Chapter 5 - Kelly
five
Kelly
By the time Halloween weekend arrives, Callum and I have settled into a routine that feels natural and right in a way that still surprises me.
He makes breakfast every morning while I shower, then walks me to work at the bookstore where Mrs. Peters somehow convinced me to take a part-time job.
He picks me up for lunch, makes sure I eat dinner, and tucks me into bed every night with kisses that leave me breathless and wanting more.
We haven't gone beyond what happened that first night during the storm, though not for lack of wanting on my part.
Every time I try to push things further – sliding my hands under his shirt, kissing my way down his throat – Callum stops me with gentle but firm hands and that commanding voice that makes my knees weak.
"Patience, sweetheart," he'll say, capturing my wandering hands in his. "Good girls wait for what they want."
It's maddening and thrilling at the same time. The sexual tension between us is thick enough to cut with a knife, but there's something incredibly hot about being made to wait, about trusting Callum to know when I'm ready for more.
Tyler's been surprisingly cool about the whole situation, though he did institute a "no making out where I can see you" rule that Callum and I follow religiously. It helps that Tyler's been busy with work, leaving early and coming home late, giving Callum and me space to figure out our new dynamic.
Now I'm standing in the driveway, face to face with Derek, and all I can think is how different he looks from Callum.
Derek looks exactly the same as he did six months ago – tall, well-dressed in an expensive button-down and designer jeans, with that practiced smile that used to make me feel special but now just makes my skin crawl.
His hair is perfectly styled, his shoes probably cost more than most people make in a week, and he carries himself with the kind of polished confidence that comes from never having to do real work with his hands.
When he sees me approaching, his face lights up like he's genuinely happy to see me.
"Kelly! There you are. I was starting to think you weren't home."
I stop several feet away from him, my heart pounding. "What are you doing here, Derek?"
"I came to talk to you. To apologize." He takes a step toward me, and I instinctively take a step back. "I know I messed up, baby. I know I hurt you. But I've been thinking, and I realize now that I was just scared of how much I love you."
The familiar manipulation makes my stomach turn. This is exactly how Derek operates – twist everything around so that his bad behavior becomes proof of his feelings, make me feel guilty for being hurt by his actions.
"I told you we were done," I say, proud that my voice comes out steady. "I meant it."
"You don't mean that. You were upset, and you had every right to be. But we can work through this, Kelly. We're good together. You know we are."
Before I can respond, the front door opens and Callum appears.
The contrast between the two men is immediately striking – where Derek is all polished sophistication and expensive clothes, Callum is raw masculinity in work-worn jeans and a flannel shirt that's seen actual labor.
His hands are callused, his boots are scuffed, and there's sawdust in his dark hair from whatever job he finished today.
He's everything Derek isn't – real, solid, unpolished in the best possible way.
"Problem?" Callum asks, his voice deceptively calm as he moves to stand beside me.
Derek's practiced smile falters slightly when he sees Callum. His gaze takes in the work clothes, the broad shoulders, the way Callum moves with the easy confidence of a man who's never had to prove himself with expensive accessories. "I don't think we've met. I'm Derek, Kelly's boyfriend."
"Ex-boyfriend," I correct quickly.
"Callum MacReady," Callum says, not offering his hand. "And she said ex-boyfriend."
"Right, well, that's what I'm here to fix," Derek says with a laugh that sounds forced. "Kelly and I just had a little disagreement. Nothing that can't be worked out between adults."
"She told you it was over," Callum says flatly. "Sounds pretty worked out to me."
Derek's mask slips a little more, and I can see the flash of anger in his eyes that I know so well.
His manicured hands clench slightly – hands that have never known calluses or honest work, unlike Callum's scarred knuckles and strong fingers.
"I'm sorry, but this is between Kelly and me.
I don't know who you are or what your relationship is to her, but—"
"I'm the guy who's going to ask you to leave," Callum interrupts. "Politely. Once."
The threat in his voice is unmistakable, and Derek finally seems to realize that he's not dealing with some random neighbor. He looks between Callum and me, and I can see the moment he puts the pieces together.
"Really, Kelly? You're sleeping with some local yokel now?" Derek's voice turns condescending, the tone he always used when he wanted to make me feel stupid. "I know you're upset with me, but this is just embarrassing. You're better than this."
"No," I say, finding my voice. "I'm better than you."
Derek's face hardens. "Don't be childish. You need me, Kelly. You've always needed me. Without me, you'll just make the same naive mistakes you always do. You'll end up broke and alone and wishing you'd listened to me."
The familiar words hit their mark, and I feel myself shrinking inward the way I always did when Derek started tearing me down. But then Callum's hand settles on the small of my back, warm and steady and reassuring.
"Time to go," Callum says to Derek, and his voice has gone dangerously quiet.
"You don't understand," Derek says, desperation creeping into his voice. "Kelly's confused right now. She's not thinking clearly. She needs someone who can take care of her properly, someone who understands her."
"I understand her just fine," Callum says. "Better than you ever did."
Derek laughs and shakes his head. "Really?
You think you know what she needs? Kelly's high-maintenance, friend.
She needs constant reassurance, constant guidance.
She can't make a decision on her own without someone holding her hand.
Are you prepared for that? Because I doubt some mountain man has the patience for—"
He doesn't get to finish the sentence because Tyler's truck pulls into the driveway, gravel crunching under the tires as he parks behind Derek's rental. Tyler gets out slowly, taking in the scene with the kind of calm that means someone's about to have a very bad day.
"Everything okay here?" Tyler asks, but he's looking directly at Derek.
"Tyler!" Derek's fake smile returns. "Good to see you again. I was just explaining to Kelly that I came here to work things out."
"By showing up uninvited after she told you it was over?" Tyler interrupts. "That's not working things out, Derek. That's harassment."
"It's not harassment to try to save my relationship."
"It's not your relationship anymore," I say, finding strength in having both Callum and Tyler beside me. "I told you that we were done. I meant it then, and I mean it now."
Derek's composure finally cracks completely.
"Fine. Fine! But don't come crying to me when this doesn't work out.
When you realize that you need someone who actually understands you, who can give you what you need.
Because he can't, Kelly. Look at him. He's not sophisticated enough for you.
He's not successful enough. He can't give you the life you deserve. "
"He gives me something you never could," I say quietly.
"What's that?"
"Respect."
Derek stares at me for a long moment, then lets out a bitter laugh. "You'll be back," he says. "When you get tired of playing house with Grizzly Adams here, you'll realize what you gave up. And maybe I'll take you back. Maybe."
That's when Callum moves.
He doesn't say anything, doesn't threaten or posture. He just takes three steps forward, and suddenly Derek is backing toward his truck, all his bravado evaporating in the face of six feet and change of very calm, very determined mountain man.
"Get in your truck," Callum says quietly. "Drive away. Don't come back."
Derek looks like he wants to argue, but something in Callum's expression convinces him otherwise. He gets in his truck, starts the engine, and drives away without another word.
We all stand there in silence for a moment, watching his taillights disappear down the road.
"Well," Tyler says finally. "That was fun."
"Are you okay?" Callum asks, turning to me.
I nod, but I'm shaking. Not from fear, exactly, but from adrenaline and the surreal experience of finally standing up to Derek with people who actually have my back.
"He won't be coming back," Tyler says with certainty. "And if he does, he'll deal with both of us."
Callum nods grimly. "Count on it."
The protective fury in both their voices should probably concern me, but instead it makes me feel safe in a way I haven't in years. These two men would go to the wall for me, no questions asked.
"Thank you," I say to both of them. "For having my back."
"Always," Callum says, pulling me against his chest. "You never have to face him alone again."