by Jillian Neal
"Over the summer," Callie refused to hope. She'd been disappointed too many times.
"I don't know why I'm doing this, but I have the pics the press took of us at all of those events Mom and Dad made us go to over the summer. It would've been hard for you to be cheating on me since we were out most every night at one thing or another. The photos were on all of the gossip blogs so they'd have a timestamp tied to the IP addresses."
Never in his life had Ford wanted to hug someone right before he kicked their ass. "May I?" He gestured for the phone.
"Don't break it. There are only fifty in existence. It's a prototype my father got from Apple."
Ford ignored the warning and scrolled through the pictures instead. Relief washed over him with such force it made him woozy. An odd reaction to seeing the woman he wanted to make his wife out with another man, but it wasn't just that he was going to get to shut Meritt's mouth once and for all. It was so much more than that. 'I never try to take pictures of what it looks like. I try to capture how it feels.' Callie's words replayed in his head. The photographers must've used the same methodology because in every image his baby—stuffed into designer gowns and jewelry that would never be her—looked absolutely miserable.
Swallowing down that pride his brother had referenced, Ford handed the phone back. "I can't thank you enough for helping us. Can you send those to her so we can show the lawyer?"
"Yeah. No problem. Turn your AirDrop on, Callie."
She retrieved her own phone and waited on the pictures to download. "Why are you doing this?"
"I don't know." Derrick sighed. "I guess because...you look happy." The next words rang with irritation. "I guess I don't want you to hate me."
"I don't hate you," Callie assured him. "Thank you for this." But when she gave him a gentle hug, an odd strangled growl erupted from Ford's throat without his permission.
She released Derrick and shook her head at Ford. "Not Meritt," she reminded him quietly.
Callie tugged at the scarf she was wearing as Ford drove them back to the ranch.
"Baby, what's wrong? You're going to fray that thing if you yank on it any harder." He eased her hand away from the scarf.
"I'm just retaining water. My period's a little late because of all of this stress and everything. I can't believe he pointed out my weight. That was low."
Carefully measuring his words, he squeezed her hand. "He's an idiot like I said. I've got no interest in being with a shovel handle in a dress. I like your curves no matter what size they are. He was just trying to get to you. You're fucking beautiful, and he knows it." She'd shoved a box of tampons and pads under the sink in his bathroom. Ford had assumed that he'd been wrong about the pregnancy, and that she'd started. But maybe not.
It had been three nights since they'd made love, so he wouldn’t know. That was yet another thing he'd let Meritt take from him. No more. Tonight, he'd fuck her until she understood how addictive her gorgeous body was and how much he appreciated those intoxicating curves.
"The pictures only solve half of our problems though," she lamented. "My father can still try to get guardianship of my grandparents and take their farm."
"Yeah, but it frees me up a little bit to make a move. Once Dale can prove to the superior court that Meritt doesn't deserve alimony because she was the one that was cheating and not the other way around, I can purchase the land, pay your daddy off, and make sure that land stays with your grandparents."
"I can't believe you'd really do all of that for me."
"Hey," he stroked his thumb back and forth over her palm trying to soothe her. "I know I get off on being your hero, and I'll try to get better about it. But more than the fact that I love you, I know how important that land is to your family. I know that it's the only place you ever really felt at home. I won't let you lose that."
"How did you know that?"
"You really want me to answer that?"
"What do I say every time you ask me that?"
"Fine, but you're not going to like it."
"Say it anyway."
"I don't blame your mama for leaving, but when she decided to go she yanked you off of any kind of foundation you ever hoped to have. That's hard to rebuild."
"We did move around a lot, I guess." Defeat tugged at her words.
"It was more than that. Ever since I filed for divorce, people have been asking me why I didn't do it sooner. Hell, for a long time I asked myself the same thing. What was I so afraid of that I'd choose misery over the unknown? I finally figured it out. Once you get accustomed to something, even if it's bad, it's what you know. You get to thinking that's how life is supposed to be because you can't see it being any other way. You figure a shaky foundation is better than no foundation at all, so you just keep trying to stay on your feet and make it through the next day. Your grandparents’ farm was the only place that you could always count on. It was the place that showed you that all of the other places you lived weren’t really what you wanted."
Callie was quiet for long enough that Ford worried he'd way overstepped his bounds. But she finally released a long pent-up breath. "I guess I never really thought of it that way. But hearing you say it, that is kind of how my whole childhood felt. I was almost always alone even when my mom was there. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah, baby doll, it does. I just want you to know that you never have to be alone ever again."
Chapter Forty-Nine
The next morning, Ford sat in the Simpkins’ living room opposite Callie's father and Meritt. Her old man looked like he was going to burst a blood vessel trying to keep his mouth shut over something. Ford kept his arm wrapped tightly around Callie, still wary of her being anywhere near his ex. They were all waiting on Dale Miller to show up.
At ten past ten, he finally knocked on the door. "Sorry I'm late. I had to do a bit of research on what Ford sent me last night, and I was contacted by another party who is interested in purchasing the property, but let's get started."
Callie's mouth hung open until she turned to stare up at Ford. "Your dad?" she whispered hopefully.
Ford shook his head. "He wouldn't have done that without talking to us first."
Before they could debate anymore, Dale popped open his briefcase.
Callie's grandfather finally found his voice. "I am not selling my land."
"I understand that, sir. I'm just here to present the offer that I was hired to present, but I do have some information for Meritt, first." He handed over copies of the photographs Derrick had given Callie.
"What's this supposed to prove?" Meritt's voice made Ford's skin crawl.
Callie narrowed her eyes. "It proves that Ford and I were not together prior to the day of your divorce. Those photos have time stamps and they were from major events in LA. They couldn't have been altered in any way. I was living in Derrick's parents' home at the time, so it would've been next to impossible for us to have had any kind of relationship before my arrival here."
Dale cut across her, "Before you continue on with this, Meritt, I do have access to all of Ford's banking and credit card records. There are no charges that would make a judge believe that Ford spent any time in California prior to your divorce. The pictures prove that Callie was not in Oklahoma before the end of August. You are free to go on with your lawsuit for spousal support, but you're not going to win. He owes you nothing, and that's precisely what you'll get out of the Holder accounts. Even if Ford does decide to go on with the purchase of the Simpkins’ farmland, you have no claim to the money he accesses to buy the land."
Abe decided to leap into the fray. "See, I knew something like this was going to happen. That's why I'm accepting the other bid. It's from some landholding company, so it's more money than I would've gotten out of him anyway." He threw a hand Ford's direction.
"You double-crossed me?!" Meritt screeched, like she was the only one in the room capable of such a thing.
"Well, he certainly learned from the best," Ford huffed.
"I
don't care who did what to whom. I'm still not selling my land, and without my signature nobody is selling anything." Harold vowed.
The front door swung open just then and a woman who looked so much like Callie that Ford was worried he was having a stroke stepped into the room.
"Mom!" Callie gasped. "What are you...when did you...oh my gosh, how did you get here?" She stood but didn't go to her mother.
"Actually, Dad, you are going to sell this land. You’re going to sell it to me. I own the landholding company. I don't want you two worrying over the money anymore. I want you to retire and enjoy the farm. But in order to do that, Abe, we'll be moving you off of our family land. You can leave. Now."
"You can't just throw me out of my house," Abe spluttered. "I'm not selling the acre my trailer's on."
"You're not selling anything," Willow came right back. "My parents are selling their land to me, and I am removing you from my land. I'm not afraid of you anymore. You have no power over me or over our daughter. And now you also have no power over my parents. So, you can move out peacefully, or I can call the sheriff. Makes no difference to me."
Callie seemed to finally locate her voice. "Mom, where did you get the money to do this? And where have you been for the last ten years? How did you even know this was going on?"
"We'll go over all of that later. I’ve been planning to purchase the farm for years now, so that you could be rid of your father when you're here. I wanted to...try to make up for, well, everything. But then, he decided to jump into bed with this piece of trash, and I had to move faster." She pointed to Meritt.
"We're not sleeping together," Meritt gasped as if that was the most offensive thing Willow had said.
"Give it time," Ford vowed. Callie shot him a horrified expression that had him contemplating an apology, but he only called it like he saw it. As far as he was concerned, they deserved each other.
Callie's grandparents had gone in the kitchen. Since Meritt hadn't been able to come up with another way to get Holder money in the palms of her hands she'd begrudgingly left. But Abe was still mean-mugging his ex-wife and Ford.
Willow kept her distance from Callie which only infuriated Ford more, but he kept his mouth shut. She didn't need her mother. He'd love her enough for both of her parents. Just because Willow had come in and saved the day, assuming Harold and Delphia agreed to all of this, did not mean she was a good mother or even a good person.
Ford knew he'd have to keep that opinion to himself though since Callie seemed pleased that her mother had returned.
When Harold and Delphia joined everyone in the living room, Ford prepared himself for another round of insanity. Her grandfather cleared his throat. "Willow, if you really do want to buy the farm from us, and you're okay with us living here until we can't anymore, then we've decided we would like to just give it to you. You don't need to buy it from us."
Willow shook her head. "Dad, you need the money. I have more than enough. I have no interest in living here, but I want you to be comfortable until, like you said, you can't be here anymore. That wasn't something you ever offered me when I needed help, but I'm not going to make that same mistake."
Chill bumps charged down Callie's arms as she watched her mother square off with her grandparents. Shock continued to twist in her belly. She couldn't believe her mom was there, that she was the one who'd saved them.
Nana's lips pursed. "Willow, you know that we do not believe in divorce. When you chose to leave Abe, you left us without any choice as to which side to take."
Willow rolled her eyes hard enough that Callie was certain she'd just gotten a glimpse of her own brain. "Mom, I never asked you to believe in divorce. I asked you to believe in me. In your kid. I needed that belief. I needed you to not have forced me into a marriage I never wanted. But mostly, I needed your help, and you turned your back on me. I'm not certain I'll ever forgive you for what you did, but I also won't make your mistakes. You deserved to have to live with him for a few decades, but you've served your time now. I’ve been working in real estate for years now. I saw the listing contingent on the property claim when it came up in the area. I tried to call and reason with Abe,” she spat out his name, “but that got me nowhere. So now, I’m here.” She turned to Callie. "I'm sorry I haven't been around much. You never really seemed like you needed me when you were a kid. You had more figured out than I did most of the time. But I know how much you love this farm, so I want you to always have access to it. I was hoping you'd let this be my apology."
Ford eased Callie closer to him which gave her strength. "What am I supposed to say to that, Mom?"
"That you forgive me," Willow all but demanded.
"I'm not sure that I do. Nana and Pops took Dad's side in your divorce, so they abandoned you, but then you turned around and did the same thing to me."
"I'm trying to say I'm sorry, Callie. Don't be so dramatic."
"Stop talking," Ford ordered. "Now."
Tears drenched with betrayal and anger stung Callie's cheeks as they streamed down her face. She was tired of being the one that had to try to raise her parents. She was tired of the shallowest of people cutting her the deepest. She turned and buried her face into the soft denim of Ford's shirt. He filled her ears and her heart with tender, steady reassurances.
"I've got you, baby," he whispered. "I will always have you. I will always be right here. I promise."
Willow joined them on the couch. "She doesn't need anyone to be there for her. I raised her to be strong and independent. She can think for herself."
Before Callie could argue, Ford beat her to it. "She is one of the strongest and most independent people I've ever encountered, and she sure as hell always thinks for herself, but no one needs to be those things constantly. Everyone needs someone to catch them when they fall because at some point everyone falls. As far as I'm concerned, every single one of you dropped the ball on her account. And I'm putting a stop to that bullshit right now. Honey, are you ready to go?"
Callie stood beside him. "He's right, you know. I spent most of my childhood trying to be the person who caught you when you fell over and over again, Mom." She turned on her father. "And trying to stay away from you." And then on her grandparents. "And trying so hard to keep you happy. That's not how childhood is supposed to work. I'll talk to you all later. I need some time to think. But thank you, Mom, for doing whatever it is you think you've done here."
Chapter Fifty
Standing in Ford's bathroom, Callie stared down at the last placebo pill in the birth control package. Okay, something was definitely up. Last month her period had been super light, basically just a little spotting. And now she still hadn't started at all. Her mother had put her on the pill when she was fifteen. She could count on one hand the number of times she'd forgotten a pill in the last thirteen years. None of them had happened in the last two months, so she could not possibly be pregnant.
Great. The stress had gotten to her, obviously, and now she was going to have to find all new doctors in Tulsa assuming she was moving here. Ford hadn't exactly asked her to move in with him yet, but she was fairly certain that's what they both wanted. She'd never even sent the rest of the photos to Nina Morales. The cynical part of her wanted to believe that all of the insanity that Meritt and Abe had put them through was a sign that she should leave, but after listening to her mother talk the day before, it occurred to her just how much her cynical side sounded like Willow.
She was still hoping for a surefire sign, but right now she wanted to get some closure with her family. She went ahead and took the placebo pill for good measure and then went to pour herself another mug of coffee.
Ford grinned at her as she entered the kitchen. "We've got shipping trucks coming in this morning. I've got to be out there. Want to come with me? You'd get some great shots of the cattle."
"I'd love to, but I'm going to go talk to my mom and my grandmother. I need some peace with all of this." She was also going to stop by the drugstore and pick up a pregna
ncy test just to ease her mind, but if she mentioned that he wouldn’t let her go alone.
He already looked like he was being torn in two. "I can't go with you, baby. I've got to meet those trucks."
"I'll be fine. I love when you're with me, but I need to do this on my own. I promise I'll be back before you're finished shipping."
"Head out to the barn when you get here. I'll probably be out there."
She prepared a travel mug of coffee and kissed him on the cheek. "I will."
"I love you Calico Anna Monroe the first," he teased.
"The first?" She laughed.
"That's what you told me your name was that night at the bar."
She hid her face in his chest. "I need you to never tell me anymore about what I said that night."
"But you said so many good things," he continued to harass her.
"Like what?"
"That you wanted to marry me and have my babies."
She shook her head at him and wondered if he somehow knew something she didn't. Completely impossible, she reminded herself. "Did I?"
"Hell yeah. You also nuzzled your head up real close to my cock when you laid on me in the truck. I deserve some kind of medal for being a gentleman. And then you sprawled out kinda like a starfish in my bed that night. You still do that by the way."
"Now, that I believe. I'll be back in a little while." She indulged herself in another dose of his kisses before she headed to her car.
No one was in her grandmother's house when she eased the door open. Relieved at that, she slipped to her bathroom and pulled the box of tests from her purse. She loved Ford. She knew he loved her, but she was fairly certain they were not ready to be parents. They weren't even ready to get married. Shaking off that fear, she assured herself, yet again, that this test was just so she could sleep at night. She'd ask Meridian to recommend a gynecologist in Tulsa and make an appointment to figure out why her period was MIA.
