Page 61 of My Song for You
“I’ve seen how you look at Callie,” Mom said. “You admire her, respect her. But there’s also something more. I guess I just want you to be careful. She’s been through a lot in the last few years. Don’t add to her pain more than you have to.”
The back door suddenly opened, and Callie and Logan stepped inside the kitchen.
“He needs to go to the bathroom,” Callie said, walking past.
Mom grabbed the cake from the fridge and went outside, leaving me to think about what she had said.
Was I making a mistake when it came to Callie? She had been avoiding relationships in the past out of fear of being hurt. I had no intention of hurting her, but if Mom was right, it might be impossible to avoid doing just that if things didn’t work out between Callie and me, at least when it came to Logan.
But as much as I knew I should walk away before things became even more complicated, I couldn’t. Not when all I could think about was kissing her. Not when all I could think about was being inside her.
I was seriously fucked.
Chapter 26
Callie
Once Logan was finished in the bathroom, he opened the back door to the yard and rushed out to the gazebo, where Jared sat with his family. Unlike Logan, I didn’t rush to join them. I stood in the doorway, watching everyone. Jared’s mom was exactly as I remembered: friendly, kind, generous. She would do anything for her kids—and grandchildren. I had no doubts that she, Jared’s dad, and Kristen would welcome Logan into the family without question.
Logan climbed onto Jared’s lap, completing the picture I didn’t belong in. They were the happy family I had long since lost and would never have again.
But while sadness clung to me like a child’s blanket, another emotion, one that provided a different kind of warmth, filled me. This was exactly what Logan deserved. I might not have a family, but at least Logan would finally have one to replace the family we had both lost. I couldn’t have wanted more for him than that.
I went outside and sat next to Jared on the gazebo bench. His hand shifted from Logan’s leg to my lower back. A tingling sensation warmed my skin at his touch. I greedily leaned into his hand.
“Who wants cake?” Jared’s mom asked, pointedly looking at Logan.
He bounced on his father’s lap, yelling, “Me, me, me.”
Everyone laughed. The nervousness I had felt on the way here eased. Alexis had told me once that she feared his family wouldn’t be so accepting of her baby. It was another reason she hadn’t told Jared she had decided to keep their child. I’d argued that she was wrong, because I knew his family better than she did.See, Alexis, I told you they’d love him as much as Mom and Dad did.
Jared’s mom finished serving the cake. “So what are you up to these days, Callie?” she asked before I could stuff a piece of homemade cake in my mouth. I had missed her cakes and cookies. The store-bought stuff wasn’t the same.
“Weren’t you planning to study something to do with drawing cartoons?” Kristen asked.
“Animation,” I corrected. “I decided to become a graphic designer instead.” I shoved a forkful of cake into my mouth. Unlike before, it felt like I was choking down a piece of chalk.
“How come?”
“More job opportunities.”
“I guess that’s true,” Jared’s mom said. “But it’s sad you had to give up your art. You’re so talented.”
“I still do it, just not as much as I used to.” I didn’t have time for it with everything else going on in my life.
“I love Mommy’s pictures,” Logan said, now that he’d finished his slice of cake. “They look like the ones in my books.”
“You mean picture books?” his grandmother asked.
He enthusiastically nodded.
“How come I haven’t seen them, other than those on your walls?” Jared asked.
I shrugged. “I tend not to show them to anyone.” Because then they would know I was a failure. I had done nothing toward achieving my dreams.
“I would love to see them,” his mother said, smiling. “You have to bring them with you next weekend when you come for dinner.”
“I will. Thanks.”
