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Her eyes were bright. “Shopping!”
“Don’t break my pockets, Bella.”
“Oh, please! You’ve got it, and I’m gonna spend it. You know you love spending your money on me, Callum.”
I grinned as I shook my head. “I knew it was a mistake to spoil you.”
“You created a monster, and Martin feeds the beast. You’re both at fault.”
“Whatever.”
“So, are you gonna tell me what had you in a daze earlier?”
“Oh, that...” I glanced down, rubbing my hands against my thighs. “Just thinking.”
“About someone or something?”
“I guess you could say it was someone.”
“Am I finally gonna get a sister-in-law? Will Precious get the cousins she’s been asking for?”
“Martin has six nieces and nephews. She has cousins.”
“Not from her favorite uncle! Stop deflecting too. Answer the question.”
“The question is absurd.”
“Callum!”
I sighed. “It’s not like that, Bella. Honestly, I had a customer that left a mark on me. She was just—”
“She? A woman has you in your feelings?”
I gave her a brief rundown of my encounter with Mrs. Sinclair. Anger filled her beautiful face as I told her about that bastard of a husband and how shit went down before we left. Talking about it had my blood boiling all over again.
“Oh, he needs his ass beat,” Bella said, shaking her head. “You should have fucked him up.”
“Everything in me wanted to do more than I did, sis. If it weren’t for the neighborhood and the fact that he looked like he’d call the police, I would have.”
“I take it you’re feeling her? That’s gonna be messy, Callum.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m feeling her, but I am concerned.”
“You can’t fix everybody.”
“I don’t wanna fix her. I just... I don’t know, Bella. Something about her just resonated with my soul. She doesn’t have anybody. We know what it’s like to feel alone in this world.”
She hung her head. Our father grew up in foster care and never knew his family. Mom, on the other hand, had quite a bit of family. She wasn’t particularly close to some of them, but there was a handful she dealt with regularly. We assumed somebody would step up to help us when they passed, but that wasn’t the case.
After our parents died, nobody in our family wanted to take us in. If a check wasn’t involved, most of them said they couldn’t afford it. A few even thought I would sign the insurance check over to them, but that wasn’t happening. My parents worked hard, and I refused for Bella and me to be left with absolutely nothing. I sacrificed for us, and if I had to, I would do it all again.
“I know,” Bella said, reaching for my hand. “But we’ve always had each other. You were grown, and you could have thrown me to the wolves to go live your life. You never left me behind. I know it wasn’t easy. I know you gave up a lot to make sure we could still be a family, and I will always appreciate you, Callum. Your heart is one of the reasons I love you so much.”
She came around the table to hug me. Her embrace was warm and loving. Anytime we had these conversations, it made me emotional. I wished that our parents were here to see what we’d become. I wished they’d had a chance to witness every defining moment in our lives. I wished they’d gotten to love on Precious because she was such an amazing, smart, and loving little girl.
I didn’t know Pasha’s full story, but I could see that she was dealing with years of hurt. My mother always said that the eyes were the windows to the soul. When I looked into her eyes, I saw nothing but pain. That was what resonated with me. I didn’t know how to stay away from her, but the urge to pull up was real.
After getting out of our feelings, Bella and I had a great lunch.
