“Like you don’t spend enough time with her anyway,” I teased as she shut off the lights and moved toward the bed.
“You’re lucky that I have a best friend I like to spend time with,” Callie said, not for the first time. She burrowed under the blankets. “I’m not calling you fifteen times a day asking where you are and what you’re doing.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I replied, pulling her against my side.
“Plus, tomorrow, it’ll be everyone together,” she said with a happy sigh. “And then Christmas morning, the kids are coming here after they do presents at their houses.”
“You get little Mick’s dirt bikes?” I asked, suddenly realizing that I hadn’t seen the toys come in the mail.
“Yeah, they came two days ago,” Callie replied with satisfaction. “Already wrapped and under the tree.”
“That’s good.”
“I’m all done shopping.”
“What did you get me?” I asked, giving her a squeeze.
“You’re as bad as the kids,” she replied. “You can find out on Christmas, just like everyone else.”
“Don’t act like you haven’t turned this house and the garage upside down looking for your gifts,” I said, my lips twitching.
“I have not.”
“Bullshit,” I replied.
“They’re not even here,” she said, leaning up to look at me.
I laughed, my entire body shaking. “I knew you looked.”
“Where did you hide them?” she asked in exasperation.
“They’ve been a couple different places,” I replied. “Left them at the garage for a bit, but I figured you’d make your way there eventually. Last week, I moved them to Will’s, but I was afraid Reb would see them and break if you interrogated her.”
“I wouldn’t!”
“So,” I continued, ignoring her denial, “I locked them in the tool box in the truck.”
“The big one in the back?” she asked, far less nonchalant than she was trying to be.
“Locked it,” I said easily. “And you’ll never find the keys.”
“You’re the worst!” she said with a laugh.
“I think you meant smart,” I replied, tapping my temple with my finger.
Callie huffed and laid down with her head on my shoulder.
“I’m excited to have all the kids here on Christmas,” she said, wrapping her arm around my waist.
“You’ll see ’em tomorrow, too,” I reminded her.
“I know,” she replied. “But Christmas morning is just us. It’s wild, but it’s just—”
“Relaxing,” I said, finishing her thought.
“Exactly,” she replied. “It’s pure joy.”
“Won’t be for Heather,” I said dryly. “Not with her pukin’ every thirty minutes.”
“Noticed that, did you?” Callie asked.
“I need to talk to Tommy,” I muttered.
Callie had been just as sick as Heather when she’d been pregnant with our kids. And even though I’d hated it with every fiber of my being, I’d agreed when she wanted to add to our family. But eventually, I’d put my foot down. I loved my kids more than anything, but my woman had been worn the fuck out and I wasn’t about to let that continue. Tommy needed to get his head out of his ass, stop being a little bitch, and get snipped before he seriously fucked with Heather’s health.
“It’s just as much Heather,” Callie replied reasonably. “She must want more kids.”
“Tommy needs to take care of it,” I replied stubbornly. “Takin’ care of Heather is his damn job.”
“There was this whole movement,” Callie said sleepily. “It was called the Women’s Rights Movement. It was pretty cool, actually, because—”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, covering her mouth with my hand. “I’m still gonna have a word with my son.”
“The person you should have a word with is your granddaughter,” Callie said with a sigh as soon as I’d taken my hand away.
“Which one?” I asked, running down the list. Rebel was fine, I’d just seen her the day before. Tommy’s girls were still practically babies.
“Kara,” she replied, just as I’d realized that must be who she was talking about.
“She alright?” I asked. I’d seen her the day before, too. She’d been the one to drive Reb to bring me lunch. Sweet girls.
“I saw her this morning,” Callie said, pausing for a moment. “She looked terrible.”
“How so?”
“Pale, frazzled, skinny.”
“She’s always been skinny.”
“No, she hasn’t,” Callie snapped. Before I could even get mad at her tone, she soothed me with a hand gently running down my chest in apology. “She looks like shit, Asa.”
“You think it’s because—”
“Of course it is,” she replied. “She’s been stuck for years, and this means she’s going to have to start actually living her life.”
“Not sure what I could say to her,” I said. Honest to God, I was at a loss.
I’d never understood the guilt Kara carried around with her. It just didn’t make any sense to me. Callie said that I couldn’t understand it, because I wasn’t a woman.
“You talk to her,” I told Callie. “You’ll know what to say.”
“Chicken,” Callie mumbled. She was finally drifting off to sleep.
“You’re better at that shit than I am,” I said, kissing the top of her head. “I’ll deal with the boys, you deal with the girls.”