I rested my chin on top of his soft brown curls. It was instinct, but all everyone in that house saw was me punching a grieving son at his father’s wake. I’d never expected to see him again, but he was here, and I couldn’t avoid it forever.
A few minutes more. I needed time to absorb the unlimited amounts of strength my son seemed to have at all times.
Jamie was in the kitchen where I’d left him. Colby and Jay watched him, speaking in short clipped sentences.
I wasn’t the only one his disappearance had hurt.
Jay’s wife, Amber, walked in, eyeing the stranger curiously. They’d been married for four years now, meaning she’d never met his brother.
I watched the introductions, envious as Amber’s pale face brightened. I wish I could feel anything but dread. I knew what being around that boy did to me, and I wasn’t sure I could take it.
“Callie,” Amber called, oblivious to the tension in the room. “Have you met Jay’s brother? Oh, wait. I keep forgetting, you must have grown up with him too. This is such a surprise.” She turned back to Jamie. “Jay didn’t tell me you were coming. I’m so glad you could make it. Your father was always so good to me at family dinners. I’m sure this is very difficult for you, and here I am blabbering away.”
Jay leaned in and said something to her. Her smile faltered, but didn’t drop. I’d grown to like Amber over the years, but right now I wanted her to shut up and go away.
Jamie’s eyes locked on mine, and I couldn’t breathe. I gripped the counter for support, my knuckles going white with the pressure.
“We’re going to find those kids of yours,” Jay said. “I could use some nephew time right now.” I flinched when he said it, hoping no one noticed. He’d never said he suspected anything about Jackson, but it would be an easy leap to make.
Amber squeezed my arm as she passed and slipped out of the room.
“I’m going to bring a few of these dishes out to the dining room.” Colby grabbed casserole dishes with each hand and darted from the room with the subtlety of a battering ram.
I broke eye contact, refusing to look at him any longer. Moving to the fridge, I opened it, enjoying the cool blast. “I have to finish preparing the food. I promised Jay I’d help today, and I was so rudely interrupted before.” Finding what I was looking for, I slammed the door and threw the plate of deviled eggs on the counter. “If you’re just going to be in my way, I suggest you go.”
A low chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Still the same Callie, I see.”
I finally allowed myself to stop and look at him, taking note of the differences to the boy I’d known. He was bigger, more muscular. The army had been good for him it seemed. His uniform fit him well. He was all clean lines and perfect posture. It was a far cry from the relaxed surfer he’d been. His shaggy blond hair was buzzed, giving his face a more defined look.
But those eyes and the mischief they held - well, those would never change.
I cleared my throat, running a hand through my semi-short dark hair and knowing I must look different to him as well. My eyes flashed as I finally responded. “That girl is gone.”
He stepped closer. “Callie.”
“The name is California.”
A look of hurt crossed his features before he had time to cover it up. I caught the slight twitch of his hand against his thigh and sighed.
“It’s been ten years, Jamie. What did you expect?”
With that, I lifted the plate of deviled eggs and pushed through the door, setting them near the rest of the food.
Jay met me near the buffet line. “You okay?”
“I’m not sure.” I looked up at him. “You?”
“No. He shouldn’t have come.”
“Jay.” Amber joined us. “Can you take Declan? His little cousin in here is making me feel nauseous.” She handed Dec over and put a hand on her belly.
“My little niecy.” I put my hand over hers.
“Or nephew,” Jay chimed in.
“Please no. I’m drowning in boys. We need another girl in this family.”
Even with Jamie in the other room, I no longer second guessed my decision to move back. I missed dad and grandma, but the rest of my family was here. We weren’t all related by blood, but we were family all the same.
“Just wait.” Colby appeared. “We’ll see what that kid says when they find out their father and aunt used to make out. A lot.”
Amber slugged him in the shoulder before I got the chance. Jay and I were forever ago. He was married. I used to be married. Things change.
I caught a glimpse of Jamie when he exited the kitchen, my lips tingling in remembrance.
And some things would forever remain the same.
5
Jamie
He shouldn’t have come.
Those were the words that drifted through the door separating them from me.
My brother was right. There was that old saying “You can never go home again” and there was a reason it was widely used. I didn’t know what I’d been thinking.
Ten years was a long time.
When I left, I hadn’t meant for it to turn out like this. I was going to make something of myself, prove my father wrong. Then I’d come home to my brother, my best friend, and my girl. I knew I’d have no claim on her as soon as I joined up, but I hadn’t expected her to get married. It’d only been six months since I left her when Colby told me she was engaged and pregnant with the guy’s baby.
And I thought boot camp was hard.
Everything I saw for the future shifted, and I could only focus on what was right in front of me. The army. I decided to spend all my effort on working to become a Ranger. I couldn’t think about my old life while I was trying to get the job done.
The first year was hard. Colby tried to keep in touch. Jay called once or twice. Even Callie tried at first. Then it got easier after that. The longer I was away, the less I wanted to be reminded. I’d leave on missions for months at a time sometimes. Eventually, they gave up on me.
Colby reminded me too much of Callie and all the things I wanted to forget. Jay brought my father to mind. They both were connected to the helplessness I’d felt one too many times.
I never wanted to be helpless again. I never wanted to be hiding in a locker room while the people I knew were in danger.
That was the fuel I used to keep going. It made me into the best soldier I could be.
And now I was back, once more disappointing those around me; once more useless.
I escaped into the peaceful quiet of the basement, needing to get myself under control.
He shouldn’t have come.
How did you mourn a man who had nothing but scorn and a closed fist for you?
How did you comfort a brother who knew you didn’t feel the same loss as him?
He shouldn’t have come.
The basement had changed since I was a kid. It’d been filled with the junk Jay’s mother hadn’t wanted anyone to see. Gifts from people she couldn’t throw out. Old, sentimental family things. The only time I’d spent down there was when I was hiding out from my father.
Now it was home to a set of dark leather couches and a plush rug. Artwork hung on the walls, and in the corner was a mini art studio with an easel and a stand on which paints stood.
The painting on the easel depicted a beach scene, beautiful in its simplicity. I didn’t know my sister-in-law, but it must have been hers.
I looked around, my eyes settling on a guitar leaning in the corner of the room. The corner of my mouth tilted up as I took in the familiar swirling design on the stem and yellow strap.
I picked it up and sat on the couch, feeling the vibrations in my arms as I strummed once, twice, three times.
My shaky hand struggled to hold the cords. I tried to wrap my fingers around the neck, placing the tips on the strings. With a curse, I flung the guitar to the couch beside me.
My shoulders hunched as I leaned forward with my head in my hands.
A rustling sound made me snap my head up to find two young boys hiding on the other side of the couch.
“I don’t bite.” I straightened up. “No need to spy.”
For just a second, it reminded me of sneaking around this very house with Jay when we were boys.
The boy I’d met when I first arrived came out, pulling a smaller boy by the arm.
“You’re the soldier Mommy hit,” the younger one blurted, earning himself a swat from the older boy.
“Hush, Liam.” He then stood as tall as he could and looked me in the eye. “Hello, sir.”
“Jackson, right?” I asked, holding in a laugh.
“Jacks.” His tough demeanor slipped as he spotted the guitar. His face brightened. “Do you play guitar?”
“I used to.”
“My dad plays. I’ll bet he’s better than you.”
“I’ll bet.” I had no doubt he was. He’d been smart enough to marry Callie. But then, he’d let her go eventually too—or at least I assumed he had since I was still alive after kissing her. Whoever that guy was, he was the father of her children, and they’d always be connected. I was a ghost from her past who had no claim on her future.
Jacks let go of his brother and sat next to me. “Your lip is all blown up.”
“Jacks,” Liam whispered as if I couldn’t hear him. “That’s because Mom hit him.”
Jacks eyed his brother seriously then turned his hardened gaze on me. “Mom told me I wasn’t allowed to hit anyone, but if you kiss her again, I’m going to have to overrule her. Besides, she’s a girl. What does she know about fighting?”
I liked the kid enough not to laugh at him. I matched his dour stare and nodded.
“Good,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to hurt a soldier.”
“Jacks?” Callie called down the stairs, making us all jump. “Liam?”
“Here, Mom,” Liam hollered back.
Callie’s heavy footsteps sounded on the stairs until she came into the room and froze, obviously not expecting to find me there.
“Your boys here were just giving me a talking to.” I raised an eyebrow and was rewarded with a small smile. I’d take it.
“Why don’t you two go find Declan,” she said to them. “He’s with your Uncle Jay, and it’s time to go.”
The boys scurried past her up the stairs.
“You’re a good mom.” I stood to put the guitar back where I found it.
“Some days I don’t know.” She laughed nervously. “It isn’t easy.”
“You don’t do easy. Do you remember that simple creative writing project we had? We could have just gone to the beach like it was any other day. But no, you wanted to jump out of a plane, and our stories were the best in the class.”
“I remember.” She hugged her arms across her body.
“My point is that you don’t need the simple in life. You always wanted to live on the edge. What’s more on the edge than raising little people? It agrees with you.”
She shifted her eyes away, looking anywhere but at me. “You heard us, didn’t you? I saw you leave the kitchen.”
“It’s fine. I mean, I get why he wouldn’t exactly want me here.”
“I don’t think you do.”
“Try me.”
Her eyes finally flitted back to my face. “You need some ice for that lip. Come on.”
I followed her up the stairs where the crowd had thinned considerably. We stepped into the kitchen. Pulling an ice pack out of the freezer, she wrapped it in a towel and surprised me when she held it to my lip herself.
I put my hand over hers, letting it linger until she pulled away abruptly, leaving me to hold the ice pack myself.
“Jay’s having a harder time than he lets on. His mom won’t come home from D.C. to be with him. He hadn’t been getting along with your father over the last year. Jay had been running your dad’s firm while he was in D.C. and they didn’t agree on a lot of the decisions. It started about six months ago when your dad disappeared suddenly during a big case and didn’t return for a few days.”
“So, what does this have to do with me being here?”
“Jay hasn’t told me a lot of this since I wasn’t living here, but Amber filled me in. He feels very alone right now. She thinks me being back will help, but he doesn’t think he has much family left.” She looked away, and I could have sworn there were tears in her eyes when she whispered, “you disappeared.”
“Callie.” I reached out, but she shook her head, and I let my hand drop.
“He may not know it, but he needs you. How long are you staying?”
“I don’t know.”
She looked disappointed at that, but shrugged it off with a weak smile.
“Welcome home, Jamie.”
6
Callie
Our possessions arrived a few days after us, and it became real. We could stop camping in our own house and become true residents of Gulf City, Florida.
Colby was back at his apartment and resumed work at the local hospital. He was only a few months out from his oncology residency and loving it. I didn’t know how he did it, but then, I’d never been good with people.
I didn’t know what I was going to do now. The book was making plenty of money for us to live on and live comfortably. My publisher wanted another one, but I didn’t have another story to tell. Emma was a part of me. It was real. Creating a story from scratch seemed too daunting.
No, I’d have to find something else.
Jackson was enrolled in school although I couldn’t imagine him walking the halls of the high school when he got older. The same halls that’d filled me with terror on that single night.
Liam started a new pre-school, and Declan was set in his first daycare.
That left me to my own devices for the first time since Jacks was born. I found myself missing the boys, but also enjoying the quiet as I unpacked box after box.
Around lunch time, I needed to get out of the house. Grabbing my purse, I slid into my car and pulled away. Without knowing it, I’d driven toward the old diner. It was a route I knew well, and a sadness overwhelmed me. Mom’s diner was no longer ours. At the time of its sale, I’d been eighteen and wanting to run out of town as fast as I could. Now I found myself wishing it was still there waiting for me.
The familiar parking lot was freshly painted and everything looked so… new, rather than charming. I looked up into the bright Subway sign and sighed. The people we’d sold it to only wanted the location, not the diner itself.
I got out of my car, despite the desire to drive away, and walked in. Moments later, sandwich in hand, I slid into a booth in the back and pulled out my phone, wanting to hear a familiar voice.
She answered right away.
“Callie,” Morgan yelled. I pulled the phone away quickly to keep from going deaf.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yeah, like six months. Sorry about that. I’ve been busy.” She laughed, and I found I missed the sound.
“Where are you now?”
“London still.” She’d been there for the past year, but before that she never stayed in one place for long. After high school, she’d traveled with her sister for a year before attending a small college in England and hasn’t sat still since.
“Guess where I am.”
“You know I don’t know L.A. Cal. I’ve only been there to see you like three times.”
“Then, it’s a good thing I’m in Florida.”
“Wait, really? Huh, didn’t expect that.”
“I sort of moved.”
She started laughing, and I wanted to reach through the phone and slap her. “Bet Dylan loves that.”
“I’ll bet Dylan doesn’t care.” I paused. “Jamie’s here.”
“Here we go.” I could practically hear her smile. “Dylan is a douche-canoe, anyway. You only married him because you got preggers.”
“That is so not true.”
“If only he knew that Jacks was possibly-”
“Morgan,” I warned.
“Fine. I miss you, girly. But this is perfect, really. I promised the parentals that I’d come home for Christmas. At least I’ll get to see you.”
“Can’t wait.”
I said goodbye and hung up, feeling no better than before. Walking toward the door, I tossed my full sandwich in the trash and left the place behind.
Daniels Law was across town in the more recently renovated downtown area. Gulf city was small, so downtown consisted of a handful of streets lined with Italian style, one-story buildings that were home to upscale restaurants and boutiques.
Perfectly manicured gardens lined the sidewalks, surrounding sculptures by local artists. I’d never liked that part of town, instead preferring the scrubbier area we’d called home. This place just seemed so… old. It was always teeming with tourists and snowbirds who’d come south to find some warmth.
I pulled into the office building behind the shopping district, observing the suit-clad men and women who came and went. I always wondered how they survived the Florida summers with that dress code. The weather was starting to cool off now, but nowhere near enough to get me into a pair of pants.
I was wearing a tailored pair of white shorts - after Labor Day, I know - and a yellow silk shirt. My hair was swept up off my neck in a high ponytail, and gold hoops hung from my ears. Yes, it was a far cry from the surfer wear that had been my go to once upon a time.
I rubbed my ring finger, trying to turn a ring that was no longer there. A habit. One that seemed impossible to break. It was a feeling - that something should be there. Not really Dylan’s ring… just something.
Slamming my car door behind me, I trudged up to the building, feeling suddenly under dressed despite the designer clothes a personal assistant had picked out for me. That’s right, personal assistant. My publisher’s idea after Emma hit the New York Times bestseller list. She’d wanted to prepare me for interviews I had no intention of doing. The book was a sensation. Great. Wonderful. Fabulous. It could speak for itself. I didn’t see why I had to. Just the thought of it sent my nerves into overdrive.
Invincible- The Complete Set Page 23
