Page 41 of Callum
“I wouldn’t complain,” she breathed.
He growled and pecked one more kiss to her lips before rolling over and standing. The morning went quickly after that. They ordered room service for breakfast and packed. Fiona mentioned that some of the family was having breakfast downstairs but said it was nothing formal and she preferred not to go, because Freddie would no doubt be there.
Callum’s hands fisted at the memory of the night before. What kind of asshole did what he did? But he already knew the answer to that. The kind who cheated on women. The kind who had no damn respect for anyone but himself.
Packed and ready to check out, they left the hotel room. He felt the change in Fiona the second they stepped into the elevator. The nerves that made her go quiet. The anxiety that whitened her knuckles on the suitcase handle.
“Hey,” he said quietly. “What’s wrong?”
“Yeah, I’m just nervous that news traveled to my parents about the circumstances of me and Freddie separating. And nervous that Amanda knows about Freddie’s visit last night.”
He slid his hand into hers and gave a small squeeze. “It’ll be okay. And his visit wasn’t your fault.”
She snorted. “In Amanda’s eyes, it’s always my fault. If we had a normal relationship, I’d tell her. But we don’t. There’s no way I’d get out of that conversation unscathed.”
Thank God she didn’t live near them. They were toxic. He could see that and he’d only met them two days ago.
When they reached the reception area, it was to find both her parents there. Amanda was there too, but unlike her smiling parents, her face was completely clear of emotion. A breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding released from his chest when he saw Freddie was absent. Thank fuck, because that would just remind him he hadn’t punched the guy last night and he’d want to make up for it.
“I’m so sad you’re leaving so soon,” Edna said, pulling her daughter into a hug.
“I know. I’m sorry, Mom. I’ll try to get back soon.”
Mark shook Callum’s hand. “It was nice to meet you, son. I’m glad to see my daughter’s being taken care of.”
“Always.” He meant that. He planned to date this man’s daughter, and he’d sure as hell be looking after her.
Next, Edna pulled him into a tight hug before whispering into his ear, “Thank you. You two are perfect together.”
He returned the warm hug, agreeing with her words.
Amanda didn’t hug either of them, just offered a tight smile as they left.
The drive home was the opposite of the drive there. Fiona wasn’t quiet. She laughed at his jokes, confirming to him he was as funny as he thought. She told stories about her childhood, most of the good ones just involving her and her parents. She talked about her cousin. About jobs gone wrong at libraries.
It wasn’t until they were almost at his place that he brought up the topic he needed an answer to. Fiona had her hand out the window, letting wisps of wind sweep through her fingers. He didn’t want to shift her calm, but he needed to know.
He cleared his throat. “The night of the rehearsal dinner, you mentioned some texts you’ve been receiving.”
Her fingers stopped flowing with the wind, and for a moment she was still. Then she turned to him. “Really? I told you about that?” She said it like she wished it wasn’t true.
“You did. Can you tell me about them?”
She wet her lips and it was a beat before she responded. “I’ve been receiving some not-so-nice texts from an unknown number.”
His fingers tightened on the wheel. “What do they say?”
“They basically call me a whore or a bitch and tell me to stay away from what’s theirs.”
What the fuck? “What’stheirs?”
She lifted a shoulder.
“How many of these messages have you received?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve lost count. But they don’t address me by name, so I’m certain they’re a wrong number or something.”
The air hissed through his teeth. “Fi, if you’ve lost count, there have been too many. And just because your name wasn’t used doesn’t mean they aren’t targeting you. Why didn’t you tell me? I run a security business.”
