Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
That night, the three of them sat around the kitchen table and played UNO. When Parker pulled out the cards from the garbage bag, Callum decided it was time to see everything inside. In addition to UNO, there were Old Maid cards and several board games.
Parker had brightened at the sight of a stack of books and a well-loved stuffed dinosaur whose name was apparently T-Ruff. Ruffy now sat on the table beside him, watching him play.
Callum glanced across the table at Brynn, who appeared to be enjoying herself. The strange thing was he was also having fun.
He couldn’t recall the last time he’d spent a night playing games around a table. When he was young, sure, that had been a regular Saturday night occurrence. His family had had pizza and played games followed by a movie, and then his mom or dad would read him and Connor a story before they turned out the lights.
He glanced at his son, who was carefully studying the cards in his hand. Brynn had told him about her conversation with Parker while they were counting squirrels and birds. While his grandmother had done her best, sleeping on a sofa wasn’t ideal. And from how Linette had described her husband, Callum doubted there had been any bedtime stories in the living room.
“Uno,” Brynn called out.
Callum focused on his own cards. “I still have seven.”
“I have two.” Parker held up his.
The next round of play had Brynn going out.
Callum was surprised when Brynn extended her hand to Parker, then to him. “Good game.”
He smiled. It appeared Brynn’s parents and his had one more thing in common. That was the same way all their games had ended.
“Can we play again?” Parker asked, but his eyes were already drooping.
“Another time.” Brynn pushed back her chair and rose. “I don’t know about you two, but it’s been a long day. I’m ready for bed.”
Callum expected Parker to protest, but the boy obediently rose, telling him that the child had been conditioned not to beg to stay up.
He hoped it wasn’t because of the grandfather.
“You two can shower first,” Brynn said. “I have a few work things to handle.”
Once Parker was asleep, Callum would make it clear to Brynn that he didn’t want their presence to interfere with anything she needed to get done.
He pulled the light spread up over Parker and was ready to shut off the lights when he thought of the stack of books.
At the doorway, he turned back to Parker. “Would you like me to read a book to you?”
Parker sat up in bed. “Would you read Bad Kitty Goes to the Vet ? It’s my favorite.”
“Sure. Let me get it.”
When he returned to the bedroom, Parker cocked his head. “Do you think Bad Kitty’s other name is Suki? ”
Callum grinned. “Could be.”
It felt good to smile with his son, to have the boy lean against him as he read the story. Callum closed the last page and shook his head. “That is one bad kitty.”
Parker’s eyes might be closed, but his lips curved up in a smile.
The boy looked so sweet and innocent lying there and so very, very young. He was too young to have dealt with losing a mother and then being sent away by his grandparents.
A desire to protect this child swamped Callum.
Parker deserved the best life possible, and Callum vowed to do whatever he could to ensure his son had that happy life.
Brynn looked up from her laptop when Callum returned to the kitchen.
“He’s asleep,” Callum said before she could ask. “I read him one of his favorite books, and I swear he conked out before I turned the last page.”
“It was a busy day for him.” Smiling, she closed her laptop. “But a good one, I think.”
“Brynn…” Callum shoved his hands into his pockets. “There’s something I want to say. I?—”
“It’s a gorgeous evening.” Brynn pushed back from the table and stood. “Much too nice to be sitting inside. What do you say we grab a beer or a glass of wine and take this discussion to the porch?”
“I wouldn’t say no to a beer.”
Minutes later, Brynn sat next to Callum on the glider that she’d refinished earlier in the spring. The porch light’s glow made his eyes look extra blue and his hair the color of rich mahogany.
Callum sniffed the air. “You smell like peaches. ”
“Shampoo,” she said with a laugh, her hand rising to one of the silky strands. “You’re not allergic?”
“To peaches? Or to you?”
She laughed again. “To either.”
“No to either.” Instead of shifting to face her, Callum let his gaze drift over the front yard. “I want to thank you for letting us stay. I like it here, and Parker seems to be settling in.”
“He told me about his grandmother, how she wanted to keep him, but his grandfather didn’t.” Brynn paused, considered how much else to say, but she thought Callum deserved to know. “He told me he thinks you don’t want him.”
Callum lowered the bottle he’d brought to his lips. “He said that?”
Brynn nodded.
“What did you say?”
“Something to the effect that you’ve never been a dad before, and both of you are finding your way,” Brynn recalled how Parker had looked when Callum had sat down to play cards with them and asked T-Ruff if he was going to play, too. “You’re making great progress with him, Callum. You don’t think you are, but all the little things you’re doing are making a difference.”
“He liked the bike,” Callum admitted.
“The bike was great. But it’s more than material things. It’s stuff like the bike ride, comforting him when he was scared of the dog and playing catch with him. You should have seen his face when he caught that first ball.”
“He misses his grandmother.”
“Of course he misses her. She was his mother for all these years. If Rebekah left when he was two, it’s doubtful he remembers her at all.”
Blowing out a breath, Callum surged to his feet. “I still don’t understand why she didn’t tell me.”
It was old ground, but obviously something that still gnawed at him .
“Impossible to know.” Brynn kept her tone easy. “Although it could be for the same reason Parker’s grandmother didn’t initially contact you.”
“Because she feared I’d try to take him from her?” Callum made a scoffing sound. “She knew me better than that. There was no room in my life for a child.”
“Apparently not in hers either.” An icy knot formed in the area of Brynn’s heart.
“Good God.” Callum raked a hand through his hair. “Could I sound any more selfish?”
He moved to the rail, his chest rising and falling as if he’d just run a long race.
Brynn joined him at the rail and spoke into the darkness. “I know you, Callum Brody. You would not have walked away from your child. You would have been shocked to find out about a baby, sure. But walk away? Not in a million years.”
The next morning, Brynn rolled over in bed, not ready to start the day, until her nose caught the scent of coffee. Like a hunting dog gone to point, she reacted quickly. She didn’t bother with makeup, but she did take a second to pull a brush through her hair.
Parker’s bedroom door was closed, so she carefully avoided the squeaky board in the hallway on her way to the kitchen. As she passed the living room, she noticed the sofa bed was already back to being a sofa.
She found Callum in the kitchen, eating Cocoa Puffs as he scrolled through his phone.
“What are you doing up so bright and early?”
He turned his head in her direction and smiled. “I’m having a party. Lucky for you, there’s room for one more.”
After studying her pajama pants, tee and fuzzy slippers, he added, “There are dress codes, you know, but since this is your house, I’ll make an exception.”
Brynn hid a smile as she stopped and held up one foot.
“I don’t know what kind of dress code you’re used to, but if anything, I’m overdressed. I mean, look at the rhinestone bow on my slippers.”
“It is impressive,” he agreed.
“Penguin pajama pants practically demand bling.” After sitting at the table, she pointed to the cereal box. “I thought the Cocoa Puffs were Parker’s.”
“You said they weren’t healthy for a kid, but since I’m not a kid…”
Chuckling, Brynn stood. After pouring herself a cup of coffee, she grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and placed it beside the cereal box. “Load it up.”
“Seriously?”
“Hey, if you’re going to be bad, I’ll be bad right along with you.”
Callum grinned as he filled the bowl with the chocolaty cereal, then nudged the carton of milk in her direction. “It’s not bad dry, but it’s better with milk.”
“You’re right,” Brynn said after several spoonfuls. “It is better with milk. And best of all, it’s just as good as I remember.”
They shoveled in cereal in silence. One thing Brynn remembered was that soggy Cocoa Puffs were not good.
Once her bowl was empty, Brynn stood and took both her and Callum’s bowls to the sink, rinsed them and then put the cereal box in the cupboard.
Callum grinned. “Getting rid of the evidence?”
She laughed. “Something like that.”
After sitting back down, she stared at him over the rim of her cup. “You know, I’m enjoying having you around.”
He shot her a mischievous look. “Because I lead you astray?”
She shook her head and chuckled. “I have no trouble going astray all on my own. No. I’d forgotten how much fun it is to have someone to talk to in the morning.”
“I like it, too,” he said simply.
The screensaver on his phone caught her eye. If she wasn’t mistaken, it was a photo of Callum in a wingsuit flying high above a canyon. She pointed. “Is that you?”
He glanced at the phone and nodded. “It was an event in Italy. A friend took that. I had an incredible time.”
“It’s amazing.” She shook her head. “And maybe a little scary?”
“Not if you know what you’re doing.” He sat back in his seat. “You have to be confident in your skills.”
“I bet you’re fantastic at your job.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Because it’s clear that you love it. I believe if we do what we love, we’re bound to be more successful than if we’re just going through the motions. What you’re doing now is so well suited to who you are and what you want out of life.”
His lips tipped in a rueful smile. “My life was exactly how I liked it.”
Brynn immediately picked up on his use of the past tense.
“You’ll get through this and come out on the other end stronger because of the challenges.” Brynn offered him a reassuring smile. “You’re not a guy who shies away from the hard. You never have been that kind of person.”
“Hearing you say that means a lot.” His eyes took on a faraway look. “It’s been difficult for those in my life to understand my passion for extreme sports.”
Brynn knew he was referring to his family, who had always thought—or rather, hoped—these types of activities were just a phase.
Callum turned a spoon she’d left on the table over and over as he gazed at the screensaver.
Try as she might, Brynn couldn’t look away from his hands. His fingers looked as strong as the rest of him. The calloused skin of his hands would likely feel rough against her bare skin?—
“Brynn.”
She looked up to find Callum staring at her, a little smile tipping the corners of his lips.
Dear God, she hoped he couldn’t read her thoughts. She cleared her throat. “Yes, Callum?”
“You gave me a compliment. I’d like to reciprocate.”
“You don’t have to—” She gave a dismissive wave. “This isn’t a tit-for-tat kind of thing.”
If he heard her, he ignored what she’d said.
“You, Brynn Chapin, are a smart woman who is not only beautiful on the outside but on the inside as well. You have such empathy for others, and you are incredibly kind, as evidenced by letting Parker and me crash here.” His gaze softened. “I love your upbeat, positive attitude. If I’m feeling down, being around you always cheers me up.”
Touched by the heartfelt words, Brynn found herself blinking back unexpected tears.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is that your clients are lucky to have you.” Reaching over, Callum took her hand. “I am lucky to have you in my life.”
“I…I feel the same.”
His gaze traveled slowly over her, and her mouth tingled when those blue eyes lingered on her lips.
“I’d like to kiss you.” His voice, low and husky, held an endearing uncertainty. “Would that be okay with you?”
When she nodded, he leaned over and kissed her softly on the mouth.
He tasted like the most delicious chocolate candy she’d ever eaten.
“Callum.” She spoke his name, then paused, not sure what she wanted to say .
“Brynn.” Her name was a low caress against her lips as his mouth returned to hers.
Brynn could feel the invisible web forming around them as they kissed. Just her and him and?—
The scream from Parker’s bedroom shattered the connection and had them jerking back.
Brynn was on her feet, reaching the bedroom door a second after Callum, her heart in her throat as he turned the knob and rushed inside.