dinner with us and Callum?”
“You can come too, Ms. Amanda,” Charlie added. “We’re going to make a fire in the pit in the backyard. You always say the more the merrier, Dad.”
“I would hate to intrude,” Amanda said.
“That’d be so much fun, Dad. Please?” Logan asked.
Dale added, “Mom, you say it’s important to have friends and to do more than play games, but you never do anything fun or hang out with friends either.”
Fuck. I was so screwed. How in the hell did I get out of this without looking like an asshole? Amanda was new in town. It made sense that she didn’t know many people yet. She’d told me as much the first night we met.
“The two of you are welcome to come back for pizza and s’mores tonight,” I told Amanda.
“Yesssss!” both boys cheered.
“Sounds fun,” she replied. “Are you sure it wouldn’t be a bother?”
“Of course. Callum will be here too.” Even though she didn’t know who he was to me, it felt wrong not to mention him. For all I knew, she caught on that morning when his car was here, so maybe she did know. “The more the merrier,” I added.
We discussed details and when they should come back. As soon as they were gone, I turned to Charlie. “That wasn’t okay. You know better than to invite people over without asking me in private first.”
“I was trying to be nice!” she shouted, then turned and ran for the stairs.
“Fuck!” I gritted out again, falling back to lean against the door. This was a disaster. The last thing I wanted to do now was to call Callum and tell him what was happening.
I went straight for my bedroom, closing and locking the door behind me. I’d tell Callum, then go upstairs and try to talk with Charlie again.
“Hey. How’s my lumberjack?” he said playfully, and while hearing his voice eased some of the tension in my body, I knew it wouldn’t last long.
“Your lumberjack is missing you…but I also have awkward news.”
“Okay…”
“Charlie invited Amanda and Dale to dinner and the bonfire tonight. I was backed into a corner and didn’t know how to say no.”
“Oh.” The tentative softness in his voice made my chest ache. “Should I not come?”
“What? No. Absolutely not. I want you here.”
“And I want to be there, but this is going to be weird. You know Amanda is attracted to you. And no one can know we’re together. Charlie hates me. Oh God. Do you think she knows? That we’re together and that’s why she invited Amanda? She wants you with a woman?” His words were coming so fast, I could hardly understand him.
“Hey, no. I think she senses something’s going on. I need to tell them. Given the circumstances, I don’t think today is the best day, but I’m going to talk to Carol and sit down with the kids on a video-call tomorrow, okay?” It wasn’t until I said the words that I knew they were true. Keeping it a secret wasn’t making things any easier, and Charlie would feel lied to later. “Even if this is something we have to work through with Charlie, I’m not going anywhere. I don’t want Amanda or any other woman. I want you, and I would love for you to be here tonight, but I don’t want to push you either.” I waited, but only silence greeted me. “I’m sorry, Cal.”
“I know.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.” There was another pause, then, “How many pizzas should I bring? And what kinds?”
Though I didn’t know if it was the right decision or not, I breathed easier. Knowing he was there made everything easier.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Callum
At first I wasn’t sure I was going to go. I went back and forth, even after I confirmed with Knox I’d be there. Finally, there were three things that convinced me to go. First, I loved him. I wanted to be a part of his family. I wasn’t giving up that easily. Second, I wanted Charlie to know that she couldn’t push me away. That I liked her and I would keep trying to get her to like me, because that’s what you did when you loved someone—and I loved Knox, which meant I loved her too. Eventually she would see that, right? She had to see it. And third, no offense to Amanda—because it wasn’t her fault and she seemed like a nice woman; the poor thing was dragged into the middle of this—but I sure as shit