He didn’t say anything, just let her cry for the losses she’d already experienced and the losses that were still to come.
She wasn’t sure how many minutes ticked by before she finally stopped. God, his top was drenched with tears—again—and her eyes had to be puffy. When she looked up at him, it was to see concern in his eyes.
He didn’t ask if she was okay though. He knew she wasn’t. Instead, he said three healing words. “I’ve got you.”
How did he know exactly what to say?
“I know you do. Thank you.” She shook her head. “I’ve got to stop falling apart on you.”
“No, you don’t. I’ll hold you whenever and for as long as you need.” He swiped a tear from her cheek.
Too sweet. He was too sweet.
Pull yourself together, Callie.
She pushed her hair back from her cheek. “What was wrong when you walked in here?”
His gaze shifted between her eyes. “It can wait. Right now, I just need to know you’re okay.”
CHAPTER 16
Callie climbed out of the car, the fresh air brushing over her skin as she faced the mountains.
Man, they were beautiful. The kind of beautiful that sucked up all your worries. Or at least tabled them for later.
Aspen climbed out from behind the wheel. “Beautiful, aren’t they?”
This was why they were best friends, because they read each other’s freaking minds. “Gorgeous.”
Her best friend had picked her up from work to take her to the Misty Peak Visitors Center so they could do a quick trek in the mountains. It was mostly for Aspen, who claimed she needed inspiration for her book, but Callie was pretty sure the breakup with Dylan was weighing on her more than she was sharing.
When Callie had told Lock about her plans, he’d reminded her that two of his brothers, Kayden and Jace, both worked here, in case they ran into trouble. They wouldn’t. Or at least, she hoped they wouldn’t.
Aspen rounded the car and linked her arm through Callie’s as they headed toward the café. “So…he’s really leaving?”
“Why do you say that like you can’t believe it?”
“Because he’s been sleeping on our couch for over a week. Playing protector super well. Plus, he’s been making us breakfast and coffee every morning, so if I got a vote, it would be for him to stay. Why don’t I get a vote?”
“Because he’s not your ex.”
“Pfft. Small detail.”
Callie sighed. “I know it’s been good having him there…for safety.”
Aspen scoffed.
“I haven’t received any more notes, and no one’s shown up in our yard since. He can’t stay there forever.”
“What about that guy in the alley?”
Callie tried not to tense. Lock had told her about that a day later. She understood why he hadn’t shared right away, and there might be a tiny part of her that wished he hadn’t told her at all. But that was silly. If someone was in a freaking alley watching her, she needed to know.
“We don’t know that he was watching me. If you saw someone who looked like Lock heading toward you, you’d run too.”
“Uh, but I can’t scale a fence like he did.”
“We have great security on the house now.” A new alarm. New locks. Their house was like Fort Knox…well, kind of.
