Page 59 of My Song for You
“So, Logan,” I said, “you wanna help me change a diaper?”
Frantically shaking his head, he grabbed hold of Callie’s leg. You’d have thought, based on his reaction, that I had asked him to deal with toxic waste.
Or maybe I had.
Seriously, what did my sister feed her daughter?
Mom rushed out of the kitchen. Before anyone could say anything, she had Callie in a tight embrace…like Callie was her own child. A child who needed comforting after losing someone she loved. “I’m so sorry about your parents and Alexis. I wish we had known.” She released my girl from the hug, worry still on Mom’s face.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I was just so overwhelmed at the time and in shock, I didn’t think to tell you. I didn’t think to tell most people.”
Once again regret powered through me at how different things could’ve been if I had remained in contact with her after she and her family had moved away. At how different things could’ve been if not for the lie between us about Logan. I could have been there for her. My family could have been there for her. She wouldn’t have been forced to go through everything alone.
Mom smiled at her, her love for Callie undeniable. “Well, I’m glad to have you back with us again.” She then squatted in front of Logan. “And who is this big boy?”
Still clutching Callie’s leg, Logan moved to hide behind it. “He gets shy around strangers,” Callie explained, “but he gets over it quickly. Logan, this is Jared’s mom and his sister, Kristen. They’re really nice. His mom used to bake the yummiest chocolate-chip cookies when I was a kid.”
At the words “chocolate-chip cookies,” a huge dimpled grin broke out on Logan’s face. Mom gasped and looked at me, but at least she had the foresight not to say anything.
“I’ll tell you later” was all I said.
“Would you like a cookie?” Mom asked her grandson, not missing a beat.
He nodded, and she led Logan and Callie into the kitchen with Kristen while I changed Emma’s diaper.
When I returned, thanking God that Logan was already potty-trained, I introduced Emma to Logan and Callie.
“Did Uncle Jared give you a clean bum?” Kristen asked her daughter.
“She’s good to go, but next time you do your own dirty work.” I smirked at my sister. As I handed Emma to Mom, I added to Callie with a wink, “Don’t worry—Emma got her sparkling personality from me and not my sister.”
Callie giggled. “I see things haven’t changed between you two.”
“You’d think with him away touring all the time that I’d miss him, wouldn’t you?” Kristen said, chuckling.
Mom sat at the kitchen table and deposited Emma on her lap. Logan showed his cousin his stuffed Pooh. She reached out, possibly wanting to chew on it.
“So how old are you, Logan?” Mom asked him.
Logan held up his fingers to show his age. “Four!”
“Wow, you’re a big boy.” Mom bounced Emma on her lap, getting a giggle out of her. Logan poked her gently in the stomach, which made her giggle more. Mom glanced at Callie. “He’s hearing-impaired?”
“No, he’s deaf, but he has a cochlear implant.”
Craig entered the kitchen through the back door. “Sam sent me in for the chicken.”
“Dada,” Emma said, holding her arms up to her father. Mom passed her granddaughter off to him, like Emma was a football.
“Why don’t we go outside?” Mom didn’t wait for a reply. She grabbed the casserole dish with the chicken pieces from the counter and hustled us out the back door.
Outside, I placed my hand on Callie’s lower back and let my thumb brush against the skin under her T-shirt, as much for support as for contact. I would have kept it there if we’d been alone. If we hadn’t been in front of all these people—especially Logan—I would’ve kissed her deeply. I hadn’t kissed her lips since Friday night, and the memory of her taste and the feel of her soft lips against mine had been playing overtime in my head.
I was royally screwed.
Even after dropping her and Logan off the previous evening following our trip to Disneyland, I hadn’t gotten a chance to kiss her. The guys had been waiting for me, and Callie needed to get the very sleepy Logan to bed. All I’d had time to do was give her a quick kiss on the cheek—not the kind of kiss I was aching to give her.
And I couldn’t do that now either. I could only sneak in subtle touches of her body—until I could get her alone tonight.
