Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
In the church parking lot, Brynn slipped into the passenger seat of Zoe’s sports car. The red convertible might be totally impractical for Door County winters, but Brynn loved to ride in it, especially with the top down.
Though she loved the feeling of her hair flying in the wind, she pulled it back for the drive to Muddy Boots. She’d remove the band once they reached their destination.
Zoe obviously didn’t seem to worry about hers being a tangled mass of knots. Her long strands hung loose to her shoulders.
A pair of oversized sunglasses perched on her nose made the look in her eyes impossible to see, but the way her lips curved when Brynn got in the car put Brynn on alert.
“Since he was with you last night when you stopped by the coffee cart, and I couldn’t ask this morning in church, tell me how things are going between you and the delectable Mr. Brody.”
Her friend’s casual tone didn’t fool Brynn one bit. But she didn’t mind being grilled. She wanted to discuss her growing feelings for Callum with someone she trusted, and she couldn’t imagine having this conversation with her mother .
“We went to the beach for the sandcastle competition.” Brynn’s cheeks burned as she thought of the intense yearning that had risen inside her when Callum had simply rubbed lotion onto her back.
“Ooh, this must be even better than I imagined.” Zoe pulled out of the parking lot and turned toward the business district. “Did Callum look as yummy in his swim trunks as you imagined?”
Better , Brynn thought, but she eased into the events of the day by starting with the sandcastle. “As soon as he and Parker got out of the water, they started building a sandcastle. Callum focused on the moat and Parker on the castle itself. Parker’s work was amazing, Zoe. I wish my dad had been there to see it. Instead of a flat structure, he did these walls of varying heights, and then he took this small stick to create textures on the walls?—”
“No offense,” Zoe interrupted, “but the sandcastle building doesn’t really interest me. I’m not all that interested in the kid either. Skip to the good part.”
Brynn couldn’t help but grin. Zoe’s bluntness was only one of the many things Brynn liked about her. “What is it you want to know?”
“Did he kiss you?”
Brynn decided not to make this too easy for Zoe. “Just to be clear, who exactly are you referring to?”
“Well, it certainly isn’t Parker.” Zoe tipped down her sunglasses and cast a sideways glance at Brynn. “That leaves?—”
“Callum.”
“Exactly. So give me the tea.” Zoe smiled. “I’m ready for all the details.”
“Like the fact that he stripped off my suit, and we had sex on the sand? Are those the details you’re looking for?”
The car suddenly swerved to the side of the road and then came to a jolting stop .
Taking off her sunglasses, Zoe shifted in her seat to face Brynn. “Are you making that up?”
Brynn feigned innocence. “Why would I do that?”
After a second, Zoe laughed. “Okay, you got me. If this had really happened on a public beach, Cade Rallis would have arrested you both for public indecency.”
“Okay, maybe that was only what I wished had happened.” Brynn waved a hand. “Just not at the beach. And not with a bunch of gawking bystanders.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere.” Zoe made a circular motion with one hand. “Specifics.”
“I rubbed sunscreen on Callum’s back, and he reciprocated. Just feeling his hands on me…” Brynn expelled a shuddering breath.
“Sunscreen.” Zoe narrowed her gaze. “On your back. Nowhere else.”
Brynn’s lips quirked upward. “Unfortunately, no.”
“So, we’ve established the attraction is there, at least on your part.” Zoe’s tone turned matter-of-fact. “And you want to have sex with him?”
Brynn nodded.
Zoe’s eyes turned serious. “I know you haven’t had a boyfriend in a while. Are you protected?”
“I’m on the pill.”
“Good.” Zoe studied her face. “What about the other? The emotional stuff?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.” Which was a lie. She knew exactly what her friend was referencing.
“You’re here for the duration, or that’s what you say.” Zoe’s expression gentled. “I don’t see Callum sticking around. What I’m asking is, are you okay with short term?”
Brynn had never been one for casual sex. In her heart, she knew that being intimate with Callum would never be casual, no matter how long it lasted. Not with the depth of the feelings she had for him.
A part of her could see it all so clearly. Callum would figure out how to make being a father work, and then he’d be off to his next adventure. Although he would return to Good Hope, as most of his family was here, it would never be the same between them.
The romantic part of her was convinced he was falling in love with not only her but with Good Hope as well. Which meant maybe he’d choose to stay and build a life here. With her and with Parker.
“I’m not a fan of short-term flings,” Brynn confirmed when she realized Zoe awaited a response. “If I were to walk away, this would be the time to do it, before things go any further.”
Neither she nor Zoe spoke for several heartbeats.
Zoe broke the silence first. “You won’t do that.”
“I can’t walk away from him, Zoe.” The rightness of her decision settled over her as Brynn spoke the words. “I want as much time with Callum as I can get.”
Concern blanketed Zoe’s face. “What happens when he leaves?”
Brynn squared her shoulders. “ If he leaves, I’ll deal.”
“ If he leaves?”
“Callum really seems happy here, Zoe. He’s bonded with Parker, and we, ah, he and I have so much fun together.” The words rushed out as Brynn thought of the conversations over dinner and the games with Parker. When they read to the little boy at night, she found herself believing they were a family. When Zoe said nothing, Brynn continued. “I’m starting to believe things can work out with us.”
“I hope so,” Zoe said finally. “Just know that whatever happens, you can count on me to be there for you.”
Callum spotted Brynn and Zoe even before he and Parker entered Muddy Boots. She and her friend sat in one of the booths. Whatever they were discussing had both of them looking surprisingly serious.
Last night, she hadn’t mentioned plans to meet Zoe. Then again, he hadn’t had a chance to say anything about his parents’ invitation to meet for lunch before she’d left for church.
“There’s your girlfriend.” Addie, her hair the same strawberry-blond as her mother’s, gestured toward the front window.
“Girlfriend?” Prim followed the direction of her daughter’s gaze. Her lips curved when she saw Zoe and Brynn. Then she refocused on Callum. “I know you and Brynn are friends and that you’ve been staying with her. Is she also your girlfriend?”
“How can he have a girlfriend? He just got into town.” Appearing puzzled, Max shifted his focus to the hostess. “Five.”
The young woman smiled. “I have a table right over here.”
Addie elbowed her brother. “Did you see how she smiled at you?”
Callum’s gaze darted to the booth by the window.
“Not her,” Addie spoke in a low tone. “Vivian. The hostess.”
“She’s in high school,” Callum said absently, debating whether to walk over and say hello to Brynn now or wait until they’d ordered. He decided to wait.
“She graduated three years ago.”
He didn’t have a chance to respond because Parker tugged at his hand. “I want to say hi to Brynn.”
They’d reached the table, so Callum glanced at his dad. “We’re going to say hello to Brynn. Burger and fries for me.” Callum turned to his son. “What do you want?”
“Do they have mac and cheese?” Parker asked, a hopeful gleam in his eyes.
“They do.” Max shot the boy a wink. “I’ll order that for you.”
“Thank you.” Parker glanced up at Callum. “Now can we see Brynn? ”
“Yes.” Callum took his son’s hand.
“Brynn,” Parker called out as he pulled away from Callum’s grasp and hurried toward her, delight filling his voice.
“This is a nice surprise.” Brynn shifted her attention from Callum to Parker. “You guys were still sleeping this morning when I left for church. I thought about texting but assumed you’d probably made plans with your parents.”
“We had chocolate chip pancakes this morning. I told Daddy that Grammy used to make them for me. Now Daddy makes them. I wish you’d have been there. They were really yummy.” Parker continued to talk, telling Brynn all about his morning breakfast and going into great detail.
Brynn asked questions, and Parker continued to chatter.
Callum smiled at Zoe. “How’s it going?”
“Good.” Zoe glanced at Parker. “He’s a cute kid.”
The excitement on his son’s face and the light dancing in his eyes had Callum’s heart pinging. A simple meal of chocolate chip pancakes was all it had taken to make his son happy.
The boy asked for so little…
“Ah, excuse me for interrupting.” The young male server who stopped at the tableside looked all of sixteen. “Would you ladies care for any dessert?”
Ladies?
Callum hid a grin when Zoe flinched.
“We need to get back to our table, bud.” Callum placed a hand on Parker’s shoulder. “Good to see you both. Brynn, I’ll catch you later.”
“In case you’re interested.” Brynn spoke quickly when he turned to go. “The Arts Festival starts today. We didn’t get a chance to discuss your plans. This one is helping her dad at the Daily Grind today.” Brynn pointed a finger at Zoe. “If you decide you want to go with me, just let me know.”
“I’m not sure what the family has on the agenda, but I’ll let you know either way. ”
When he and Parker returned to their table, Callum discovered their drinks were already on the table—a Coke for him and chocolate milk for Parker.
Parker’s eyes went wide. “Chocolate milk.”
“If you don’t like it,” Prim rested a gentle hand on her grandson’s arm, “I can have them bring something else.”
Parker shook his head vigorously. “Don’t take it away. Please.”
Hearing his son’s panic, Callum responded immediately, “No one will take your chocolate milk away.”
After expelling a shuddering breath, Parker glanced at the sheet of paper and a small box of crayons on the table. His eyes lit up. “Are these for me?”
“All the children get them.” Addie’s gaze softened at Parker’s look of delight.
Addie no doubt wondered, as Callum sometimes did, if Parker had been kept in a cave all these years. Every little thing excited him.
When his parents started talking about the upcoming Fourth of July activities, Callum sipped his Coke and let his mind wander.
He thought of the life he’d had growing up, with a mom and a dad and family always nearby. He wished his son could have that same experience. He could if he had a dad who was happily settled rather than a father who loved competing and pushing his body to the limits.
Though Callum and Parker were only now getting acquainted, the protectiveness that he felt for his son surprised him with its intensity. He wanted Parker to have a good life, to be surrounded by love, as he had been, to get up every morning knowing there was someone in the house who loved and cared for him.
The challenge was figuring out how to make that happen without sacrificing all of his own dreams.
The server arrived with the food. To forestall any questions about his future plans, Callum focused on the upcoming Independence Day festivities. “It’s cool that Good Hope is bringing back the Children’s Bike Parade.”
“I have a bike,” Parker told his grandparents.
“Then you’ll want to decorate it and be in the parade.” Prim exchanged a glance with Callum. “Your daddy and his brother loved being part of the parade.”
“We can show you pictures of the bikes the two of them decorated.” Max jumped into the conversation, and Callum shot him a grateful glance. “You can see if you’d like to do something similar.”
“One year, I had a helmet that looked like a spaceman. With googly eyes and everything.” Callum turned to his parents. “Do you remember?”
“It was the year your mother and I were in charge of the parade.” Max reached over, took his wife’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
Prim’s eyes grew warm with the memory. “We were so busy running around, ensuring everything was in place, that Ami and Marigold helped you boys decorate your bikes.”
“The value of having family nearby.” Addie ruffled Parker’s hair. “If you need any help decorating, let me know. I’m pretty good with streamers and bells.”
Callum only smiled and picked up his burger. He didn’t yet know what the future held. Heck, he wasn’t even Parker’s legal guardian.
Until then, everything remained up in the air.
After lunch, Callum spent a couple of hours at his parents’ house, helping his dad repair a shed damaged in a recent storm. His mom and dad still lived in the home he’d grown up in .
Though they could easily afford something larger, they always said they liked the neighborhood and the neighbors.
Parker helped fetch tools until Addie and Prim called him to the patio, where they’d brought out cards and board games. From the back of the yard, Callum and his dad could hear the shouts of delight and the moans from the three players.
“He’s coming out of his shell quickly,” Max observed, turning toward the patio after Parker called out, “Uno.”
Callum wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. The day had turned unusually warm for June, and this area of the yard didn’t offer much shade.
Callum turned as Parker called out, “I won. I won.”
“You should have seen him at first,” Callum said to his dad. “It’s like he’s a different kid. I don’t understand it.”
After tacking down a couple of shingles, Max straightened. “He feels safe with you. He knows he’s with someone who cares and will be there for him.”
Callum exhaled a breath. “You were such a good father. It’s like you were born to be one.”
“I’d say the same about you.”
Chuckling, Callum shook his head. “Thanks, but I have no idea what I’m doing.”
“It starts with caring,” Max said softly. “Love and a sense of security is what your son needs, which is what you’re giving him. Kids don’t expect perfection from their parents. In fact, they’ll overlook a lot, just as long as they’re loved and cared for.”
“I feel overwhelmed, Dad,” Callum admitted. “By everything.”
His dad stepped to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and looking him straight in the eye. “I hope you know that your mother and I are here for you. Addie, too. You’re not alone, son. We’ve got your back. We always have.”
Emotion rose hot and fast, making speech impossible. At that moment, the only response Callum could muster was a jerky nod .
They’d happily welcomed Parker into the family. The bonding had already begun.
How would they feel if he returned to Boston? If he chose a life that took them far away from family? Would they be proud of him then?
Could he be happy here? Surrounded by family and friends. With Parker. With Brynn.
There was so much to think about, but thankfully, nothing had to be decided right now. Because, at the moment, Callum wasn’t sure what he would do.