Page 50 of We Thought We Knew It All
19
Callie
“Dammit, Nicole.” I let the door to the oven close and slammed the casserole down on the counter before throwing my oven mitts as hard as I could.
“Hey,” my dad said. “Don’t take it out on the green beans.”
“I can’t believe I told her that. I knew she’d take it to the studios. Now that they know I am going to sell at some point, they’ll never leave me alone.”
“That’s why you have me.” He grinned. “Sell to Hendrick’s. You know you don’t want anyone else telling this story.”
“You’re right.” I let out a big sigh as I banged my fist against the counter. “I assume you brought a contract?”
“Of course.”
“Since when does the head of the studio get involved in buying movie rights?”
“Since it’s about your mom.”
“Touché.” I swiped a hand across my face. “I’ll look at the contract tomorrow. In the meantime, Jackson has cleaned his room for you to stay in there.”
“I have a hotel room since this is technically a work trip.”
“Don’t even think about it. It’ll be nice to have you here for a couple days. The boys will be over the moon.”
He pulled me into a hug and I sunk into it. I was finally lettingEmmago. Between the book, the movie, and the restaurant, I was making Mom into a bigger star than she’d even been in real life. I was making her immortal.
“There’s something else,” Dad said once he released me.
“There always is.”
He didn’t get a chance to say what that something was because Morgan screamed from the living room. I bolted out there, stopping as I took in the two men standing with Jamie and Jay.
“Dean,” Morgan croaked.
“Dylan,” I gasped.
I felt more than saw Jamie’s eyes snap to me. Yeah, he knew the name. But he wasn’t my worry at that moment. The long-haired former husband of mine was.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
I barely noticed Morgan escaping to the kitchen to get away from Dean or Dean following her.
“Can’t a man come to see his family?” Dylan asked. As if on cue, he was mobbed by three excited boys who were having the Thanksgiving of their lives with the appearance of both their grandfather and their father.
Seeing them with him was like a knife to the heart because as sure as I knew the sun would rise tomorrow, I knew Dylan would leave them missing him once again. He hugged the three of them and exclaimed over how big they’d gotten. He said all the things you’re supposed to say, but his eyes never left me.
“I’ve been trying to call you,” he said. “We need to talk.”
“I know.” I bent to pick up little Declan as if I could protect him from all the future years of wanting his father to be something he wasn’t.
Colby stepped in front of me. He’d always hated Dylan. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Why the hell not?” Dylan boomed. “They’re my kids.”
“Because we know that’s not really why you’re here.”
I put a hand on Colby’s arm to stop him. “It’s okay.”
