Page 41 of Shake Your Boo Thang

“I can’t begin to imagine how hard all of that has been for you, but I want to tell you, I’m honored that you trusted me enough to share that with me.”

To my surprise, he lets go of my face and wraps his arms around me in a tight hug. “I’m so grateful that you’re alive and still here.”

I hesitate for a moment but then wrap my arms around him. We sit for a long moment, holding one another and reveling in the fact that we’re both here and alive when it came very close to going another direction for me.

“Aye, beautiful, I am too.”

CHAPTER

THIRTEEN

I thought I’d get personal with y’all today. You see, I’m nearly thirty and I haven’t seen much of the world still. My mama was a single parent when I was growing up, and we’ve always been like two peas in a pod. But she sacrificed a lot to raise a special child with abilities most can’t understand, let alone accept. I went to college close to home, so I could live with her and commute. Partly, I wanted to be close at hand because she has a chronic autoimmune disease and she often needs help when her condition gets bad. At the same time, though, I suppose I was nervous about us being apart when we’ve relied so much on one another all my life. Besides, I didn’t exactly have an active social or dating life at the time, so what was I gonna do all on my lonesome?

Then, after I graduated, she had a pretty bad flare-up when she entered perimenopause and it was just the excuse I needed to stick around and help her out. Things have been better the last few years, but I’ve been stuck in a stasis of my own making. As for Mama, well, don’t you just know it? She’s created her own life and circle of friends without needing my help. Heck, she’s got a busier social calendar than I do. All this is to say, I’m starting to feel like it would be okay for me to do some traveling on my own. I’m not sure where I want to start though, so hit me up with your best recommendations in the comments!

—Beau’s Boos and Beyond, Episode 61

Beau

Oh my stars! Did Callum just call me beautiful?

I just might swoon on the spot. Thank goodness, we’re wrapped so tightly around one another I don’t have to worry about falling off this here bench.

It’s the first endearment Callum’s given me, and I cling to it like the romantic life raft I hope it is.

I don’t know how long we hold one another, and quite frankly, I don’t care. Right now, I believe I could stay here all night. The feel of Callum’s strong arms around me, being pressed up against his deliciously hard chest—honey, I can’t get enough of it.

And good golly, Miz Dolly, does he ever need some hugging!

The story he told me about his brush with death almost broke my heart, while the details of his fall in that derelict building nearly gave me palpitations. It probably is a genuine miracle that he’s still alive.

But while it pains me to know he still suffers physically and lost the job he loved more than anything else, I’m selfishly relieved he’s still here and breathing.

And with me tonight.

I wasn’t lying when I told him that the way I see it, our meeting was destiny.

I’ve had The Gift from the day I was born, and granted, I haven’t traveled extensively outside Alabama, but I’ve met enough people—and enough ghosts—to know that folks like me are pretty rare in this world. When you think about it, I suppose that makes a whole lot of sense. It’s kind of against the natural order of things to be in contact with the living and the dead at the same time.

Mind you, I have met the occasional person with a fainter kind of sixth sense. They instinctively can tell when they’re being watched and will get a little shiver when a ghost is close by, but they can’t see or hear spirits the way I can.

I’ve certainly read plenty of accounts about folks like Callum who ended up gaining the second sight after a life-altering brush with death, but he’s the first one I’ve ever met in person. We have a bond through our connection to the supernatural that few others experience. We also share a mutual understanding of how this rather daunting ability makes us outsiders in a lot of ways.

Now, don’t get me wrong, our supernatural connection is not the only reason I feel drawn to him. It’s just one part of a much bigger equation. Callum Fraser is sexy as all get out, and one hundred percent my type. I’ve always favored gentlemen who are tall, dark, and handsome, with a bit of a rough, brooding edge. I don’t know if it’s the same part of me that loved Mama’s reformed rake regency romances or what, but Callum just does it for me.

And while I’m a bit of an open book, sometimes maybe a little too open, he’s like a tightly sealed treasure chest full of surprises—and I want to discover what all’s inside. I want to know everything about him—and I haven’t felt that way about someone in far longer than I care to remember.

Then there’s the undeniable fact that when we touch, the energy between us is downright combustible. I want to experience it fully nude, with both of us pressing as much of our bodies against one another as we possibly can, and see where that takes us.

I’m ready to go along for that ride.

Callum gives me a squeeze, drawing my attention back to the present, and lets go. Reluctantly, I drop my arms as well, and we both stand.

“Thank you for sharing your story with me. I’m honored that you trust me.”

He gives an awkward shrug. “You have a way of making me want to do things I ordinarily wouldn’t.”

“Why, sir, does that mean you think I’m special?” I tease.