Page 89 of Love You Madly

Callie shakes her head, her smile widening, her eyes filled with understanding. “Owen, you have nothing to apologize for. This is the nicest thing that anyone has ever done for me. I appreciate it more than you know. It just caught me off guard. I’m not usually a big fan of surprise visits. But I know your heart is in the right place. And I think it’s really sweet that you did this for me. For us,” she says, tipping her head in the direction of where Sara must be sleeping in Callie’s bedroom.

I nod, my eyes meeting hers. Her deep green eyes draw me in, brimming with appreciation and something I can’t quite place. “I get it. I just wanted to make things easier for you. But I should have asked you first.”

She steps closer, placing her hand on my arm. Her touch is warm, comforting. “You’re sweet, Owen. And thoughtful. It’s just going to get some getting used to… someone caring like this.”

Her touch sends a warmth through me, but it also makes me a bit sad knowing that she clearly hasn’t been cared for in the way she deserves in the past. “How about I hang out for a while while Sara is asleep? We can wait to put the crib together so we don’t wake her up.”

Callie’s face lights up with excitement. “Sure! We can watch a movie while we wait. I was finally able to get a little TV for the house, so I don’t have to watch movies on my computer anymore.”

“That sounds great,” I say, genuinely relieved that she’s okay with me sticking around. “What do you want to watch?”

Callie walks over to where the new TV sits proudly on a small stand. She grabs a stack of DVDs and starts flipping through them. “I have a few favorites here. How aboutThe Notebook?” she suggests with a wink.

I cringe involuntarily, and Callie laughs, the sound lightand melodic. “Okay, clearly, that’s a no. How aboutJunoinstead?”

I grin, deciding to tease her a bit. “We could always watchDennis the Menace?”

Callie’s eyes widen in horror, and she shakes her head vehemently. “Absolutely not! I told you that movie scares the crap out of me!”

We decide onJuno,but I make her promise to watchBack to the Futurewith me someday. As we settle on the couch and the movie starts, I can’t help but steal glances at Callie. There’s something about being here, in her space, sharing this simple moment that feels right.

As the movie plays, my phone starts buzzing repeatedly. I glance at the screen and see Karissa’s name flashing. I send it to voicemail and shove it back in my pocket, but a few minutes later, it buzzes again.

Callie notices and frowns. “Is everything okay?”

“It’s Karissa,” I admit, feeling a bit frustrated. “She keeps calling, but I’m sending her to voicemail. I’m not dealing with her drama right now.

Callie looks unconvinced. “Owen, if you’re not together, why is she calling you so much?”

“She’s not thrilled that I broke up with her this morning.”

“Weren’t you guys only together for like a month?” she asks, curiosity piqued.

I nod and pull out my phone, typing a quick text message to Karissa to remind her we aren’t together anymore and to please stop calling me. I hit send and then turn the screen to show Callie. “Here, see? I’m not lying to you.”

Callie glances at the message briefly before handing the phone back to me. “You didn’t have to show me that. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten snippy about it. I just can’t deal with cheating and drama.”

“I just want you to know that I would never lie to you about something like that,” I say, meeting her gaze earnestly. The sincerity in my voice is palpable, and I hope she feels it too. She’s obviously overwhelmed, though so I don’t want to go down the rabbit hole of telling her of the bullshit Karissa said to me about being pregnant and stress her out further.

She nods, and we turn our attention back to the movie. Just as it’s getting to one of the more emotional parts, we hear a small cry from the other room. I guess that means Sara is awake.

Callie pauses the movie and gets up. “I’ll be right back.”

I watch as she heads to her bedroom to get Sara, and I cannot help but miss what it was like when Barrett was that age. He was always so snuggly after his naps. It’s way too soon to think about it but my mind starts to wonder what it wouldbe like to be a family with them anyway.

Callie comes out of the bedroom holding Sara, who looks sleepy, her light brown hair is disheveled from her nap. Her big blue eyes are wide with curiosity and she has a pacifier in her mouth that makes me chuckle as I read the words “Mute Button” on it. She’s clutching a well-loved stuffed giraffe, its faded spots and frayed ears indicating how much it’s been cherished. She rubs her eyes with her tiny fists, making her that much more adorable. My heart melts at the sight.

Callie approaches me with a nervous smile. “Owen, this is Sara,” she says softly, setting her daughter down on the floor.

I crouch down to Sara’s level, giving her a gentle smile. “Hi, Sara. It’s nice to meet you.”

Sara looks at me with wide eyes, clutching her stuffed giraffe tighter. Callie gently nudges her and then reaches to remove the pacifier from her mouth, causing a loud comical pop as it releases. “Sara, can you say hi to Owen?”

Sara’s little voice is barely audible as she whispers, “Hi.”

She is so precious. I reach out slowly, not wanting to startle her. “Is that your giraffe? He’s very cute.”

Sara nods, her grip on her giraffe loosening slightly. “Jeff-er-y,” she says, her voice a bit stronger now.

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