Page 30 of Cautious

“I don’t know what else to do. I can’t fix things between us if she won’t let me talk to her,” she adds quietly, dabbing at her tears with a tissue she pulls from her pocket.

“I’ll talk to her,” I answer automatically, then wince, trying not to picture how well that conversation will go. Marcus might be right about his hero-complex theory.

“I appreciate that, Mr. Price, but I’m not sure it will matter. I shouldn’t have come. Maybe she would just be better off if I left her alone.” She sniffs again. “Tell me, Mr. Price, is she happy?” she asks with a tortured whisper before crying in earnest.

Christ, I really hate it when women cry.

“Hey, please don’t cry,” I say awkwardly and just about manage to refrain from patting her on the back. “I’ll talk to her. I can’t make you any promises because I have a habit of fucking up where Callie is concerned,” I tell her, hoping for a smile, but she continues to sob. I carry on, needing to get out of here fast. “Tell me where you’re staying. I’ll call you when I’ve had a chance to talk to her.” I give an excuse to leave. “I have to go and pick her up now anyway.” Now that I think about it though, that’s not a bad idea. I don’t want her to go to bed tonight without me beside her.

“Oh, thank you, that would be wonderful.” She smiles, dabbing her eyes with a tissue once more before handing me a card for the Eagleton Hotel on the edge of town. “Thank you again, Mr. Price, you don’t know what this means to me.” She offers me a soft smile that’s so reminiscent of Callie’s before turning to leave.

I watch as she climbs into her car, staring until she turns out of sight before making my way to my own car.

As I head over to Wade and Olivia’s place, I try to come up with what I want to say. I can’t touch the subject of Callie’s mother until I’ve fixed things between us. But fuck if I know where to start.

By the time I pull up, I’m no closer to figuring out what to say than I was when I left. At the very least, I need to apologize. Climbing out of my car, I spot Callie’s junker and frown when I notice the condition her tires are in. I’ll need to get them changed—they’re almost bald in places and won’t offer any grip. I wonder how receptive she would be to my getting her a new car, then snort at the thought of how that conversation would go. She’d likely run me over just to prove a point.

A light turns on above the porch before the front door opens, and Wade steps out onto the doorstep with his arms crossed.

“Fancy seeing you here,” he calls but doesn’t make a move to let me in, the asshole.

“Fuck off, Wade,” I grunt, not in the mood for him right now. “I fucked up, now let me fix it.”

He stares at me with a hard look that I’m sure he uses on many a criminal, but that shit won’t work on me. Not with June as my grandmother. That woman could death-stare the Grim Reaper and come out on top.

“She’s just getting her jacket and shoes on.”

I sigh before turning to look behind him.

“And there she is. Callie, someone’s here to see you.”

I watch her over Wade’s shoulder as she lifts her head to look at me. Her smile falls from her face, and that hurts more than I care to admit.

“Callie,” I greet her in a soft voice.

“I thought I told you not to come,” she answers, but she doesn’t sound surprised to see me.

“I need to talk to you. It’s important,” I tell her and watch her shoulders slump in defeat.

“Can I drive you home?” God, I need to touch her. I want her to come to me, but she hesitates in the doorway, shaking her head.

“I brought my car.”

“If you leave your keys, I’ll drive it back in the morning for you,” Wade offers.

She looks at me before turning to Wade. With a reluctant sigh, she nods. “Okay, thanks, Wade, and thank you both for dinner,” she says, talking over her shoulder to Olivia, who steps up behind her.

“Anytime, Callie,” Olivia replies before giving her a hug and scowling at me.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ll fix it,I tell her silently.

Callie says her goodbyes before passing Wade her key. She folds her arms across her chest and finally walks down the steps toward me.

I wait until Wade closes the door before stepping forward and wrapping my arms around her, breathing in her strawberry-scented hair. As soon as she’s in my arms, where she belongs, I relax.

“I’m sorry. I’m a dick. I should have minded my own business,” I admit, knowing both she and Marcus are right. Whatever her history is, it’s hers to live with.

She’ll let me in when she’s ready.

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