Claiming Callie: Part two (27 page)

Callie
laughs at the way Mrs. Michaels’ voice changes as she speaks. She
’
s talking with such enthusiasm, moving her arms, her voice rising and falling with each word. “But your father was so determined. When it came right down to it, I
’
m not sure your mother ever
really had a choice. Not with that relentless man. She tried to play it off to me as if she were doing him a favor by showing him attention, but I knew better. There was something so enigmatic, so different about him. At the end of the summer, your dad vo
wed to her that he was going to finish his final year of high school, get into a prestigious college, and graduate at the top of his class with a high-paying job in hand. And then she would marry him. Just like that, your dad laid out his plans for their f
uture.”

Callie shifts in her seat. She never knew the details of her parents
’
relationship before they got married. Like most kids and teenagers, she didn
’
t care much about how they met. She had only cared at the time about the present and how they affecte
d her life in that moment. The opportunity to grow to the age where she saw them as more than parents, as people and individuals, was robbed from her the day of their car accident. And so, even though thinking about them tugged at her heart, she soaked up
this new information.

“So, did it happen like that?” Callie asks, wanting to know more.

Mrs. Michaels nods. “I
’
ve never seen anything like it. Your father did exactly what he said. He graduated high school, went to Carnegie Mellon, and when he finished col
lege, he had an amazing job to take with him. They had talked some while he was in school, but they only saw each other every couple months. Your mom even dated other people during that time. But the second he graduated and had his job, he came for her. An
d just like that, they got married. Your dad was estranged from his parents and your mom didn
’
t have a lot of family, so they got married in a small church, just the two of them, with myself and Rick as witnesses.”

“Wow,” Callie rubbed her fingers over the
picture, as if by touching it she might feel them.

“Their relationship was a true fairy tale, Callie. Your mother married him and never looked back. And as for your father, there was never anyone else. You could tell that the day he met her. He fell in
love with her right then… They loved each other so much, kiddo.” Mrs. Michaels reaches out and squeezes Callie
’
s hand, her voice thick.

Struggling to hold it in, Callie wipes at her damp eyes and sniffs. The bed jostles as Mrs. Michaels scoots closer and w
raps an arm around her. She squeezes her shoulders and holds her tight, both of them staring at the picture, their thoughts in separate places. “I miss them, too. So much,” she whispers.

“I know,” Callie says. It
’
s the truth. Even as a child, she had seen
the tight bonds of friendship her mother and Mrs. Michaels had. They were to each other what she and Jinny are.

“Anyway, I wanted to show you these because… Well, to be honest, I was digging through the mess in my closet after I found out about you and Dea
n, looking for this, actually,” she says, tapping the large white box. “And I came across the photos. Your mom and dad, they kind of remind me of you and Dean, in a way. There are similarities there.”

Callie glances up at Mrs. Michaels, frowning. Her kiss
with Dean flashes in her head, a memory she can
’
t erase. “How so?”

“Well, for one, he
’
s cared about you for so long. The depth of feeling there wasn
’
t normal for someone his age. It was somehow so much more advanced, mature. It reminded me of how your fath
er felt about your mother from the moment he met her.”

Callie’s frown deepens. Dean has certainly been there for Callie over the years, advancing from obnoxious younger brother to one of the biggest supporters she had when her parents died. Obviously, Mrs.
Michaels is taking the close bond they had in those years and is twisting it now that she thinks they
’
re together. There’s no way Dean could’ve had feelings all these years beyond friendship, could he?

No. No way. I would know.

Callie bites her lips, wond
ering if she should tell Mrs. Michaels the truth. “
Mrs. Michaels
…”

What can I say? I
’
m not really in love with your son? We were just pretending?

Anything she says now will look completely ridiculous, considering the fact that Mrs. Michaels caught them
making out. How can she explain that?

Mrs. Michaels reaches out and pats Callie
’
s leg, interrupting her thoughts. “One of the reasons I brought you up here is because I know graduation is coming up. And I realize you
’
re getting that fancy job…”

Callie drop
s her gaze, feeling double the guilt for Mrs. Michaels’ ignorance at her financial issues.

“But I want you to know you
’
re still welcome here. Whether you run out and get an apartment, stay at the one you have, or decide to just come back here for a while.
I want you to know that this is your home, too. It's the way your mom would
’
ve wanted it. It
’
s what I would
’
ve wanted for Jinny and Dean if it had been me. I don
’
t want you to think that just because you
’
re dating Dean that anything has to change or that y
ou can
’
t live here if you need to. If anything, it makes you family more than ever.”

Family
. Those words tug at her heart. It
’
s how she feels about the Michaels, and to hear it confirmed only solidifies the feeling more. But along with that comes a gut-wre
nching fear. Because no one knows more than Callie that loving means the opportunity for loss, the possibility of heartbreak. And she wonders now if their
eventual mock break
up might somehow change the way Mrs. Michaels feels about her.

“
Thanks,
”
Callie
manages, hoping Mrs. Michaels doesn
’
t notice the hitch in her voice.

But she mustn
’
t, because she tugs open the top of the box and says, “Now, I don
’
t want you to freak out. I
’
m not insinuating anything or trying to push you and Dean toward anything. I jus
t figured you
’
re graduating and will officially be on your own soon, so I wanted you to know that I have this.” She pauses, gripping the contents of whatever
’
s in the box.

What now?
Callie rubs the back of her neck, unsure of whether she can take any more
trips down memory lane.

“When you graduate and get settled wherever you think you
’
re going to stay, I have several boxes of stuff for you. Things that were your parents’ or that were from your home. I know you
’
re not ready for most of that now. Maybe you n
ever will be. That
’
s up to you to decide.” She places a warm hand on Callie
’
s leg and continues. “But I see how serious you and Dean are about each other.”

I
’
m such a jerk.

“And I know how he feels about you. It
’
s obvious. So, I just thought… I just wanted
you to know that I
’
m holding onto this for whenever you need it. Whether it be you and Dean or not…”

The guilt is eating me alive. Just show it to me! Whatever it is, just get this over with.

Mrs. Michaels dips her second hand back into the box and pulls out a white, lacy sheath. Callie stares at it for a long time, not understanding, wondering what in the world this is and why Mrs. Michaels is making a big deal out of it. Until it dawns on her
.
The pictures of Mom and Dad when they first met… Their love story… This is…

No.
Callie freezes. She can
’
t move and her eyes are trained on the dress, frozen in time.

“When we cleaned out your mom and dad
’s place
, I found this and saved it. I thought you
might want it, even just to make a garter, hanky, veil or something out of it.”

“Mom
’
s wedding dress,” Callie whispers. Leaning forward, she touches the fabric with a single finger, as if it might disintegrate at the slightest of touches. Tears form in he
r eyes and she knows there
’
s no stopping them this time.

In the months following her parents
’
car accident, she was so inside her head, in so much grief, she had been completely unaware of everything around her. The Michaels had single-handedly taken care
of her parents’ will, cleaned out their possessions. The house hadn
’
t been paid off, and so the decision to sell her family home had been borne of necessity. The Michaels chose, instead, to set aside her father
’
s hefty insurance policy to pay for her colle
ge tuition and living expenses. Callie would
’
ve had no way to know what items they had kept of her parents
’
. Until now, her mother’s simple lace dress had remained only in her memory.