“You in bed, sweetheart?”
“Yeah,” she admits. “I should already be asleep, but I’m too keyed up.”
“What you mean is you’re worrying about things.”
“Maybe a little,” she admits.
“Stop that. Hasn’t anyone ever told you that worrying makes wrinkles?”
I can almost hear the smile in her voice as she speaks. “Are you saying I should worry about wrinkles? I know it’s been a while since high school and all, but I don’t think I’m at the age where I need to worry about looking too old.”
“I thought women worried about that kind of stuff no matter what age they were,” I compromise.
“I’ve never been like other women,” she giggles. The sound soothes over sores inside of me that I had and wasn’t even aware of.
“Believe me, Bluebird, if there’s one thing I know after all this time, it’s definitely that.”
“Maybe it would have been better for you if I were, Reed.”
“It would have been as boring as hell.”
My reply is greeted with silence, but it’s a silence that is easy and not tense. I decide to take that as encouragement.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going tomorrow?” she asks. Callie doesn’t realize it, but her question relaxes me. She’s looking forward to our date. She may not be using those words, but I’m smiling because I know that’s how she feels and for now that is more than enough.
“It’s a surprise, sweetheart.”
“I hate surprises.”
“You used to love them,” I point out.
“I’m not the same person. Now, I prefer to plan.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I keep telling you that I’m not the same person anymore, Reed. Maybe you should listen to me.”
“I tell you what, I’ll give you something to help you plan.”
“Okay,” she utters, sounding way too cautious.
“Where I’m taking you will be safe and the only person with you will be me.”
“Reed, I don’t want to go to your hotel.”
“Are you afraid the town will talk about us?” I ask, genuinely curious.
“Not really, but there’s only one reason a couple goes to a hotel, and I’m not ready for that. I mean, I’m pretty sure you know I may never be ready for that.”
“Do you sleep at night, Callie?” I question, wondering if she’ll even answer me.
“Not a lot. Some things have changed since you left Macon, Reed, but the truth is, I’m still a mess.”
“Baby,” I mumble, dealing with anger at Mitch for the hell he put her through and the scars she has. I’m even more upset with myself, though. I left her alone five years ago and I’m beginning to see that she needed me more than I could have imagined.
I was an idiot.
“Don’t feel sorry for me, Reed. That’s the last thing I want,” she warns.
“I don’t feel sorry for you, Bluebird. I’m worried about you. That’s completely different.”
She sighs. I probably should let it go, but I find I can’t.
“When’s the last time you had a good night’s sleep, Callie?”
“Reed…”
“Tell me, honey.”
“It’s been a while,” she says, and I can hear the stubborn tint in her words. She doesn’t want to tell me, which is really an answer. Still, I want to hear the words.
“How long is a while?”
“Years, I guess. I can’t seem to shut my brain down very easily.”
“You used to sleep good with me, baby. Do you remember?”
“Yeah. It was easier with you. I felt….”
“Felt?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me.”
“I felt safe with you,” she confesses.
Now it’s my turn to be quiet. God, how could I have missed how close I was to having everything I ever wanted? I was such a fool.
“Reed? Are you there?” she asks.
I have no idea how long I’ve been lying here on my bed, holding the phone, and mentally berating myself. Apparently, it’s been a while because she wouldn’t be prompting me otherwise. I shake off my thoughts, knowing I can think about it later. Right now, it’s important that I’m present for Callie—that she knows I’m a safe place for her and that I won’t desert her.
“I’m here, honey. I’m just thinking.”
“About what?”
“About how much I wish you were here beside me tonight so I could hold you.”
“Reed,” she practically moans.
“You can’t make me believe that you wouldn’t like that, Callie. You would, wouldn’t you?”
“I shouldn’t.”
“That’s not a no, Bluebird.”
“Five years, Reed. A lot of things can change in five years.”
“And just as much can stay the same. How about you quit worrying about the future and just concentrate on the here and now?”
“I can’t do that. Life doesn’t work that way.”
I smile. “It can if you let it.”
“You’re not going to listen to anything I say, are you Reed Lane?”
“That depends,” I hedge.
“On what?”
“I might be convinced to if you let me come over there tonight and hold you.”
“That’s not going to happen,” she denies almost instantly.
“Then, I guess I’m not going to listen—at least not tonight.”