My breaths were too short, but I nodded, then shook my head. “It’s not bad. It’s okay.”
Callan’s cheek pulsed as his jaw clenched.
“Your hand. Is it okay?” I looked at his knuckles as he cradled my hand. The skin was red.
He let out a disbelieving breath. “You’re asking if I’m okay.”
“I’m not the only one who matters here, Cal.”
He eased my hand back down to my side as his gaze darted between my eyes, searching for answers I wasn’t sure he wanted to find.
“What did he mean?”
“He wants money.” And apparently me.
Another tick in his jaw.
“How much?” he asked, though I knew he wasn’t asking with the intent to actually pay him.
“I don’t know. He wants me to pay his debt, then give him an allowance.” But I couldn’t do that even if I wanted to. I didn’t have the money to support us and him. If he was the one who made the complaint about me, how did he expect me to pay him if I was jobless? Unless he expected me to go back to Portland with him.
Callan reached up, running a hand over his mouth, then gently wrapped his arms around me. I folded into him, finally able to take a full, deep breath. My lungs expanded in relief.
Some people sprayed lavender on their pillow to calm themselves, but all I needed was Callan and I could breathe.
“We’ll report him to the police and he’ll go back to prison,” Callan said, his chin resting on top of my head.
“What if he hides? It could make him more mad.” More angry at me.
Callan leaned back, cupping my face in his hands so I was looking up at him. “Baby, I can’t live with myself knowing you or Avery could be in danger because he’s here. I would love to stick by your side twenty-four-seven, but we both know it’s not possible.”
I blinked, nodding. “Okay. I’ll report him.”
“We,” he corrected. “We’ll both report him.”
“You don’t have to—” I started.
“Sage,” he interrupted. “It’s you and me, together. You’re not in this alone anymore.”
After all these years, I didn’t know I needed to hear that to truly feel safe.
Even with Jason out there, walking the streets, Callan made me feel protected. Like I didn’t have to worry about every what-if on my own.
I had him to lean on when I needed it.
And that was freeing in itself.
29
Sage
After reporting the incident at the station, I had gone home to spend some time alone. The sheriff had one of his officers doing a drive-by every couple hours to make sure Jason didn’t show up here, which eased a bit of my worry. I hoped he wouldn’t and that this was all just an extra precaution. If he did, I at least hoped it wouldn’t be when Avery was here.
Charlotte had picked Avery up from school, and when I called to let her know I was on the way to the ranch, she’d offered to let her spend the night. I guess Callan had told her some of the details through text when he’d asked her to get Avery from school. She understood immediately and dropped everything to help in any way she could.
I ached for a mother figure like that.
My grandmother had filled that void while my mom was out with a new boyfriend every week, and Charlotte only made me miss her presence more.
Oh, what my grandmother would say if she saw me now.
Don’t get hung up on boys that aren’t hung up on you.
But that was the problem.
Jason was hung up on me for all the wrong reasons; he wanted control, and he saw me as an easy target.
Callan was hung up on me for all the right reasons, but I felt guilty for it.
And the sad part was that I fucking shouldn’t.
I should let him be there for me, but every instinct in my body told me to shut down and leave. To take Avery as far away from here as possible so Jason could never find us again.
But I’d already tried that once, and it didn’t work.
Ruining the life I’d built here wouldn’t create a better one. It’d just restart the cycle.
So I had to hope that the police found Jason and he was sent back to prison for violating his parole by crossing state lines. I’d filed for a restraining order yesterday as well, which made Callan feel at least a little better.
