Page 61 of These Family Ties
“Speaking of Calden.” I grin, spotting him coming around the corner at the end of our street. “You’ve got roughly thirty seconds before he gets here and swings on you.”
“Yeah, I’m going to hightail it to practice.” He jogs down the walk and gets into this car but rolls down the window to yell back, “I’m going to fix this, Alara, just you wait and see.”
“Uh-huh.” I roll my eyes, trying to squash the hope wanting to take root in my belly as he drives off. Aaron doesn’t speak for the entire town, and he sure as hell doesn’t know about me and Calden. There’s no hope for us in this town. Maybe there was once upon a time, but this isn’t a fairytale, and we’re sure as shit not the heroes of any story.
No sooner does Aaron turn the corner in the direction of the school than Calden slides to a stop in front of our house.
“What the fuck was he doing here?” He pants, anger radiating off him, and I grin. I fucking love it when he’s like this. “Damn it, woman, stop looking at me like that, and tell me what happened.”
“Can we talk inside?” I turn, reaching for the knob.
“Nice try.” He clears the distance between us and takes my hand, tugging me over to the chairs Aaron and I were just sitting in. “Sit. Speak.”
“I’m not a dog, Calden.” I drop into the chair and cross my arms.
“I would fucking hope not. I’m already fucking you.” As soon as he says it, we both immediately regret his words. They hang there in the air like our burned-out Christmas lights still dangling from the awning – a memorial to normalcy yet busted beyond repair.
“Harsh, Cal.” I avoid his gaze. “He came here to apologize.”
“Well, that’s vague.” He takes off his ball cap and hangs it from the arm of his chair. “I’m sorry for what I said just now. I shouldn’t have directed my anger toward Aaron at you.”
“It’s not okay, but I forgive you.” I chew my lip, wishing I could curl up on his lap. This is why he makes me talk out here. I can’t be trusted, and we both know it. “I get it.”
“I love you.” He lifts the plastic bag he was carrying from the porch and sets it on his lap, rummaging through its contents. “I got you something.”
“Show me!” I don’t even try to hide my excitement. I’m a whore for Cal’s treats, and I’m not even a little bit ashamed of it.
“Oh my god! It’s so cute I could fucking perish!” I squeal when he lifts the tiniest little knife I’ve ever seen from the bag and places it in my outstretched hand.
Calden sits, smiling as he watches me flip it open and closed, waiting wordlessly for me to explain what he just stumbled upon. He knows not to jump to conclusions, but I’m sure the curiosity is killing him.
“So, Aaron came to apologize for the last ten years.” I sigh, placing my tiny treasure on the table, and lift the folded piece of crumpled paper, handing it to Cal. “It’s a lot to unpack really.”
“How long was he here?” He unfolds the paper, and his face turns red. “Did that delusional prick give you his number?”
“I wish,” I mutter and immediately realize my mistake, but it’s too late. “Fucking hell. I didn’t mean it like that, Cal.”
“Sure you didn’t.” He opens the front door just enough to grab the ball-bat my father leans against the jamb. “I’ll be back.”
He clears the porch in three steps, and I hurry to catch up with him.
“For fuck’s sake, will you hold on for a second?” Fuck this. I get a running start and jump onto his back.
“Damn it, Alara.” He stops. “Get down. I’m just going to go talk to him.”
“Uh-huh.” I don’t let go. Instead, I use the opportunity to tighten my grip. “And the bat.”
“What bat?”
“If you go to do this, you’ll go to jail. I need you to calm down and listen. I should have chosen my words better, but it’s really not as bad as you think. It’s just a lot.” I rest my chin on his shoulder. “I could do this all day, Cal.”
“The number?” He closes his eyes and sucks in a calming breath. Like he’s steeling himself for bad news.
“His mother’s.”
“What?” He turns around to look at me. “As much as I love having you on top of me, this isn’t that. Will you please get down?”
“Will you listen to me before you and your bat talk to Aaron?” I whisper in his ear.