Chapter 36 Cuddling is My Kryptonite
Cuddling is My Kryptonite
? Burning House - Cam
Callie
“Calliope?”
A shudder courses through me at the sound of my given name, but I don’t stop. They couldn’t possibly be talking to me.
The stranger doesn’t let up, hollering my name from several shops away. “Calliope Marsden. Copycat!”
I freeze, dropping my leftovers to the concrete. My head is swimming as I inhale a few ragged breaths. There’s a chance my mouth is moving without sound.
A gentle hand touches my shoulder. “It’s you, isn’t it?”
I pinch my eyes shut and slowly turn around. With all the courage of a field mouse, I meet the woman’s familiar eyes.
“You’re not real,” I whisper. “You can’t be here.”
I must be hallucinating.
“Clio.” Her name comes out as a quiet whisper.
She reaches for me, but I pull away.
Her hand hovers in the air between us before she slowly lets it drop. “Ok. I deserve that.”
Her once-dark hair is now a bright copper, with blonde face-framing highlights, accentuating the green hues in her eyes that sometimes match mine. She’s a few inches taller than me, curvy, and as beautiful as ever. Growing up, I wanted to be just like Clio—it’s why she nicknamed me Copycat.
“What are you doing here?” I ask weakly.
“I work here... or I will. I got a job at Willow Valley Preschool.”
I give her a tight-lipped smile. “That's great. Congratulations, I guess.”
What do you say to someone you haven’t seen in fifteen years—to the sister who promised to come back for you but didn’t?
“It’s so good to see you, Cal—”
“Callie. Nobody calls me Calliope anymore.” Except Jaxon. That name belongs to him now.
“Could we maybe grab a coffee or something? Catch up?”
I have the entire afternoon to myself, but I make a show of checking the time on my phone anyway. “I have to get going.”
She bites her cheek and glances down at her feet. “I understand. Maybe I'll see you around?”
When I don’t respond, she nods and turns to leave.
Against my better judgment, I stop her. “Wait.”
A flicker of something like hope flashes in her eyes, and try as I might, I can’t bring myself to disappoint her. She hurt me, but if there’s even a small chance for closure, I have to take it.
“Are you busy tomorrow?” I ask.
“No. I'm free.”
I consider asking her to lunch here in Willow Valley, but this place isn’t my home. Whatever happens, I want to be near my people.
I have people now.
“Do you still like horses?”
The lines in her forehead crease. “Yeah…”
“Ok. Give me your phone, and I'll text you the address. Does noon work for you?”
A smile stretches across her face, and for a fleeting moment, I see my big sister again. The one who kissed my cuts and bruises and sang me to sleep all those years ago. In the absence of a loving parent, I had Clio.
Until I didn’t.
“Yeah. Yeah. That’s perfect. Can I give you a hug?"
I swallow around the lump in my throat and respond with a jerky nod. She doesn’t hesitate for a second, pulling me into her arms. My eyes turn glassy as I return the embrace.
She sniffles. “It’s good to see you.”
After a few heartbeats, she pulls away and squeezes both of my hands. I look down at where we’re connected and feel a sudden, stabbing pain in my chest.
“You're all grown up,” she says in a strangled voice.
The heedless observation sends my mind whirring.
Of course, I'm grown up. It’s been fifteen years since she walked away and never looked back.
I pull away and reinforce my armor, adopting a mask of apathy in the wake of her callous words.
There’s a cutting remark on the tip of my tongue, but I hold back.
“I really should go. I’ll text you.” I turn from the woman who looks vaguely like the sister I once loved. Fresh tears gather in my eyes, but I don’t let them fall. I refuse to let this weaken me.
I make my way back to the ranch on autopilot. A harsh pang of disappointment pierces me when Jaxon’s truck isn’t in the driveway. Atticus greets me at the door, and I muster just enough energy to squat down and pet him.
I flick on the big light in the living room and search through the bookshelf for my worn copy of Alice in Wonderland.
Tucked within its pages is a faded photograph of my sister and me.
I barely recognize my face. That little girl doesn’t exist anymore—the one with the bright smile clinging onto her big sister like she hung the moon and stars.
Atticus follows me up the stairs and into Jaxon’s office. I’m instantly enveloped by his scent. It’s not the comfort of his arms, but it’s close.
I crash onto the sofa and drape the blanket around my body. It’s the same one Evie gifted me all those months ago. It was the first gift I ever received as an adult, not counting the endless supply of pickles.
Atticus settles himself on my feet and begins purring.
Time passes in a quiet haze as I replay the interaction with Clio.
There are a million things I wish I’d said, but nothing ever comes out when you need it to.
I still have so many unanswered questions, and maybe that’s why all I feel now is numb.
I thought seeing Clio again would stir some heavy emotions—longing, anger—instead, I’m utterly empty.
Jaxon
The house is quiet when I get back from the distillery inspection.
The first red flag goes up when Atticus doesn't greet me with a head butt at the door. The second one appears when I trail past the living room, and the big light is on. Callie never turns on the big light—she thinks it’s an act of aggression if I so much as suggest it.
My pulse races as I chart a path to the back of the house. I stop in the hallway between the bedrooms, but she’s not in either one. Then it dawns on me.
If Callie needs comfort, she’ll go wherever the books are. She’s predictable that way.
I take the stairs two at a time and find Callie cocooned on the sofa in front of my shelves. Atticus yawns and stretches at her feet.
“Hey,” I whisper. “Everything ok?”
She lifts the blanket, her sullen eyes pleading with me.
She doesn't need to say a word; I could never deny her this or anything else.
I slip under the covers and wrap my body around hers.
Her chest rises slowly, and a long breath ruffles my hair.
Her fingers slide into my curls, rolling along my scalp.
Nothing will ever compare to the feeling of being held by this woman.
My woman.
I'm beginning to wonder if cuddling is my kryptonite.
“I saw my sister today.” Her voice is subdued and somewhat detached.
“Clio?”
She nods against me. “I wasn't sure she actually existed. I haven’t seen her in so long, I think I convinced myself she was something my imagination conjured to help me cope.”
“Did she see you?”
Another nod. “We talked for a few minutes. She’s staying in Willow Valley.”
My stomach sinks. Is she going to want to move out and live with her sister? I can’t lose her. Nothing about the future mattered to me until Callie played a starring role in it.
“How do you feel about that?” I keep my voice impassive, so I don’t let on how much that thought affects me. I’ll support her no matter what happens next. I can only hope her path leads right back to me when it’s all said and done.
“I—I don't know. She’s practically a stranger. I waited fifteen years for her to come for me, but we’re not those same scared little girls anymore. I don’t need a savior. I already saved myself.”
My heart swells with pride. Callie has endured more hardship than anyone should face in a lifetime. Her resilience is one of the things I love most about her, but it’s also her biggest weakness. She never learned that it’s ok to let go—to stop fighting and just… be.
I press my lips to the hollow of her throat, unable to resist the incessant urge to touch every part of her.
“She wants to meet me tomorrow. Is it ok that I invited her here?”
I grip her chin between my thumb and forefinger and bring her gaze down to meet mine. “You don’t have to ask. This is your home, too.”
She brushes her nose against mine, and I take the opportunity to capture her lips in a slow, deliberate kiss.
“I’ll be here,” I murmur. “If you need to cry, scream, push me down the hill like Wesley in that one scene in The Princess Bride. I’m here for you.”
A smile spreads across her face, crinkling her nose. “Really? You’d let me do that?”
Someday she’ll learn there isn’t much I wouldn’t do for her.
I nod and kiss her again. “As you wish, my princess.”