Chapter 35 Callum #2
Grace straightened to her full height, which wasn’t all that much.
“I’m here for my brother and Zandra. That’s what family does.
We show up when it matters, and we don’t ask permission to take care of the people we love.
So if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like someone to point me to the kitchen so I can get dinner ready. Please.”
Her last word echoed on the vaulted ceiling above us, then fell into silence.
“Very well,” Eliza said stiffly. “Right this way.”
Dane and I shared a knowing smile. Grace was scary when she wanted to be.
While Gladys showed Grace to the kitchen, helping to carry the takeout bags, Dane introduced himself to Eliza. And wouldn’t you know it, when Eliza heard he was that Dane Knightly, owner of the Silver Ridge Ski Resort, she got a lot more friendly.
Half an hour later, Piper had arrived, as well as Zandra’s aunt Rosie and Jimmy Perkins.
Piper’s son Ollie was staying with Ashford and Emma today.
Ashford had texted that he wanted to come see us, but he and Emma were on kid duty and didn’t want to bring Maisie and Ollie if they might disturb Zandra’s recovery.
Of course, there were already enough big personalities here to have the noise levels high.
The house was buzzing with activity as everyone pitched in to heat up food, get drinks, set the dining table. Grace had brought a few different kinds of creamy, pureed soups that would be easy on Z’s throat. All allergen-free and ready for whenever Z came downstairs.
The doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” I said, already heading toward the front of the house. I was pretty sure I knew who this would be.
Connor stood on the porch with a couple of duffel bags. And a cat carrier holding a very grumpy looking Chloe.
I reached out to give him a quick hug and a back slap. “Thanks for this, man. Appreciate it. Was Chloe difficult about getting in the carrier?”
“If leaving a gouge in my forearm is difficult, then yes.”
“Shit, sorry.”
“It’s cool. I’ll live. Grabbed all Chloe’s stuff I could find.”
“Litter? And that fountain thing?”
“Yep. For your bags, I wasn’t sure how much to pack, so I mainly grabbed basics.”
“And the gnome?”
“The weird gnome too. Let me know if I missed anything else essential.”
“I’m sure it’s fine.” I lowered my voice. “Hoping this will only be a few days.”
Connor’s smile was half-hearted. “At least it’s a fancy place. Is there room service?” He glanced past me into the entry.
“Nah, but plenty of clean towels. You want to come in?”
“I can’t. Other plans.”
So many people had turned out for me and Zandra today, and my roommates were no exception. I already knew Darius and Niko had been at the scene of the fire last night after the call went out.
Connor was the only one I hadn’t heard much from, but here he was, delivering clothes and other essentials he’d packed up from my and Zandra’s rooms.
“Darius told me about your new girl. I’m guessing you were out with her last night?”
Connor glanced at his sneakers. “Yeah, she’s not from Silver Ridge. Things are…getting more serious. You know?”
“That I do.” My last conversation with Darius came to mind. The thought that we might not be living together for much longer. “We should all go out sometime. Me and Zandra, you and your girl.”
“Thanks.” But Connor’s eyes didn’t meet mine. “I better go.”
“No worries. We’ll catch up soon.”
He turned around, heading back to his car.
Kneeling, I peered into the cat carrier. Chloe let out an indignant yowl. “Sorry, I know this sucks. But Z misses you. Come on. Let’s go see her.”
In the guestroom upstairs, Zandra was still asleep. After setting Chloe free and placing the duffel bags on the carpet, I padded over in my socked feet and lay down. Chloe jumped onto the bed. “Don’t wake her,” I whispered.
She prowled around near Zandra’s head, looking for the best spot.
Seeing our families together downstairs, and then Connor at the door, had me feeling all kinds of sentimental. The crew from Hearthstone had been texting all day too, anxious to check on how Zandra was doing. Winnie and Russ had made a brief appearance at the hospital.
We had a lot of people supporting us, and that felt really good.
Before this summer, I’d been satisfied with the life I had. Strong connections with the Lonely Harts club. Uncle time with Maisie and Ollie. A job I liked, volunteer work that mattered, roommates who had my back. Rarely a dull moment.
And yet, I’d been hiding. Refusing to acknowledge the hard truths about Grayden. Never letting any women get close enough to risk actual feelings.
Then Zandra had stepped back into Silver Ridge and into my life, shaking me to my foundations, and nothing had been the same. I liked to call her Sunflower, but she was my light too. Like the sun hadn’t truly come up for me until she reappeared.
Now, there was no way I would ever want to go back. Even if it meant some things had to change.
I gently kissed her on the forehead and whispered, “Never knew I could love someone this much, baby.” Maybe I hadn’t been a forever kind of guy before. But she’d brought that out in me.
I felt proud to be her baby too. Anything the world wanted to throw at us, fine. We could take it.
Zandra was safe now. She was mine. And I was going to spend the rest of my life doing everything in my power to keep her that way.