What the fuck just happened?
Chapter Two
“I could have cooked,” Drew said several hours later as his brother, seemingly his only friend, unloaded several cartons of Chinese food.
“I know, but you’re not going to, not for me. I saw the state of the kitchen the last time I was here, and I’d rather live a long and prosperous life than die a slow and painful one. You haven’t cleaned up this place. I thought you had a nanny to interview.”
“I did.”
“What happened? Didn’t it go well?” Callum dived into a carton of noodles, seemingly devoid of caring about what was going on.
“It’s Callie Stewart.”
Callum choked on some of his noodles. He immediately grabbed a bottle of water and began to sip. “You’re fucking kidding me?”
“No.”
“You were a monster to her.”
“I know.”
“Wow.”
“No shit,” Drew said. “You know I’d stopped cursing because of Meghan picking it up and now I seem to make it a habit.”
“This girl already has you making mistakes.”
“Callie isn’t a girl anymore.”
“No?”
“No, she’s all woman.” And he wasn’t about to tell his brother how he’d responded to her either. This girl, no, woman, he’d tormented her through high school. She’d been bigger than the other girls in their year. Wider hips, bigger tits. He’d been in with the cheerleaders who’d hated her. Callie was smart, sweet, kind. She had a big heart, and because of that, she’d become a target.
Fucking Tilly and most of the cheer squad on a regular basis, he’d picked up the bullying habit. He’d hurt Callie to gain laughs. He’d been a total dick and he hadn’t cared that she was the person he’d used to torment.
Now, she’d turned up on his doorstep, not even wearing expensive clothes, but looking practical as if she was a mother herself. Long, spiraling brown hair fell down her back, her brown eyes had more depth than he could ever remember, and those lips. They were designed to be kissed and wrapped around a man’s cock.
He wanted to fuck her.
To taste her.
To keep her.
The instant hit of lust had taken him by surprise and rather than try to flirt with her, he’d been an asshole. It was just like him to be exactly that. He was a fucking asshole of the highest order.
Running fingers through his hair, he tried to keep his rioting emotions at bay but nothing was helping. He needed to clear his mind.
“Ah, all woman. I know that kind of look.”
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what? Point out the obvious that you clearly want to fuck the girl? I’m not stupid.”
“Neither am I,” he said. “And keep your voice down. The last thing I want is for Meghan to go and scream that word while I’m at the store.”
“Look, all the bullshit of high school is behind you. Did you hire Callie?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“What if she’s a bitch to my kid?”
“Did you check out her credentials? Can she do the job?”
“Yes, I did. I also tried to find someone else.”
“And?”
“Nothing. There isn’t a nanny who can take a live-in position and watch my kid twenty-four-seven while I get back on my feet.”
“I think it’s safe to say that you’re going to have to hire this woman. Have a little faith.”
“Have a little faith?” He shook his head. “You just want to get me back into work.”
“Yes, I do, but I also want my baby brother to realize he didn’t make a mistake.”
“Oh, you mean marrying Tilly?”
“No, she was a mistake. There’s no way I can dress up her existence in your life. You did fuck up there, on a grand scale. She was the worst decision you ever made. Sorry and no offense.”
“None taken.” He couldn’t exactly lie to his brother about his feelings when it came to Tilly. She was a huge mistake. They’d been wrong for each other from the start.
“But Tilly aside, Meghan is a beautiful, sweet kid. Even if she was a brat or whatnot, she’s still part of you. That’s where you can never regret what happened. If you ever for a moment wish you’d never even gotten into bed with Tilly, just think you wouldn’t have a reason to smile every single day.”
“Do you ever regret your own kids?”
“No. Not even for a moment. Sometimes I wish they’d give me a break for me to enjoy my woman, but no, I love them completely.” Callum went back to eating his noodles.
“Then why are you sitting with me eating takeout rather than with them?”
“My wife sent me. She wanted me to make sure you were fine and handling things on your own.”
“Ah, Leah always had a soft spot for me.”
“Don’t even start with that. You know it makes me want to fuck you up.”
“Yeah, and you’re a damn good lawyer. You’d argue that I needed the ass-beating.”
“Yep. That I helped society by putting you in your place. Stop being an asshole and hire Callie. Did anyone give you any doubt at all, even a smidge, that she’d be a problem?”
“Nope, the complete opposite. From them, she sounds like some kind of saint.”
“If my memory serves me well, she was always doing nice things at school. She may just naturally be a nice person. You know, the kind of person to do lovely things from the goodness of her heart. Believe me, you need it. I think this place is actually starting to grow special things, you know?”
“You’re an asshole,” he said.
“And you love me for it. You will always love me for it.” Callum blew him a kiss. “Go on, call her. Let her know you want her to work immediately.”
“I’ll have to get the spare room ready,” he said.
“So, I’m not going anywhere. If I can tell Leah all of you is handled, that you’ve got a nanny, and someone to help put your life together, I’ll be a happy man tonight.”
“Gross, man. There’s some shit I don’t need to know.”
“You need to stop cussing. Meghan will copy.” Callum chuckled.
After getting to his feet, he grabbed his cell phone from the hallway, where he’d also left Callie’s card. He didn’t want to make this call. Not because he didn’t need her, but something felt off.
Callie shouldn’t be taking care of his kid. He should be able to keep on top of everything, only, he’d proven more than once that he couldn’t do it all.
After typing in her number, it rang. He’d hoped it would go to voicemail and he’d have a petty reason not to make this call. Give some excuse about her not being the right fit. If she couldn’t even make a call, what could she really do to help him? Nothing. Simple as that.
“Hello,” Callie said.
Typical.
“Callie, hi, it’s Drew.”
“Hi, Drew.”
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking and I was wondering, how soon could you start? I’ve got a spare room I can get cleaned up for you. It wouldn’t be any trouble at all.”