Page 113 of Of Heartbreak and Harmony
“Good,” I say with a nod. I was expecting that. Now that he knows about Sav’s stalker, there’s no way she’s going to convince him to go back to North Carolina. Then I look at Callie. “You’re moving in with me.”
30
CALLIE
I foldmy arms across my chest, watching as Torren opens the door to the back room on the bus and tosses my duffle on the floor. In Sav and Mabel’s bus, this area is a room with a bed and a dresser. In this bus, though, it’s just a couch and a television.
“The bed is in the wall,” Torren says, answering my unspoken question. “Jo and I usually just sleep on the bunks and use this as a second lounge area, but I’m setting the bed up for you.”
After Levi’s surprise arrival, Mabel and I rode on Torren and Jonah’s bus to Houston, but we never actually had to sleep here. After spending the weekend in the hotel suites, Mabel’s decided to move back to the bus she shares with Sav.
“If Mabel’s staying on the bus with Sav and Levi, why can’t I?”
“You can if you want. I’m not forcing you to stay here.”
Torren doesn’t look at me as he gets to work onsetting up the bed. Turns out it’s pretty simple. A portion of the back wall just kind of pops out and hinges downward, revealing a plush-looking mattress and transforming the room into a replica of the one on the other bus. He pulls some silky sheets out of a cabinet and starts putting them on the bed, and without overthinking it, I step up to help him. In a few minutes, the bed is made, and Torren is pinning me with his emerald eyes once more.
“You can go back to the other bus if you want to. Walton will be inan SUV following whichever bus you’re on, but I’d rather you be here with me.”
I arch a brow. “Why? You heard Hammond. There’s no reason to believe those flowers were from Sav’s stalker.”
He shrugs. “I know.”
“Doyouthink they were from Sav’s stalker?”
“No. But I still want you here.”
I let us fall into silence as our gazes stay locked together. There’s no avoiding the effect that statement has on me. My stomach does flips of glee as I replay it.
I want you here. I want you here.
But it’s been a long time since I’ve been on this bus, and admittedly, I don’t know how I’m going to feel when my past memories start clashing with my present reality. As if reading my mind, Torren takes a step closer, putting himself only a few feet in front of me.
“You don’t have to stay if you’re uncomfortable. You can go back to the other bus.”
His voice is lower, softer, this time. Letting me know that I have a choice. That it’s up to me. Jonah’s words flit through my mind. It’s all up to you, Calla Lily.
I nod, but I don’t speak.
I’mnotuncomfortable, but I can’t help but feel like I should be.
I haven’t had much time to process everything that’s come to light in the last few days, but the only thing I’m certain of at this point is that the pull to be closer to Torren is growing. It’s getting stronger. But can I trust it? Can I trusthim? I’m not sure. I’m not even sure if I can trust myself right now.
The problem is that even after four years of heartbreak and disappointment, I’ve still somehow found myself back in the same shoes of that naïve, starry-eyed nineteen-year-old girl. A girl who wants things she shouldn’t want. Who dreams about things she’ll never have. Who makes questionable decisions in the name of once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
I don’t want to be that girl again, but I can’t deny how tempting she is. I was my happiest when I was her. It’s not lost on me that I was also my most carefree. My most careless.
I think back through the last couple of days. The meeting with hisband. The song. The tattoo. All of it. It’s overwhelming, the surge of emotions I feel. It’s scary, too. Part of me wants to run, but the other part...
The other part wants to see what happens next.
I take a deep breath, then blow it out slowly.
“I’ll stay here.”
Torren’s mouth stretches into a grin, white teeth peeking out just a little through plush pink lips. “Yeah?”
I try like hell to keep myself from smiling back, but I can’t fight the way my lips curve up at the edges. When I speak, even my tone is giddy. “Yeah.”
