Page 32 of Catalyst

“No–not until I knowexactlywhat you’re doing.”

“I’m allowed to be curious about things!”

“Curious about nursing school?” I raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

Jace crossed his arms, his gaze falling to the floor.

“Callie said I’d be a good nurse.” His admission was barely more than a whisper. “And with the baby coming, I thought one of us should get into something more stable.” Jace’s chest swelled with a breath, and I swore he was going to explode if his face got any redder. “Plus… she deserves someone she can be proud of.”

My jaw clenched as I looked back at the pamphlet. This was Jace, a guy who'd never taken anything seriously. And here he was, red-faced and embarrassed because he wanted to be something–no, someone–for Callie.

For the baby.

A strange flutter filled my chest as I dropped the brochure into his lap before willing the shadow to vanish. He eagerly snatched it up, holding it close to his chest with the rest of them.

“Since when do you care about what Callie thinks?”

Jace shrugged before placing his paper bounty onto the table in a messy pile.

“She just–I don’t know,” he said somewhat defensively. “I just know I like when she smiles, and I want to give her a reason to smile at me.”

I found myself unable to look away from Jace as I struggled to process the fact that he was consideringnursing schooljust because Callie said he’d be good at it… And part of me was jealous that he could just let himself think about doing such a grand gesture for her… But Jace didn’t think, and maybethatwas what helped him be so open.

To actually love someone, you had to let them in, to let them see every broken, raw part of you. I had no problem being like that with Jace—he was just as fucked up as I was, and we both knew it. But Callie… letting her in wasn’t as easy. She was soft where I wasn’t, thoughtful where I was careless, and it’d be too fucking easy for me to hurt her without meaning to. One wrong word, and I’d break something that couldn’t be fixed. I’d never forgive myself if I hurt her. And I’d never let myself live it down if I scared her off.

That line of thought kept me from letting myself get any closer to her. I couldn’t let her fall, because if she fell, she’d risk being broken. God knew Sulien had hurt her enough, and I didn’t want to be another part of her heart she’d inevitably need to mend.

All I wanted was to protect her from the world, to keep her and the baby safe. I had no ideahowto do that if I wanted to keep a little distance between us. But I could figure it out; I always did.

At least, that was what I thought until she came home.

The sound of Callie’s sobs broke the silence between Jace and I far before the door opened. I hated that I knew the sound of her crying well enough to know that without looking at her. Jace and I exchanged a glance, neither of us daring to move.

After a moment, the sobs disappeared, replaced with the jingling of keys. The door opened slowly, and Callie entered, holding her head up high. For a second, I thought I’d imagine the sobs. But then I saw her red eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

Something I was quickly learning about Callie was she didn’twantto be taken care of. She didn’twantto be seen as weak. She wanted to be strong, but that just wasn’t who Callie was. She was soft, and something in that softness made her so beautiful that it physically hurt for me to think about anyone making her cry.

The three of us exchanged glances, no one inching any closer than they’d already been.

Callie cleared her throat and placed her backpack on the ground by the door, never once looking away from Jace and I.

“Callie…” I kept my voice low as I tried to decide the best way to tackle whatever this was. “How was–”

“Please don’t ask me about school.” A whimper tore through her words, one so powerful that her bottom lip quivered with the threat of more tears.

My heart dropped, and instantly I froze. How the hell was I supposed to not ask her about something that’d clearly upset her?

Jace extended a hand toward her. “Come here, Princess.”

She hesitated, her chest shuddering as she forced in a shaky breath. For a moment, I thought she’d reject and just simply vanish into Sulien’s room. But, eventually, she made her way toward him with slow steps.

She took his hand, allowing him to pull her into his lap. She rested her head on his shoulder, allowing herself to melt into him like it was the first time she’d been able to relax all day. I watched as Jace used his thumb to rub soft circles on her back before murmuring something I couldn’t hear. Once again, envy flooded my system.

That feeling only worsened when I saw Jace kiss the top of her head before pulling her closer. How the fuck was this so natural for him? Wasn’t he scared? Obviously not because the second his eyes met mine, a mischievous grin tugged at his lips.

“Jesus fucking Christ–Are you sure there’s only one in there?” He teased.

I didn’t need to see him to know he was touching her stomach. Because of that, I was ready to snap at him. She’d had enough of today, and that meant she didn’t need his bullshit.

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