“Understatement of the century.”
“How’d you find out what was going on, then?”
I knew what he was asking. Was there more to Hadley’s and my relationship than simple friendship? Nothing about what was between us was simple, and it would never fit into the bounds of a category. It was more. Always would be.
“It was dumb luck,” I muttered.
“And now you’ve got a whole lot on your shoulders.”
The weight bearing down on me had the potential to make my knees buckle. No, it was more than that. If something happened to Hadley, I’d be crushed beyond recognition.
19
Hadley
I tiptoed down the stairs,bag slung over my shoulder. Just as my foot was about to hit the last step, a voice called out.
“Going somewhere?”
Calder stood, leaning against the kitchen’s entryway, wearing nothing but a low-slung pair of pajama pants. His tanned skin seemed to go on for miles, wrapping around a muscled chest.
I swallowed hard. “I didn’t want to wake anyone up. I have to meet some friends.”
Calder arched a brow. “Toby?”
“What do you have against Toby?”
“He’s been trying to get you into trouble since you were teenagers.”
“He’s a friend who has been there for me since we were teenagers,” I gritted out.
“And what did he talk you into today?”
“He didn’t talk me intoanything. We’re riding some trails.” I was desperate for the release the ride would hopefully bring. After the past twenty-four hours, I felt as if I might crawl out of my skin.
Calder shifted his gaze towards the windows. “Please, be careful.”
My heart gave a healthy thud in my chest. This was the crux of it and would always be for Calder and me. Me needing to spread my wings, and him being terrified of the freefall.
“I’m always careful. Take every precaution I possibly can.” My words held a silent plea. I’d be as safe as possible, but he had to let me fly. He was quiet, and I shifted on my feet, a hint of anger simmering low. “I told Birdie I’d give her another skateboard lesson this afternoon. That okay with you?”
“Sure. We can all go to the park.”
I bit back my retort, telling him he could stay home. “Have you heard from Jackie?”
Calder’s focus snapped back to me, assessing. “Yesterday, in the parking lot. But you already know that, don’t you?”
I shrugged but heat rushed to my cheeks. “Looked intense. And cozy.”
Calder muttered a curse and set his mug of coffee down on the counter with a clang. Then he was striding across the floor to me. He didn’t stop until he was mere inches away, heat pouring off him in waves. “The last thing Jackie and I will ever be is cozy. She was asking about you, and it pissed me off. I was telling her to get out of my life. That’s it.”
I blinked a few times. There was no love lost between Jackie and me. When she and Calder were together, she’d always dropped snide comments about me being around. Yet she had no problem calling on me to babysit when she wanted to do something with her friends. “What did she want to know about me?”
Calder didn’t look away. “If we were seeing each other.”
“What did you say?” I couldn’t help the question. What would Calder classify us as? Friends? Ex-friends? Family? Something else altogether?
“I told her it was none of her damn business. She doesn’t have a right to know anything that’s going on in my life.”