Page 58 of Sunsets & Slow Dances

I looked up just in time to see his lips curl into a disarming smile that had me feeling all sorts of discombobulated.

“Hey.” His deep voice vibrated through me.

“Hi.” My voice came out sounding strong, normal, and unaffected.

It was a small win, but I’d take it.

“I installed the new light fixtures and faucets in the guest bath and ensuite. I tiled the kitchen backsplash, replaced the hardware on the cabinets, and hung the ceiling fan on the porch.”

“Thanks.” I stood up and did my best to ignore how hot it was that when things broke, he could fix them.

His being so handy was not helping my no-feelings mission. If he could just suck at something, anything, it would go a long way to helping me get over him. While we’re on the subject, if he could just not be so funny, and also stop being the perfect combination of supportive and non-confrontational without allowing himself to get walked all over, that would help out a lot since I considered it one of his best qualities. He never argued with me, but he also didn’t just give in to anything I wanted. He never apologized unless he actually thought he’d done something wrong, and if he didn’t agree with me, he refused to say he did just to make me happy. He was never an asshole about it; he was just very confident and secure, and no one could take that away from him, with the exception of his father.

Callum’s phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen. His smile widened, and he typed something back.

The grin felt like a physical punch in my gut. Was he grinning at Ariana? Or Kendra? Or Felicity? Or maybe it was Leanne? Who was texting him? Who was he sharing a private connection with?

No. I had to stop this. This was the exact problem when we were together. I was crazy.

It was none of my business who was texting him. He didn’t belong to me. Not that he belonged to me when we weretogether; he didn’t. But he definitely didn’t now. If he wanted to hook up with Kendra Abernathy or Ariana Culpepper or Leanne Lyons behind his baby mama’s back, then that was on him. Or if he and Felicity were still together, then more power to them. Whatever the case, he was having an A and B conversation, and I needed to C my way out of it.

None of my business.

He put the phone back in his pocket as he looked back up at me, and his smile fell. It was replaced with a furrow in his brow. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” I stepped around him and walked to the kitchen with purpose. I pulled a can of cat food out of the cabinet and popped the lid open.

He followed me into the kitchen. “Nadia.”

Hearing him say my name in an authoritative tone did things to me. I found it hard to take a breath as the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. A shiver raced down my spine, and tingles spread through me as I dumped the contents into two bowls and set them down for Butter and Jelly before tossing the container in the trash and looking up at him.

“Nadia,” he said my name again, but I was still trying to control my body’s reaction from when he’d said it ten seconds before.

“What?!” I snapped.

“What’s wrong?” he repeated, calm as a fucking cucumber.

“No-thing,” I emphasized in two syllables to get the point across.

I wasn’t sure what was more irritating, that he wouldn’t drop it or that he didn’t care how rude I’d just been.

That was the other issue with us; no matter how frustrated, upset, or angry I got, Callum never reacted. He never raised his voice. He never lost his temper. He never even got irritated. Nothing I did affected him negatively. His reactions were eitherconcerned if he was worried about why I was upset, neutral if he felt I was overreacting, or, and this was the most irritating, positive. Sometimes, when I got upset, he would just tell me I was cute or sexy and that he loved me. I could never accept or understand how someone could love me unconditionally.

The corners of his lips curled once again, this time in just a hint of a grin. “You’re mad at me. What did I do?” he asked in a tone ten times more soothing than aloe vera on a sunburn.

“I’m not mad at you. Why do you think I’m mad at you?!” I shot back defensively in spite of myself. “AndifI was mad at you, why are you smiling?”

“Whenever you overpronounceno-thingyou’re pissed. And I’m smiling for two reasons. One, because you getting mad has always been fucking adorable and sexy.”

Holy shit. Did he just say that I was fucking adorable and sexy? Did he mean that in the present tense, or was it past tense?

“And two, because we’ve been walking on eggshells around each other.” His grin now spread to a full-blown cocky smile as he waved his hand between us. “Thisfeels more like us.”

“That shouldn’t make you happy,” I shook my head, trying to maintain my composure. I had a plan before I came in here, and I needed to stick to it. Protect myself. Get over Callum. “That’snota good thing.”

“What’s not a good thing?”

“The fact thatthisfeels likeusis because we were always fighting.”

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