Callie pauses. “Two, actually.”
I blink. “Two?”
“Yeah.” She shrugs. “The first one doesn’t count.”
“Callie.”
“I junk punched Anthony for what he did to you,” she says simply. “He said he was going to file one but never did.”
The silence between us is heavy.
“That one doesn’t count,” she repeats, softer now.
“No,” I say quietly. “It doesn’t.”
A beat passes.
I press my lips together. “I’m not kidnapping Drew.”
“You’re being very inflexible about this.”
“I’m being rational.”
“Rational is overrated. And boring.”
“Rational keeps people out of jail.”
She waves a hand. “Debatable.”
I shake my head, a small breath of laughter slipping out despite everything.
There she is.
The queen of chaos.
The grounding force disguised as a problem.
Callie watches me carefully now.
“You really like him,” she says.
“I love him.” The words slip out before I can stop them.
The room goes still.
Callie blinks... then slowly smiles.
“I think I always have. Since that first day.”
She studies me for a second longer.
Then nods once. “He’s not going anywhere.”
I let out a quiet breath. “Yes, he is. I let him go. And now?—"
Callie leans forward. “You gave him space,” she corrects. “There’s a difference.”
“Is there?”
