Page 46 of Catalyst

“But,” His voice was softer than before and still just as broken. “I can still be there for her and Sawyer. Whatever they need. It might not be the same… But I will doanythingfor my grandchild and the woman who filled my son’s life with so much joy, even if only for a little while.”

Seeing him like this was hard. And while my instincts told me to pull him in for a hug, I knew better. So, I gave him time to straighten himself and readjust to the mask of calm he hid behind so well.

“Shin… Are you sure you’re ready to get rid of these?” I asked slowly, moving to pick up the melted Vexxas action figure.

A bittersweet smile twisted Shin’s lips as he ran his fingers over the melted plastic that was once meant to look like his face, careful to make sure he didn’t touch it with all five.

“I’m not,” His voice cracked as he closed his eyes. “But, I need to share Sulien’s memory withhisfamily…And, part of me is hoping Calista will see these and realize that I’m not as bad as her father made me out to be.”

I placed a hand over my lips, fighting the urge to break down just as Shin had. But I knew it wasn’t my place.

“Why don’t you write her a letter instead? Include your phone number, that way, you two can meet up and go through all of this in person.”

The drive home wasn’t a long one, or at least it wouldn’t have been if I hadn’t dragged Jace with me to get dinner for Callie. Sure, I wasn’t going to dedicate my life to athrillingcareer in nursing. But… I needed to woo her. I loved Jace, but I wasn’t about to let him win.

So, I decided a burrito bowl from a Mexican joint on the outskirts of town was a small way to tell her I was thinking about her. Lots of cheese, guacamole, fajita veggies, a little more cheese for good luck–oh, and chips on the side. It seemed like something she’d like, and I thought if I could get her something she’d like, I might become someone she wanted.

Jace made fun of me the whole fucking time. Something about this being overkill and then asking if I was jealous that Callie liked him more. Both of which helped me understand why Sul was so quick to gag him.

Jace may have been a dumbass, but he was a correct dumbass.

With that in mind, I refused to let him carry anything as we made our way inside. Because of my full hands, he was the one to open the door.

Callie was stretched out on the couch, dressed in nothing more than a pair of blue short-shorts and a white tank top she had bunched between her breasts and stomach. Her hand rested on her belly, lazily tracing circles on the skin as she focused on whatever slasher film was playing on the TV.

I knew better than to look at the movie. The last time I let Callie pick what we watched, I had nightmares for weeks. Unfortunately, I wish I knew better than to mentally undress her. At least I had more manners than Jace.

“Goddamn,” He called, hanging his keys on the ring before making his way toward Callie with long steps. “You’re lucky you’re already pregnant becausefuck, if you weren’t, that’d change tonight.”

Callie didn’t dignify him with a look, but a sly smirk tugged at her lips. “What happened to Kane being the chubby chaser?”

Her tone was joking as her eyes languidly slid to mine.

“Oh, I stand by that.” He snorted before falling into the armchair beside her. “I don’tchase. I let my women come to me.”

Callie let out a low, breathy laugh before promptly ignoring Jace, which was the only correct thing to do, really.

“How was dinner?” She asked, focusing directly on me.

The weight of her gaze caused my stomach to flutter.

“It was… fine.” I breathed, finally daring to venture closer. “Shin sent a letter for you… and I got dinner.”

“See–chubby chaser.” Jace quipped. “He’s trying to get more to love–watch out.”

A rush of embarrassment washed over me as I averted my gaze, pinning it on the ground as I extended the burrito bowl and bag of chips toward her. Her hand lingered on mine for a moment longer than necessary as she took it.

“I’m already fat, might as well enjoy myself.” She said casually, popping the top off the container. “Thank you, Kane.”

I gave her a small nod, hovering close by as she dipped a chip into the bowl, wrestling with the urge to tell her she wasn’t fat. But, somehow, that felt like the wrong thing to say. My eyes stayed on her, watching as she enjoyed the food I brought her.But I realized if I stared any longer, Jace was going to make another joke at my expense.

So, instead of enjoying the moment, I placed Shin’s letter in her line of sight.

“Is that it?” She asked around a mouth full of food, and I fought a smile.

I nodded. “I uh, I’m not sure what the letter says, I just know he wants you to come over sometime… He wants to talk about Sulien.”

Her eyes softened as she looked at the envelope, her gaze shifting between it and me. The vulnerability in her expression was unmistakable, but so was her hesitation. After a moment, she put her food down and picked up the letter. I thought she was going to open it, but after a deep breath, she put it down, almost like she couldn’t bring herself to look inside.

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