I blinked a few times. “Oh, he’s just an old friend. We went to college together. Why? Do you like him?”
Brody shrugged and attacked his food with gusto when I put it down in front of him, forgetting all about the conversation we’d been having. By the time I had a thermos of coffee in my hand and he had his child-sized set of golf clubs slung over his shoulder like a pro, I was already wondering how long I was really going to be able to keep the truth from him.
Halfway to the course, my phone lit up withMomacross the screen. My stomach clenched. I loved my parents, and Brody loved them too, but the thought of explaining this mess of a situation to them was not appealing. What would I even say?
Hi Mom, so I might be marrying an old college hookup who has no idea he’s the father of your grandson, but don’t worry, it’s only so he can get his inheritance?
Yeah. No. Not happening today.
I silenced the call and glanced at Brody in the rearview mirror. “You remember who Callum is, right? The friend we’re playing with today.”
“Yep,” he said, his grin all childlike dimples and excitement. “From practice. He’s the one who told me to take off my skates because I was done playing with the little boys. Is he fun when he’s not a coach? He seemed kind of tough.”
The guilt hit hard. The fact that Brody knew nothing about Callum was just a reminder of the ridiculous tightrope I was balancing on, with neither of them knowing about theirconnection and both of them about to start getting to know each other.
“Yeah, he’s fun,” I said as lightly as I could. “If he seemed tough, it was only because he takes hockey pretty seriously.”
He was also dangerous in ways I couldn’t even admit out loud. I’d had my reasons for not telling Callum I was pregnant back then—solid reasons—but now? Now it just felt like I was running a scam I couldn’t possibly keep up forever.
Brody asked a few more questions on our way to the country club, but he quickly got bored of the topic of myfriendand moved onto the course itself. I answered him as best as I could, telling him the few details I remembered from the club’s website. I had researched it to make sure it was nicer than the bar he kept inviting me to.
We pulled into the country club’s perfectly manicured grounds some time later, and Brody’s jaw practically dropped at the sight of the sprawling green lawns. I was almost as dumbstruck. The pictures had been gorgeous but they hadn’t done the place justice.
Callum was waiting near the main building, looking stupidly good in khakis and a light blue polo shit, a golf cart ready to go. Wisps of his dark hair curled around from under his white cap and his muscular forearms were on full display. I wondered if he was posing that way on purpose to impress me. If so, it was working.
“There’s Callum,” I said, clearing my throat.
Brody, naturally, was thrilled once we’d parked and he realized that the guy we were meeting was standing next to a golf cart, with one foot on the floor below the steering wheel like he owned it. Which he probably did.
“Can I drive it? Please, Mom, please?”
I didn’t even get a chance to answer before Callum smirked and handed over the keys like some kind of cool uncle. Wehadn’t even said hi yet, and Callum was already well on his way to cracking the nod of approval from a seven-year-old. “Only if your mom says yes, buddy. But I don’t mind if you’d like to drive. You haven’t been drinking, right?”
Brody snickered and covered his face with his hands. “No, I don’t do that!”
“Just checking,” Callum said, grinning. “Safety first, am I right? What do you say, mama bear?”
Both of them turned to look at me, and just like that, I was outnumbered.Well played, Westood. Well freaking played.
“Sure, bud, but let Callum show you how it works first, alright? Then maybe you can try later.”
Brody groaned, but Callum shrugged and accepted the keys back. “Don’t worry. We’ll make it a quick lesson. It’ll be nice to have chauffeur around the course today. What do you say about nine holes? Think you can manage it?”
“Yes,” Brody exclaimed immediately, obviously ecstatic to be off the driving range and onto a real course. “We can do that, right, Mom?”
It sounded fine until Callum looked at me. Those crystal clear blue eyes sparkled with amusement and mischief as his eyebrows rose just slightly under his cap. “You’re playing with us, aren’t you? It’s only the three of us, so nine holes shouldn’t take too long. I even brought sunscreen, just in case.”
“No,” I said instantly. I had a bag full of papers to grade in my tote and zero intention of making a fool of myself. “I’m just along for the ride today.”
“Yes,” Brody chimed in, his eyes wide and pleading. “Please, Mom? You can’t just sit there.”
Between the two of them, I knew I didn’t stand a chance, so I nodded, hoping they would forget about my turn once we got underway. Brody and Callum hit it off like they’d been waiting their whole lives to find each other. In a way, they had.
Callum didn’t treat him like a kid, either, which Brody seemed to love. He teased him, talked smack when Brody sliced a ball, and egged him on when he connected just right. Brody ate it up, strutting across the fairway like he’d just won the Masters while Callum slow-clapped.
Meanwhile, I was a disaster. My first swing missed the ball entirely. The second barely made the ball roll two feet forward. Brody doubled over laughing and Callum grinned like this was the highlight of his day.
By the third failed attempt, Brody sprinted down the course to chase his ball, leaving me alone with Callum and that stupid, demonic, tiny, white ball that refused to move. I scowled at it, intent on glaring it into submission.
