Page 19 of Spooking the Mountain Man
"I understand her just fine," Callum says. "Better than you ever did."
Derek laughs and shakes his head. "Really? You think you know what she needs? Kelly's high-maintenance, friend. She needs constant reassurance, constant guidance. She can't make a decision on her own without someone holding her hand. Areyou prepared for that? Because I doubt some mountain man has the patience for—"
He doesn't get to finish the sentence because Tyler's truck pulls into the driveway, gravel crunching under the tires as he parks behind Derek's rental. Tyler gets out slowly, taking in the scene with the kind of calm that means someone's about to have a very bad day.
"Everything okay here?" Tyler asks, but he's looking directly at Derek.
"Tyler!" Derek's fake smile returns. "Good to see you again. I was just explaining to Kelly that I came here to work things out."
"By showing up uninvited after she told you it was over?" Tyler interrupts. "That's not working things out, Derek. That's harassment."
"It's not harassment to try to save my relationship."
"It's not your relationship anymore," I say, finding strength in having both Callum and Tyler beside me. "I told you that we were done. I meant it then, and I mean it now."
Derek's composure finally cracks completely. "Fine. Fine! But don't come crying to me when this doesn't work out. When you realize that you need someone who actually understands you, who can give you what you need. Because he can't, Kelly. Look at him. He's not sophisticated enough for you. He's not successful enough. He can't give you the life you deserve."
"He gives me something you never could," I say quietly.
"What's that?"
"Respect."
Derek stares at me for a long moment, then lets out a bitter laugh. "You'll be back," he says. "When you get tired of playing house with Grizzly Adams here, you'll realize what you gave up. And maybe I'll take you back. Maybe."
That's when Callum moves.
He doesn't say anything, doesn't threaten or posture. He just takes three steps forward, and suddenly Derek is backing toward his truck, all his bravado evaporating in the face of six feet and change of very calm, very determined mountain man.
"Get in your truck," Callum says quietly. "Drive away. Don't come back."
Derek looks like he wants to argue, but something in Callum's expression convinces him otherwise. He gets in his truck, starts the engine, and drives away without another word.
We all stand there in silence for a moment, watching his taillights disappear down the road.
"Well," Tyler says finally. "That was fun."
"Are you okay?" Callum asks, turning to me.
I nod, but I'm shaking. Not from fear, exactly, but from adrenaline and the surreal experience of finally standing up to Derek with people who actually have my back.
"He won't be coming back," Tyler says with certainty. "And if he does, he'll deal with both of us."
Callum nods grimly. "Count on it."
The protective fury in both their voices should probably concern me, but instead it makes me feel safe in a way I haven't in years. These two men would go to the wall for me, no questions asked.
"Thank you," I say to both of them. "For having my back."
"Always," Callum says, pulling me against his chest. "You never have to face him alone again."
six
Kelly
Thenextevening,I'mstanding in front of my bedroom mirror, adjusting my Little Red Riding Hood costume for the tenth time. After yesterday's confrontation with Derek, I'd considered skipping the Halloween festival entirely. But Callum convinced me that hiding at home would be letting Derek win, and I refuse to give him that power over me.
The costume is definitely more revealing than anything I would have worn before – a short red dress with a corset-style bodice that pushes my breasts up in a way that's impossible to ignore, paired with thigh-high stockings, black boots, and a red hooded cape. It's the kind of outfit that would have made Derek lecture me about being "inappropriate" and "asking for attention."
