Chapter Forty-One Sophie #3
I wouldn't have. If I hadn't walked into the bookstore that day, I would have been alone through this whole thing. I would have had Donna and Rich—maybe —but no Maeve, no book club; Tess would still be in Germany.
No Callum. That's... well, that's inconceivable.
How can I even conceive a reality where he's not a part of my life? It feels as though this—what we have—transcends everything.
I was always meant to belong to him.
And he was always meant to belong to me.
"You would have," he assures me, his voice sure but his face so soft. "But, I'm so glad that you didn't have to. I love you too, Sophie. You changed my entire life, my otter. You're... it. You showed me what it means to be known and to be loved for it."
My breath catches at his words, my heart slamming itself against my ribcage like it's trying to escape. I watch as a tear slips down his cheek, and he cups my face in his hands, holding my gaze.
"Having the privilege to love you is the greatest gift I'll ever be given." Callum's voice breaks, his hands tightening on my face. "And I'll never take it for granted. Ever."
I lean forward to kiss his lips, tasting salt against his lips—his tears mixed with my own.
His arm snakes around me, anchoring me to him as his other hand cradles my face.
I wrap my arms tighter and deepen the kiss, all of the emotions rolling over me at once.
The humor of this moment breaks through, and I pull back with a laugh.
"God, I can't believe I'm crying during sex," I laugh wetly, going to wipe my cheek with the back of my hand, but he's already there, kissing all my tears away.
"They're both rather wet activities," he teases, making me laugh even harder.
"You did that one on purpose!"
"Well, it got you to laugh," Callum shrugs, kissing my nose and rolling his forehead on mine. The moment shifts, growing charged as we lock eyes. "Ready, baby?"
"Yes," I whisper.
And he slides in me.
We both gasp at the sensation.
I rock my hips, feeling so amazingly full in his lap. He groans, pulling my lips to his as I slowly move forward and back on his cock.
"Ride me, sweet girl," Callum moans, leaning back onto the bed, hands on my hips, guiding me forward and back. I moan loudly at the feel of my clit rubbing against his pubic bone, "That's it, baby, you're doing so good—You look so fucking beautiful, so sweet—oh, God, Sophie—"
He jerks his hips as I lean back, rolling my hips, and I gasp at the new angle he hits. "Oh fuck, right there!"
"Yeah?" he jerks his hips again and again. I can feel my orgasm growing, the pleasure, the way Callum's looking at me right now, like I'm some goddess, is too much. He rolls his hips, and I cry out again, "Like that?"
"Just like that," I gasp out, the orgasm rushes up so quickly it surprises me. I cry out his name once more as I come, clenching around him.
"Fuck," Callum groans out, his grip tightening on my hips as he grinds me forward and back, forward and back. He looks like heaven, his chest glistening with sweat, his muscles tense, his jaw clenched tight, and his burning eyes locked onto mine. "I'm coming, baby."
I keep grinding on him, trying to prolong my own orgasm and getting him there too.
He moans out his release, tossing his head back against the pillow, and I gradually slow my hips, gently rocking him through his climax.
We're both breathing heavy by the time I stop, and he snaps back to, reaching up to me, careful hands running all over my body and lingering on my chest.
"Are you okay?" he asks breathlessly.
His eyes wander around the scarred skin, not flinching, no look of distaste, just pure care.
Even without my breasts, with these little bumps filled with saline on my chest, no nipples and scars, I still feel so desired and loved by this man.
I lean down to him, brushing the sweaty hair from his forehead, and smile.
"I'm perfect," I reassure him.
He smiles, reaching up to cradle my face.
"Yes, you are," he whispers, before kissing me sweetly.
◆◆◆
After dinner, there's a knock on the front door—sharp, quick, and very unlike Maeve's rhythmic tapping or Tonya's dramatic pounding.
Callum and I are cuddled on the couch, his hand pausing where it had been rubbing between my shoulder blades.
He sighs and gently lifts me from his lap, setting me back on the couch.
"Stay," he murmurs, kissing my cheek before moving toward the door. Seconds later, Tess appears with Callum behind her. I frown and tilt my head at her appearance. She looks... windswept, her hair loose and falling out of the brown claw clip. I narrow my eyes at the leather jacket she's wearing...
"That's new..."
Tess ignores that and plops down beside me, almost boneless, sighing. "So... uh... minor incident at the store..."
Callum groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Oh God. What happened?"
"You ever see The Mummy?" Tess asks, her voice hesitant.
I blink. "An Ancient Egyptian Curse was released in the store?"
Callum huffs a laugh, and Tess snorts, shaking her head.
"Okay, no," Tess draws the word out. "But, do you remember that scene with Evelyn... and the bookshelves?"
The image hits me instantly—the chain reaction of falling shelves—and Callum and I share a horrified look. We open our mouths to barrage Tess with questions when she holds up her hands.
Tess lifts both hands quickly. "Not as bad!" she rushes to assure us. "But... Plot accidentally scared a customer, they bumped into a shelf, and then two shelves toppled... and almost crushed Tonya."
Her face twists when she says the last part, something fierce and protective flashing across her expression.
"Is she okay?" I ask, panic bubbling inside of me for Tonya.
Tess nods, swallowing hard. "She's fine. I caught the shelf before it could hit her."
Callum's voice is tight when he asks, "My mom? Morgan and Plot?"
"Maeve and Morgan were in the back," Tess answers. "Plot's a smart little bastard—he sprinted into the office before anything could touch him."
Callum and I both sigh in relief, and that makes a flash of amusement cross my sister's face at our synchronized response.
"I've gotta reinforce those shelves. Again," Callum mutters, reaching for his keys and wallet on the coffee table. "I'm going to go clean up the mess."
He leans down to press a kiss to my lips, nose brushing affectionately against mine, making me smile.
"Drive safe. I love you."
"Will do, baby. I love you. Text me if you need anything," he says, walking out the front door.
Tess takes her boots off and props her feet on the table, and I settle back into the couch.
"So," I say, "how does it feel to be officially out?"
Tess was officially discharged from the military a week ago, and I'm curious about her next steps.
We've talked about it before, briefly, but nothing concrete.
She did Logistics while in the Army, which gives her a good opportunity for many career paths if she chooses, but I think she might just want to settle for a while.
Actually, I think she really enjoys working at the store, and she's even joined us at a couple of book club meetings, too.
That might be for one specific member, though. ..
"Honestly?" she says, rubbing the back of her neck.
"I thought I would be freaking the fuck out a lot more than I am.
I've been doing the same thing for almost twenty years.
It grew comforting in a way, but..." She pauses, and her expression softens.
"It was time to get out. Especially now.
The cancer really put things into perspective for me. "
"I'm glad you're home," I murmur, and she smiles as she bumps her shoulder against mine.
"Me too." Then she studies my face, reading me the way only she can. "How are you feeling about tomorrow?"
I grimace. "It's going to suck. But, I'm just ready for it to be over with..."
I think of what Dr. Rajab told me at my last appointment, what to expect with radiation—some of the same side effects I experienced during chemotherapy, with the added bonus of a bad sunburn on my chest. Thank God Donna got me that aloe.
My treatment will be five days a week, for six weeks, hopefully to blast the rest of this cancer from my body that wasn't removed from chemo and the surgery.
Tess watches me for a long moment, an odd expression on her face. It looks like she can't believe what she's seeing, and she shakes her head. "God, I'm so fucking proud of you, Sophie," Tess says, her voice quiet and wobbly in a way I've never heard from her.
I blink at her. "Why?"
Tess scoffs, folding her arms across her chest. "Because this would have knocked lesser men completely out," she says plainly.
"What you went through—being betrayed by that asshole, fighting this bullshit disease—and you just kept moving forward.
One foot in front of the other. You kept living. Not just surviving. Living."
She nods her head toward the wall behind me.
I follow her gaze and smile, my chest warming.
That was my latest project, while I was stuck at home.
I printed all the pictures I'd taken over the last six months and hung them—well, Callum hung them for me—on the wall.
A collage of pure joy. There are pictures of the book club from my birthday, Callum's birthday, and random meetings.
Bailey, Tonya, and I on the day of the wig fitting.
Tess and I are on Christmas in front of the tree.
And my absolute favorites are all the pictures I've taken with Callum—at the gala in Boston, our day at the zoo and museum, and a candid one taken on my birthday of us smiling at each other.
If you didn't know my story, if you didn't know what I was fighting, you would never guess that I was battling cancer.
I'm glowing in all of them, my smile so wide it looks like it's cracking my face in half.
Despite some suffering, I look back on those months and feel only love and happiness.
"I couldn't have done it without everyone," I protest weakly, gesturing to the wall of my support system.
"Everyone needs help," Tess insists softly. "But we didn't fight this sickness for you—that was all you, Soph. You did that shit."
"It's not over yet," I remind her, even though a new wave of determination is already pulsing through me at her words.
"We're over the hill, though. And you have way more support now than you did when you started chemo. This is going to be a piece of cake compared to that."
She's right. I could have shattered completely when everything went to hell. I could have curled into myself and stayed there, shutting the world out and feeling sorry for myself. But I didn't. Life didn't stop because I got cancer. I made friends. I built a family. I fell in love. I lived.
And I'm going to keep on living and cherishing every single day I wake up and get to be loved by these people.
Wanting to shift the focus off me before I dissolve into a puddle, I narrow my eyes at Tess.
"What's going on with you and Tonya?" I ask, gesturing to the mussed hair and new leather jacket that looks suspiciously like the one Tonya wears. Tess clears her throat and shrugs, shifting her gaze to the TV like it's suddenly interesting... even though it's turned off.
"I haven't got a clue what you mean..."
"Right..." I drawl, a sly grin curving my lips. "That jacket looks familiar. Kind of looks like what you wear when you're riding a motorcycle..."
"Just trying out a new style..."
"Mhm..." I hum, amused. "How did you get here?"
"Got dropped off," Tess shrugs, going for casual and failing spectacularly. My sister, who has always remained composed through boot camp and multiple deployments, has never looked so flustered.
Until now.
"By who?" I prompt, leaning in.
"... Tonya..."
"On her bike?"
"... yeah."
"You hold onto her real tight?" I cackle with glee, which melts when Tess smirks at me.
"Should we talk about why Callum's hair looked like he stuck his finger in a socket? Or was that your doing?"
My face immediately goes hot, and I mutter, "Touché."
We manage to hold straight faces for maybe three seconds before breaking down into giggles.
I grab the remote from the coffee table, flipping on the television as Tess pulls off her jacket and tosses it onto the corner chair.
We watch a couple of episodes of Real Housewives, my head resting on her shoulder as I used to when I was a kid.
Halfway through our third episode, she breaks the silence.
"I'm really happy here, Sophie," she says, her voice gentle and low like it's a secret.
I smile immediately, so full I could burst right now. I have everything that I'll ever need in this town now. A home. A community. A future.
"Me too."
"All thanks to your dumbass ex," Tess snorts, raising an invisible glass. "I'll give him that one. Still gonna shove his head through drywall if I ever see him again."