Page 67 of Echoes of a Silent Song
“Done.”He hadn’t made any promises to her, and he sure wouldn’t start now.
She stepped toward him.“And don’t take advantage of the fact that I am ridiculously, dangerously, terrifyingly attracted to you.”
“If it helps at all, I am ridiculously, dangerously, terrifyingly attracted to you too.”
Her eyes widened.“You are?”
“I’m afraid so, Blair.”
She offered a tentative smile.“This is ...this is a big deal for me, Callum.Opening my heart to someone.Trusting.Especially when I can’t see the outcome.”
He took her hand.Pale and graceful, those skilled fingers resting in his suddenly shaky ones.“I’m sorry your ex betrayed your trust.I’m sorry for the pain he caused you.Your heart may be scarred, but it is still beautiful.And the last thing I ever want to do is give it any more wounds.”
She looked up at him, her eyes large and golden brown and honest and vulnerable, and he was drowning.
“Does this mean we need a moratorium on kissing?”he asked, heart in his throat.
She paused for what felt like an eternity and then shook her head no.
“So ...this means Icankiss you?”
She grinned.“Well, not in front of the kids.”
“Oh, heavens no.Never.”
“Can you imagine?”Her grin widened.“We’d be fodder for the rumor mill for the rest of the year.Might even make the yearbook.”
That smile would be his undoing.“Blair, could we not talk about the kids for a moment?Please?”
Her smile bloomed across her face, and she nodded.
Relief coursing through his veins, he bent his head and kissed her.
Their kiss wasn’t a volcano this time.No, this time it was music.A sweet melody, winding and unraveling and reverent and tender.With this kiss, he hoped to salve her wounded heart, to fill in the cracks her ex had left, to show her that he’d never violate the precious trust she’d just given him.
He had no idea what the future held beyond May, but with each passing moment, each movement of her lips on his, it was becoming frighteningly clear that all the plans he’d made to be alone for the rest of his life, to move back to Boston and leave Peterson in his rearview mirror, might need some substantial revision.Because the idea of being without Blair suddenly seemed unbearable.
She pulled away, her breath tickling his lips.“Callum.”His name was a song when she said it.
Unable to speak, he brushed his thumb against her cheekbone, then leaned his jaw against her temple.He was still shaking.
“Callum ...the bell’s about to ring.”
Who could think about the bell at a time like this?But in reply, it rang, and he pulled back with great reluctance.“I suppose we should adult, then, shouldn’t we?”
She gave him a smile, slow and languid, that nearly undid his resolve.“We’re kind of adulting now, if you think about it.”
With a groan, he stepped back.Blair retreated to the office, and he turned toward the board, picked up the dry-erase marker, and tried to remember what in the world his rehearsal plans were for the day.Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her at her desk, brushing out that long, silky red hair.
Had he truly promised to maintain professionalism?Because thatwas a stupid, stupid promise.He clearly hadn’t thought it through.Professionalism meant he couldn’t touch her again until lunch at the very earliest.
Right now that felt so far away, it might as well be next year.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Late February 1970
IT WASjust past four on a chilly, sunny afternoon as Victor and I walked from school to his house.That had become our new afternoon routine.As soon as the bell rang, we’d either go to the library and hang out there for a while, or grab a Coke at Sammy’s before walking home.
