Page 16 of Callum
Fiona: The wedding’s in Twin Falls. That’s an hour and a half drive and we’d need to stay in a hotel…in a room I already booked…with one bed…
She wasn’t sure if her words were supposed to discourage him or just make him aware. Either way, they’d be together for three days and two nights. And sleeping in the same bed? She broke out in hives at the mere thought!
Callum: You just sweetened the deal, honey.
What magical planet of perfect men was this guy from?
Fiona: My sister’s awful. And I have these really nosy aunts and uncles who’ll ask you about the intimate details of every life decision you’ve ever made. And the groom and I have a complicated past…
Complicated? What a damn understatement.
She waited for his response. When it didn’t come as quickly as previous texts, she almost wondered if he was coming to his senses and reconsidering.
Then the phone rang.Oh, God…
Her hand hovered over the key before she finally answered. “You’ve changed your mind. That’s okay. I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry. It was crazy. I was just being desperate. But I shouldn’t have tried to bring you into my mess—”
“Fi—”
“Just forget I mentioned it. Maybe we can still coexist, and I won’t have to bury my head in the—”
“Fiona! I’m glad you asked. And like I said in the text, I’m happy to help.”
She frowned. “You are?”
“Yeah. I only called because I figured no matter what I wrote, you’d respond with something else to deter me.”
She stood and walked to her kitchen, needing to move. “You want more? The food will be terrible. We have to go a day before the wedding for a rehearsal dinner, where you’ll be pounded with questions from my family, and you’ll have to wear a suit.”
“I’ve eaten terrible food in the military—can’t be as bad as that. An extra night away actually doesn’t sound too bad, I’m great with family, and I look damn good in a suit.”
Uh, yeah, of course he did. He was cut like a bodybuilder. “I just…” She pinched her nose. “I’m not sure why you’d do this for me.”
Hell, she wasn’t sure why he didanythingthat he did for her. A week ago he’d saved her from a panic attack in the bar. Before that, he’d caught her when she almost broke her back falling off a ladder.
“Maybe,” he said quietly, “I’m not the bad guy you pegged me as.”
She nibbled her bottom lip as she looked out her kitchen window. “I don’t think you’re a bad guy. Just that you’re a…guy.”
A really good-looking one. A guy who had all the right words and knew how to make a woman want him.
There was a short pause. It was just long enough to have her squirming.
“Don’t have a great history with guys?” Callum finally asked.
Just bad history with one guy. A guy she’d dated for just about her entire adult life, who’d hurt her in the worst possible way.
“Nope.” She fiddled with the edge of the counter. “But that’s not important. What’s important is, I only want you to do this if you really want to.”
“When’s the wedding?”
“The weekend after next. I’ve got a room booked for two nights at the same hotel as the reception.”
“I can’t wait.”
She opened her mouth to ask if he was serious but stopped at a sound from her bedroom.
She straightened, her gaze moving to the hall. For a moment, she was still, waiting for another sound. When it never came, she pushed off the kitchen counter and walked down the hallway. Her house wasn’t huge, one story with three small bedrooms and two bathrooms. She opened her bedroom door, and a breeze brushed her skin.
