Olivia throws her head back and grins at him. “Always you, baby.”
“Better be.” He leans over and kisses her upside down. “Can I get you ladies anything?”
“I think I’m gonna call it a night.”
“Don’t leave on my account,” Wilder says. “You take all the girl time you need.”
“I really should get going. I have to work in the morning.”
Olivia stands and offers me a hug. She whispers, “Give him a chance. The Hayes men are worth it.”
Wilder offers me a ride back to Jaxon’s place, but I decline. I could use the time to clear my head, and I find myself enjoying my late-night walks around the ranch. It’s peaceful, and I’m safer here than I have in any other place I’ve lived. I’m not taking my time here for granted, no matter how fleeting it might be.
Chapter 16
When Strength Wanes
?Girl - Maren Morris
Jaxon
“Dinner will be ready in five,”Mama says. “Has anybody heard from Callie?”
My eyebrows draw together as a wave of concern grips me. “Not since last night.”
I’ve been away all day, filing paperwork and dealing with contractors for the sanctuary. I texted Callie to see if she needed anything from town, but when she didn’t respond, I assumed she was avoiding me after the run-in in the hallway.
“Silent treatment already?” Griffin chides.
“Fuck you.”
Before Emmy utters a word, I pull a dollar out of my pocket and slide it across the island.
“Why don’t you go check on her?” Mama says. “She said she'd be here at six. It's not like her to be late.”
The screen door slams behind me as I jog down the front steps to my truck. Her shitty hatchback is still in the sameplace it’s been since she arrived, waiting to be repaired. The porch light is on, but the rest of the house is dark.
With the curtains drawn and the lights off, I can only make out vague shapes in the darkness. I flip on the light in the main hallway to guide my way.Atticus circles my feet, begging for attention. I pick him up, and he nuzzles against my stubble.
“Where’s your mama, buddy?”
His response comes in the form of a quiet mewl and a vibrating chest, like someone just turned the dial all the way up on a neck massager.
“You’re no help.”
“Callie,” I call into the quiet house. “I know you’re doing that adorable thing where you avoid me and pretend I don’t exist. Luckily, I’m super damaged, so I’m really into it.”
I set Atticus back on his feet and follow a path into the living room. That’s where I find her, curled up in the corner of the sofa with a blanket pulled up to her chin. I flick on the small table lamp to get a better look, and my stomach plummets.
Callie’s forehead is covered in a thin sheen of sweat, and she’s shivering uncontrollably.
I take a seat at the end of the sofa next to her feet and place my hand on her knee. “Callie? Can you hear me?”
She’s ghostly pale and unresponsive.
“Callie baby. Open your eyes for me.”
I press the back of my palm to her forehead, unsurprised to find that she’s burning up.
