Page 49 of Bound By Secrets

“No, Callie, I didn’t mean it like that,” I choke out. She’s now as red as a beetroot, likely overwhelmed with embarrassment. I lean forward and kiss her forehead.

“I think we should stop this conversation now and switch to a lighter topic.” She nods with a sheepish smile and mutters in agreement.

Her phone starts ringing and the moment between us is broken. Her smile drops and she rushes to grab the phone out of her back pocket, her eyes full of hope.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Callie

When my eyes lock onto my phone and I see the number scrawled across the screen, I swipe my thumb and shove the phone up to my ear.

“Are you ok?” I ask as soon as I hear the rumble of an engine through the phone.

“Yeah, Pretty Girl, I’m okay. I’m so sorry I haven’t answered your calls and texts, I was busy for a lot longer than I originally thought I would be.”

The sound of Ryker’s raspy voice instantly relaxes my muscles, and relief washes over me. Brad takes a step towards me and places his hand on my arm, squeezing it softly.

“I’m just glad you’re okay. I was worried.”

“Well, no need to be worried,” he replies, sounding slightly nervous. “I want to see you soon, is tomorrow good?”

“I’d love to see you, but at the moment, I don’t think it’s a good idea. I’m trying to keep my distance from everyone. The twins are, too.” It saddens me, but it’s the truth; Derek most likely knows who Brad, Nate, and Kat are already. I don’t want him to know Ryker’s back in town. I don’t want to cause any of themharm. Now that I know more of what my father is capable of, it terrifies me that I could cause these people pain and suffering.

He releases a heavy sigh. “Okay. We’ll talk about this soon, though, because that’s now got me worried."

“There’s no need to worry. I have this handled. We’ll definitely talk soon. I have a lot to tell you.”

“Yeah, same here. Be safe for me please.”

“ I will.” The line goes silent for a few beats, and I look up from my feet, eyes connecting with Brad's as I wait for Ryker’s voice to filter through the phone again.

“I love you, Pretty Girl.” A smile spreads across my face and my stomach dips.

Hearing those words come out of his mouth again feels so good.

“I love you, too.”

The call ends and I slide my phone down from my ear until it rests against my shoulder.

“I have got to meet this Ryker guy properly. I need him to teach me how to make you smile like that.” I giggle and lightly slap his chest as I lean into him. His arms wrap around me, and we stand there cuddling with each other for a few moments.

“Thank you. I needed this today,” I utter, my face pressed against his chest.

“I’m glad I was able to help for a little while.”

“You can just drop me off here, don’t drive all the way.” Brad looks over at me shortly, a worried look on his face. He pulls over on the side of the road, halfway down my street.

“I don’t feel good about this, Callie.”

“It’s fine. The twins will be home in about half an hour and I doubt my dad’s even home. I promise I’ll be fine,” I tell him,leaning across the centre console to kiss his cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I grab my bag and hurriedly hop out of the car so that he can’t say anything else. We decided to leave the lake because it started getting chilly and I’d told Brad to drop me home. He wanted to drop me back at college so that I could come home with the twins but I didn’t see the point when their last class was finishing soon.

Now, as I walk up the street by myself, a sense of trepidation fills me. I shove my hands in my front pockets and continue my hobbling. When my house comes into view, I see Paul standing on the front porch.

I continue walking towards the front door despite the anxiety that’s now swarming through my body. I take a deep breath, trying to centre myself. The cool metal of Ryker’s knife brushes against the underside of my boob, hidden and easily accessible if I need it.

As I reach the top of the driveway and climb the first step, Paul moves and opens the door for me. I halt my movements and stare at him in bewilderment.

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