Chapter Twenty-One
Liam
Walking into Vivi’s fully furnished apartment, I roll one of my sister’s suitcases behind me and pause inside the threshold before looking from Jo to Calypso to Lexi before landing my gaze on Vivi.
“Are you sure this is okay?” I ask for the fifth time.
Calypso rolls her eyes. “You’re doing her a favor. She and Grady didn’t want to wait two more months but ‘it was the agreement.’” She adds air quotes around the last part.
“We just didn’t want to rush the girls,” Vivi argues. “It’s true though—and they were excited when Grady asked if it would be okay.” She looks like a lovesick schoolgirl.
Lexi smiles smugly. “You’re welcome—as are you two.” She points at Calypso and me. “I’m basically a modern day Cupid.”
It’s true that Lexi was the one who set up the blind date, but she doesn’t know our relationship is fake; although, she might suspect it. Calling her “Cupid” feels like a reach, but I won’t argue with the woman who found my sister a safe, and clean, place to stay.
Jo hesitantly steps forward. “I really appreciate you moving your entire life around for me. I’m happy to babysit or bartend the wedding. For free, of course.”
Vivi laughs and waves her hand in the air. “We have plenty of babysitters, but I’ll add you to the phone tree. And we already have the catering fully covered. We’d love to have you as a guest, though.”
Jo’s eyes water. She’s not usually this outwardly emotional which is how I know Megan fucked her up. “Really? I love weddings.”
She does.
I don’t remember her ever daydreaming about her future wedding but the girl loves love.
“Great!” Vivi says, so welcoming that it makes me love her more than I’ve already started to.
The two, plus Lexi, start walking through the small apartment. Vivi shows her where everything is, always saying “your bedroom” or “for your morning coffee.” She’s thrilled to move in with her fiancé, but she’s also making it Jo’s home in her wake.
Calypso walks further into the space and sets one of Jo’s bags on the couch.
Placing the suitcase and duffel bag next to it, I stare down at her.
She still hasn’t told me what set her on edge, but she hasn’t avoided my eye since this afternoon.
I can’t help myself. “Are you okay with this?”
She crinkles her brows, annoyance growing. “As long as Vivi is, why would I mind?”
“That’s not an answer.” I slip my hands into my pockets and sway toward her.
Crossing her arms, she pops her hip and rolls her eyes. “The question was stupid.”
“Calypso,” I say quietly, affectionate but a little exasperated. “Jo is my responsibility, and I can figure something else out.”
Her expression closes off. “Do you not want my help?” Before I can answer, she continues, “Isn’t that what this whole thing is about, helping each other?”
“I didn’t mean it like that, honey. I always want your help.” Her cold glare doesn’t thaw. “But I’m not trying to invade your whole life.”
She shrugs, dismissing my concerns for her. “Vivi’s lease ends in December.”
The same month as the recital, when I’ll be done with the project and we’ll be done with each other.
For the first time, her apathy is beginning to grate on me.
I don’t want there to be a timeline on our relationship—real or fake—and I hate the reminder of it.
More than anything, it’s the fact that she’s lying to herself that pisses me off.
She’s certain I’m going to grow tired of her, or show my true colors as if I’ve been lying to her, that she’ll push me out the door to avoid the pain.
She’s wrong.
The day is starting to weigh on me, and some of my frustration slips through.
“That’s conven—” I’m cut off by the other women walking back into the room. Taking a breath, I’m relieved that a potential argument was avoided, but her words are still ringing through my mind.
“This place is adorable,” Jo says. Vivi is smiling, holding a bunch of sheets in her hands. “Will you decorate for me when I find my own place?”
Vivi laughs, loving the compliments. Jo is good at that, but she never says anything she doesn’t mean. “Sure thing.”
She walks to the small laundry area near the kitchen and gets the load started. Lexi’s quietly typing on her phone but her brows are furrowed. More from frustration than confusion, I think.
“Do you need anything else?” Calypso asks.
Jo shakes her head. “No, I’ll be okay. Especially for the night.”
Calypso bobs her head once. Despite her mood, she’s been in big sister mode since Jo first called me. “Liam will send you my number, and we can meet at Max’s tomorrow.”
My sister nods, clearly ready to be alone for the night but not wanting to be rude. “Sounds good.”
Calypso doesn’t say anything else, so I step forward and pull Jo into a hug. “Love you, Josie.”
“Love you too,” she murmurs into my chest. “See you tomorrow.”
There’s such a deep sense of relief in her voice at the statement. I knew it was hard for her when I left, but I didn’t realize quite how much.
Jo’s exactly where she needs to be for the time being.
Holding the front door open, I wave Calypso in before me. Something catches my eye, so I stop to pick it up before walking inside.
The door shuts with a loud thud as Calypso walks straight to the kitchen. I expect her to grab wine or whiskey or something but she doesn’t. She goes straight for Rosie’s bowl and kibble.
“Hey, honey,” I call out and follow behind her.
She looks over her shoulder and her eyes widen a little at the scrap of fabric in my hands.
“What’s this?” I ask.
Before Calypso can answer, Rosie runs over and jumps at my legs. I crouch down to pet her and she starts growling when she sees the fabric.
She’s not being aggressive toward me, just triggered by the scrap. Rosie barks at the mailman and doorbells, normal things a dog would. This is unlike her.
Standing, I walk to the island and look at the woman I’m quickly falling for despite every warning not to.
“Tell me what’s going on,” I say. More quietly, I add, “Please.”
She inhales and holds it for a few seconds before exhaling heavily. “Stefan stopped by this morning.”
Immediately, possessive anger plummets through me. It races through my veins and reaches every inch of my body within seconds.
And yeah, I’m a little mad at Calypso right now for not telling me sooner. I swear, every step forward with her comes with three bigger steps back. I’m on this path without any intention of turning back, and she’ll need to accept that eventually.
Mostly, I’m fucking fuming at the thought of Stefan showing up at Calypso’s house, uninvited. God, I wish I had been here—that she didn’t have to handle it alone.
“What happened?” I ask, trying to keep my voice calm and even.
Calypso sees right through it, down to the core of my soul that is ripping apart.
I failed her.
This whole agreement was meant to keep her safe and Stefan off her back. Yeah, I got Pippa’s business out of it, but that truthfully moved to the bottom of my priority list as soon as Calypso admitted Stefan has been bothering her for years. She asked me for help.
And I wasn’t there.
“It’s okay, Liam,” she says in an unfamiliar, soothing tone and walks around the island to me. I’m not the one who needs to be comforted, but she won’t accept it, not now. “Rosie and I handled it.”
That catches my attention. I look down at her, brows knitted. I’m desperate to know what happened. Finally, Calypso confesses.
“It was about thirty minutes after you left,” she says. “We had just come downstairs when Stefan knocked. I thought it was weird but assumed it was one of my siblings, giving us more privacy.” She’s mentioned that they all share keys to each other’s homes, but they don’t drive out here often.
Quickly, Calypso tells me everything that happened. She doesn’t spend time lingering on the details but it feels like she’s leaving something out. Not that I expect her to lie, but it’s hard for her to let someone care about her—to protect her.
“When I was trying to come back inside, Rosie attacked his ankles.” She looks down at my dachshund who is sitting at my feet, mighty proud of her small self. “I never expected she’d be such a good guard dog.”
I try to smile. I want to, but my lips fall flat. “You said ‘trying.’ Did he get physical with you?”
Calypso quickly shakes her head and places a hand on my chest. “No, not really. He slammed his hand on the door and it caught on my foot.”
Wordlessly, I drop to my knees and gently pull the slip-on shoe off. It’s the only distraction I have right now, and caring for her will always outweigh any other instinct I have. The one telling me to find Stefan is getting stronger by the day.
And do what? Beat him up like a shitty Lifetime movie? I don’t fucking know, but my patience is wearing thin.
“Liam,” she says, quietly and affectionately. “I’m okay—and it was the other foot.”
I look up with pleading eyes, desperate to do something for her right now; she concedes.
Steadying herself against the counter, she lifts her foot for me.
Slipping off the shoe and sock, I see the band-aid that’s already starting to peel.
The abrasion is smaller than I expected, hardly even red or scabbed.
Calypso slides her hand up to my jaw and turns my head toward her. “I’m okay.”
Letting out a breath, I say, “I should be the one comforting you.”
“That would mean I’m not okay,” she retorts with a reluctant twitch to her lips. “Which I’ve said multiple times now that I am.”
Leaning into her, I revel in her soft hands brushing along my short beard. “Why don’t I believe you?”
She twists her lips to the side then confesses, “Because I was pretty shaken up earlier.”
I nod. “Thank you for admitting that. I feel a little less crazy now.”
Her shoulders drop and she shakes her head. “You aren’t crazy.”
“I am when it comes to you,” I murmur.
Calypso bites the corner of her lip then says, “There’s something else he said.” Closing her eyes tightly, she shakes her head as if she can shake the thought right out.
“Okay.” I slowly stand and hold my breath.
“Stefan said—he said that…” She gags a little. “Stefan and I saw each other once, at the hotel in La Jolla.”
Nodding, I try to follow along. He saw her with someone—another man to fulfill her tradition.
“Look, unfortunately, Stefan knows me well. Especially the uglier sides of my personality.” She pales and twists her hands anxiously.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her there aren’t any ugly sides to her; not in my eyes. I know what she means, though—we all have traits we aren’t always proud of.
“There’s no reason to be ashamed about having a one-night stand, Calypso,” I remind her.
Over my dead body will I let Stefan take her sexuality away from her, or corrode it like he so cruelly did to her youth.
“You could have slept with a different person every single night since your divorce, and it wouldn’t matter. ”
She shuts her eyes and shakes her head again, but her eyes are red when they meet mine again. “He figured out what my tradition was, but needed to make sure for himself. So, last year—before meeting you—he followed me to the hotel, and watched me leave with the guy.”
A needle could drop between us and it’d sound like an anvil. I won’t make her say it when it’s obvious and clearly so fucking painful.
How couldn’t it be, finding out that Stefan is so cruel? So controlling that he would not only manipulate her mind, but violate her privacy years after they separated?
Anger consumes me—hotter and deeper than anything I’ve ever felt before. It sparks in my chest, growing bigger and brighter until I swear my ribs are about to crack open from the pressure.
She rubs her hands roughly down her face. “He said he’s ‘kept an eye on me’ since. With Stefan… That can mean a lot of things.” She shudders at the possibilities.
I slip an arm around her shoulders and slowly pull her into an embrace. Without a second of hesitation, Calypso places her head on my chest. Rubbing her back, I try to stomp down my own anger to be present with her.
“He somehow always gets worse,” she admits in a raw whisper. “Stefan has done some heinous, manipulative shit—usually with the help of his mother. But this… God, this is a whole new level, even for him.”
I shake my head and kiss her temple. “This isn’t going to be your life forever. I won’t let it.”
She doesn’t say anything else, but her arms tighten around me, using me as her strength for a few more minutes. With Calypso, I’ll take that as cautious affirmation that she believes my promise to her.
As she pulls away, my mind slides to my cousin.
Their mutual love for Pippa, and Calypso’s divorce, has bonded the two of them in ways I don’t understand. Mia and her aren’t close enough to call friends, but there’s a deep level of respect I’ve picked up from each of them.
I think Mia would want to know and help.
“I know it has been a long day,” I slowly start. “So there aren’t any decisions you need to make today, but will you consider calling Mia?”
She’s rounding the island, sliding her hand along the granite countertops. “I will call. Not today, probably not even tomorrow. But I will.”
She raises her brows in a challenge, but it’s a compromise I’m happy to accept.
“Whenever you’re ready, honey.”
With a quick nod, she points toward the stairs. “I’m going to go take a shower. It might be longer than usual…”
She squeezes her eyes shut, trying to peel Stefan’s violation off her soul. It’ll take more than a hot shower, but I’m not going anywhere, especially not now.
“Take your time. I’ll order us dinner.”
Pulling out my phone, I glance up in time to catch her pausing next to Rosie’s bed, petting behind her ear.
It’s endearing as fuck to see the two of them bond.
I knew Rosie would win her over in the end, but I didn’t expect it to be sooner than I could, or under these conditions.
It’s a small win in this clusterfuck of a day.