Page 70 of Outlawed

“I failed her once, James. I failed her in every way a mother can. But not this time. This time, I’ll do anything, give anything, even if that means I’m always watching from the sidelines. Her happiness is the greatest reward I could ask for.”

“And her men?”

I sigh and lay my head back down. “Nobody is who they seem anymore, not even Calliope. I don’t know how things will play out. Every one of them has the potential to hurt the other. But Calliope is so much stronger than I was. If anyone can right the wrongs of Crowhurst, it’s her.”

I don’t mention Austin because there is still something about him that makes the hairs on my arms stand on end. Though I guess it’s better for Calliope to have him as a lover than an enemy, I can’t shake the feeling that he skates too close to the edge of being both.

James strokes his finger down my face and sighs. “I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit.”

I snap out of my thoughts.

“You’re still here, you’re still doing everything you can, even if it’s behind the scenes.”

“Maybe. But the main difference between Calliope and me is that while I found the strength to run, she found the strength to stay, to fight, to break the rules and draw others in instead of living a lonely, solitary life. The Hart witches were once used as a warning to keep people’s kids in line. Now they’re used as a symbol of hope and protection. And Calliope did that.”

He presses a soft kiss to my temple. “You’re not alone anymore. I’ll keep your secret for you. You know I will. There is nothing on god’s green earth I won’t do for you. Just don’t ask me to downplay what an amazing woman you are. Where you see flaws, I see obstacles you overcame. Where you see weakness, I see the fear you pushed through to come out the other side. Calliope is strong, kind, funny, and all those things because she learned them from you. You might not have been there for the first fifteen years of her life, but you were there for the next, and you’ll be there for fifteen more, god willing.

“Your ex-husband was a piece of shit, but more importantly, he was weak. And you know how I know that? Because Calliope is all you. That fierce need to protect? To change the hand she’s been dealt? It’s you, my love.”

I smile softly, feeling a tear run down my face. “Like mother, like daughter, huh?”

“Exactly. Just two badass witches, saving the world, one bleeding heart at a time.”