Page 99 of Unforgivable

“First of all, it wasn’t selfish because I’m the one who pushed you to talk about it. Second, it helped get my mind off the stuff with Jack, so I’m not complaining. Third,youare my priority no matter what else is going on. Always.” Cal raised my hand and placed a kiss on my palm, causing butterflies to swarm in my stomach. How was he able to elicit such intense reactions from me with the smallest gesture?

The questions I had about what went down with his uncle were on the tip of my tongue, but he gave me a quick peck on the lips and turned to the neglected dinner I had started on before I could ask. “Alright, so what are we making? Put me to work, chef.”

I stifled my curiosity and instead focused on the food. We worked in perfect synchronicity, bobbing around each other effortlessly like we’d done it for years. Cal’s impish streak was out in full force, poking fun at me and flirting the entire time. I hadn’t laughed or smiled so much while making dinner in…well, ever. It was bizarre, considering the emotional strain of the day, but I guessed that was the point. Cal was a pro at avoiding things he didn’t want to deal with, so he turned to what was comfortable, and he’d always found comfort in me. Even when he hated it, we had always radiated on the same wavelength, our chemistry able to overcome anything in its path.

Once the tacos and salad were done, we lounged on the couch with our food while Cal ranted through an episode ofGame of Thrones. His reactions were more entertaining than the actual show, and I struggled not to choke on my dinner as laughter bubbled up.

This won’t end well…I can just tell—hold up, that music’s suspect as fuck. Is that supposed…OH SHIT! They’re stabbing pregnant women now?? Why is he just standing there! Ah damn, no one’s making it out of this…yep, another one dead. Those few are definitely dead. She’s dead too. Oh look, more stabbing! Oh snap, did he just…oh my god, the wolf too?! Who the fuck does that? These cold ass motherfuckers. Why did you get me into this show, Evans??

By the time the silent credits rolled, I was wheezing with laughter on my side and Cal was sitting stone-faced, staring down the TV like it personally offended him. To be fair, it seemed like it had.

“That was uncalled for,” he deadpanned. “Absolutely unnecessary. Are there even any characters left alive? I mean, let’s face it, they just killed off ninety-two percent of the cast right there. And killed off one hundred percent of any humanity left because that wolf head thing on Robb’s body? That is just sadistic.”

“Yeah, they call it RobbWind in the fandom.”

“THEY NAMED IT?”

Cal’s outrage sparked another stream of laughs from me, apparently contagious as Cal soon broke and joined in. We collapsed on each other in that delirious way when you forget why you were laughing so hard in the first place, but couldn’t stop if you tried. Eventually, we both settled and I had somehow managed to slide in close to him. Cal didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around me, tugging me between his legs and trapping me against his chest. We sat there for several minutes, neither of us speaking. I could practically hear the wheels turning in his head, the distraction of the last hour no longer enough to quiet his thoughts.

“I won’t ask you to talk about it if you aren’t ready, but you know I’m here to listen when you are,” I softly reminded him, absently running a hand over one of his arms draped over me.

“Jack is my biological father,” Cal rasped. I tensed, not expecting that little bomb to be dropped. Everything I could recall about Cal’s dad swirled in my brain, which wasn’t much, but there were a few things that started rapidly clicking into place.

“Your aunt…that’s why she was so hateful to you. He cheated on her and you were the result,” I thought aloud. Cal’s arms clenched around me before he continued.

“I only found out about him a couple months before mom died. I didn’t know Blair knew the truth until she let it slip one night fighting with Jack right after I came to live with them. I had to look up what “bastard” meant online to realize it. I thought mom or Jack had told her, but apparently Blair had figured it out on her own at some point. Anyway, that’s why he was here…he wants to fix our relationship. Finally be a dad or whatever.”

The resentment and anger were heavy in his voice, but I knew him well enough to also hear what else was hidden there.Hope.

“And what do you want, baby?” I questioned, stroking his arm to wordlessly soothe him.

“I don’t know,” Cal muttered, and I let out a mirthless chuckle.

“Do you really not know or are you just not wanting to admit it to yourself?”

Cal growled at me using his own words against him, but he couldn’t intimidate me anymore. Not when I owned his heart.And he owned mine. I waited patiently as he fought to be honest with me, and more importantly, with himself.

“I’m sick of being an orphan when I don’t have to be,” Cal whispered brokenly. “I hate him so much for abandoning me and not believing me, but…I don’t want to hate him anymore. I want a dad, Rhys…”

I twisted in his grip to face him, and the sheen of tears I saw pierced right into my chest. I slipped my arms around his shoulders, burying my nose in the crook of his neck. He squeezed me to him and I felt his silent tears hit my collarbone.

“You are not weak for wanting to forgive your father. You deserve to have a family again, whatever that looks like,” I assured him. I was reminded of the advice Gran had given me when I struggled to forgive Cal. I never would have imagined he’d need to hear it too. “There aren’t a lot of people who are willing to do what it takes to right their wrongs. Maybe he’ll actually be able to do it if given the chance. You did with me, and look at us now.”

“What if I’m making a mistake letting him back in? What if we can’t get past this?” he wondered hoarsely. I lifted my head, catching those blue and green orbs and seeing the conflict reflected in them.

“I guess you have to ask yourself if what he did was truly unforgivable. Only you know if there’s a way he can heal those parts he helped to break.”

“God, I love you, Rhys,” Cal gasped out, the tears making his voice wet and rough. I kissed him tenderly, wanting to give him what strength I could. He moved back, leaving only a breath of space between our mouths. “He wants me to read my mom’s letter.”

I leaned back, flashing him a confused look. “What letter?”

Cal’s head fell back on the couch arm, staring blankly at the ceiling. “Mom wrote me a letter that I was supposed to read after she passed.But I could never bring myself to do it. I’ve kept it hidden in that children’s book of hers that I told you about.”

I was floored by the new information, baffled as to what the problem really was. “Why didn’t you ever read it? Cal, do you have any idea how lucky you are? I would give anything for a letter from my mom or dad, to have one last message from them. You can’t take that for granted!”

Cal sat up abruptly, dislodging me from the circle of his arms. “Christ, you don’t get it. I don’t want to know what’s in that damn letter.”

“Why not? You already have answers about your dad and your history. What on earth could you read in it that would be so bad?”

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