Chapter Thirty-Eight
Callie
Lincoln’s parents are almost as bad as mine. Almost. And I say that with the utmost respect.
As soon as they welcome me into their home, his mom grabs me and gives me such a strong hug. She keeps saying over and over how lovelier I am in person and how she’s so happy her amazing boy found me.
They also present me with a gift they bought from one of the countries they visited during their cruise. It matches the present they got for Lincoln, like it signifies our connection to each other.
I love his parents. They’re so open and welcoming to me, and his mom already treats me like I’m her daughter-in-law. Which does freak me out a little because Lincoln and I are nowhere even in that ballpark, but I appreciate how sweet she is. As much as she loves Lincoln and is glad to have a son, she’s always wanted a daughter, too. I don’t want to allow myself to even think in that direction because I don’t want to jinx us. From the way things are going, there’s a good chance that’s a real possibility, but like Lincoln and I decided, it’s best we take one day at a time.
On the ride back to my place, I say, “My mom invited us for dinner next week.”
Lincoln chuckles. “Do our moms share a brain or something?”
“I might have mentioned that we were having dinner with your parents and she might have had a case of FOMO. She also can’t wait to meet your parents, when the time is right. I think our parents would hit it off.”
“Yeah, I can see our moms becoming best friends.”
Of course our moms know of each other because they both grew up in Spring Falls, but I guess they never had the chance to be friends. I’m not na?ve enough to assume that everything will work out in my life, but it would be great if our families meshed well together. Both of our parents are a big part of our lives and it would be amazing if we could be one big happy family.
When Lincoln stops before my apartment, he gives me a regretful look. “I hate this part.”
“What?”
“Saying goodbye for the night.”
“We can stay up talking and then fall asleep together,” I tell him. We’ve been doing that practically every night. He usually falls asleep first, and I love hearing his soft breathing.
He frowns. “It’s not the same.”
With a laugh, I kiss his cheek.
We get out of the car and he walks me to the door. He doesn’t have to do this anymore because we’re past all those first date formalities, but he always tells me that he loves doing it. He loves holding my hand as we walk to the door and then he loves giving me a good night kiss.
After I lock my arms around his neck, he gently pushes me to the wall of the building and presses his lips to mine. This kiss is very slow, like we’re trying to savor every second of it. Our kisses are usually urgent because we can’t seem to get enough of each other, but I love how we’re taking our time exploring more of each other. His hands move down to rest on my lower back and I fist his shirt in my hands. Even though we’ve kissed many times, my toes still curl and chills and tingles still travel all over my body.
He presses his forehead to mine and breathes heavily. “Good night, my amazing girlfriend.”
“Good night, my amazing boyfriend.”
He keeps his arms around me for a few more minutes before reluctantly stepping back. Then he tucks some hair behind my ear before backing away and turning to his car. I watch him get inside and pull away until his car disappears down the street. With the same goofy smile I always wear after our dates, I reach to turn the knob.
My phone beeps with a notification. I smile as I fish it out of my pocket. Is it Lincoln telling me how much he misses me?
The smile is knocked off my face when I see the text is from Spencer. What the heck does he want? Before I have a chance to tap on the notification, I hear movement to my left. With a gasp, I turn around and find him coming out from the yard next door.
“Spencer,” I breathe, my heart rate spiking as he moves closer to me.
He doesn’t look good. No, that’s an understatement. He looks pretty bad. His hair is disheveled and his eyes are blood red. Wait, has he been crying?
“Callie,” he whines as he moves closer to me. The expression on his face makes my blood turn cold.
I stumble back. “What do you want, Spencer?” I demand, trying to keep my voice calm.
“I want you,” he growls.
“What?” I stumble back again until I hit the wall of my apartment building.
“I made a mistake,” he says as he puts his hands on either side of me, locking me in place. “I want you back.”
I just gape at him. “You what?”
“I shouldn’t have let you go. Take me back, Callie.”
“What happened to Babe—I mean, Tracy?”
“I don’t care about her anymore. She’s not right for me. You’re right for me.”
I study him for a bit, seeing the desperation and craziness in his eyes. I know he doesn’t mean a single word he says, but I can’t help but feel like there’s more to this story. He and Babe break up and he runs back to me? How does that make sense?
“You cheated on me,” I say. “You have no right to ask me to take you back.”
“I know, but…” He reaches to touch my hair, but I slap his hand away. “Come on, Callie. You know I was just kidding around. You know I always wanted you. So I wanted to explore a little. I’m human after all.”
“A good human doesn’t cheat.”
He bursts out laughing. “Were you born in a romance novel? Everyone cheats. Geez, Callie, maybe take your nose out of your books and learn to live in the real world?”
“The real world is filled with good people and bad people,” I say, narrowing my eyes at him. “Good people do good things and bad people do bad things. Like lie and cheat.”
“I know she wasn’t right for me, man. But that doesn’t make her a bad person.”
I just stare at him. “What the heck are you talking about—oh my gosh. I get it now. She cheated on you, didn’t she?”
“I would forgive her.” He clutches my shoulders a little too strongly. “I would forgive her and take her back. But she doesn’t want me.”
I snort. “Your girlfriend who you cheated on me with cheated on you, and you’re begging to take me back? How pathetic are you?” I push him away. “I’m so glad you’re not in my life anymore. I have no idea what possessed me to even give you a shot in the first place. I told you you’d get what was coming to you. Karma’s great, isn’t it?”
His face turns red as his eyes fill with new fury. “She thinks she found someone better? I’ll show her there’s no one better than me.” He grabs me and pulls me to his chest.
“Let go of me!” I elbow him in the rib, causing him to cry out and release me. “Get out of here before I call the police, you piece of trash!”
He stumbles back, more fury engulfing his face. He advances toward me again.
“Callie?” Lincoln’s voice frantically calls, causing Spencer to freeze in place. A second later, his car pulls up before the building and he races out. “I heard you yelling down the street. What happened?” He notices Spencer standing there and his face changes. “What are you doing here? Was he giving you trouble, Callie?”
“He was giving me trouble all right.” I glare at Spencer. “Leave right now or I’m calling the police.”
Spencer looks from me to Lincoln, and then back to me, before storming off with a scowl.
“And don’t come near me ever again!” I call after him.
When he’s out of sight, I collapse into Lincoln’s arms and let out a breath.
“Callie.” He holds me closely and presses sweet kisses all over my face. “What was that about? When I heard your screaming, I thought the worst.”
“He wanted me back,” I say, my heart racing and making me feel dizzy. “I don’t know if he would have done something, but I’m glad you came back.” I give him a confused face. “Why did you come back?”
“You left your bag in my car.” He holds it out.
“Oh. Thanks.”
He studies me closely. “Why did he want to get back together with you?”
“His girlfriend cheated on him. He begged her to take him back, but she didn’t want him. I guess he wanted to get back at her by forcing me to be his girlfriend.”
Lincoln’s lips form a thin line as he glares at where Spencer retreated to. “Where is he? I’m going to smash his face.”
“It’s okay, Linc.” I lay my hand on his chest. “I don’t want you to jeopardize your career because of that stupid jerk. Just forget about him. As much as he sucks, he’s dealing with a broken heart. But he’ll eventually get over that cheating woman and find some other loser. We don’t have to worry about him.”
He doesn’t look so sure. “I just can’t stand the thought of anything happening to you.”
“Everyone knows it’s the ex-boyfriend who’s the prime suspect in a murder.”
He gives me a look. “Are you seriously joking around right now?”
“Well, you like horror movies.”
He still looks really bothered.
“Come on, Linc.” I take his hand and squeeze it. “Spencer would be nuts to try to hurt me. I’m a famous person now. My fans will torture him online worse than anyone in jail would.”
He gives me another face, though he’s trying to hide a smile. “And you’re still joking around.”
“Because you have nothing to worry about. Spencer really sucks at everything. He would suck attempting to commit a murder, too.”
This time, Lincoln laughs. He gathers me in his arms and stares deeply into my eyes. “How are you so good at calming me down?”
I give him a huge grin. “What can I say? I’m just that perfect.”
He laughs again. “You most definitely are.”
He closes his mouth over mine and shows me just how glad he is that I’m okay and safe.