Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

He’s coming home tomorrow. He’s coming home tomorrow.

The words danced in Brynn’s mind like a song she couldn’t stop humming. She moved through the house, vacuuming, dusting and folding laundry with a sense of purpose and anticipation that made every task feel light.

The rich, chocolatey aroma of the cake baking in the oven filled the house, sweet and decadent—just like she wanted Callum’s homecoming to feel.

Parker was at Mya and Wade’s, happily splashing in their pool, and though Brynn had hugged him tighter than usual when she’d left him there, she was grateful for the few uninterrupted hours to prepare. Everything needed to be perfect.

She imagined Callum walking through the door to the smell of cake, the house spotless and welcoming. Streamers might be too much—maybe just a balloon. Parker would like that.

She was coming up the basement steps when she heard the front door creak open. Her heart jumped. For a moment, she thought Dana had brought Parker home early, but as she reached the main floor, her breath caught .

Callum stood in the living room, looking so effortlessly familiar, so achingly hers, that her vision blurred.

“You really need to lock that front door,” he teased, but before he could say more, Brynn was in his arms, holding him as if letting go might make him vanish.

“You’re back.” Her voice was a whisper, thick with relief.

He chuckled, holding her close, then stepped back just enough to study her face. “Where’s Parker?”

“At Chris and Dana’s. But I can call her. We can go get him right now if you want.” She fumbled for her phone, but he stopped her, his hand warm and steady.

“Let’s wait on that. I have so much to tell you.”

The words sent a thrill through her. Alone time. A chance to reconnect before their world grew noisy again. She grinned, glancing toward the bedroom. “Are you sure you want to talk right now?” Her fingers trailed teasingly up his shirt.

But he caught her hand, firm but gentle, and brought it to his lips. The soft kiss sent a ripple of warmth through her, but the hesitation in his eyes chilled it just as quickly.

“Okay,” she said lightly, though her pulse quickened with unease. “Tell me about Boston.”

“I have to go back. My job requires it. I don’t have a choice.” The words came flat and sudden, like a door slamming shut.

Brynn froze. The warmth of anticipation drained from her, replaced by a cold, creeping disbelief. “What do you mean, Callum?”

He sighed and dropped onto the sofa, running a hand through his hair in a gesture that screamed frustration. “I thought I could buy more time here, but it’s over. I have to return to Boston.”

Her knees felt weak, and she sank onto the edge of the sofa. “I…I thought you loved it here.” Her voice trembled.

“I do. I mean, I did.” He avoided her eyes, staring instead at the floor. “But this was never meant to be permanent. You knew that. ”

The words cut like a knife. You knew that . Had she? Or had she just wanted so badly to believe in a future together that she’d ignored the warnings?

“And Parker?” Her voice was barely audible.

“That’s the problem.”

She stiffened, her shock giving way to a rising tide of anger. “The problem ?”

“I’ve looked into schools, nanny agencies…”

“You did what?” Brynn’s voice cracked, her disbelief now a raging storm. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. All this week, she’d assumed he was tying up loose ends with his job so he could be free to pursue a life in Good Hope. With her. With Parker.

He met her gaze. “It’s clear that I can’t be a single parent. Parker needs stability.”

“Yes, he absolutely does.” The words came from her lips, though Brynn wasn’t conscious of speaking.

Callum nodded, appearing to take her words as confirmation of something. Of what?

“I don’t know what to do, Brynn.” He surged to his feet and flung out his hands. “Do I leave him with my parents? Do I revisit adoption?”

Brynn was on her feet in a second, her heart pounding so loudly that it was a wonder it didn’t drown out everything in the room. “Omigod, Callum. What are you saying? I thought this was resolved. I thought you were going to be a father, but now you’re just going to dump him? Dump both of us?”

“Wait, dump you?” Confusion blanketed his face. “What are you talking about? You have a life here.”

“I love Parker, even if you don’t and?—”

“Are you saying you want him?”

“Want him?” Fury rose inside Brynn. “Parker is not a toy to discard or pass around when you grow tired of him.”

Fire flashed in Callum’s blue eyes. “That is not what I’m doing, and you know it!” he snapped. “I’m trying to figure this out. I’m just one person, Brynn. I can’t do this alone. Like I said, Parker deserves stability?—”

“He deserves you,” she fired back, her fists clenched. “What happened to your promises? To being a father? To the two of you being a team?”

“I keep my promises?—”

“Do you?” Brynn’s voice sliced through the air, as sharp as shattered glass. “Do you really? Because from where I’m standing, that’s a lie. Forget about what you promised me—what about Parker? You looked him in the eye and told him you love him. Told him you’re a team, that you’d never leave him. And now? The moment it gets hard, you’re ready to toss him aside like he’s a burden.”

Callum’s face darkened, his eyes blazing with anger. “What do you know about life getting hard?” His voice rose, his frustration spilling over. “What in your life hasn’t gone exactly as planned? The whole time you were in school, you refused to consider living anywhere besides Good Hope. And luckily, you didn’t have to. You’ve got the perfect job, the perfect life, in the perfect town. Would you want to give that up, Brynn? Would walking away from the life you love and have worked so hard for really be that easy for you?”

“This isn’t about me!” Brynn shot back, her voice filled with rage and hurt. “This is about you, Callum. About Parker. About the promises you made to him. Not me, not my job, not this town—him!”

Callum laughed bitterly.. “You think you see everything so clearly, don’t you? Always the understanding, empathetic clinician, always so composed. But you can’t even have a real conversation with me about this. The moment I bring up options, you shut me down like I’m some kind of monster for trying to figure things out.”

“Options?” Brynn’s voice cracked with disbelief, her eyes flashing. “You call abandoning us an option? Tossing two people you claim to love out of your life as if we’re disposable? That’s not love, Callum. That’s cowardice.”

“I don’t have a job here!” His voice was defensive. “I can’t support a child. I can’t even support myself?—”

“Then stay. Stay here with me until?—”

“I don’t mooch off my friends,” he interrupted, his tone hard and unyielding.

The words struck her like a blow. Mooch off my friends ? Was that what he thought this was? What he thought she was offering?

“So, that’s all I am to you? A friend?” Her voice trembled, but she forced herself to meet his gaze. “All of this—what we’ve shared—means nothing?”

“I’m sorry if you misunderstood, but this is real life, Brynn. Not some fantasy where everything works out just because we want it to.”

Her anger boiled over, sharp and cutting. “You don’t get to lecture me about real life. You’re the one running away. You make promises you don’t keep, and now you’re throwing Parker away like he’s nothing. You’re just as irresponsible as everyone says.”

“Don’t you dare,” he growled, his anger rising to meet hers. “You don’t know what I’m going through. You won’t even consider?—”

“Because there’s nothing to consider!” she shouted. “You’re abandoning him. And me.”

His jaw tightened. “I can’t do this.”

“Where are you going?”

“To pick up my son.”

Her heart cracked at the finality in his tone. “And us, Callum? What about us?”

He paused at the door, his face a mask of pain and anger. “Clearly, there is no us. ”

The words crushed her, leaving her breathless as he walked out, slamming the door behind him.

Brynn collapsed onto the sofa, her body racked with sobs. She wasn’t sure how long she cried, but the piercing screech of the smoke alarm finally yanked her back to reality.

The cake was ruined. Charred. Just like her dreams of a future with Callum.

She carried the burnt mess to the outside garbage and dumped it in, pan and all. As she stared at the smoldering remains, tears stung her eyes once more.

The cake was now as cold and lifeless as her shattered heart.

If ads affect your reading experience, click here to remove ads on this page.