“I’m sorry, Katie. I don’t—”
“Shh…Callie. Stop. I want you okay.”
“I don’t want to ruin your night…or your wedding. Maybe it would be better if you find someone else—”
“I want you. No one else. We can change it to a private ceremony at your house if that’s better. I just want the people I love there. That’s you, Lennon, Jeff—”
“And Reed,” I add.
She frowns but nods yes.
“I may have to get an Uber and leave early, Katie, and you need to let me do that,” I tell her, already planning an escape. I may not need it, but it does help me deal with things easier if I have contingency plans. It makes me feel more in control.
“Witches honor,” she says, putting her fingertip up to her nose and moving it back and forth.
I laugh, ignoring the tightness I feel in my chest. When we were in high school, we used to watch an old television show from the seventies. The woman was a witch, and Katie and I said if we could just be witches, we’d make our lives better. It was silly and maybe even juvenile considering our ages. Still, it always made us happier.
I give her a grin and nod. “Witches honor.”
She grabs my hand and squeezes it, continuing to hold it as we walk into the restaurant. My knees are weak as water, but I keep going. My pastor—where I’ve been going to church— tells me to keep repeating one Bible verse.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
So, I’m repeating that over and over in my mind as the hostess escorts us to the dining area. My heart feels as if it stops mid-beat when I look up and see Reed standing up by the table. He’s tall and broad, wearing dark jeans, a black Henley, and matching leather jacket. He looks the same and yet so different. My eyes drink him in, and I squeeze on Katie’s hand so tightly that it’s a wonder she’s not screaming. The urge to run away is so strong that I can almost taste it. I resist the urge to run, but all thought leaves me as I stand in front of him, feeling his dark gaze on me. Then, I hear his voice for the first time in over five years.
“Hello, Callie.”
CHAPTER 9
Reed
I’m not ready. I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready if I’m honest. Suddenly, time has run out. Callie walks in wearing a light blue dress. She’s changed since the last time I’ve seen her. She’s filled out a little more, become even curvier. Her hair is a little longer, too. She’s even better than I remember. Despite the nerves and tension, my body reacts to seeing her again—even after all this time. I ignore it, push past it. That part of my life is dead. It has to be.
“Hello, Callie.” My voice sounds a little hoarse to my own ears. I know it’s nerves. I can already tell that Callie is just as uncomfortable as I am.
“Reed,” she breathes. Damn it all to hell, I had forgotten how sweet her voice sounds. It seeps inside of you and wraps around you—warming parts that you never knew existed—or at least it does for me. I’m not sure why she still has that power over me….
She walks to me awkwardly holding out her hand. I could take it and leave it at that, but for some stupid reason, I pull her into me and hug her. My eyes close as I breathe in her scent. She reminds me of the air in the spring after a thunderstorm—fresh, clean, refreshing, crisp… Callie.
“It’s been a long time,” I murmur, holding her a little longer than I probably should.
“Yeah, it has. Being famous looks good on you.”
When I let her go, she stumbles backwards a couple of steps. I don’t think she does it on purpose, so I try not to take it personal. Still, it almost feels like she’s afraid of me and that sits wrong with me.
I clear my throat. “I’m the same old Reed,” I lie. There are days that I don’t even recognize the face in the mirror. I love the singing part of my career. I love the live shows and recording. It’s like a drug because it gives you the sweetest high there is. The rest of the business is painful and sucks the joy out of it for me.
She smiles, but it looks stilted. That’s when I notice—even with the dim light of the restaurant—the dark circles under her eyes.
“Reed, buddy, good to see you again,” Jeff says, stepping up to shake my hand.
I grab it, as we loosely hug. It doesn’t escape my notice that Callie seems to relax more with Jeff between us. I don’t know why that hits me, but it does. The four of us sit down. It’s a square table and for some reason, I expected Callie to sit opposite of me—that’s not what happens. I’m across from Katie and Jeff is across from Callie. I frown, my brow crinkling as I think about it.