Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 41839 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 209(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41839 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 209(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
“I have no intention of hurting Drew. I don’t even think I’m capable of doing something like that.”
“I can see that. You’re a good one, Callie, I see it. My husband, Drew’s father, after Tilly, it took a lot of adjustment. We had to give up our son, and that wasn’t easy. Callum helped for the longest time.”
She folded her arms beneath her breasts. This was uncomfortable. She actually preferred being the nanny when meeting the parents.
“So Drew bullied you?”
“Yes, he did.”
“And you’re not angry about any of that?”
“The past is staying there. Drew’s not the same kind of person. Everyone deserves a second chance.”
“And Tilly, what about her?” Jane asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Drew has tried to do the right thing when it comes to Meghan. One of the reasons we’ve not seen eye to eye is that he married her and we advised against it. He was such a stubborn man, even as a boy.” She shrugged. “What are you going to do when she comes back?”
“I don’t know.” She hadn’t really thought that far ahead but looking at Jane, she saw she clearly had.
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to ruin a perfectly good day.”
“It’s fine.” She kept a smile on her lips. “Would you like me to help with those potatoes?” So long as she kept busy, she now wouldn’t have to worry about the prospect of being replaced.
Chapter Ten
“I want you to leave Callie alone. She’s a good woman,” he said.
“I can see that,” Killian said. “You love her?”
“Dad, we’re a little old to be talking about our feelings.”
“I’ll take that as you don’t know what you feel for Callie. It’s that new.”
He nodded. There was no point in denying it.
“You raised a good daughter,” Killian said, looking out across the yard where Meghan was running away from Rebecca who’d been chosen to be it. Anyone she tagged now had to sit in the corner.
“Regardless of our disagreements of late, I had a good role model.”
“Here you go, charming me.”
“I had a good childhood, Dad. I’ve got no regrets or resentments. I don’t like the way you handled my situation with Tilly but again, that’s in the past.”
“You shouldn’t have married her, son.”
“I know that.”
“But you did what you thought was right.”
“I did what I had to do. You always told me, Dad, be the best man you can be. Fix your mistakes. Own up to them. I did what you asked.”
“What I didn’t add on was take care of your mistakes by not losing yourself in the process. You did that.”
“I didn’t mean to. I was only doing what I thought was right.”
“It happened. Don’t let it happen with Callie.”
Drew laughed. “Callie is nothing like Tilly.”
“She’s not?”
“No, for one, she happens to love spending time with my daughter.”
“Remember, she broke the rules of her contract by sleeping with you.”
“Dad, it wasn’t like that. It’s none of your business and you don’t know how I feel when I’m around her. She’s … powerful. Her smile makes me forget what I’m pissed about. She makes me laugh, and I want to do nothing more than take care of her. Believe me, Callie is nothing like what you think. She’s a good one. I promise.”
“I think it’s quite simple how you feel about her, Drew. I’ll let you find the answers to that one yourself.” His father slapped him on the back and turned back to go and sit with his wife. They’d all enjoyed a nice big lunch.
Meghan was curled up on the ground, and Callie sat with her head in her lap. The sun was slowly setting. They’d been here a lot longer than he intended.
Moving to his woman, he cushioned Meghan’s head with a jacket and took Callie’s hand. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“I want to have a few minutes with you.”
He tugged her along to the back of the house. He knew Callum would keep an eye on Meghan for him, and his parents.
“Where are we going?”
He moved down to the bottom of the garden, past the small river that ran at the bottom. It wasn’t deep as it only came to his ankles but it had been there all of his life. Opening the gate, he spread his arm out across a vast woodland. His father had loved this spot because his mother had said yes to him near this very house and he’d promised to buy it for her.
He found the old tree that had to be close to a couple of hundred years old. An old tire swing hung down from it. There were many days and nights he’d spent on this swing, contemplating his life.
Letting go of her hand, he held the tire swing. “Get on.”
“What? No.”
He laughed. “Are you afraid?”
“No.”
She touched the tire swing.
“Get on. Trust me.”
“How old is this thing? It’s never going to hold me.” She gripped the thick dry rope. “Hell no.”