It’s Like That (12 page)

“You grew your hair out longer,” he observed quietly.

“Yeah,” Callie responded, leaning into his touch. “I actually haven’t even had it trimmed since the day before Sara’s wedding. I just…” She stopped, afraid of giving away too much.

“You just what?” he persisted.

She shrugged and sat up. She didn’t want to tell him how she’d locked herself away from the world hoping, praying, waiting for him to come back.

“Callie,” he said, his voice rising on the last syllable in warning.

“Let it go,” she said, setting her jaw and looking away.

He clenched his teeth and said, “No, I will not let it go.” His eyes blazed with anger and he jerked her down to his chest and whispered, “Were you growing it out for someone? Did another man ask you to?”

She stiffened, surprised at this sudden outburst of jealous irrationality. “No! I told you there was no one else.” She struggled against his tight hold. “Let me go!”

He released her suddenly, and she stood staring at him in confusion. He was angry, his fists clenched until his knuckles were white.

“Chris…” she began, unsure how to set him at ease. She moved to the bed and sat down, taking one of his clenched fists between her hands. She said gently and slowly, “I didn’t even trim my hair because I didn’t care. I didn’t wear makeup this entire school year. I didn’t leave my house.” She looked down and when his hand relaxed, she stroked his fingers with a light touch. “I hid from the world because getting up and doing something, having fun, smiling…” Her voice cracked but she continued, “It all felt like admitting you were gone.” She took a shaky breath before trying to explain, “And if I admitted you were gone…”

She didn’t finish before he jerked her to his chest again and buried his face in her hair. “I’m sorry, baby. I don’t know where that came from. I…” He tilted her face up to his. “I’m sorry.”

She leaned forward and kissed him softly. “You’re entitled to a few outbursts, Chris. I know…” She looked away and swallowed nervously. “I know that you’ve got some readjusting to do.” She stroked his face, brushing her fingers over the scar that remained and said, “I’m here, though, and I’m not going anywhere until you tell me to go.”

He pulled her into a tight hug. “Don’t hold your breath, baby. I will never be able to tell you to go. But I will need you to tell me when I’m getting out of line.”

Callie nodded and buried her face in his chest. He was so warm, so vital. It was hard to believe that he’d been held captive for so long and somehow managed to survive, emotionally and mentally.

A soft knock sounded and Chris lifted his head and answered, “Yeah?”

The door cracked open and a stout, short woman with gray hair stuck her head in the room. “Are you up for more visitors?”

A wide grin cracked his face and he responded, “Hi, Mom, of course. You guys come in.”

Callie’s heard thudded nervously at the thought of meeting his family. What if they felt she was an intruder? She sat up and started to move into the chair beside the bed, but Chris’ arm around her waist stopped her.

“Stay,” he whispered. “Mom, this is Callie. Callie, this is my mother, Abby Paulson.” The woman was short and very round, with curly gray hair sticking up in no semblance of order.

A giant of a man walked into the room behind Chris’ mother, his broad shoulders and extreme height making the room seem to shrink. She blinked, startled, certain now of what Chris would look like when he was older.

“My dad, John Paulson. Dad, this is Callie.” The giant grinned at her, a toothy grin that made her chest ache with its similarity to Chris’.

“And anytime now, you’ll see…” A loud ruckus rose from the hallway just outside the door and he smiled and said, “My sister and brother. Katie and Tom.”

“Oh, and Sabrina, sweetheart. Katie flew her up here yesterday.” His mom moved closer to the bed and explained, “Sabrina is Katie’s partner.” She gestured wildly with her hand and continued, “Katie came out of the closet five or so years ago.” She leaned in close to Callie and whispered, “Being from the south, it was downright
scandalous
, but you love your children no matter what.”

Callie nodded politely, unsure of how to respond to what was obviously a very sensitive subject.

On cue, Chris’ siblings walked in, and Callie just blinked. Without being told, she automatically knew which of the two women was his sister and which was her partner. His sister was an exact replica of his mother, with a rounder face and tamer hair. She was extremely short though, shorter than even her mother, but just as round. Her face froze when she saw Callie, and then her eyebrows lifted and her lips stretched into a wide smile.

“You must be Callie!” she exclaimed, nudging her younger brother aside and rushing to the bed to give her a hug. “Chris told us you’d be here!” She pulled away and held Callie’s hands in her own for several heartbeats and then said, “Oh! This is my wife…well, she will be as soon as it’s legal. Sabrina.” The other woman moved forward, and Callie noted she was an exact opposite of Katie. Where Katie was short and round, Sabrina was tall and slender. Her blonde hair stood out in the room of dark-haired Paulsons, but her smile was no less warm and friendly.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Callie,” she said softly.

“Yeah,” came a masculine voice from the doorway. “Good to meet you.”

This was the younger brother, Callie determined. He was an inch or two shorter than Chris, and almost an exact copy. Chris was more heavily muscled, she noted, while Tom was leaner. Tom also had a prettiness to his features that made him movie-star handsome.

“And this,” Chris said wryly, tightening his arm around Callie’s waist, “is my little brother, Tom.”

Tom moved forward and held his hand out to shake hers. “Chris wouldn’t shut up about you this morning. I think they sedated him early, just to get some peace and quiet.” He winked at Callie as he shook her hand with an enthusiasm that showed in his smile.

“Tom,” Chris said warningly.

Callie smiled and looked around at the warm and welcoming family. “I’m so glad to meet all of you.” She hoped that none of her nervousness and anxiety showed. She’d never met a boyfriend’s parents before, and she simply didn’t know how to proceed from here.

She needn’t have worried though, because Mrs. Paulson seemed to know exactly what to do.

“Ladies,” she said, “why don’t we go down to the cafeteria and have some lunch while these men talk about us. Or we can go to the deli just down the street.”

She leveled an intense gaze on Callie and awaited her response.

Callie nodded, understanding where Chris got his ability to communicate with only a look. “That sounds great.” She tried to sound enthusiastic; she really did. She failed miserably. “Chris, do you want us to bring you anything?”

He shook his head. “Nah, they’ll bring me food soon.” He gave her a quick peck on the lips and said, “Probably Jell-O. Hooray.” He pulled her in close for a hug and whispered, “Don’t let them intimidate you. They’re just a bunch of kittens.”

Callie smiled and stood, following his mother and sister out the door. Sabrina brought up the rear, closing the door behind them.

* * * *

Chris picked absently at the blanket on his lap. It was coming; he knew it.

“So,” his dad began, “she showed up.”

“Yeah,” Chris responded vaguely, unwilling to give his father any more fuel to throw on the fire.

“You only knew her, what, a week?” he continued softly.

Chris cursed inwardly. When his dad spoke softly, he knew he was in trouble. The quieter John Paulson was, the angrier he was. It was uncanny, this ability his parents had to make him feel like a recalcitrant child.

He cleared his throat and shifted slightly, responding “Three days.”

“Hmm.” His dad settled in the chair by the bed, barely able to fold himself into it. “And three days, nearly a year ago, were memorable enough for her to drive over two hundred miles to see you in the hospital.”

Chris let his head fall back and closed his eyes. “Guess so.” He
really
didn’t want to have this conversation.

His dad sighed and stretched his legs out. “Seems odd, doesn’t it?” He spoke slowly, apathetically, and looked up at Chris, eyes narrowed. “I mean, a woman doesn’t get that kind of connection with just one or two dates.” He settled his hands in his lap and frowned at Chris. Tom stood silently, preoccupied with something outside the window.
Bastard
. He was probably enjoying this.

Chris took a deep breath and said, “Look, Dad, I know I told you I hadn’t slept with her. And I know I also said I was being a gentleman…and that’s all true, to some degree.”

Chris looked at his dad hopefully. John motioned for his son to continue.

“We uh…we’ve never, um…” He hated discussing this with his father. Ready to just get it out in the open, he blurted it out. “I’ve never had sex with her. Other…things have happened, but no sex. I’ve never treated her as anything less than a lady.”

His father frowned and then nodded seriously and said, “Is that why you look like you just got laid?” At Chris’ furious blush, he continued, “Because I’m positive you told me her father was dead. In the absence of a father, I kind of feel like it’s my responsibility to make sure my son doesn’t treat her badly.”

Chris took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and said the six words guaranteed to ease his father’s mind and get him off his back.

“I’m going to marry her, sir.”

Callie remained silent for much of the drive to the deli, listening to the other women snicker about the lecture Chris was getting. She wasn’t sure what kind of lecture it was, but from their tone and subtle, sneaky glances, she suspected it had something to do with her.

She was too nervous to have much of an appetite, so she just ordered ice water and a chef salad. After they sat down, they stayed quiet for a few minutes, enjoying their meals. It wasn’t long, though, before Mrs. Paulson broke the silence.

“Callie, Chris tells me you teach second grade.”

Callie nodded and sipped her water. “Yes, ma’am. I taught kindergarten for a couple of years, but moved to second grade two years ago.”

“I don’t think I could stand the elementary grades,” Sabrina chimed in. “I prefer the older kids.”

At Callie’s questioning look, she explained, “I teach twelfth grade chemistry.”

Katie nudged Sabrina affectionately and said, “She’s underselling herself. She teaches
Advanced Placement
chemistry, which means she’s teaching at a college level. Someday she’ll be a professor.”

Sabrina’s cheeks turned pink and she said, “Maybe one day.”

Callie nodded, impressed with anyone’s ability to teach any kind of advanced science. She turned to Katie and said, “What about you, Katie? Are you a teacher too?”

Katie laughed heartily and said, “God, no! I’m a pediatrician. I don’t have a problem treating snotty noses, but I couldn’t teach a fish to swim.”

“It’s true,” Sabrina said, smiling. “She tried to teach me to play bridge a few years ago. Somehow, I learned poker instead!”

They all chuckled, and Mrs. Paulson said, “It’s a sad fact that none of my children followed in my footsteps.” She took a bite of her sandwich and chewed thoughtfully, keeping her eyes on Callie. “You know, Callie, Chris is a good man.”

“I…” Callie began, but Mrs. Paulson held up a hand.

“Let me finish, honey. Chris is a good man, but he’s the most stubborn man I have ever known. He won’t tell anyone if he’s sick or hurting. He covers it up. But I know my son. And he’s hurting. So, what I want to know is, are you prepared to help him through this? Let’s face it, you haven’t known each other long. I’m glad you came to see him, it means a lot to him, and that means a lot to me. But how committed are you to sticking around? If you’re not, then go ahead and go. It’ll be easier if you cut him loose now.”

Callie’s cheeks burned as she wondered how frank she could be with this woman.

Seeming to read her thoughts, Mrs. Paulson gently said, “Just tell me the truth, honey.”

Callie took a deep breath and said softly, “I haven’t told him, and I don’t know when I will, but…I love him. I fell in love with Chris within twenty-four hours. It was that fast. And I will be with him in whatever way he wants and needs until he asks me to leave.”

Mrs. Paulson nodded and said, “Good. Good.”

* * * *

Visiting hours ended at nine p.m., but Major Ludwig had been only too happy to tell the nurses that Chris needed one family member to spend the night. He’d fibbed a bit, and told them she was his fiancée, but he’d managed to coerce the nurses into breaking the policy and allowing Callie to stay.

She was cuddled against his chest, her hand pressed over his heart stroking lightly. He nuzzled her hair softly.

“My family didn’t drive you crazy, did they?”

She smiled and said, “Only a little. But I think families are supposed to be that way. I liked them.” She turned her head and looked up at him. “They love you so much.”

He gave her a crooked smile and said, “Yeah, too much sometimes.”

Callie frowned, remembering the conversation on the way to the deli. “Your mom and sister were talking about a lecture you were getting. What did they mean?”

Chris closed his eyes and let his head flop back. He pinched the bridge of his nose before sighing and saying, “My dad has some…guidelines, about women, when it comes to his sons.” He removed his hand and looked down at her. “He thinks I’m treating you…disrespectfully.”

“Disrespectfully?” Callie frowned. Chris had never been anything but a gentleman. “But—”

“Hang on,” he interrupted, “let me explain.” He took a deep breath before launching into his explanation.

“My dad is an old-fashioned type of guy. He strongly believes that a man should ask a woman’s father for permission before even
dating
her. When I first mentioned you in August, he got pissed and gave me hell for not asking your father. When I told him your father had passed away, he wanted me to ask your mother.” He glanced down at her and kissed her forehead before continuing. “And I would have, as soon as I got back. Anyway, he always told us there’s a time frame for intimacy in a relationship.” He grinned at her and said, “We blew his time frame all to hell.”