"Do you have any idea why?"
"She wouldn't tell me. But now that you're saying you're her kid, I'm thinking maybe they were fighting about you."
"Why would you say that?"
"Sometimes I'd overhear parts of their conversations and Donna would be yelling at her dad, saying she'd never go back to Chicago, and that if he went, she'd never speak to him again. I couldn't figure out what the hell was in Chicago."
I was in Chicago. Her son. And she didn't want to see me, and didn't want her father coming to see me either.
"I gotta get back to work," he says. "My break's almost over."
"Yeah, okay. Thanks for your help."
"Sure. And hey, I'm sorry about Donna. She just wasn't the motherly type. Not all women are, you know?"
"Yeah. Thanks again for letting me know."
I set the phone down and rub my hands over my face, taking long, deep breaths.
"Nash, I'm sorry." Callie's standing beside me.
I scoot my chair back and pull her onto my lap. She wraps her arms around my neck and lays her head on my shoulder.
"When did it happen?" she asks.
"Last October. He said she died from a brain aneurysm."
"Did she have other kids?"
"No. Apparently she never wanted them...including the one she had."
Callie sits up and looks at me. "I'm so sorry. I know how much you wanted to meet her."
"Knowing what she thought of me, I'm glad I never did. That woman may have given birth to me, but she's not my mother. Barb was. And as for my dad...I have even more respect for him now. He was my age, and this woman just left him with a kid. An infant. I always thought maybe she tried to come back over the years to see me and that he told her to stay away. But it turns out she never wanted to see me again. She didn't even tell her husband about me. It's like I didn't exist."
Callie looks down, running her hand over my chest in a soft, soothing way. "Why does life have to be so unfair?"
"It's not always unfair. Sometimes it surprises you and gives you something good to make up for all the bad shit you had to go through. Something really good, that makes it all worth it."
She looks up. "Like what?"
"You." I set my eyes on hers. "So far in my life, I've lost my best friend, the mom who raised me, and the mom who gave birth to me. But then I found you. The girl I can't stop thinking about. The girl I miss whenever she's not around. The girl I want to hold in my arms and fall asleep with every night." I pause. "I'm just going to say this, and I don't expect you to say it back." I look her right in the eye. "I love you, Callie. You're the something good. You're what life gave me to make up for all the bad."
She smiles. "You really love me?"
"I wouldn't joke about that." I kiss her. "I love you. But like I said, I don't expect you to—"
"I love you too." She says it fast and looks down and then up again. "You're my something good. You kept coming back when I told you to go away. Even before you knew the truth about me, you somehow, some way, knew how much I needed you. And when you found out about my family, and how I'd been living, you didn't judge me. You didn't act like I was crazy. You still wanted to help me. You're the friend who sticks around for the hard stuff. And I love you for that." She gives me a shy, sweet smile. "I love you."
I kiss her. "You have just made me very happy, you know that?" I don't wait for her answer, but just kiss her again, a slower, longer kiss, then I talk over her lips, "I'm going to assume this means our professional relationship is now over."
"Well, technically," she kisses me, "I'm on the clock right now." She skims her tongue over my bottom lip. "And since you are my boss, this is probably against the rules."
"Then I'm going to break every damn rule there is. Because I can't go another second without kissing you." I trail kisses down her neck. "Or touching you." I slide my hand up her thigh, under her skirt.
She gasps, tipping her head back and spreading her legs slightly to give me access. I slip my fingers under her panties and her breath catches as she grabs hold of my shirt. My other hand goes behind her head, bringing her lips back to mine. Kissing her, and hearing the sounds she's making as I touch her, has got me hard as a rock, but I don't know if she's ready for that. So for now, I'll focus on pleasuring her, making her feel something she hasn't felt for a long time.
This is the girl I love. The girl I want a future with. And I want to make her happy. I will do anything to make her happy.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Callie
Oh my God. What Nash did to me just now? I've never felt anything like it. My body was trembling from the force of it. And he only used his hand. What's it going to be like when he uses his...
"Let's go upstairs," I whisper into his ear. I'm still on his lap and I can feel him beneath me. He's so hard I'm surprised he hasn't burst right through his jeans.
"You sure?" he asks, his lips lightly kissing my neck.
"Positive."