Page 87 of Chasing Callie

“Oh, Knox. No.” I give him a hug. “You were protecting them from this, but this isn’t your failure and it’s not your dad’s. He did what he had to do because he loves you.” I pull back to look at him. “And you did what you had to.”

He swallows. “You think I’m good.”

“Because you are.”

“I’m not,” he disagrees with a hard shake of his head.

Narrowing my eyes, I rise on my toes until we’re nearly eye to eye. “Knox Williams. You are a good man and if I ever hear you say otherwise, we’re going to have a problem.”

He arches his eyebrows. “Is that so?”

“Yup. So be nice to yourself or else I’ll go find that lizard and⁠—”

“Don’t you dare, Callie Mae.”

I smirk. “Then we have a deal. You be kind to yourself and the lizard stays put.”

“You drive a hard bargain,” he rasps, searching my face.

Leaning in, I brush my lips over his. “Don’t forget it.” I kiss him and then drop to my heels with a sigh. “My news isn’t good, but it’ll be okay.” I don’t tell him that I have no idea how or when, but even if they lose everything, they’ll still have each other. At the end of the day, family matters most. He threads his fingers with mine and leads me down the hall.

We find the twins in the kitchen, Jax already raiding the groceries while Brax puts items away in the fridge. They’re completely unaware of the storm brewing around us. That at any second a tornado could strike and carry us all away.

No. I won’t let that happen. They deserve better and I’ll be damned if Theo hurts them.

“Hey, Alley cat.” Jax winks. “You two getting hot and heavy?”

“Uh, can you guys sit down?” I ask.

Jax quirks an eyebrow, cracking open a package of cookies. “Damn, what did we do now? You sound like Dad when he caught us putting frogs in your backpack.”

“This is serious, Jax.” Brax elbows his twin, his features turning severe. Or maybe they’ve stayed that way since my supply closet confessional.

Taking in his brother’s grim faces, Jax swallows and a line cuts across his forehead as they all take a place on the couch. I stand before them, wringing my hands, wondering exactly how to tell them everything without sounding pathetic. They know the stronger version of Callie. They haven’t exactly met the broken girl who fled from home and got herself tangled up in a controlling relationship.

Jax notices the way I’m fidgeting with my hands and leans forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. “Who do I need to kill?”

His protectiveness shoots to my heart. Brax and Knox look ready to jump in to help bury the body. These guys. I fucking love them. Which means they need to know everything. The words tumble out of me. I tell them how I met Theo, at some stupid art bar, how easily I fell for him. None of them seem particularly happy to hear this part of the story, but I push through it.

The highlights are quick but stacked on top of one another, it’s a big steaming pile of shit. The show where Theo stole my art, how I broke into the studio we shared and took the rest of my work before fleeing home. The lawsuit that’s barely started and already turning into a nightmare. The way he’s been stalking me since I came back to town. Their faces grow darker with each confession.

“And today,” I continue, my voice barely above a whisper, “he hired the only lawyer in town before I could. Then he said something about tax liens and buying property by Sawmill Creek.”

“Well we’re not selling, so he can fuck off,” Jax growls.

“Actually,” Knox says, voice strained. “Dad left us with some debts and overdue bills.” He glances at me, hesitation stalling his words, and I nod in encouragement. With a heavy exhale, he forges on, explaining about the liens and the trouble he’s been trying to cover on his own.

Brax’s features tighten. “Knox, you should have let us help.”

“I have some savings,” Jax adds. “I’ve been saving up to help us remodel the kitchen, but you can have it.”

Knox shakes his head. “It’s my job to take care of you guys.”

“Maybe when we were little, but⁠—”

“No, Jax. Dad told me to take care of you guys and I—” His voice catches. “Fuck. I fucking failed, okay?”

“Knox,” I warn.