still and wraps his free arm around me, bringing my body to his.
“I missed you, Bella,” he says in his rough voice.
“I missed you too, babe.” I kiss his shoulder and smile at him. He leans down and kisses me passionately. Elijah starts huffing, breaking the kiss too soon to my liking.
“What’s wrong, buddy?” Callum asks him.
Stripping Callum (Last Hangman MC Book 6) Page 25