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“What is going on here?” Mrs. Bible asks, her voice rising.
I reach over and take Callan’s hand, gripping it. “Mrs. Bible, that is the man I was with prior to being with Callan. It’s been over between us for a long time now.” I glare at Patrick. “And no, he’s not the reason I didn’t want to get back together with you. You are.”
“How long, Layla?” Patrick demands, getting right up in my face. “How long have you been with him? You lied to me. You told me nothing was going on between the two of you.”
Because, at the time, nothing was going on. Only I can’t say that.
Callan pulls me closer to his side before he pivots like he’s about to get in Patrick’s face. “Back off, Patrick. This is the last time I’ll tell you.”
Patrick straightens his spine, pulling himself up to his full height, which is still a couple of inches shorter than Callan. He gives him an asshole-ish grin. “Or what? You’ll beat my ass? I’d love to see you try. I deserve some answers.”
“Can someone please explain to me what’s happening?” Mrs. Bible is running out of patience. “What is all this about cheating and secret affairs? Dr. Barrows, have you been hiding your engagement to Miss Fritz from the medical school?”
“Engagement?!” Patrick roars. “She’s not fucking engaged to him. She was living with me four months ago.”
Oh, God. Oh no. My heart slams against my rib cage and my stomach roils, shooting bile up the back of my throat.
Stella comes racing over, breaking up the tension. Her hand lands on my arm, clutching me as her gaze flitters to each person standing around us like some sort of angry mob. I know we’re causing a scene in her restaurant, and I feel terrible about that, but there’s nothing I can do.
“Layla?” she questions, tilting her head to me.
It’s too late to fix this now. I stare helplessly at my friend, rolling my tongue ring back and forth between my lips. I don’t even know what to say. What to do.
“Stella, would you do me a favor and take Katy to the back and get her something to eat?” Callan asks calmly. Too calmly.
Stella’s eyes are all over me, and I give her a nod.
Her features crease with consternation, but she says, “Of course. Katy, do you want to see how we make your dinner?”
Katy hesitates and Callan releases my hand, walking over to her and squatting down so he can meet her eyes. “Go on, Ladybug. It’s okay.” He gives her a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes as he touches her cheek. “I’ll see you in a bit.” He kisses her forehead, his eyes pinching closed, and my heart breaks, watching the fear and agony on his face.
Everything is crashing down around us all at once.
Katy places her hand in Stella’s, and the two of them walk off together. Stella throws me a meaningful look over her shoulder, and then they disappear to the back room.
“Dr. Barrows, are you engaged to Layla Fritz or not?” Mrs. Bible demands, making no bones about expecting an honest answer. We could lie. We could. But at this point, it’ll only hurt us more if we do, and I know Callan knows that.
Callan’s head is bowed, his hand gripping the arm of the chair Katy was just sitting in. Finally, he blows out a heavy breath and stands, addressing only Mrs. Bible. “When my brother and sister-in-law died, there was no will dictating who they wanted Katy to go to. I know you know this.”
Mrs. Bible shifts her weight, her tone clipped. “Yes. I know this.”
“I took guardianship of her because I love her, and I couldn’t imagine her going anywhere else. She formed a bond with Layla and when she ran away from camp to find her, social services got involved. I wanted Layla for Katy.” He shrugs. “Hell, I wanted her for myself too.”
“I’m not sure I understand?”
Callan haplessly tosses his hands. “I love Katy. I’ve loved her since the moment she was born and I’ve been a constant part of her life since. I didn’t hesitate to take her when Declan and Willow died. But when Willow’s parents sought custody, it was suggested that I could lose her because I was a single man, and they were two willing parents.” His mouth twists into a resentful scowl. “It felt ridiculous and wrong, but I knew it was true all the same. I couldn’t let it happen. I couldn’t lose Katy like that.”
“How did Miss Fritz get involved?” Mrs. Bible queries.
Callan walks back to us and retakes my hand, his eyes adoring, even as his world falls apart. “Miss Fritz and I had recently met, and I will tell you, I was already more than halfway in love with her by that point. I asked Miss Fritz if she’d be my fiancée so I could gain custody of Katy. Miss Fritz, who has the most beautiful and selfless heart of anyone I know, agreed.”
“What does her position in school have to do with this?”
He turns back to Mrs. Bible. “Nothing. It was an unfortunate coincidence. I met her prior to knowing I was going to be her temporary professor. She was there the night Willow and Declan died. She was the person in the emergency room caring for Katy. None of this was planned.”
Murphy clears her throat, and Callan looks over to her.
“Layla never cheated, and I never helped her with her case studies. Not once. I have already spoken with Dr. Scabowitz, and he is aware that Layla and I are together. The case study you all took this morning proves that Layla didn’t cheat. She never had to. You, on the other hand, are failing out and if anyone will be gone by the end of the week, it’s you. Maybe you should learn to manage yourself and get all the facts before you try to ruin other people’s lives.”
