“No worries, I’ve got somewhere else to be anyway.” I grinned. I gestured to the beige couch, to the folded throw blanket, pillow, and noise-cancelling headphones.
“Nice touch.” Cal shook his head, chuckling a little. He sat down on the couch and started tugging his boots off.
My smile faded a little, knowing he’d find it far less amusing if he knew who I had in my bed.
* * *
The next morning,I awoke to the sound of my mom and Calum talking in the kitchen. I rolled over, prepared to wrap my arms around Connor, but found her side of the bed empty.
Her clothes were gone too. At some point in the early hours of the morning, she’d pulled another disappearing act.
I wanted to be mad about it—about being denied the opportunity to wake up next to her—but I understood. Having Calum sleeping upstairs had just been too much.
I got dressed quickly, stopping long enough to freshen up in the bathroom. When I got upstairs, Calum was just leaving.
“Don’t forget, we’ve got a meeting with Don at Harmony Waves this morning,” I reminded him.
“I know.” he nodded. “I’ll see you guys there, I have some things to take care of beforehand.”
“All right,” I said, nodding.
“Thanks again for the coffee, Mama Deen,” Calum said. My mom came out of the kitchen, a cup still in her hand.
“You’re welcome. And like I said, you’re welcome to stay here as long as you need to.”
“I appreciate that. Thank you,” Calum said, giving her a smile full of thanks before he opened the door and walked out.
“I take it Michael’s being a jerk?” Mom asked when Cal had left.
“Guess so, not surprised though,” I answered, making my way over to the kitchen cupboards to grab a mug. She followed me, sitting down at the table.
“That man has always been a stickler for control.” Mom sighed, shaking her head. “He’s never been able to come to terms with the fact that his children are their own persons, with their own dreams and goals outside of his expectations.”
“Yeah.” I nodded, thinking about how bloody true that was. Cal was past the point of trying to please him, but Connor was still there. Her fear of his reactions made her keep so much of herself in the dark.
“How’s Connor doing with everything?” Mom asked, quickly lifting her mug to disguise the knowing smile. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. “What? You do talk to her too, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I hesitated. I’d never lied to my mother before. Never had to. Honesty was pretty much the only thing she expected of me. “She’s grieving and taking on a lot of crap at home.”
“Yeah. Calum told me a little about what’s been happening since he arrived.”
“Told you about Harper?”
“Yeah, and his son. Asher. With the recent loss, I bet it’s a lot for one family to handle. I’ll give Maeve a call, see if she wants to get out of the house for a lunch or something.”
“Might be a good idea.” I sat down across from her and sipped my coffee.
“Does Maeve know?”
“About what?” I asked, setting my mug down on the table.
“You and Connor.”
I stilled, brows furrowing. “What are you talking about?”
My mom tilted her head and arched her brows, shaking her head a little. “It’s pretty obvious, Son. You couldn’t keep your eyes off her at the funeral, and during the burial. A mother can tell when her son fancies someone. Plus…I saw her leaving this morning.”
A smile crept to my lips, and I let out a low chuckle. “Does she know you saw her?”
