Page 52 of Falling for the Single Daddy

“You haven’t trusted Callie since the start.”

“That was before I saw how much she meant to you and Emery.I reallysaw it and heard my niece’s sobs. And there’s something else. Apparently, Sloane has been dabbling in some pretty nasty stuff.”

“Yeah, she alluded to drugs earlier. Probably wants to use it as an excuse for all her bad behavior.”

Wes sighs darkly. “She’s still my sister, Gray.”

“You’re right. I don’t mean to be cruel. It’s just, after what she did to Callie…”

“I’m not saying any of this is easy,” he sighs. “But hell, it seems like Emery had a whole life built in her head. You, her, Callie. She even said,‘And Mommy could come and visit, right, and be a part of the big happy family. But only sometimes.’I’d never tell Sloane that last part, obviously, but it’s like Emery’s got this whole future mapped out.”

“That future looks sweet to me,” I say.

“You got any idea how shocking it is to hear you say that?”

I shrug. “I know. But I can’t keep avoiding the truth. Callie means a lot to me. Leaving her earlier was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’m already thinking about driving back into the city,finding her, kissing her, owning her…” I shudder. “Sorry, bro. I know I probably sound nuts.”

“You sound like one of my lovestruck artists,” he says. After a pause, he continues, “I don’t think you can let her go.”

“Are you seriously telling me to antagonize your sister?”

“I know, I know,” Wes mutters. “But I know you, Gray. You’ll never forgive yourself if you let this chance pass you by. You’ve never even beencloseto the real deal before.”

“You’re giving me whiplash, Wes.”

“Iknow,” he says with a rueful smirk. “If you want to blame anyone, blame Emery. But if you think there’s a chance this could really work, I think you owe it to yourself and to that perfect little girl to try.”

Hunger and intense need take hold of me. I try to stop myself from getting inflated with purpose. I try and slow myself down. Sloane could still cause trouble, and Callie might still throw that ugly word at me.Controlling. As if I’m some raving lunatic.

“I’m not going to do anything rash tonight,” I say. “Sloane could still lose her mind.”

“True,” Wes says. “But maybe if I talk to her, I can make her see sense.” I look at him, not even trying to hide my shock. He nods slowly. “I know. You never thought I’d make an offer like this—and, truth be told, I never thought I would either. But after hearing that little girl pour her heart out, I wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t at least try.”

“I came on pretty strong with Callie,” I murmur. “Sloane might not be the only issue.”

“I can’t help you with the romantic part,” he replies, chuckling. “You know I’ve never been a one-lady man.”

It’s true. Wes has flitted from short-term relationship to short-term relationship ever since we were kids. I’ve been even worse—a no-lady man, telling myself I’m perfectly content to live and, hell, this is morbid, but die alone.

Now, I’ve found someone. It could end in ruin. I could be making a terrible mistake. But somehow, I know that the bigger mistake would be letting this chance pass me by.

“Wes, would you mind taking care of Emery a while longer?”

It shocks the hell out of me when Wes turns to me with a smile. Of all the reactions I’ve expected over the years when I thought fleetingly about finding another woman—never anybody specific, couldn’t imagine it before Callie came along—a smile wasn’t one of them. “Sure thing,” he says.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Callie

“It feels like it’s been way, way longer than it has,” I mutter, tossing my stress ball from hand to hand.

Katerina stands at my full-length mirror, adjusting her hair. She’s got long, dark hair, her pale features contrasting the darkness. She smiles at me in the reflection, but there’s a hint of sadness in it. “He said he loved you.”

“Well—sort of. It was framed as awhat-ifquestion. Hypothetical. It’s not like he just came out and said he was in love with me or anything.”

“Hmm,” she murmurs. “That seems like a, how do you say, distinction without a difference. He said he loved you, Callie-kin. And from that look in your eye, you don’t find the notion as silly as you should.”

“We’ve had some good times,” I reply. “But, really, it’s not been very long at all. And I should be wary about an older man coming at me so intensely. It should make me wary, you know, because of my life before…”

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