But I still wondered sometimes. Wondered what might’ve been. Maisie had to feel the same way, but she didn’t seem to resent the asshole at all for forcing her to give it all up just because he’d slipped one past the goalie—if there had even been a goalie.
I groaned, immediately shaking that thought out of my head. I absolutely did not want a mental image of her with anyone else, but I swore right then and there that if Maisie, Brody, and I ever went to live on the estate, I’d damn well build her a pool.
Not one to just float around in, but one that was deep enough and wide enough for her to dive in, with diving boards that would allow her to fly again if she wanted to. With my mindmade up, I slipped the loose photos back into the sleeve and turned another page.
I froze and blinked hard as I found myself staring at a picture of Sterling. Except it wasn’t my brother. It couldn’t be, which meant that this had to have been Brody at probably about two years old. He was grinning with a toy truck in his hand, but something about the angle, his smile, and the exact way his hair had been styled made my breath stall in my lungs.
“What the hell…” I muttered. My mom had a picture of Sterling up on the wall at the mansion, taken at his third birthday party, a picture in which he’d also been holding a toy truck. If I hadn’t known any better, I would have said this was a copy of that exact picture.
I kept staring at it for a long time. My mind fumbled for an explanation that just wouldn’t quite come. Finally, I picked up my phone and snapped a picture of that photograph. Next time I was at the mansion, I would hold it up beside the picture of Sterling just to compare.
I’d seen the resemblance between them before, obviously, but it’d never been as striking as it was now—and I had absolutely no idea what to think anymore.
CHAPTER 34
MAISIE
Iwoke up late, blinking against the pale light spilling in through the curtains when I opened my eyes. It was Sunday, which meant my alarm hadn’t been set, but that usually didn’t matter. Brody didn’t care much what day of the week it was. In fact, he always seemed to wake up earlier on the weekend. Judging by the light, I’d slept in.
It took me a beat to remember falling asleep in Callum’s arms. I flipped over immediately, but he wasn’t there anymore. The sheets were rumpled where he’d slept, a dent remaining in the pillow, and the faint, masculine scent of him clinging to the fabric, but his spot wasn’t even warm anymore.
I almost didn’t recognize the luxury of sleeping in on a Sunday. I used to love mornings like this, back before life had gotten so busy that I’d forgotten how to breathe. Ever since we’d moved out to San Francisco, I hadn’t had the chance to sleep late, always on the move with my little bundle of energy.
For a moment, I just lay there, stretching out and enjoying the rare quiet of the morning. Except it wasn’t really quiet. Slightly muffled shouts and bursts of laughter split the air, the sounds high-pitched and happy.
I shoved the blankets off and tugged on a sweater before I padded over to the window. Callum and Brody were out in the backyard, bundled against the cold and playing in the thin layer of snow that had stuck to the ground overnight. Brody’s gloves were white with it.
Callum grinned like a kid himself as they lobbed snowballs at each other. Something tightened in my chest, part happiness, part worry. It was so freaking easy to picture this as permanent, easier yet to want it to be.
I stood by the window for a while, just watching them together and saying a little prayer that somehow everything would work out for us all. After a few minutes, I headed downstairs, but I hadn’t even poured myself a cup of coffee before Callum came in, his cheeks flushed from the cold.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” he teased. Those blue eyes sparkled as he came over and brushed a kiss to my cheek. “My parents want us to come over for lunch today. The whole family’s getting together to celebrate our engagement.”
Panic flared through me. He’d said it so loudly and Brody wasrightthere, just a few feet away. I took a step closer to Callum, not unaware of the way my body tingled at his sudden proximity, but I had bigger fish to fry right then. “I haven’t talked to Brody yet.”
He arched an eyebrow, maddeningly calm, like I had no reason to be spinning out. “Relax, baby. I talked to him, remember? He knows we’re getting married.”
I glanced at Brody, my heart still pounding until I saw my son grinning at me like he’d won some kind of prize. “I still don’t understand why Callum would want to live with a girl.”
Callum smirked at him. “Dude,youlive with a girl.”
“Yeah, but she’s my mom. It’s different.”
Callum thought it over for a beat, then shrugged. “Yeah, you’re not actually wrong, but this is a conversation we’ll pickup approximately ten years from now. Give or take. Let’s go get cleaned up, champ. We’re going to have to leave soon.”
Callum leaned down, pressed a quick kiss to my cheek like it was the most natural thing in the world, then straightened up and jerked his head toward the stairs. “I’ll race you. Last one ready to go buys the other an ice cream on our way home after lunch?”
“I don’t have any money.” Brody laughed as Callum spun and ran to the staircase. “Mom’s going to have to buy the ice cream if I lose.”
“Fine, I’ll buy the ice cream either way, but we still need to get ready.” Callum’s broad shoulders shook with laughter as Brody raced past him. Then he winked at me over his shoulder. “You have time for coffee. Don’t worry. I’ll be in the shower if you decide you’d like a different kind of pick-me-up.”
His implication was clear. Cock instead caffeine. Desire sparked to life in my body, but I shook my head at myself and finally poured that cup of coffee.Boy, this guy really has resuscitated my libido.
As they both disappeared from my view, I leaned against the counter and wrapped my fingers around the hot mug, trying to corral my thoughts and get my body back under control. In that moment, however, as I listened to the sounds coming from upstairs, I realized that we really had become awe.
Callum and I had somehow honestly become a couple. There had been no hesitation in his words, no pause before he’d claimed our time as part of his plans for the day. It felt real. Solid.
But also terrifying in a way only the best things could be. Because what we had was also still so fragile, under constant pressure from a secret I truly didn’t know how to tell.
