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Chasing Callie

Page 115

by Rory Miles

This is what Dad always wanted.

The three of us happy, working together, building a life. I don’t think any of us could have gotten there without Callie, and I remind myself to make sure she knows how much I love her as soon as we wrap up and take her out to dinner.

CALLIE

The stepladder I’m standing on isn’t tall enough for me to reach the lights and adjust them, but it seems fate is on my side, because right as I’m straining and the ladder starts to wobble a bit, three men walk through my gallery doors.

My gallery.

Perhaps my muse would’ve come back without the guys, but I think my soul was always missing them, and now that we’re together, I’ve never been so full of creative energy. Opening a gallery was a big decision, but Dad’s basement was overflowing with canvases and it was the last step in reclaiming my art.

A gallery in Big Ridge may not be as fancy as NYC, but it’s home.

None of it would have been possible without the guys who pause when they see my precarious position.

“Callie Mae,” Brax warns.

“What are you doing?” Jax asks.

“You should’ve called,” Knox grumbles.

Dropping back down to my heels and clutching the handle with a death grip, I gaze down at my men as if I wasn’t two seconds away from falling right off. “I had it handled.”

“Sure you did, cupcake.” Jax reaches the base of the ladder first and offers me his hand.

I take it and he guides me down the steps, sweeping me into his arms for a passionate kiss that leaves me dizzy, but I’m tugged out of his arms and pulled straight into his twin brother’s. Brax’s lips claim mine with equal fervor, and my mind takes a nose dive to naughty places. A pointed throat clearing and a strong hand clamping on my arm pulls me away from the twins and right into Knox’s arms.

Biting my lip, I rise on my toes, holding his gaze, and brush my lips over his. “Hey, tough guy.”

He grins, a real, boyish thing, and kisses me like I always dreamed about when I was a little girl. As if I’m the only woman he’s ever wanted or loved. Like I’m his whole world, and finally—FINALLY—after all this time, it’s true.

By the time he lets me go, Jax and Brax have adjusted the light, knowing exactly how I like it positioned on the paintings because they helped set up the others. Tucked against Knox’s side, I check over the last two paintings I put up. The first one is simple but full of so much of who I am, that I decided to display it but not to put it up for sale. The painting is of a cute little house with blue siding and four blurry figures standing on the porch.

Me and the guys.

Our home.

The one without liens.

Our memories.

The life we’ve built together.

“How else can we help?” Brax asks.

Sighing, I look around. “I’m pretty much done for the day.”

“Perfect, because we’re going on a date.”

My eyebrows lift. “Oh really? I thought we might head home. . .” I trail off, biting my bottom lip.

The Williams brothers exchange looks, but I’m already racing for the door. I know their answer. The three of them rush after me. Knox catches me around the waist before I reach the door.

“Where you running to, baby?”

A laugh spills out of me. “I thought I’d get a head start.” I press my ass into his groin. “Are we going home?”

“Oh we’re going home, and once we’re done with you, you will eat dinner.”