by C. J. Welles
I sit and fume for a while and think about everything going on. A half hour later, Krystal is still silently sitting next to me.
“I found out my uncle is my father.”
“Well, that sucks,” she says simply.
“Sure does.”
“So, what’s this got to do with Jace sitting across the road in a café, while you try to drink yourself stupid?”
I’m annoyed he didn’t leave me like I said, but it leaves a warm feeling inside of me, that he stayed with me, just out of sight. I am still pissed at him though.
I look up at her and frown. “Jace knew and didn’t tell me.” Her eyebrows pinch together, as she gives me a weird look. “Well, he only found out this morning, but he didn’t tell me when he could, and they had planned to keep it from me.”
“Who is they?”
“Jace and my apparent father.”
Her eyebrows rise in surprise. “You’ve met your dad?”
“Well yeah, he’s my uncle. Of course, I’ve met him.” She doesn’t reply, just nods her head in a silent acknowledgment.
We sit at the bar and drink for another hour. I’ve slowed down and moved onto something not as harsh. The long island iced teas have been a delight to drink instead.
I hold my hand up for another drink and a different barman walks over. As soon as he walks into view, I shriek and then start giggling. Maybe I have had a few too many drinks.
“What are you laughing at?” Krystal asks.
I ignore her and watch the barman. “I know you,” I say between giggles. “I’ve even seen your cock.”
“Oh god, Callie. Don’t talk so loudly. What are you going on about? I think you’ve had too much to drink.”
“No, it’s the truth. Ol’ barman here-” I point to the man on the other side of the bar looking at me like I am crazy “I walked in on him giving my sister a good ol’ working over.”
“Oh, dear god, please ignore her,” Krystal says and tries to cover my mouth, so I don’t talk anymore. “She’s had about five too many drinks.”
I look up at him and see him with a puzzled look on his face. After a minute a look of realization crosses his face.
I stop giggling and look at him. “Know who I am now? I’m just the stupid annoying little sister,” I mumble, then grab my drink out of his hand. Maybe I have had too much. I’m getting grumpy at all the wrong people.
I down my drink before standing up. Swaying on my feet, I slowly make my way to the restroom. I don’t know what the hell to do with my life anymore. It feels like my whole life is a big joke and a fuck up.
Sighing, I finish up and walk back out to the bar where Krystal is on the phone. “Is that my husband to be? Tell him to come see me if he wants to talk about me.”
Krystal raises her eyebrows and shakes her head. “It’s my lover boy. It’s time to go,” she says after hanging up.
“I’m not ready to go,” I whine, while sitting down on my stool.
“Callie, neither of us can drive. Bry got Ryan and their dad to agree to come down with him and drive our cars back. They’re five minutes away.” She stands up and grabs my hand and pulls me off the stool. I grab the bar and put my feet down before I land flat on my face. “Plus, it’s time you go home and talk to Jace. Sitting here getting drunk isn’t helping anyone.”
I grumble and whine all the way out to the front, but climb into the truck when Bry pulls up.
∞∞∞
Chapter 35
Callie
“THANKS FOR THE ride,” I say, whilst slowly sliding out of Bryson’s truck. I’m too bloody short. If I try to get out of their trucks to quickly, I end up flat on my face half the time.
“Any time Callie. Tell Jace I’ll call tomorrow,” Bry says and I nod.
“Make sure you talk to him,” Krystal says, just as I go to close the door.
“Yes mom,” I reply while rolling my eyes.
“I’m being serious. Things will only get worse if you don’t talk.” I don’t answer her before I close the door.
I walk to the front porch steps and wait for them to disappear up the driveway. As soon as they are out of sight, I walk towards the stables. I’m not ready to see Jace and I’m not ready for answering questions either.
Once in the stables, I make my way to Jace’s office where I know there’s usually a bottle of Jack Daniels hiding in one of the desk drawers. Grabbing the bottle from the bottom drawer I turn and walk back out and over to Ace’s stall. If it wasn’t so cold I would ride down to the dam, but instead, I’ll sit in Ace’s stall and talk to her.
“How’s your day been?” I ask Ace, as I walk into her stall. She nudges my hand when I stand in front of her. “Not this time, greedy,” I say, as I rub her belly. “It’s nearly midnight. Not time for supper,” I say and giggle as she nudges my hand again.
After giving her a long pat and rub, I grab the bottle of Jack and slide down the stall wall to sit on the floor.
“Have you ever just wondered what you did wrong to have so much shit thrown your way?” I ask out loud. “God knows what I done wrong, but it just keeps coming my way,” I say, then take a swig of the Jack.
How many times can one person be fucked over by their own mother? How much pain and heartache can she cause me? It’s a shitty feeling, knowing your mom chose money over her own daughter’s happiness. To know I meant so little to her, that she didn’t care what happened to me.
“I guess you’re lucky like that,” I say to Ace as I have another drink. “No mother to stuff up your life.” Another mouthful of jack. “No family to keep secrets. No life changing facts hidden from you.” Another swig of Jack.
I keep talking to Ace and myself until the bottle is nearly half empty. How different my life could have been if I’d have known Jimmy was my father. I wouldn’t have gone through half the shit that I did. I wouldn’t have a daughter out there who will hate me later in life. I wouldn’t have let random guys treat my body like a playground.
“Do you know your father?” I say to Ace. “Is your life better with him or without him?”
“I don’t think she does,” I hear, and I jump up. Well, I sort of jump up. Numerous tequila shots and half a bottle of Jack will certainly slow you down. “But if you’re askin’ me, yeah, I do,” Jackson says as he walks up to Ace’s stall.
“What are you doing here Jacks?” I ask.
“Checking’ on the new horse that was injured,” he replies and walks away towards the end stall. “The more important question is. What are you doin’ here and talkin’ to a horse?”
“Just catching up.”
“Well, how about you catch up during the day and head up to bed tonight.” Jackson looks in on the horse then turns back to me. “I’ll walk you to the door.” He walks past me towards the front door, then looks back at me when I don’t move. “You know Jace loves you. Why don’t you talk to him, he has better answers than Ace,” he says before walking out the door.
I stand there for a few minutes just staring at the spot he was standing in. I don’t want to face Jace. He will make it all real.
*
Jace
IT’S FOUR IN the morning when I hear the front door slam and someone banging through the house. I would normally think it was Bryson with the amount of noise, but I know it’s Callie this time. The female cursing sounds like her. I fling the bed covers back and pull on a pair of shorts before walking out of the room. I come face to face with Callie just outside the bedroom door.
“Well, well, well, it’s my lying fiancé,” Callie slurs. Seems like she’s still not over it.
“Yeah, that’s me,” I mumble a reply then turn to walk back in the bedroom.
“Is that all you have to say?” she asks with a growl. She wants an argument, it’s obvious. She ain’t getting one from me though.
“Go to bed Callie,” I say as I pull my shorts down leaving me naked before I climb back into bed.
Yeah, I probably did the wrong thing by not telling her.
But it’s not like I knew for the past year. And I honestly wanted to try to protect her for longer. All I want is for Callie to be happy and protected from the bad in her life.
Jesus Christ, here I am defending myself to myself. I am sick of defending myself. Rolling to my side, I can see Callie leaning against the door frame, staring in my direction.
“Are you gettin’ into bed or not?” I ask gruffly. I’m tired as all hell and I’ve had barely any sleep.
“Why are you grumpy?” she asks, taking a step toward the bed and stumbling but righting herself before she face plants. “I’m the one who you betrayed. I’m the one who everyone betrays,” she says quietly and brokenly.
Thank God, hopefully, she is about to crack. I know it sounds bad, but she is so bloody stubborn and tries to keep everything bottled up inside. If I push her a little, she might crack and everything from today will sink in. She will open to me and let out all the hurt that has had shoved her way again from her family.
“I held back information Callie. The information I had only known for an hour or so. Do you think I wanted to? Do you think I wanted you to find out like you did? Do you think I wanted you to go through all the shit you have suffered through your life?” I say with a raised voice. “Fuck Callie, I wish I had met you years ago, so I could have saved you from all the hurt. I wish I could take away all of your nightmares.”
She stares at me hard with her piercing eyes burning into me. I’m half expecting her to kick me out and leave me. But she just stares at me for a long minute.
“I hate her. I hate them all,” she says quietly. “I loved her growing up. But she never had any time for me. Every chance she had, she made my life hell. Then Martin started off nice, but turned into the biggest monster I’ve come across. My sister always hated me. God, she went out of her way to put me down. My uncle, father, whatever the fuck he is, he was always nice to me, but he was only my uncle. If my so-called family weren’t so horrible and greedy, I could have lived a normal nice life with my father. Why couldn’t things have been different?” She stops talking and slides down the wall and looks at the ground.
I watch her, hating that she is going through this. Hating that my beautiful fiancé is hurting, and I can’t stop it.
“Do you know what?” she asks. I go to answer, but she beats me. “You were the first person to ever say they loved me. I was twenty-one before anyone ever said, ‘I love you’. My grandparents were always nice to me. I don’t know how they ended up with a sour bitch like my mother. I know they loved me, but they never said it. I don’t ever remember them saying it,” she says then adds, “they did die when I was only ten, maybe that’s why.”
I get out of bed and slowly walk to her. She’s slumped against the wall, and she looks tiny. She reminds me of a frightened little bird at the moment. I’m afraid if I move too fast she will lash out at me.
I kneel in front of her and take her face in my hands. “Angel.” I don’t know what the hell to say. Yeah, she is right, her family is fucked up. “I’m so fuckin’ sorry your life’s been like that. I wish I could take all the hurt and painful memories away from you,” I say and kiss her forehead. “Baby, I love you more than anythin’. You and I will make our own family one day. When we have our own little children, you can tell them every day that you love them,” I whisper quietly, as I sit down against the wall next to her. When I hear her let out a quiet sob, I pull her into my lap.
She burrows her face into my chest and weeps quietly. I rub my hand on her back and continue to mumble sweet things to her.
After a while, she looks up to me. “You do make it better,” she mumbles. “I used to have nightmares every night without fail. You’ve kept the nightmares away.”
We don’t say anything else before I stand up and pick Callie up in my arms and carry her to the bed. I help her undress, then I crawl in next to her and pull her into my arms. I’ll hold her in my arms every night to keep the demons away for her. I lay there for the next hour listening to her quietly snore before I get up for work.
∞∞∞
Chapter 36
Callie
I WAKE UP to the sun beaming through the bedroom window, right into my eyes. I roll over and my head pounds as the room spins. I lay there rubbing my forehead trying to work out why I feel sick as a dog.
Oh, yeah that’s right, I remember. Drinking half a bottle of Jack straight from the bottle will do that to you. Finding out about your real father will make you do that.
I roll back to my side and cuddle up to Jace’s pillow, wishing for sleep to take over so I can sleep through this headache. I lay there for half an hour, but sleep doesn’t come. All that’s happening is I feel even thirstier now than I did half hour ago.
I unenthusiastically climb out of bed and slowly make my way to the bathroom where I freshen up. Every movement I make causes my head to pound more. God, I haven’t had a hangover for months now and I remember why.
I slowly make my way downstairs and into the kitchen. I wince when all the noise from the breakfast talk hits me.
“Hello sleepy,” Logan calls out and I want to smack him over the head for being so loud.
I mumble a hello as I walk by and head straight for the fridge. I need water if I’m going to survive. I stand at the sink and look out of the window over the back paddocks. They are calling to me. I think today will be spent down at the dam doing nothing. When the kitchen door bangs against the wall and big heavy boots thump along the floor I flinch. God, I can’t handle the noise this morning.
“Hey princess, how you feelin’ today?” I hear Bry say. Seriously? Am I not being punished enough already? Now I’m in the same room as the number one loudest person I’ve met.
“Fine,” I say quietly.
“Hey babe,” I hear Jace say into my ear as his arms wrap around my waist. I lean into him and rest my head on his chest. “You’re lookin’ better than you did when I left this mornin’.”
“I don’t feel better,” I say quietly. “I feel like I’m dying.” Jace chuckles in my ear. As much as I feel like my head is going to explode, I love the sound of his laugh.
“Lucky for you I have knocked off for the day and I can spend time with you.”
“Why are you finishing early today?” I ask him.
“Babe, it’s four-thirty. I’m not finishin’ that early.”
“It’s what?” I say, looking at the clock on the wall that says it’s four-thirty. I slept the whole day. “I can’t believe you let me sleep all day.”
“Angel you must have been tired. I was also busy all day, and didn’t have a chance to come see you,” he replies while nuzzling my neck. “Are you still shitty with me?” he asks quietly.
“No,” I whisper back, feeling bad about my reaction yesterday. I was blindsided and felt like my heart had been ripped apart by mother all over again. I felt like I did when I was younger. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I understand you were shocked and felt betrayed, but Angel, I’m here for you.” He kisses my cheek before pulling away from me. “How about we go for a ride?” he says.
I don’t even have to think about it before answering yes.
*
Jace
CALLIE AND I ride Brock and Ace towards the dam. “I hear you had a visit with Ace last night,” I say to Callie, trying to hide my smile.
“Did Jacks tell you?” she asks.
“Yeah, he just wanted to know how you were this mornin’. Said he was worried about you.”
“I’ll go see him later.”
When we get to the dam I help Callie hop down from Ace. After all this time, I still think it’s cute that she’s so short.
“How do you feel today?" I ask her as we sit on the rug she lays down for us. There’s always a rug packed in Ace’s saddle bag now, because Callie likes to come here so often and it’s still cold as hell.
“Okay now. The fresh air has helped the headache," she says quietly.
"Babe," I say.
&nbs
p; "Jace," She groans. When I don't answer, she sighs. "I don't know really. I didn’t think I could be hurt by my mother again. I knew she hated me. But yesterday, she treated me like scum,” she growls. “It reminded me of every time I tried telling her about Martin and she just flipped me off like a little child," she whimpers.
"Angel, she's nothin’ but a heartless bitch. She’ll always treat people like that in life. You just happen to be her daughter, so you copped it growin’ up."
"Seeing her again reminded me of how I never fit in. I was always the odd one out growing up. At school, I didn't hang with the popular girls. I stayed to myself. At home, my mom and sister ignored me and well, I tried to ignore Martin," she says, as she lays back on the rug.
"Do you know what's funny? The only person I enjoyed spending time with, even though it didn't happen often, was Uncle Jim." She twists onto her side and looks at me. "Maybe that's why we got along so well. We had a connection even though we didn't know," she says quietly, as she plays with my hair poking out from under my hat. “He always sat and read books with me when he visited. When I would go to his office at the attorney firm, he’d let me sit in his black leather chair and teach me things. I always felt special when he paid attention to me. He was the only one who did.”
“He seems like a good man. He was more worried about you than anythin’ else yesterday.”
Callie doesn’t answer, but I don’t expect her to. Instead, she changes the subject.
“Uncle Dex was always nice, but he was usually away for business,” she says.
“What did he do? Or has he always been an attorney as well?”
“No. He owns a chain of hotels across the country. He did study to be an attorney, but as soon as he graduated he moved away to Lake Tahoe, where he opened his first hotel. I know Dex and their father never got along. Dex is the oldest by five years and I think Gavin, their dad, expected too much from him.”