“See you tomorrow, Bluebird.”
He backs away, grinning at me.
“You better watch where you’re going, Reed. You’re going to fall.”
He laughs, then turns and sprints to his vehicle. He gets inside and waits. I realize he’s waiting to make sure I get inside. I roll my eyes, but I can admit that I like that he’s doing that. I’d forgotten how Reed used to watch over me. He doesn’t drive off until I’m inside and turn on a light. I push the curtain to the side and look out the window to watch as he drives away. I let the curtain fall back down and take a deep breath.
What am I doing?
CHAPTER 17
Reed
I’m going to hell.
I bold-faced lied to Callie. She thinks I just want to touch base with her. She believes that’s all I want, but it’s not. Still, it gets my foot in the door, and if I have to be sneaky to do it, then that’s what I’ll do.
Kingston’s words keep echoing in my brain. It’s time to make my move, yet I need to figure out what that move is. Instinctively, I don’t think it has anything to do with moving on without Callie. I’ve already done that way too many times. I’ve made a lot of changes in the hopes that a dream might replace what my heart really wanted.
Callie.
Music has been good to me, but it never filled the emptiness that losing Callie left me with. If I haven’t been able to fix that in the last five years, I’m pretty damn sure that I never will. Now, I find I want them both. I’m at a place in my career where I don’t need to live in Nashville or anywhere else. I can travel when there’s a need. I have a great house in Macon. If this is where Callie is comfortable, then I’m more than okay with that.
There are bad memories here, things I remember and can never truly forget—even if I wish I could. They haunt me no matter where I am—that’s for damn sure. They aren’t tied to Macon. I have great memories with Callie. We could have more. The possibility of that is enough to keep me on this path.
I pick up my phone and dial Callie’s number. It rings four times, and I’m about to hang up when she finally answers.
“Hello?”
“Were you asleep, Bluebird?”
“Reed?” she breathes. Maybe I’m just hoping it’s true, but it sounds like she’s happy to hear from me.
“Yeah, did I wake you?” I ask again.
“No, I just got out of the shower.”
I bite off a moan as I think of Callie fresh out of the shower, her skin wet and tinged pink with heat, droplets of water dotted over it, her hair wet. That beautiful body bared for only me. Christ.
“Reed? Are you there?”
“Sorry, I was distracted for a minute.”
“Is everything okay?” she asks.
“Yeah, I just wanted to hear your voice.”
“Reed?”
Shit. I can almost hear the panic in her voice.
“I’ve missed my best friend, Bluebird.”
“I’ve missed you, too.”
“You should have called me.” I know that if she had, things might be different right now.
“You were living your dream. What in the world would we have talked about?”
“We never have trouble talking to one another, Callie.”
“I suppose not,” she admits. “I’ve been so happy for you. You have taken the world by storm, Reed. I knew you would. You were always meant for more than the small town of Macon could offer.”
“I don’t know about that, Bluebird. Macon has you.”
I hear her laugh, but there’s not a lot of humor in it. It’s more reserved.
“You always were a smooth talker, Reed Lane.”
“Whatever.” I’m not going to call her on her bullshit again. If I’m going to get anywhere with Callie, I’m going to have to show her exactly how precious she is to me. I’m starting to realize that Kingston might have been right. I thought I did everything I could with Callie in the past to show her that I loved her. Looking back, even I must admit I left too easily. She’d been through so much. Hell, I had, too. I truly just needed some distance. I should have insisted she go with me. “You still like your pizza the same after all these years, sweetheart?” I ask.
I hear the tiny gasp as she breathes in. I smile. I may have an uphill climb, but she’s not immune to me. For now, that has to be enough.
“Yeah, but order it your way. I can always pick stuff off,” she compromises.
“Except for peppers,” I supply, letting her know that when it comes to her, I’ve forgotten nothing over the years—right down to what she likes to eat.
She giggles and that’s my damned reward right there. The sound wraps around me and warms places inside of me that I had forgotten existed.