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We end up bringing Callie back to our apartment because she wasn’t ready to go home. I lie next to her on the bed the morning after all the crazy while Aiden sleeps soundly on the sofa. I can’t help but wonder how she got in so deep. Was Niall like Aiden at one stage, kind and gentle before he turned into a power-hungry douchebag?
Callie slowly opens her eyes and looks at me. “Good morning, darling. Thank you so much for letting me stay last night. I know you didn’t have to, but I’m grateful that you did.”
“It’s no bother at all. I want you to be happy, so does Aiden. He’s very worried about you.” I smile at her reassuringly.
Callie nods. “I know. I’ve been thinking about it all night, and there’s no question I need to leave Niall.”
“You’re the only one who can make that decision.”
“I know, and I’m sure I’ve already made it.”
I bite my bottom lip. I don’t want to smile as that would be inappropriate right now, but I’m glad she’s leaving the douchebag. Happiness floods me at the knowledge that she won’t be hounded by Niall anymore. My thoughts suddenly turn to him and how awful of a man he really is.
How does someone become so cruel?
“Can I ask you a personal question?”
She looks at me curiously. “Of course.”
I take in a deep breath. “Was Niall different when you first met him? I mean was he nice and then he changed?”
She sees right through me. “Sweetheart, Aiden’s nothing like his father. Niall has always been rude and obnoxious. Even when we were growing up together, he was like his father, Patrick. Patty was a ruthless man. He wanted Niall to follow in his footsteps and work as an entrepreneur dabbling in all the various business ventures he had. But Niall was incredible with numbers and had a real eye for detail. He wanted to be in finance, so when he told his father that he wasn’t going to follow in his footsteps, Patty would yell and sometimes even physically abuse Niall. I guess to knock some sense into him. Patty was set in his ways, and he wanted his only son to be just like him, and his father before him. But Niall’s personality was always like his father’s… I think that’s why they clashed so much when Niall was growing up.”
She smiles wide like she’s thinking about something. “Aiden, on the other hand, has grown up just like Niall did with his father telling him what to do and how to do it, but he isn’t like his father. He’s much calmer and more tolerant than Patty or Niall ever were. To be honest, I don’t know what I saw in Niall when I was younger. I think it was the bad-boy curse.”
“I never pictured you liking the ‘bad boys.’” I use air quotes around the words.
“Oh, yes, my first partner rode a motorcycle, and in those days, that was the epitome of a bad boy. My father was outraged that I’d choose someone so reckless. Then there was Mike. Do you know the story of how we met?”
I look at her, intrigued. “No. I thought he was hired to drive for Aiden when he was five.”
Callie smiles as if she’s reminiscing. “No. Niall and I practically grew up together. Our parents were great friends and would socialize. I think they had Niall and I paired from the start. It wasn’t until we were in our teens that Nana and Patty took Mike in after a tragedy when his parents died. He was working for them doing odd jobs around the house, and he quickly became part of the family. We were like our own little gang of three. Mike, Niall, and me. No one could break our friendship…” She exhales with tears forming in her eyes. “It wasn’t until Mike and I became quite close that Patty and Niall started referring to Mike as ‘the help’ and, therefore, he was in a different class than us. My parents were incredibly set on being upper-class, so to have me connecting with someone from ‘the help’ was frowned upon.”
Her nostrils flare like she’s angry at the memory, her tears disappearing. “Mike was eventually made to do jobs where we could only see each other in passing, and then we drifted apart. My parents encouraged my relationship with Niall, and I guess the rest is history.” She weakly smiles with a shrug. “I often wonder how my life would’ve turned out if Mike had come along in a different way or at a different time. But there’s no point in wondering, I guess I’ve made my bed. I better lie in it even if it isn’t in the same room as my husband’s anymore.”
I want Callie to be happy because a life with Niall will never be content. “Well, you know you can stay here for as long as you like.”
She smiles. “Thank you, honey, but I don’t want to intrude. I mean, you two are starting your lives together. You don’t want me hanging around to spoil the romance.”
I go to reply, but Aiden walks in. “Mom, I have a spare apartment free on the second floor if you want to stay here. I’d rather know you’re safe with us than alone somewhere else,” he says, obviously overhearing our conversation. He walks over to the bed and sits on the edge by his mom.
Callie smiles and nods. “I promise, I won’t intrude.”
Aiden hugs his mom as I grin mischievously. “Mike is on the second floor. I’m sure he’ll keep you company.”
“Jeni,” Aiden warns, sternly.
Callie looks at me with a gleam in her eye and shakes her head. “No, it’s fine. Mike and I are good friends. It’ll be nice knowing he’s there.”
I smile at her knowingly while Aiden sits on the bed, his eyes darting between us with his brows furrowed like he knows we’re hiding something from him, which we are. Callie hasn’t said it directly, but I know she’s excited about being near Mike. Her body language gives her away, and now that I know about their past, I hope they find comfort in each other again.
Deciding we should eat breakfast, we get up. I walk to the kitchen and rummage through the cupboard for something to cook, giving Aiden and his mom some alone time as they sit in the living room to talk. Finally, I decide on pancakes, and it takes about fifteen minutes to prepare them onto plates—a stack for each of us with strawberries, maple syrup, and a dash of cream on top. After I set the table, I head back to the kitchen to pour the coffee.
“Guys, it’s ready.”
“This looks delicious.” Callie beams with a smile.
“You should come over more often, Mom. She never cooks like this for me.”
