The Key West Anthology (50 page)

Chapter Three

Callie

A whiff of air blew over my face, and I opened my eyes just enough to peek.

“Do you think she’s staying forever?” Matthew whispered as he brought his face so close to mine, our noses were almost touching.

I could see through the slit of my open eye that both the kids were at my side, looking down at me like I was some sort of an epiphany.

“I don’t know,” Zoey whispered in return. “Mom said Uncle Jude will be back soon. I wonder if she’ll stay even when he comes home.”

My stomach tightened as I thought about what might happen once Jude returned. Over the last five days, I had grown quite attached to the three of them. We had developed a pattern, and the kids were so sweet. Their smiles had become a part of my day I had truly grown to love. The idea of not being able to be around them every day broke my heart.

“I hope we get to keep her forever,” Matthew whispered. I fought against the laughter bubbling up in my chest. They talked about me like I was a possession, and it was the cutest thing I had ever heard. “She smells better than Uncle Jude,” he added, and it truly took everything inside me not to break out in laughter.

“I know if I cry he’ll let us keep her,” Zoey replied, and now I was intrigued. “Uncle Jude hates tears and says he’ll do anything to take away my sadness. So if he says she can’t stay, then I’ll just cry.”

“Yeah, me too,” Matthew whispered in return. So it looked like they had made up their minds. They wanted me around, and I felt the same way about them.

I decided to pretend to be waking up then, and happiness filled me all the way down to my toes as their sweet smiles looked back at me.

“Good morning,” I whispered. “What time is it?”

As I looked over at the clock, Matthew announced the time in his own way. “It is seven-three-one.”

“Yes, it is, buddy.” I offered him a bright smile. “Are you two hungry?”

“Yes, will you eat with us?” Zoey asked in excitement. I vowed in that moment that regardless of what Jude had to say, I wouldn’t just disappear from their lives. I couldn’t bring myself to lose the bond we had created over the last few days. It meant too much to me to just let go of so easily.

***

“Callie,” Quinn said in surprise as she opened the front door of Jude’s apartment. “You’re still here.” She fumbled with her purse as she rushed in and quickly closed the door behind her.

“Yeah,” I said from the couch, arching an eyebrow in confusion. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I texted you like two hours ago. Jett told me to relieve you. Mrs. Reames was supposed to come over until I got here,” she said as she placed her purse and keys on the table and turned to face me once more. She looked nervous as she glanced at the clock on the wall.

“She did come, and I told her that things were fine. The kids just had lunch, and Katelyn and I just finished her morning therapy.” I shrugged because I had no idea why she was acting like such a spaz. “What’s the big deal?”

Quinn looked uncomfortable as she bit her lower lip.

“Just say it, Quinn.”

She walked around the edge of the couch and spoke in a low voice so she wouldn’t interrupt the kids as they watched cartoons. “Jude’s on his way home. He got out of the hospital today.”

My heart began hammering in my chest. I was happy and nervous all wrapped up in one adrenaline-enhanced package. “Well that’s good, right?”

“Yeah, but, um…he, uh…” She wouldn’t look me in the eyes, and it made my stomach tense with worry. “Listen, Cal,” she began once again. “Jude wasn’t happy with us being here. We all know he doesn’t like to ask for help. Jett assured him that he would clear the apartment.” She shrugged her shoulder, and her gaze finally met mine.

Suddenly it all became clear. Jude was okay with Quinn being here, but he wanted me gone. I stood and walked toward Jude’s bedroom, Quinn following closely behind.

“Callie,” she said. Her voice was laced with worry.

“I’m fine, Quinn. I just need to grab my things. I’ll be gone in five minutes,” I assured her without turning to face her. The idea of leaving Zoey and Matthew, or even Katelynn, made me feel empty. I quickly gathered the few items I had around the room and shoved them into my overnight bag. The silence was unnerving. I knew Quinn was just as uncomfortable with the current situation as I was, but I couldn’t think of a way to ease the tension.

“If it’s any consolation, he didn’t really want me here, either.” Quinn was attempting to ease my heartache, but it didn’t help.

“I’m fine, Quinn.”

I had just shoved the last pair of jeans in my bag when I heard the kids screaming in excitement. I looked over at Quinn, and we both knew I hadn’t escaped fast enough. Jude was already home.

“Should I just crawl out the window?” I said, pointing toward the tiny window next to the bed. I was only half joking, as the thought of facing Jude made me nauseous. But leaving without saying good-bye made me feel like someone had a vise grip on my heart.

“You’re not leaving through the window. He’s just gonna have to face the fact that you care.” Quinn bumped her shoulder against mine and offered me a smile.

After a few moments of building up my bravery, I lifted my bag and placed the strap over my shoulder. Taking a deep breath, I followed Quinn into the living room.

“We missed you,” Zoey said as she wrapped her little arms around Jude’s legs. Matthew held on to his hand, looking up at him in awe.

“I missed you too, sweetheart,” Jude replied.

The sound of his raspy voice gave me chills I tried to hide. I refused to look up. I couldn’t face him when I knew he had wanted me gone before he came home. Instead, I remained focused on the two little people who so obviously loved him.

“Not that I’m unhappy to see you, Jude, but I hope this means Callie will still visit.”

I looked over at Katelynn, who was sitting in the recliner next to the hospital bed. Her eyes were focused on me, and she gave me a sweet smile. “I’ve loved having another woman around to talk to. And the kids adore you, Callie.”

“Now come on, Kate,” Jude said before I could respond, “we have some pretty great conversations.”

Katelynn automatically looked over at him, and I let my gaze follow hers. What I didn’t expect was to find Jude looking directly at me instead of his sister, his expression unreadable.

Chapter Four

Jude

I didn’t expect Callie to still be there. In fact, Jett had assured me she would be gone. So seeing her walk out of my bedroom, wearing what looked like a pair of baggy pajama pants and a tiny, tight shirt, made my heart thump hard. She carried a bag over her shoulder as she entered the living room, and I stood there staring at her, barely noticing Zoey and Matthew jumping around at my sides.

Callie made sure to avoid eye contact as the kids and even my sister continued to praise her. She did everything possible to keep her back or side to me until I took a chance and interrupted the bonding moment she and my sister were sharing. The second her eyes met mine, my stomach tightened. She was fucking beautiful, but I couldn’t allow her to see the effect she had on me. I had wanted to keep my life and troubles isolated from everyone, especially her. The idea of Callie seeing this side of me made me feel weak, and that was something I could not allow.

“Do you need help carrying your things out, Cal?” Jett offered, breaking the tension in the room.

When I looked back at Callie, she was once again averting her eyes. “No, I, uh…” She cleared her throat. “I only have the one bag.”

“You’re leaving?” The sadness in Zoey’s voice hit me hard. “But you said we would have a movie night.”

I watched as Callie lowered her bag and knelt in front of my niece. “I promise you that one day, we’ll have a movie night. But your uncle is home now, and it’s time for me to go back home too.”

“But I thought you liked it here with us.” Zoey’s lower lip quivered, and fuck if it didn’t feel like I had just been punched in the stomach. This was one of the biggest reasons I didn’t want anyone intertwined in our lives. These kids had lost enough, and now they had grown attached to Callie, and it could only end badly.

“Callie, why don’t you leave me your number? Then we can set up something,” Kate said, and I looked at her as if she had lost her damn mind.

“I have her number,” I said, and when Kate glared at me, I knew I must have sounded like an ass.

“Well, that’s great. Now we’ll both have her number.” She arched an eyebrow, daring me to argue.

Catching movement out of the corner of my eye, I looked once more in Callie’s direction. Her eyes were locked on mine, and she was just staring at me blankly. Matthew appeared at my side and yanked on my pant leg, breaking the hold her eyes had on me.

“What is it, buddy?” I asked.

“Why don’t you like our Callie?”

I felt like my throat was closing up and my stomach had fallen to the floor. All eyes were now on me, and I could feel the tension in the room.

Before I could argue or even attempt to convince him otherwise, Quinn rushed forward and passed a piece of paper to Kate. “There’s Callie’s number. I’m sure she would love to see you and the kids anytime.” She then turned and bent down to pick up Callie’s bag without looking at me.

The two women walked toward the front door as Jett held it open. “Thank you for staying with them,” I said to Callie as she passed me. She just nodded and continued out the door. I didn’t like that she now knew the type of life I led outside of Jett’s, but I couldn’t do anything about that now.

“You need anything, any of you, you’ll call, right?” Jett said as he gave my shoulder a light squeeze.

“Yeah,” I said in return. “I’ll call.”

As if feeling like shit for the way things had just unfolded with Callie wasn’t enough, when I turned to face Katelynn, I knew the ache I was feeling was nothing compared to what she was about to inflict on me.

I shut the door behind Jett and walked toward the couch, still feeling sore and exhausted. Once I was sitting across from her, I braced myself for the lecture I knew was coming. “Let me have it.”

She glared at me, and I just smiled. “Zoey, will you take Matthew to your room and entertain him?”

“But Mom,” Zoey whined. “He’s so mean, and he’ll just tear up my things.”

That reminded me of the doll I’d got her. “Hey, sweetheart, look in my bag by the door. There’s something in there for you.”

Her eyes lit up with excitement, and she scurried off. A few seconds later, a loud, shrill squeal ripped through her, and she ran back to me and hugged me. “Thank you.”

“To replace the one that lost the battle with the permanent marker,” I told her. “Sorry I didn’t get it to you sooner.”

“That’s okay, but now we have to replace Barbie. Matthew fed her head to Warrior,” she said as she glared over at her little brother. He shrugged as if he had no clue what she was referring to.

“Boy, what have I told you about flushing things down the toilet?” I don’t know how many damn times I’ve had to snake things out of it because of him. On one occasion, we had to rip it up to take out the things he’d flushed.

“But I like to hear him growl,” he said, following it up with his best imitation of the toilet.

“Room,” I said, and he hurried off, followed by a very happy Zoey. Damn, that smile of hers could always make me feel better. That was until I turned back around to face my sister.

“What?” I asked.

“You’re an asshole,” she stated firmly. “And I can’t believe how ungrateful you are.”

“I’m ungrateful?” I chuckled. “Mind explaining?”

“The way you just acted toward Callie. That was uncalled for. What kind of thanks was that for taking care of your family while you were laid up in the hospital?” Her stare was downright hateful. “She stayed here every night and day. Even when the others tried to relieve her, she refused to leave. She cooked, cleaned, and not once did she do any of it without a big smile on her face.”

“But—”

Kate held up her hand. “I’m not done.” She lowered it as she continued, “She did therapy with me each day, twice a day. She may not have known at first what to do, but each day she got better. During this last week, I’ve felt amazing. I know my health is only going to get worse, but having her around…God, for the first time in so long, things just felt light and cheerful. And then you walk in here and act like the biggest ass.”

“I don’t like people in my business, Katelynn. You know this.”

“Well, I don’t give a damn. I do have a say about who is in my children’s lives. It’s not that I don’t greatly appreciate everything you’ve done for us, Jude. Without you, I’m not sure what would have happened. You have sacrificed so much for the three of us, and I will be forever grateful. But, damn it, you have got to stop pushing people away for fear of us getting hurt.”

Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “You’re only hurting yourself in the end. That girl cares about you. Anyone can see that. So open your eyes and give life a chance. If you don’t, one day you’ll wake up and wonder where all your time went, why you let all those chances pass you by. But then it will all be too late, because life does go on, Jude, even if you don’t want it to, and those opportunities you had will be forever lost.”

I knew she wasn’t just talking about me here, but herself. We all knew her prognosis. She was only growing weaker with each day, and her last round of radiation had done nothing but make her weaker still.

“I’ll apologize to her,” I said as I wrapped my fingers over hers.

“It’s gonna take a whole lot more than a simple sorry,” she whispered.

I knew she was right.

After I put Kate into bed for her afternoon nap, I made my way down the hall to my room. The moment my bed came in to view, I felt my body relax. Hospitals are supposed to be the place you recover, but there was nothing like your own bed. I lowered my exhausted body to the mattress, lounged back against the pillows, and took in a deep breath. As Callie’s flowery scent engulfed me, I groaned in frustration. I had a feeling I wouldn’t be sleeping much tonight.