Page 82 of Sunsets & Slow Dances

“No, I don’t think…I mean…nothing really matters compared to what?—”

“No.” Nora lifted her hand. “Don’t do that. You can’t compare things like that. Everyone’s story is different, and everyone’s experiences are valid.”

I understood her point, but I wasn’t sure I completely co-signed on it. My life experiences, or Callum’s for that matter, did not scratch the surface of what she went through. She was a warrior, a true badass. I always loved and respected Nora, but now, if I could nominate her for sainthood, I would. Actually, I might try and figure out if that was possible.

“So, as I was saying,” Nora continued, “back to the night in question, I couldn’t sleep, so I was out on a walk just trying to clear my head. I happened to pass by your house around three a.m. and saw the Clemons boy sprawled out on your lawn. Then I saw you come out on your porch. I figured you were probably worried about your mama being out all hours of the night in her condition, and you were checkin’ to see if her car was there.”

“I was.” It made sense that Nora knew about my mom’s health since she was a nurse at the hospital; I hadn’t thought about that.

“I saw you help the boy up, and I was halfway across the street to help you with him when he tossed his cookies all over himself. After that, things moved quickly; he pretty much passed out on the couch, and you seemed to have it under control, so I went ahead and walked on home.

“When Callum told me that he saw, Jerry was leaving your house, puttin’ on his shirt at six in the morning, I figured it was just because you washed his shirt for him, and so I told him he needed to go talk to you. I would have told him what I saw,but you know how he is; he’s so protective, he gets that from his daddy, and I didn’t want him worrying about me being out in the middle of the night walking by myself. But you didn’t tell him the truth. You let him believe that something happened because you knew you were going to move back here cause your mama needed you, and he would have moved back, too, unless he believed you’d been with someone else.”

I felt tears prick my eyes. This secret that I’d been carrying around for so many years had felt so heavy on me. Just having Callum’s mom know the truth made me feel better. Lighter.

“I knew he wouldn’t be happy here. Especially after…”

“After he found out about his daddy and Danielle,” she finished.

I nodded.

“Are you going to tell him now?”

Even though I was 99.9% sure I knew the answer to this question, I still asked it. “Does Callum know how you and Chuck met?”

“No.” Nora shook her head. “He wouldn’t want to know that about… I couldn’t tell him about what…he wouldn’t want to think of me…”

“It’s your story to tell, and I would never presume to be the one to tell you whether or not you should share it. But I do think that if you did tell Callum, it would give him an insight into his dad. It would make him see a side of Mr. Knight that I don’t think Callum ever saw. I think it might heal some of the hurt that Callum carries around.

“And also…” I felt my own eyes filling with tears. “Just remember, this is Callum. Anything you decide to share with him, he can handle. And not only can he handle it, he wants to handle it. It would hurt him more, thinking that anyone he loves is carrying any sort of pain alone. It was why Icouldn’ttell him about my mom. Because I knew he would give up his life,sacrifice everything he worked for, and sacrifice his happiness to be with me. So whatever you decide, don’t let sparing him be part of the equation.”

She took a deep breath. “That goes for you, too.”

“What does?”

“You can’t let sparing him stop you from telling him the truth now.”

It wasn’t sparing him that was stopping me; it was sparing me. Because once all the cards were on the table, then we’d have to have a real adult conversation, and we couldn’t pretend that we just kept getting swept up in the moment. We’d have to decide what was going on and what it meant. And just like Chuck Knight, that was a risk I wasn’t willing or ready to take.

30

CALLUM

All of thelights were out when I pulled up to the farm, which was strange. I knew Nadia dropped Chloe over at Kendall’s house, but I expected everyone else to be home. I didn’t see Felicity’s rental or my mom’s Jeep. When I stepped inside, I found the house completely quiet.

I checked my phone and hadn’t missed a call from anyone. I went out onto the back patio and found Buzz in his rocking chair with a bottle of beer in one hand and a fly swatter in the other. Betty and Bandit were both sacked out by his feet.

“Hey, where is everyone?”

“Your mama said she had to visit a friend; she was bein’ real mysterious, so I figure she’s out with her fella, and Matty’s with his mama.”

Fuck.If I had known no one was around, I would have stayed at Nadia’s. I only came home because this was the time I’d been getting off work lately. I turned to head back inside to grab a shower.

“Heard you might be gettin’ back in the cage again.”

I paused and then turned back around. There was a reason I hadn’t mentioned the fight to Buzz. He was old-school. Hewouldn’t care about the kids’ mental health or what was best for Chloe’s adjustment in her new environment.

“I have an offer to fight Martinez,” I relayed.

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