Page 68 of Hidden Truths

“Okay, what if we change the key and did something like this?” Kai says, coming back and propping himself on the edge of the couch and playing a few notes. “Cal, you need to sing, buddy,” he says when Cal misses his spot.

I try to get off his lap to make it easier, but he holds me to him as he picks up on the change easily and sings the song he wrote for me.

It only takes them an hour to tweak the song. I loved the way Cal sang it, but I have to admit, the version they created together will be perfect on their album. The entire time, Cal kept me on his lap, singing to me. I’ve been smiling so hard my face hurts.

“I’m going to call Isla and get this on the album,” Jon says. Willa called him on the third or fourth attempt, and he’s been listening over the phone ever since.

Everyone gets up to leave, but Mav loudly clears his throat. “I’m sorry, Cal. I really am. You’re right that you were the joke, and we let you be. Because we needed to laugh, and you let us laugh at you. It wasn’t right.”

I look up at Cal. He’s shaking his head. “I let you.”

“That doesn’t matter. We’re adults. We know better,” Kai says.

“I knew what you were doing, and I let you. It was easier to laugh at you than cry with you. There’s no excuse, but we are all so sorry, and we’ll do better,” Willa promises.

Cal nods, acknowledging their words, but not saying anything. I watch them all leave, but Belle lingers. She walks up to me and hugs me.

“Thank you for watching out for my brother. He’s always been the one to watch out for everyone else.” She turns to Cal. “I’m sorry for my part. We have each other’s backs, Cal. You don’t have to hold everyone up on your own.”

Cal hugs his sister. “Love you.”

“Love you,” Belle says before turning and leaving.

“Do you have any idea what you did for me today?”

I turn to see Cal with a look of reverence in his eyes.

“I only did what I thought was right,” I tell him, trying to shrug off the weight of his gaze. There are so many emotionsswirling in his eyes, and I think I could drown from the weight of them.

Cal grabs my face and kisses me, letting me feel everything he can’t vocalize. “You are everything, Harlow Ray. Everything.” The awe in his voice floors me.

“Cal,youare everything. You deserve everything,” I tell him, letting the emotion in my voice show. “Never accept less.”

“Never again,” he says against my lips, claiming them in the next breath.

I laugh as he sweeps me into his arms, bridal style.

“Where are we going?” I ask him, laughing into his neck.

“Our bedroom,” he says, climbing the stairs. I haven’t been back to my bedroom since the first night we were together. Cal declared his room as ours and there really was no going back from there. Especially after he moved all my stuff into his closet.

I kiss his neck, making him moan.

When he sets me down on my feet in front of our bed and smiles at me, it suddenly hits me.

I love him.

I’m in love with him.

His hands are under my shirt, thumbs rubbing small circles on the bare skin of my stomach. Cal dips his head to kiss me, and I pull back.

“I love you,” I blurt as he frowns. That frown quickly turns into a dazzling smile.

“You beat me to it,” he says, one of his hands moving to cup my cheek. “I love you too, Firecracker. I think I’ve loved you since you told me I sucked at singing and shouldn’t quit my day job.”

“I did not say that!” I exclaim and then laugh at the goofy look on his face.

“That’s what I heard,” he shrugs. I just shake my head at how ridiculous this man is.

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