Chapter Nineteen
Calypso
My hair tickles my cheek before a familiar, calloused hand brushes it back.
Blinking awake, I find Liam sitting on my side of the bed, already dressed for the day. Groggily, I look at the clock.
Six-thirty a.m.
“Is everything okay?” I ask in a raspy voice and push to sit.
Gently, Liam holds my waist and guides me back to my pillow. “All good, honey. Nothing to worry about. I’m just leaving for work, and I didn’t want you to wake up to an empty house.”
“Oh,” I murmur and settle back in bed. His hand is still on my stomach, warming me through my t-shirt. “It’s early.”
He nods. “I started leaving at this time to see you.”
My brows crinkle. “Are you not going to come in anymore?”
It feels silly—desperate. We live together, at least for the next three weeks, so there’s no reason for Liam to rearrange his day for a few extra minutes with me.
He smiles. “I’m still going to visit as often as I can. It’s the best part of my day.” I relax a little. “But now I have to be home in time for dinner.”
I do my best at acting annoyed but I’m too tired to give it my best effort. “I’m not cooking for you every night,” I insist.
He chuckles and leans over me. “Never expected you to, but I’ll be here to help on the nights you do want to cook.”
“And to use your card on the nights I don’t,” I tease.
“Exactly.” He kisses me softly. “And tell me how I can help with bills—groceries, electricity, any of it.”
I shake my head and wrap one of my arms around his neck. “Not happening.”
It’s the first time we’ve discussed finances since he moved in a few days ago. My mortgage is low, and if he’s only here for a few weeks, there’s no point in worrying about stuff like that. I wouldn’t expect it from anyone.
“It is.” He presses his lips to mine again before I can argue. “We’ll start with ordering dinner tonight, though.”
Tonight.
The single word makes butterflies take off in my stomach.
“Sounds good,” I say and shimmy further under the blankets.
“Text me when you’re at the bakery, and I’ll try to stop by at lunch.”
Wordlessly, I nod and accept one more kiss from him. He tries to deepen it but I pull away, making him laugh. I haven’t brushed my teeth yet and stepping over that boundary is way too soon for me.
Liam lingers for a second, watching me get comfortable while petting Rosie before he leaves for the day.
family meeting
Monday, July 14 at 7:02 AM
Vivi
Sooo how’s it going?
Asher
Maybe we should be asking Liam that
Grady
*laugh reacts to Asher’s message*
Hudson
*laugh reacts to Asher’s message*
Lexi
I hate that I was out of town the days after your boyfriend moved in
I hate that word
Lexi
SHE’S ALIVE SHE’S JUST IGNORING US
*Calypso left family meeting group chat*
*Vivi added Calypso to family meeting group chat*
Vivi
We’re not trying to tease you. Just want to make sure you’re doing okay
Lexi
No
I’m here to embarrass her
Asher
I like Liam but seriously Lyp are you okay with this?
Hudson
We can find somewhere else for him to stay if you need.
Lexi
Yeah like one of your brothers’ couches is way better than in your bed
It’s fine. I promise. His dog is proving to be a better roommate than Liam but he’s not horrible.
I love all of you but leave me alone.
*Calypso turned on Do Not Disturb*
Letting out a deep sigh, I throw my phone onto the mattress and pull the covers back over my head.
Mondays are one of two days where I don’t have to be at the bakery until ten a.m. Sometimes, if I’m behind on orders, I’ll use the extra hours to catch up.
As we come to the end of the summer, my order amount has dropped.
It’s normal, and will pick up again by mid-September, but I’m planning to enjoy each and every late morning I have for a few weeks. Especially since I don’t have to depend on Liam’s visits to Brighter Daze to see him anymore.
This past weekend was… a lot.
Not in a bad way, which is kind of the problem.
Liam is extremely clean. So much so that I’m reconsidering my stance about not being messy myself. He doesn’t seem to mind my clothes lying around or how much I hate dishes. He picks up all of the cups I leave laying around and unloads the dishwasher every night.
If anything, Liam has a lot of restless energy.
I never would have guessed Mr. Calm, Cool, and Collected hated sitting still so much.
He’s not anxious, necessarily, but he always has to be doing something.
Other than drawing in his sketchbook, he found an old puzzle I got in a white elephant exchange that Gavin planned a few years ago.
It’s one of those giant gradient color wheels. I haven’t offered him help—he looks content while working on it, and I fucking hate puzzles. I’d much rather watch Bravo with a glass of wine and offer him commentary along the way.
Liam knows his way around the channel too. I have to admit, I like hanging out with a man who has a lot of sisters. He’s not weird about normal things, like finding my tampons, and knows a lot of pop culture that saves us hours of me having to try to explain to him.
Even Rosie, the needy little gremlin, isn’t too bad. She has more to say than Liam when we’re watching The Real Housewives, always barking at the right parts. Obviously that’s won her a few brownie points.
That’s not the only thing she barks at. It would be easier to name the things that don’t trigger her attack mode around the house. Plus, she constantly begs for scraps and sheds—not as much as I expected but still. She’s housetrained, though, so we can coexist.
My morning routines are a little thrown off. I usually wake up with enough time to work out, get ready, and have breakfast before going to the bakery. On Friday and Saturday, I chose an extra hour of sleep next to Liam and Rosie over my virtual yoga class.
My routines are perfectly curated to my lifestyle, and I find a lot of comfort from them. I can’t let Liam change everything, but I selfishly want to enjoy his company. It’s about finding that balance.
Mondays are always meant for sleeping in though, and Rosie agrees. She is starting to wake up and peeks out from under the blanket. Tongue out and tail wagging, I think she’s trying to tell me she needs to go out. Or, maybe she’s hungry, but I’d rather avoid an accident first.
Pulling myself up, I quickly grab a pair of shorts and put them on before Rosie and I go downstairs.
I’ve never wanted a pet. Even as a child, I can’t remember asking my mom to get us anything. Vivi always wanted cats but my mom never let her get one. Their lifespans were too long, and she didn’t want to be saddled with it when we all left for college.
However, I agreed to let Liam stay here with his pet.
I don’t think my responsibility as a host extends only to him, so I told Liam I would help on mornings when I didn’t work.
We made sure she can’t get out of my small backyard area, so opening the door for her and feeding her is hardly an inconvenience.
She runs outside as soon as the door cracks open. I leave it ajar before going to the coffeemaker.
Smiling when I see that Liam set up a fresh pot for me, I press the start button and open the fridge. Along with the creamer, I pull out a jar of overnight oats and some of Rosie’s wet food. Liam mixes it with her kibble. I know Lexi does too with her pitbull, but she cooks Sage’s topper.
As I wait for the coffee, I mindlessly read the blurb on the back of her dog food.
It goes over the company and nutritional value quickly.
The ingredients are listed right next to it and my brow furrows.
I don’t know a lot about dog cuisine or palates, but some of the listed preservatives are banned for human consumption.
Does that matter?
Maybe Liam would want to know so he can switch her dog food.
I startle when a soft knock comes from the front door. I’m not expecting anyone, and usually my siblings would just walk in.
I guess with my new houseguest they would give me more privacy but something feels off.
Ignoring the coffeemaker’s beep, I round the corner to the small foyer area and immediately stop in my tracks.
Through the sidelight window, I see Stefan standing on the other side.
He called multiple times over the weekend, probably from hearing the news about Liam moving in.
I didn’t answer any of them and he hasn’t left any more voicemails.
It adds to my suspicions that he has been privy to all the rumors swirling around town.
Stefan’s eyes find me quickly. He knocks again, harder this time. Doing my best to swallow down my anxiety and anger, I step forward.
I refuse to cower, never again.
My marriage to Stefan taught me a lot of hard lessons—like choosing my battles wisely. Eventually, I learned it was easier to give him his way when it came to the unimportant, mundane things. Home décor, the flavor of our wedding cake, which cell phone carrier we would sign with, those things.
It was annoying, but arguing with him was more exhausting. By that point, I didn’t care about any of those things because it wouldn’t be enough to make me happy either.
The things that mattered to me—staying close to my family, going to culinary school, staying child-free—I never wavered on. It drove him crazy trying to force my hand to no avail.
Swinging the door open, I coldly say, “What do you want?”
He looks down at me, a familiar exasperation written across his face. It’s the look he gives me before lecturing me like I’m a toddler.
“What am I doing?” he asks incredulously. “What the fuck are you doing, Calypso?”
“Before you showed up, I was about to have breakfast.” I grab the doorknob. “So if that’s all, you can leave now.”
His hand shoots out and he pushes the door open. “Don’t you dare,” he seethes. “I specifically told you not to embarrass me now that I’m back in town, and you move that bastard in.”
I position my leg behind the door so he can’t push it open anymore and cross my arms. My ears are pounding and anger floods through my veins, but he’ll tire himself out eventually.