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Wren
There had been a carwaiting to take me to work every single day and bring me home in the evening. Only, I was alone in the back seat. The driver informed me Mr. Rose’s schedule differed from mine, but he wanted to make sure I was comfortable and safe during my commute.
My heart actually hurt when he told me that.
It was Saturday now, and I couldn’t avoid telling the truth any longer. I felt the burden of it on my shoulders. Each day that passed, it became heavier and heavier. Jenny had been right. None of this was fair to Callum.
Ezra sat on my bed with a massive stack of books while I rushed around like a mad woman. I couldn’t decide what to wear. Somber was most likely the right choice. I was feeling like I was about to walk in front of a firing squad. If I owned a hairshirt, that probably would have been suitable. But since I wasn’t John the freaking Baptist, I had no idea where one would acquire such a thing.
“Whatcha doin’, Mommy?” Ez asked.
“Going crazy, baby angel. What are you doing?”
He held up a board book about Picasso. “I’m reading. This art is crazy.”
I peered at the picture ofLe Reve. “Do you knowle revemeansthe dream?”
He giggled and jabbed at the portrait of the sleeping woman. “She’s havin’ a dream?”
I tickled his chin. “Or maybe sheisthe dream, like you’re Mommy’s dream come true. The light of my life.” I poked his side. “The syrup on my pancakes. The butter on my bread.”
Squealing, he rolled to his stomach, locking his arms over his sides. “The peanut butter and jelly!” he shrieked.
I kissed his shoulder and grinned at my happy boy. “Yeah, that’s right. You’re the peanut butter to my jelly.” Straightening, I put my hands on my hips. “Now, jelly, can you help Mommy decide on what to wear tonight?”
He sat up and scanned the pile of clothes I had thrown on the opposite side of the bed. “Are you leavin’?”
“Not until you go to sleep, and I’ll be here when you wake up.”
His face scrunched for a second, and my heart plummeted. Ezra was pretty go with the flow. Then again, I rarely went out, and pretty much never at night. He shrugged and reached for a book, and I blew out a heavy sigh of relief.
Jeans. I’d wear jeans and a cute top with a cardigan. On the very off chance Callum forgave me, I wanted to look presentable in case we actually got to the dinner portion of the evening.
This would be okay. No matter what happened tonight, I’d be coming back to a safe home, an aunt who loved and cared for me, and a son I lived and breathed for. That was my mantra for the rest of the evening, until Ezra was tucked snug in his bed and Jenny stood by the front door with me.
I blinked back tears as I smiled at her. “I don’t know how to do this.”
She squeezed my shoulders. “Just blurt out the truth. Get it over with the moment you see him. Answer any questions he has and accept the feelings he might have toward you. It’ll all be okay, Birdie.”
“Promise?” I asked meekly.
She clucked her tongue. “I can’t promise you something I have no control over. But you need to do the right thing even if it hurts.” Her lips pressed against my temple. “I won’t wait up, just in case it goes really, really well.”
With a laugh, I walked out to the SUV waiting to bring me to Callum’s apartment. The trip was under five minutes. Not even long enough to let me catch my breath. I couldn’t get over how incredibly close he lived to me. What were the chances? If I had started my job at Good Music a month or two later, I might have never run into him.
Maybe this was fate stepping in, giving us closure. Except this didn’t really feel like closure. The fissure in my heart from the day I’d said goodbye to Callum had been cracked open wide the moment he strolled past me in the lobby without giving me a second glance. And it had only grown wider.
Shadows worshiped Callum. He stood outside his building, waiting for me in the bitter cold. Light illuminated him from the back while darkness claimed his front, dancing over the sharp corners of his jaw and sliding down his straight nose. He stepped forward, and even more darkness moved in on him, until all I could make out was the glow of his blond hair and the broad hand reaching to help me out of the SUV.
“Hi.” My heart thrashed like a wild beast in my chest. My stomach churned.
“Hi, Wren.”Rin. Oh, how I’d miss hearing that.
I swallowed, holding myself together. “You’re not wearing a coat.” He had that leather jacket on that made him look like he’d stepped out of a James Dean film. It was sexy and made my knees weak, but it wouldn’t stand up to a New York winter.
He pulled me toward his building, my hand tucked firmly in his. “You’re worried about me again?”
“Anyone would be. It’s freezing, Callum. What if you get frostbite and lose a finger? You’ll be kicked out of the band and become destitute.”
