Page 19 of The Broken Keys

Callum:That’s all I wanna hear. I like it when you’re happy.

I set the phone down, my ribs caving around the truth I don’t want to admit out loud. For the first time in a week, the war in my head has quieted, and it’s because of him.

Callum:Lily? Did I lose you?

I stare at his simple question, my insides tightening because I don’t have an answer that doesn’t reveal how terrifiedI am of letting him back in, how scared I am that he’ll hurt me again.

Me:I’m here.

Callum:Tell me what’s wrong. I can feel you pulling away even through a text.

My hands shake as I type and delete, type and delete. He knows me too well, reads me like sheet music he’s memorized by heart.

Me:I can’t explore this with you if you’re going to let someone pull strings and manipulate you again.

There’s a long pause. Long enough that I wonder if I’ve frightened him off with my honesty. Then my phone rings.

It’s him. I push the connect button. “Hello, Callum. What can I do for you?”

“That will never happen again, Lily. Never.”

“You don’t know that.” My fear tumbles out. “What if Zara comes back? What if someone else finds a way to get between us?”

“Then I’ll handle it differently. I won’t sacrifice you ever again.” His voice drops lower, more intimate. “I’ll protect you from this day on if you’ll let me. Leon doesn’t own me anymore. No one does. The only person who gets to decide my future is me. And I choose you. Every damn day, I choose you.”

A huff slips out. “That’s a pretty promise.”

“It’s not a promise. It’s a fact.” The conviction in his voice makes me believe him. “I love you, Lily. I never stopped loving you. And I know you’re scared, but I’m not the same man who let someone else tell me what to do.”

The words slice through me because he doesn’t even know about Jax, doesn’t know there’s someone else I’m comparing him to, and yet somehow he’s offering exactly what Jax never could.

“I have to go,” I whisper.

“Okay. But Lily?”

“Yeah?”

“I meant what I said about dessert. Text me your address, and I’ll bring you something sweet when you’re ready for a break. No pressure. Just...let me take care of you a little.”

“Okay. I’ll text you later.”

“I’ll be waiting until you do.”

“Do you ever work?” I swivel in my chair and gaze out the window.

“I’m working right now.”

“No, you’re on the phone with me.”

“Yeah, and I’ve penned three new songs this afternoon. I’m on a roll.”

“Anything worth sharing.”

“Soon enough, vixen. Soon enough.”

“Ever the cryptic rockstar.”

He sighs. “Nah, just wanna make them shine before I let you hear them.”