and I shrug.
“Everything is bigger in the South,” I say, walking to the table.
“Heehaw to that,” Casey says and then looks at Olivia. “Saved you a seat, darlin’.”
“You.” I point at Casey. “Stop that right now. We have a pact.”
“It’s null and void.” He smirks. “Has been since you left.”
“How many?” I ask him, thinking of how many of my friends he’s hooked up with and broke their hearts.
“A gentleman never kisses and tells.” He sits down, and I look around.
“I don’t see any gentlemen here,” I say, grabbing my own chair and sitting down. “You.” I point at Olivia. “Come sit here next to me.”
“Would you relax? I can handle myself.” She pulls out the chair and sits down. “Oh my gosh, is that fried chicken?”
“Yup,” I say when my mother puts down the plate of chicken. “That’s chicken fried steak.” I point at the plate next to the chicken. “That’s shrimp and grits. And then collard greens, biscuits with gravy you can also put on the chicken fried steak, and cornbread.”
“I’m going to be a million pounds when I leave here,” Olivia says, looking at all the food. I’m about to grab a piece of chicken when a phone rings, and we both look at each other. The panic in her eyes is apparent, and she almost bolts from the table. Casey’s eyes fly to hers and then mine as he pulls his phone out of his back pocket. He looks down and then looks at me.
“’Bout fucking time you took your head out of your ass,” he says and looks at me and then my parents as he pushes away from the table. “I was calling to give you a heads-up.” He walks out of the room.
“No one will touch you here,” my father says softly, and Olivia grabs her napkin and dabs her eyes. I don’t say anything when Casey comes back into the house, the door slamming behind him.
I watch him toss his phone on the counter. “Well, it’s safe to say people know you’re back.”
Chapter Five
Jacob
“Is this going to be a problem?” Savannah asks, and I shake my head.
“Ethan, say bye to Mom,” I tell my son who walks over to his mom and reaches up to give her a hug.
“Love you, kiddo,” she says and then she looks at me. “Can you call me later?”
“Will do.” I nod at her. Having Kallie back in town is fucking with me, and I saw her for point seven seconds. I feel shifted, and I hate it. I get Ethan in the truck and buckle him in. “Eat what your mom packed you.” I point at the lunch bag that he put on the seat when he got in.
After closing the door, I try my hardest to slow my heart rate, but I know I have to call Casey. I get into the truck and drive over to the football field. I get Ethan out of his seat, then grab his equipment from the back. “You finish your food?” I ask, and he just nods. “Have a good game,” I say and kiss his head.
I wait for him to get to his coach before I grab my phone out of my pocket and call Casey, who answers after three agonizing rings.
“’Bout fucking time you took your head out of your ass,” he says.
“Kallie’s back in town.” I don’t even bother acknowledging his previous statement. There are a lot of things I feel for the whole family, but I can only step in the ring with Casey.
“I was calling to give you a heads-up.” I hear a chair scrape, and I wonder if he’s at home with her.
“Cut the bullshit,” I hiss. “The last thing you would ever do was help me.”
“Wasn’t me who had a kid with someone else, was it?” He always hits below the belt. “Either way, I just wanted you to know she’s back.”
“I saw that,” I say, then my voice goes soft. “She saw me already. I was in front of the station with Ethan.” I don’t know why I say it, but I do. I say it because I know that if the roles were reversed and I saw her with a child she had with someone else, I would need to bury my sorrows in a bottle of whiskey. Fuck, just the thought of it makes me sick.
“Fuck,” he hisses. “Needless to say, I think it’s a good idea if you both avoid each other.”
“Works for me,” I say and