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Callum raised his shot glass. “Cheers to you, beautiful.”
He tossed back the shot, and the slightest bit trickled down his chin to his throat.
Tia fanned herself. “That shouldn’t be so erotic,” she mumbled. “Whew, chile!”
“When you’re officially free, you have to let me take you out to really celebrate,” Callum said, wiping his chin.
“O-okay.”
“I’m gonna let you go. I don’t want to intrude on your fun. I just wanted to make sure you were good.”
“Thank you. Good night, Callum.”
“Good night, baby.”
The call ended, and I finally felt like I could breathe again.
Blake slapped my shoulder. “Girl, if you don’t get that man, I know something.”
Tia agreed. “Right! He would only have to call me baby or beautiful one more time, and it would be a wrap.”
“Look at her blushing,” Avyn pointed out again. “Ooooh, I can’t wait for this to come full circle. I’m putting it in the atmosphere. That’s gonna be your man, and he will give and show you everything you’ve been missing.”
They started talking over each other. I sat there, still staring at the phone. Was I ready for that? My marriage had been dead for a long time. I simply existed with Raymond for the longest time. I no longer wanted just to exist. I wanted to live. I wanted to live for my parents. I wanted to live for my son... I wanted to live for me.
I thought about Judge Parker’s words. “I pray that you find love in yourself and the courage to allow someone else to love you too.”
What if Callum wanted to love me at some point? What if I wanted him to love me at some point? Would I be ready for that? Would I accept it? Sabotage it? I wasn’t sure about any of that.
Chapter Eighteen
Callum
“Callum Ellis! Don’t you go to jail behind some woman!”
I sat beside my niece at Bella’s kitchen table as she watched cartoons on her tablet. She insisted I watch with her while her mother cooked. It wasn’t doing me any good because she had her headphones on, so I couldn’t hear the show if I tried.
“I’m not going to jail.”
“If you keep putting your hands on that man, that’s exactly where you will be. I don’t want to have to bail you out.”
“But you would.”
“Of course, I would. I wouldn’t let you sit in jail. You’re too pretty for that.”
I rolled my eyes. Three weeks had gone by since the incident in town. My friendship with Pasha was making strides. She’d finally texted me to give me her number a few days after our impromptu hangout in town. We texted back and forth sparingly, but since seeing her at the cemetery, it had become a daily thing.
We’d been talking about twenty minutes ago when Bella’s nosy self looked over my shoulder. She just had to know who I was talking to, which made me smile. I gave her the rundown on my budding friendship, and while she didn’t object to me putting hands on Raymond Sinclair, she knew my temper.
“Are you sure you want to get involved with a married woman, Callum? I mean, isn’t that like one of the Ten Commandments?”
I sighed. “It is, but hell, he did it first. And technically, she’s just my friend.”
“A friend you are clearly attracted to.”
“Yes, I’m attracted to her. But I’m not doing anything wrong. At least I don’t feel like it. I’m acting within the friend capacity.”
“For the next month. When she’s single, I feel like you will make a move.”
