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“No. I asked about him all the time. I was told he was dead. And I mourned him and missed him until he walked back into my life a few weeks ago.”
Jax had completely lost his appetite. The pain shimmering in Callie’s voice gutted him. He couldn’t wrap his head around what the two siblings had lost when they had been ripped apart from one another. It was unimaginable. And horrific. And so very tragic.
“I’m sorry for what you’ve been through. You and Mac,” he said, feeling at a loss as to what he could possibly say to convey his sorrow. Callie’s past was nightmarish, yet he’d always viewed her as a spoiled princess. It served as a reminder not to judge people. It was true that one never knew what road a person had traveled down.
“Thanks,” she said in a soft voice, bowing her head down. “But I don’t want to let the past define us. Mac has a very happy life in Breeze Point, Cape Cod. He’s engaged to a wonderful woman named Delilah. She helped him find me,” Callie said, her face beaming with joy. “There’s so much to look forward to. Now that Mac and I have closure with the past we can focus on the future.”
“I like the sound of that,” he said. “The past can hold us back from moving forward. Trust me, I should know.”
Callie’s expression softened. “How is your mother holding up? It must be difficult.”
Jax stared into his lemonade glass. “She’s doing okay. It’s been a rough twelve months.”
“Have you…been to see him?” Callie asked.
“No,” Jax said in a curt voice. “And I have no intention of doing so.”
Callie winced. “I understand your hurt, but perhaps you should keep an open mind.”
Jax felt the muscles in his neck tightening. “You should understand more than anybody why that’s not possible. Something tells me you won’t be forgiving Lionel anytime soon.”
A look of annoyance crossed Callie’s features. “I don’t want to compare battle scars, but what your father did…it wasn’t personal. He embezzled funds.”
“And left my mother in dire straits when he was convicted and placed in prison. Not to mention the shame and humiliation she’s suffered. She’s barely gone anywhere in the last year,” Jax grumbled. “She’s a shadow of her former self.”
“Your mother is stronger than she realizes. She might just be in a funk over everything. Going out with some of her friends coul
d shake things up a bit in her world,” Callie suggested.
Jax snorted. “Friends? Most of them ditched her after the scandal broke. No one wants to be associated with a woman whose husband is serving time for stealing funds.” Jax felt anger rising up inside him due to the unfairness of it all. He could withstand all the whispers, but when his sweet mother was snubbed and treated poorly because of his father’s sins, he had a huge problem with it. Most hurtful of all had been when certain members of their congregation had turned their backs on them. It had been ugly and hurtful.
Callie shook her head, shifting his focus to her full head of vibrantly colored hair and the way it swung about her shoulders. “Those are not true friends. Friends don’t judge or seek to diminish the ones they love. They lift each other up.”
Callie locked gazes with him. Her beautiful green eyes radiated compassion. “How are you doing, Jax? I know you hide behind that sarcastic sense of humor, but I know this must have taken its toll on you.”
Jax bit back a sigh. He didn’t want Callie to feel sorry for him. He hated pity of any kind. All he wanted was for Callie to see him as a strong, rugged man who could take care of her when the storms of life swirled around her. He had been praying about that for quite some time now.
“I’m good. I don’t intend to be judged by my father’s actions. He chose to do wrong and now he’s paying for it.” Jax didn’t even believe what he was saying. His father had wounded him terribly and the ripples of his actions were still resonating for their family. Jax’s younger sister, Tandy, wouldn’t even come home to Savannah because of the scandal.
“But it still hurts like crazy,” he acknowledged. “A person only has one father.” He shuddered. “It’s devastating to discover that the man you thought was your hero has feet of clay. I still love him, but I’m going to pray for him and love him at a distance. I’m my own person. I refused to be wrecked by his deception.”
“I agree,” Callie said. “We’re our own people when it comes right down to it. I have no intention of allowing my father’s lies to taint my life. That’s one of the main reasons I left home…to distance myself from him and all that he represents.”
Jax raised an eyebrow. “And your mother? I know how much she depends on you.”
Callie placed her glass down on the counter. “She’s not exactly innocent in all this. My father shoulders most of the blame for lying about Mac being dead, but my mother couldn’t have been completely in the dark all these years.”
Jax nodded. “I hear ya. I better get going, Callie. I was really just popping in to make sure you were all settled in.” He looked around him and smiled. Although there were a few small boxes still sitting around, it appeared as if she was fully moved in and operational. A feeling of pride rose up inside him. Although Callie had always been a bit of a princess, she was now showing her strength and grit. And after what Luke had told him about her upbringing, he now knew that she had endured hardships…and abuse. It made him shudder just to think of what she and Mac had lived through.
Callie got up from her seat and began walking with him toward the door.
“Thanks for coming to check on me, Jax. And thanks for listening,” she said, a sweet expression etched on her face.
Did she have any idea how adorable she looked? Or how it made his heart thump like crazy just to be in her orbit? Luke had encouraged him to lay his feelings on the line, but tonight was not the night to do so. Callie had peeled back her layers this evening and shared something deeply personal with him. It made him feel closer to her than he had ever felt before. It made him feel hopeful about putting his feelings out there and courting Callie the way he wanted to—with every ounce of romance and dedication he had stored up inside him.
Callie opened up her front door for him and he walked out into the cool Savannah night, feeling a bit surprised by the strength of the ocean breeze. He turned back toward Callie and impulsively leaned in and pressed a kiss against her cheek. He could smell the sweet scent of lavender and vanilla hovering around her. When he lifted his head up he caught a glimpse of her immediate reaction. Her eyes went wide. Her beautiful, full lips were trembling. There was an awareness flaring between them that neither of them could deny. He could sense that it startled Callie…this awareness that he’d felt for quite some time. He took a step backward, knowing this wasn’t the moment, nor the time to press it any further.
With a smile he headed toward his car, softly whistling as he unlocked it with his remote and slid into the driver’s seat. He turned his head to get one last look at Callie. She was still standing in the doorway gazing at him. He waved to her before roaring off into the night, a feeling of satisfaction flooding through him at the dazed look on her face. In his humble opinion, something had shifted between them tonight. It could lead to something really special. If he played his cards right.
