Chapter Eighteen #2
“I’ll always show up for you, Callie,” he murmured, kissing the crown of her head. “I’m here. You’re safe.”
She didn’t speak again, just held on tighter.
And Matthew did the only thing he could. He held on tighter too.
Footsteps pounded across gravel outside. A moment later, the front greenhouse doors swung open, and the sheriff and his deputy entered, weapons drawn.
“Everybody good?” Gabe called, his gaze sweeping the room.
“All accounted for,” Bennett confirmed, stepping back to hand Les over to the sheriff.
Caspian surrendered the other man into the deputy’s custody—who also happened to be his brother. “Tell Dad we worked together and nobody got shot. He’ll be thrilled.”
Mac and Briggs stepped in moments later, the tension already shifting to post-op sharpness. Mac gave a nod, Briggs arched a brow. “The Hutchins brothers?”
Matthew nodded once.
“And the HPC is under the soil,” Callie said, pulling out of his arms to stand and lift the black pouch in her hand. “There’s more, but I’ll remove it myself so you don’t kill my plants. I want this poison gone.”
Admiration warmed Matthew’s blood as he watched resolve remove the clouds from her gaze and strengthen her spine.
Callie drew a steadying breath and handed the pouch to Briggs. “Here. I want this poison off my property.”
Briggs took the bag with gloved hands, nodding. “We’ll catalog everything and sweep the rest.”
“Nursery’s secure,” the deputy confirmed. “We’ll transport both suspects now.”
“Keep them separate,” Gabe said, eyes on Les and his brother. “Let’s see who talks first.”
Matthew watched Callie as she donned gloves and led Briggs to the cluster of wilting plants. She was still pale, although, steadier now. Stronger. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and not let go, but she looked at him and gave a small nod, silently telling him she was okay.
But was he?
Carter’s voice came through comms. “Feed’s archived. Sending a copy to Briggs and the sheriff now. And for the record? Hell of a takedown.”
Bennett cracked his neck. “Aren’t they all?”
“Yeah.” Caspian smirked. “This is the norm.”
Gabe gave Matthew a long look. “You kept her safe.”
“She kept herself safe.” Matthew shook his head. “We just got there in time.”
Callie walked over and slid her hand into his. “So glad you did.”
Mac approached, his expression unreadable. “We’ll coordinate with the DEA and the sheriff’s office on next steps. For now, take her home.”
Briggs nodded in agreement. “We’ll clean up here. And be careful of your plants,” he added when Callie opened her mouth. “You two have earned the rest of the day.”
Matthew didn’t need to be told twice. He wrapped an arm around Callie’s shoulders and guided her gently out of the greenhouse.
As they stepped into the sunlit morning, Sammy bounded across the gravel, barking wildly, his tail whipping like a metronome on overdrive.
Callie dropped to her knees in time for the dog to barrel into her arms, whining and licking her as if he could fix everything. “Okay, okay,” she murmured, burying her face in his fur. “I missed you too, traitor.”
“There’s my girl,” Nate said, close behind him, relief stamped across his face as he pulled her up into a hug. “You gave me a big scare. Don’t ever do that again.”
Callie hugged him back. “Sorry. All I wanted was to check my plants. Was that too much to ask for?”
Nate chuckled, releasing her. “Apparently.”
She stepped back and slid her arm around Matthew without any prompting from him. His pulse settled and breathing became easier again.
“Thanks for the heads up,” he told Nate, holding out his hand.
The man immediately shook it, adding his other hand to sandwich his. “Thanks for getting here so fast. For…”
He squeezed the guy’s hand and nodded before releasing him.
No need for words, he understood Callie meant the world to the man.
She meant the world to him too. And so much more.
“I’m going to take the rest of the day off, Nate,” she said. “Can you watch over things? Pretty sure we have to shut down while they investigate anyway.”
“Yes, of course,” Nate said. “You go ahead. I’ve got this.”
She squeezed Matthew’s hip. “Thanks. We’re going to head to the house now.”
Sammy stayed close as they walked through the field. Matthew understood the dog’s need, because he kept Callie close too, hip-to-hip, needing to feel her, to reassure himself that she was really all right. He wasn’t sure he could ever let her out of his sight again.
In time, the independent woman would balk at that, but right now, for Matthew, the struggle was real.
Of course, he’d let her out of his sight eventually.
Maybe.
Probably.
Okay, not likely.
***
A half hour later, the house was silent except for Sammy’s persistent panting and the occasional rustle of his tags as he continued to stick close to Callie’s side.
She sat on the edge of the couch, still in the same clothes, her hands wrapped around a cup of coffee he’d made but she hadn’t sipped. Matthew crouched in front of her, not saying anything, watching, waiting.
Finally, she looked at him. “I didn’t think I was scared. Not at first. But now? It’s as if my body finally got the memo.” Her laugh was soft, broken. “I’m shaking.”
“You’re allowed to shake,” he said gently. “Hell, I’m still trying to breathe.”
Her gaze softened. “You saw it on the feed?”
“Once we were patched in.” He nodded once. “Every second.” He moved to sit beside her without crowding, even though everything inside him screamed to pull her close. “You were too calm. That’s what scared me most. It was as if you’d already made peace with whatever might happen.”
Callie let out a shaky breath as she set her cup on the coffee table.
“I wasn’t calm, I was furious.” She turned to him, eyes flashing.
“That they used my plants. My nursery. And that I trusted one of them.” Her exhale washed between them.
“I was inching toward a trowel on the bottom shelf behind me. Not that it would’ve helped against a gun, but I wasn’t going to go down quietly. ”
His heart stuttered to a stop, then beat wildly in his chest.
Thank God it hadn’t come to that.
Unable to keep from touching her, Matthew reached for her hand and laced their fingers together. “You weren’t alone. Not then, not now.”
Her mouth trembled slightly, and she looked down at their joined hands. “You keep showing up.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said, squeezing her hand gently. “Not unless you make me.”
She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. “I won’t.”
He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly, not realizing until that moment how much he’d needed to hear that.
Sammy plopped down at her feet with a huff, and Matthew opened his eyes to find him resting his chin on her boot, the very image of a loyal golden bodyguard.
Callie reached down and scratched behind the back of his neck. “I don’t think I’ll ever look at thyme the same way again.”
Matthew smiled, his first real one since the greenhouse. “Guess we’ll have to rebrand it.”
“I actually think creeping thyme fits,” she murmured. “Heavy on the creep.”
He chuckled, brushing a kiss to her temple. “You still make me laugh. That’s how I know we’re okay.”
“Thank you.” Callie pulled back enough to meet his gaze. “Not just for today, for all of it. For showing up. For staying.”
“I meant it when I said I’m in this. With you.” He paused. “That night in the storm…you let me in. I’m not letting go.”
Callie leaned in close. “Good. Don’t you ever.”
Then she kissed him, slow, sure, nothing held back. Not desperate, but weighted with every ounce of fear, relief, and gratitude she'd kept bottled up since the greenhouse. He could feel it in her touch and in her actions, because he felt the same and returned it, twofold.
She gripped the front of his shirt as if it anchored her. As if he anchored her.
And Matthew kissed her back a little crazy, wild, and deep, because he’d nearly lost everything.
When they finally parted, her eyes glistened, but her voice was steady. “Thank you,” she said again, touching her forehead to his. “For being you. For being here. For liking me despite my strong-willed tendencies.”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” he said, fighting a smile. “I like you because of them.”
She smiled. “Good, because I don’t think I could change that.”
“No.” He sobered and held her gaze. “Don’t ever change, Callie. You’re perfect the way you are.”
She lifted a brow. “I’m far from perfect, Matthew.”
“I know. So am I.” He brushed his thumb along her jaw. “I meant, you’re perfect for me.”
Her gaze softened, and she exhaled a tremulous breath, one they seemed to share.
Outside the window, late morning stretched brighter across the fields, sunlight warming the porch railings and catching on the new growth beyond the glass.
Life, stubborn and steady, going on.
After a beat, she murmured, “I should probably call my mom before she hears something secondhand and assumes I’ve joined a cartel.”
Matthew huffed out a laugh. “Might wanna leave out the part where you nearly tackled a drug mule with a trowel.”
Her lips curved. “No promises.”
She rose slowly, and he stood with her. Her movements were looser now. Still tired, but no longer brittle. She paused near the kitchen and turned back to him, mischief seeping into her eyes for the first time all morning.
“So, if I can’t look at thyme the same way again, what about you?”
He stepped in close, sliding his arms around her. “You can look at me any way you want.”
“Yeah?” She smiled up at him. “My favorite way to look at you is when you’re naked.”
Matthew grinned. “Good to know. All you have to do is say the word and I’ll make it happen.”
The sparkle in her gaze increased. “The word.”