Page 57 of His Red Carnation

“Ana,” I answered.

“Callan! Where’s Sloane? I told you two to be fucking careful. Did you hear? I’m sure you heard because Jake is furious, and Ijust heard him yelling at her. Fuck. Where is she?” She spoke in one long breath.

“She’s here. We’ll be there soon,” I said, keeping it brief before I hung up.

I hadn’t expected shit to escalate so quickly. And this wasn’t how I wanted Jake to find out. I didn’t want the world to know about us this way, either.

I pulled Sloane into my arms as she cried. “We’ll get through this, baby. Remember? We need to be strong together,” I said, needing to remind myself just as much.

“I know,” she said between hiccuped breaths. “I know. I love you. I love you, Callan,” she repeated.

I took a deep breath and rubbed her back in soothing circles. “I love you, baby.”

This was going to be the hardest fucking moment of my life.

23

Sloane

What the fuck has he done to you?Dad’s words echoed in my head as Callan and I got into his SUV. Why would he say that, as if I were some helpless victim with no say in this? Why blame him when I was the one who initiated everything? Dad didn’t know that yet, but he would soon find out. I’d tell him everything, even that we wanted to get married. He’d have to understand how serious we were, and maybe Mom would back me up.

“What are we gonna do?” I asked Callan after we pulled onto the main street outside his building.

“We’ll remain calm. I’ll tell him I’m crazy about you,” he explained quietly. “If he doesn’t get it, then he doesn’t get it, Sloane. He may need time to adjust to us being together. We just need to stand our ground.”

He sounded so sure of himself.

“Okay.” I nodded. “If he fires you, I’m coming with you.”

Callan glanced over at me, confusion flickering across his face. “Like, you’re leaving with me?”

“Yes. Is that okay? If I stay with you?” I didn’t want to impose, but I also couldn’t bear the thought of being apart from him.

He smiled quickly. “Of course it’s okay, baby. Fucking bring your stuff and never leave if you don’t want to.”

That was all the reassurance I needed. We pulled up to the house, and I took a deep breath before opening my door. Callan reached over and took my hand. “It’s gonna be okay, baby. You and me. We got this.”

I nodded with a smile, but my heart raced and my stomach curled into knots. My hands felt weak and shaky as we walked up the stairs to the living quarters where I knew Dad was waiting for us. As expected, we approached the yellow oval room, and he was sitting there, suit jacket off, staring down at the ground before looking up at us through his lashes.

“You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve showing your face here again, Callan,” Dad hissed, disdain dripping from his tone as he stood up and put his hands in his pockets.

I glanced at Callan. His jaw was clenched, but he held his head high.

“I don’t think you fully understand the situation, Jake,” he muttered.

Dad scoffed. “No? What don’t I understand about you taking advantage of my eighteen-year-old daughter?”

“Dad, that’s not what’s happening here,” I quickly chimed in.

I saw Dad’s eyes flicker over my shoulder. I turned back to see Mom standing at the beam that separated the room from the hallway, arms crossed, looking at us with an icy glare.

“Then tell me what’s happening here, Sloane. I’d love to hear it from you.” Dad wasn’t holding back any indignation.

My shaky hands clasped in front of me, held up to my chest almost like a prayer. “I started all of this between us,” I began, gesturing with my clasped hands between me and Callan. “He fought his feelings. He didn’t give in easily. But I knew from the beginning, Dad. I knew that I loved him and that he was the one.” I was surprised at how clear and concise my words were, how freely they flowed from me.

Dad suddenly burst into laughter. Confused, I looked over at Mom, who had her eyes closed in irritation, shaking her head. A quick glance at Callan showed the annoyance clearly written on his face.

“Sloane, you think you’re in love with Callan?Him? This fucking almost forty-year-old ex-junkie?” Dad asked, exasperated.

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