AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cal.
She hadn’t seen him since last week in the park, and she hated that she missed him. She should have been relieved she was no longer running into him everywhere. Instead, she found herself searching for him at the grocery store… the coffee shop… the park… the gym... The whole time, annoyed that she couldn’t be annoyed at him for crossing her path and irritated that she ached in his absence.
He stood at the back of the gathering with Connelly and Veronica Davis, tall and handsome in a charcoal gray suit with a big grin on his face. He always looked a little bit rumpled in his suits, his hair always tousled, reminding her of a boy who had been playing too hard at recess.
As if sensing her gaze, he turned. His eyes were filled with soft warmth that made her stupid, traitorous heart flutter.
Their gazes locked and there was a moment, just a moment, when Ellie could’ve sworn everyone else faded away. Cal was smiling at her, a small, crooked smile that looked like it belonged only to her.
Someone cleared their throat softly, breaking the spell, and Ellie’s cheeks flushed as she quickly looked away from Cal. Rylan Cross, Shane’s best man, was standing there with his prosthetic arm extended, waiting for her. Alexis and Shane had already made their way back down the aisle to the cheers of the guests.
Rylan smirked at her as she accepted his arm. “Daydreaming about a certain lawyer?”
Ellie shot him a scowl and pushed her slipping glasses up her nose. “I wasn’t daydreaming.”
“Uh-huh.”
“And even if I was, it wouldn’t ever be about Cal.”
“Of course not,” he said with mock gravity. “You obviously hate him.”
“Shut up, Rylan.”
He chuckled and gave her arm a friendly squeeze. As they walked down the aisle, she resisted the urge to look for Cal again.
She had wanted him to come for Alexis’s sake. After all, he was part of the close-knit community that had rallied around her sister during her darkest days. But now that he was here, Ellie wished he wasn’t.
She didn’t like this. She wasn’t the kind of woman who became enamored with a man just because he was attractive and charming. She’d always prided herself on that. Dating was an afterthought. She was busy with her career and perfectly happy being single.
So why couldn’t she keep her eyes off him?
Ellie did her best to mingle with the guests post-ceremony while Alexis and Shane had their first dance. She laughed at eight-year-old Poppy’s jokes and chatted with Bella about her college plans. She discussed Puzzle’s training progress with Zak and Anna and entertained Hudson with a game of peek-a-boo to give Donovan and Sasha time to hit up the buffet. Her gaze, however, kept wandering to Cal, who was engaged in an animated conversation with Connelly over by the bar. He caught her eye once more, raising his glass in her direction before returning to the conversation with a chuckle. But then Ash approached him, and his smile faded.
Ash, tight-lipped and stern as usual, led Cal away from the festivities toward a quieter part of the garden. They were out of earshot, but their postures screamed tension. She watched as Cal took a step back as if in surprise. A few years ago, she wouldn’t have given it another thought, but now that she knew the uneasy history these men shared, she anticipated an explosion. For while Cal was defense and Ash was offense, both were good at their jobs, and they were two of the most stubborn men she’d ever met.
Ash punctuated his words with sharp hand movements, jabbing a finger into Cal’s chest every time he made a point. Cal stood tall and resolute under the onslaught, his face hard as granite. He waved away whatever Ash was saying with an impatient flick of his hand.
Ellie excused herself quietly from Sasha and Donovan and made her way through the crowd toward the pair. She didn’t intrude into their conversation but parked herself within hearing distance under the pretense of admiring one of the flower beds.
“…need to stay out of this,” Ash was saying, arms crossed over his chest.
Cal, visibly annoyed but keeping his calm, replied, “I don’t think you understand, Ash. I can’t walk away. It’s not that simple.”
“Of course, it’s not simple. Nothing ever is with you. But this doesn’t concern you.”
“I have every right to be involved,” Cal said, his voice icy and calm. “She called me for help.”
Ash sighed and took a step back, dragging a hand over his face. “I didn’t come here to fight with you. I came here to warn you.”
“Warn me?” Cal’s laugh held no humor. “About what?”
Ash glanced around before leaning in closer. “Just... stay away from Hope’s case. There’s more going on here than you realize.”
Hope?
Ellie’s heart surged into her throat. They couldn’t be talking about her sister, could they? But why would they be after all these years?
“Just because you wear a badge doesn’t mean you have a monopoly on justice,” Cal shot back.
