Page 48 of What Hurts Us

Slowly, almost hesitantly, I wrapped my arms around his middle and hugged him back. “You know, it’s a shame.”

“What’s a shame?”

“You.”

He chuckled. “Why am I a shame?”

“It’s a shame you think you have to fake it with a stranger.” I dropped my arm, took a step back, and inhaled a breath unclouded by rugged male pheromones. “If this is you faking it, no woman would stand a chance against the real thing.”

* * *

“So,”my father began as he sat hunched over on the couch. “Callum tells me you two intend to marry.Inshallah.”

Cal and I were crammed on the loveseat while my brother and mother bracketed my dad. My grandma was perched in the recliner. Sepideh pretended to wrangle my cousins into cleaning up from lunch, but we all knew she had one ear in the doorway.

Callum’s arm was draped around the back of the loveseat. The gentle grazing of his thumb on my shoulder was calming. I adjusted the cowl neck of my sweater dress for a little more breathing room. It was unusually hot in here. Or maybe that was just my nerves kicking in.

“Yes, sir,” I squeaked.

Karim’s eyes narrowed on Cal who, surprisingly, looked cool as a cucumber. The glass teacup looked like a toy in his bear paw of a hand as he sipped his chai.

My dad sat back and rested his hands over his belly. “Tell me,azizam.How do you feel about his work as a police officer? There may be a day where he doesn’t come home.”

When we moved to North Carolina, my dad taught in the public school system. Now, he taught high school math at a swanky private school. The biggest danger he saw in a day was the teacher’s lounge running out of brand-name coffee grounds and switching to generic.

“Cal is good at his job,” I said on an exhale. “He’s careful. He cares about Falls Creek and the people who live there.” I laid my hand on his thigh. “That includes me.”

“And Callum,” he said, “How do you feel about Layla being a flight nurse? She’s gone for days at a time. Works odd hours. Sees horrific carnage—”

“Baba joon,” I said in a warning tone. He had never been thrilled about my choice to pursue emergency medicine. My dad was a teacher. My mom was an attorney. Karim was following in her shoes. They were happy inside the four walls of classrooms and courtrooms.

But the view from twenty-five hundred feet was unbeatable. The adrenaline rush of a life-or-death call was a drug like no other. The high lasted long after the shift ended.

Callum reached over and set his teacup on the coffee table. Without a word, he rolled up his pant leg. “We both see hard things every day,” he said as he cuffed the denim just above his knee. He tipped it to the side, showing off the mottled scarring where his tibia had torn through his skin. “I’m glad Layla does what she does. She sees people on their worst days and treats them with dignity while doing what needs to be done under enormous pressure. It takes a special person to keep her sweetness and heal others in a world full of ugliness. I can’t imagine finding a better partner than someone with those qualities.”

My brother rolled his eyes.

My mother absolutely melted.

My grandma had a coy smile on her lips.

My aunt slumped against the doorway, then swooned all the way back into the kitchen.

My father nodded in silent approval.

Callum rolled the leg of his jeans back down. When he leaned against the back of the loveseat, he draped his arm around my shoulders and tucked me into his side. His lips were soft as he dotted the top of my head with a kiss.

Wedding bells shone in my mother’s eyes. “Have you begun putting together wedding plans?”

“Ah,” I chided, raising my eyebrows and clicking my tongue.

Callum piped up. “No. Not yet. It’s important to both of us to have y’all’s blessing.”

“The spring would be such a lovely time for a wedding,” my mom gushed. “Or even a winter wedding! String lights and fir trees…” She sighed happily.

By winter, I’d be back in my apartment, back to my life. We’d have to fake a breakup and give an explanation to everyone.Probably citing moving too fast.

“Maybe the spring,” I said with a small smile. “We don’t want to rush things.”

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