AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I spent the better part of a decade in Army Special Forces, sir. I’ve done reconnaissance in more than fifteen countries,” he answers plainly, still completely unphased by the tense atmosphere.
My dad gets up again, mumbling something about needing air before going out on the back patio. We sit in silence for a few minutes, my mom still bouncing looks off of me and Nathan. Eventually, she starts clearing the table, shooing me off when I try to help. She’s halfway into the kitchen when she turns around, catching our attention.
“So… Was it love at first sight, then?” She asks, making my jaw drop. “What? I figured you were sleeping together, but I’m not blind.”
“MOM!” I cover my face with my hand, embarrassed to be called out so blatantly. Thank God my dad’s outside. Nathan interjects, answering for me without any hesitation.
“I knew the moment I saw her that I was willing to die for her,” he pauses, looking at me before continuing. “It wasn’t long after that I realized I didn’t want to live without her.” My breath catches in my throat, hearing him tell my mom that, so easily. I never doubted his feelings, but it’s still hard to imagine he feels that way, that he could love me that much. I’ll probably never feel like I deserve it.
My mom presses a hand to her chest, feeling the impact of his words just as I am. “Thank you for saving my baby girl, Nathan,” she says with trembling lips before disappearing into the kitchen, not giving him a chance to respond. Probably needing a minute to collect herself. I don’t join her right away, giving her space.
Instead, I take advantage of our moment of privacy, kissing Nathan softly. “I love you,” I whisper against his lips, meaning it so deeply from within my soul.
“I love you, too,” he smiles, cupping my cheek lightly, bringing his head close so he can whisper in my ear. “I think your mom might be falling in love with me too,” he can’t contain his laughter after I pull back and slap him lightly on his chest. He holds the spot as if I wounded him.
“Not funny,” I try to say seriously, but his laugh is contagious, making me hide my smile by shoveling a pancake in my mouth.
“I’m gonna go talk to your dad,” he says as he stands up from the table.
“What? Why?” I ask, glancing towards the patio where my dad is leaning against the porch railing, staring into the yard.
“He’s worried about you, Callie, and I know what that feels like. I can’t imagine how it is as a father, but I want him to trust me. I want him to know how serious I am about keeping you safe.” He drops a kiss on my head as he walks towards the back door, sliding the glass door open and giving me a wink as he closes it. He’s so hot, I can’t help but grin like an idiot at him.
My mom comes back in the room, and both of us watch my dad and Nathan talk. We can’t hear what they’re saying, but it looks serious. I’m afraid that it’s not going well, my dad hardly seems to be able to look at Nathan. So, it surprises me a couple of minutes later when Nathan holds his hand out, intending to shake my dad’s hand, but instead, my dad pulls him into an embrace. A quick pat on the back then he releases him, but it looked like a hug nonetheless. My mom and I scatter before they turn around, pretending to be busy in the kitchen.
Chapter Forty-Two
Nathan
My head’s reeling a little bit when I walk back into the house. Not expecting how the conversation with Callie’s dad went. I’m still processing what he said when I see Callie eyeing me from the kitchen, probably wondering what went down. I clear my throat, not sure what to tell her yet, so I change tactics. “I need to get going. There’s a couple of things I need to take care of back home.” It’s not completely forthcoming, but it’s enough of the truth for now. Callie squints her eyes slightly but doesn’t acknowledge my half truth.
“I’ll walk you out.” There’s a formality to her tone that puts me on edge, but I follow her out after telling her mom goodbye. We get to my truck before she says anything, climbing into my passenger side.
“What aren’t you telling me?” She asks, keeping her eyes pointed toward the floorboard like she’s afraid to look at me.
“What do you mean?” I can’t stop the words from coming out, my natural instinct to evade being caught.
“Please, don’t lie to me.” Her voice is so small and it kills me. I’m caught between lying to protect her or telling her the truth, and reaping the consequences that will bring.
“What do you want to know?”
She looks at me, skeptically, and I’m impressed she’s so astute to my bullshitting but uneasy about what’s to come.
“What are you really planning to do once you get home?” She’s looking at me directly now, waiting to see how I respond, reading me for deception. Smart.
“I’m going to keep an eye on the Sheriff, see if he leads me to Tony and Bub,” I deliver my response as simply as I can, hoping she’ll accept it and move on.
“And then?” She prompts, not letting it slide. I grit my teeth, not wanting to answer her question. Fuck. I don’t want to lie to her, but I’m not ready to draw back the curtain and ruin her opinion of me. I’ve enjoyed being the hero in her eyes, someone who only does good. But, it’s far from the truth and I’ve only been lying to myself. I rub my jaw, avoiding answering her question. “Nathan. What are you going to do once you find them?” She asks again, forcing my hand.
Might as well rip the bandaid off now, so she can run inside to the safety of her own home once she learns the truth. It’s inevitable. “I’m going to kill them,” I say clearly, so there’s no question whether she heard it correctly or not. I keep my voice low and even, void of emotion. She needs to realize this isn’t a rash decision, it’s been well thought out, and there will be no changing my mind. Even if it means losing her.
She doesn’t say anything right away, and I don’t know which is more concerning, her silence or the fact she didn’t go running from the truck trying to get away from the killer she’s sitting next to. I wait, giving her the time she needs to process what I said, but wishing I could hear her thoughts. I don’t regret my choice to go kill those bastards, because I know she’ll finally be safe once and for all. But, it will kill me if she can’t stomach being with me after I do it, a constant reminder of the worst event in her life.
“All three of them?” Her voice is calm, without a hint of the fear I expected.
“Yes,” answering simply.
“Are you out of your mind?” She lashes out, the anger is evident on her face, not exactly the reaction I was expecting either. “You’re crazy,” she adds, shaking her head.
