Every Kiss (32 page)

“She’s psychotic. You know that, right?”

“I do.”

I don’t know what else to say, but I think I understand
everything a little better now, no matter how ridiculous it all is. He clearly
got way too fixated on things that a lot of people would eventually get over,
but thankfully, he used his depression for good instead of evil. I get why it’s
important to him to help these people. Not only is he a good man, but he also
holds the reason for this program very close to his heart. He just wants to
give these kids a chance that they may not have had otherwise.

But his obsession isn’t healthy. “You can do what you want,
and I’m not saying I won’t support you if you don’t agree with me, but I think
it might be time to step back from all this. Maybe you can still help some, but
more low key. You know . . . a yearly donation, helping out with fundraisers,
stuff like that. You don’t have to singlehandedly save every one of them. You
need a little saving yourself.”

Wes turns around, reaching into the backseat to slip a file
from his briefcase and dropping it into my lap. “Take a look.”

I open up the front cover to reveal some sort of legal
document that makes absolutely no sense to me. “What’s this for?”

“I met with my lawyer on Monday, and against his adamant
advice, I made a tough decision.” He reaches across the console to tap part of
the page that lists the pregnancy center. “I’m signing everything over to the
clinic. It’ll be theirs to use now. . . the apartments, the money that
I’ve
raised for the organization, everything. I’ll still help them when I can, but
I’m done with it. Maybe it was stupid to get that wrapped up in it, Cal, and I
don’t really know what possessed me to start all of it in the first place. I
was still pretty messed up over what Sarah did, and it was my way to bring some
balance into my life. But I became infatuated with it, concentrating all of my
free time and resources into it. But I know I can’t keep this up. I need to
concentrate on me. On us.”

His eyes finally meet mine, the raw emotion showing behind
them is enough to cause a lump to form in my throat. He’s waiting for my
acceptance, for me to tell him that everything is okay. But that’s not what
he’s getting.

“You know what, Wesley Baxter? I don’t like how I had to
find out about all of this. Do you realize what kind of position you put me in?
Why in the hell didn’t you feel like you could trust me enough to understand
all of this? You didn’t even feel the need until it was all thrown in my lap,
making you look like a coward. Again. You tell me you love me, but you keep
secrets from me. That’s not very reassuring. That doesn’t give me any faith
that we’ll ever work. What
else
are you keeping from me, Baxter?”

The cool blue of his gaze is chilling. He’s trying hard not
to show any emotion, but it’s not working so well for him. His throat works a
little too hard on a swallow, and there’s an extra glisten in his eyes. “I’m
not hiding anything else, Callie, never again. I’ll tell you anything you’d
ever want to know. For starters, I never deleted your number from my phone like
I said I would. I started to call you every single day to tell you that you
were right about me. You’ve always been able to see right through me. The night
of my birthday party, when Allison and I went to my room? Nothing happened
because I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Then when I followed you to the
pool, I lied to you about my wish. Yeah, I wanted to kiss you, but my real wish
was that someone like you would come along and turn my world upside down. That
I could find someone like you who wouldn’t take my shit and would force me to
pull my head out of my ass. Someone like you who would make me smile when it
was the last thing I wanted to do. It took me a long time to realize that I
found that someone . . . and it isn’t someone
like
you. It
is
you, Callie. I know I don’t deserve you, not even a little, but for some reason
I got lucky enough to have you, even if it’s just for a little while. There’s
nothing left between us now. It’s just you and me. But the choice is ultimately
yours, and I’ll respect whatever you choose, whether it’s to stay or go. Just
tell me what you want and that’s what I’ll do.”

Why? Why do I have to look like the weak one right now? The
stupid
tear trailing down my
stupid
face is such a
stupid
traitor.
I
want to look like the strong, unshakable one, and now I’m crying like a baby.
“Wes . . . all I want is to go home.”

“I HAD NO clue that giving you a
necklace would make you depressed all night.” I whisper into Callie’s ear,
sneaking up behind her. “I think I should take a mental note that jewelry is
off-limits from now on.”

She whirls around and clasps her hands loosely at the back
of my neck. “I’m
not
depressed. You’re the one that got me thinking
about the past—how we met, how much of an irrational ass you could be, how
incredibly
hot
you were when you were being an irrational ass.”

“Hey, I’m still incredibly hot.” I nod my head toward the
entrance of the restaurant. “I just saw myself in that mirror over there.”

Callie rolls her eyes playfully. “You can also still be an
irrational ass . . . but I love you.”

“Love you, too,” I say before kissing her forehead. “So what
were you thinking about that had that nasty scowl on your face just now? Don’t
get so wrapped up in the past that you make me pay for my mistakes again. I
make you mad enough on my own, so I don’t need any help from your little trip
in the time machine.”

“I was just thinking about the day that you took me to the
clinic to talk to Casey for the first time. Remember? We were arguing back and
forth—well, it was more me than you—and you asked me what I wanted to do.”

Damn, I haven’t thought about that in a while, but her
answer to my question nearly killed me. I thought we were done for good. “I
won’t ever forget that day. You told me you wanted to go home. I just knew it
was all over.”

Callie flashes my favorite mischievous smile. “But I only
let you think that for a few seconds. I couldn’t let you off too easy.”

Oh, she didn’t. I remember starting my jeep and shifting
into reverse, wondering how I could drive her all the way home without completely
breaking in half. I was a wreck on the inside, and I knew it was only a matter
of time before it all showed. But her hand covered mine, shoving the gear shift
back into park, and she turned to kneel in the seat and flung herself at me.
“What you said then . . . those five words are, to this day, the most special
to me.”

“You’re my home, Wesley Baxter,” she says dreamily,
remembering the moment just as well as I do. “You still are, you know.”

“And even though this makes me sound like a girl, you’re my
Tiffany’s.”

She screws up her face and raises a perfectly manicured
brow. “What?”

“This,” I explain, touching her new necklace. “The movie I
watched with you on the day we met. She said that when she’s down, the only
thing that can bring her happiness is to go to Tiffany’s. And that’s the way I
feel about you. No matter what kind of day I’m having, you’re always the best
part of it. Whenever I see your face, all of my stress, all of my worries,
everything melts away. All that’s left is you.”

The color in her cheeks amplifies a little, and she
stretches up on her toes to kiss the corner of my mouth. “What did you do with
my husband? You haven’t said anything like that to me in a long time.”

She’s right. I don’t tell her what she means to me nearly
enough. But seeing everything that’s happened with Makenna and Sawyer lately,
it’s all made me truly appreciate the life I have. The love I have in it.
Callie has changed my life completely. Without her, I wouldn’t know what it’s
like to truly love someone. Sure, she drives me crazy sometimes with her
opinionated, pushy attitude, but she keeps me in check, and I need it. And I
love being the one that she turns to when she needs a hug or a laugh after a
rough day. I think we balance each other.

Without Callie, I also wouldn’t have had the year to get to
know my biological mother before the cancer took her. We never got close like a
mother and her son would be, but she became a friend, and that’s more than I
could’ve ever asked for. I needed that time with her to heal my heart, and I
think she did, too. And once she was gone, I realized how much my mom and dad
mean to me. They were right there by my side at the funeral, just as they’ve
always been there to support me in everything I do. Eve is still, and always
will be, the rock of my family.

And I know that if I didn’t have Callie in my life, I
wouldn’t have survived the death of my brother, my best friend. It’s still
hard, and sometimes, I’ll have a lapse where I really struggle to even take
another breath. It’s the times that I get the urge to call Shane to ask him
what band sings a certain song or pick on him when the Cowboys lose a game. Or
how I’ll get flashes of the accident scene that still has a tendency of
plaguing me. Callie can see it in my eyes, I swear, and she’s right there
beside me, fighting my demons away.

Without her . . . I couldn’t begin to fathom where I’d be.
But I know it wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am now. Happy. Content. In
love. And about to be a father.

I glance around through Giano’s at our friends. We came here
to celebrate Makenna and Sawyer’s engagement today, but I think it’s a
celebration of how far we’ve all come. Makenna’s grief, Sawyer’s depression, my
insecurities, Dalton’s . . . uh, well, I haven’t really figured him out yet, William’s
distrust in everyone, and we all know Callie’s biggest problem was me. We’ve
all grown, helped each other to become better people. Which is exactly what
life is all about.

“Well,” I snicker, turning back to Callie, “I probably
haven’t said anything sappy like this in a long time because it’s taken me all
this time to come up with it. But even if I don’t say it enough, I always feel
it.”

“I know.” She tugs me down closer to her with a look in her
eyes that I know all too well. Something that tells me we’ll be sneaking out of
the party a little early. “I know exactly how you feel because it’s there in
every kiss.”