***

She won’t take my calls or answer my texts, and the last time I tried to call, I went straight to voice mail.

She turned her damn phone off.

It’s been a good thirty-six hours since I last saw Callie in her office, and I’m done giving her space. I need to see her, hold her, and put this whole mess behind us.

But I can’t find her. She won’t answer the phone, and she’s not at the bar. She has to be at Adam’s.

I surprise Adam when I burst into the apartment. He’s in the kitchen, eating cereal dry and out of the box.

“Hello,” he says mildly and tosses some Lucky Charms in his mouth.

“Where’s Callie?” I ask on my way to her room, then return to the kitchen when I don’t find her.

“I don’t know,” he replies with a frown. “I assumed she was with you.”

“I haven’t seen her since the other night.”

The frown turns into a scowl as he glares at me. “What the fuck, man? You said you were going to give her space, not disappear!”

“A day and a half is space.”

“Two hours is space,” he argues and tosses the cereal on the counter. “She hasn’t been here since yesterday morning.”

“Well, where is she?”

Adam shrugs. “She hasn’t even mentioned your name. I assumed y’all kissed and made up and were fucking like rabbits at your place.”

“Did you tell her I was giving her a chance to cool down the other night?”

“Now, why would that be my job?” Adam asks. “You didn’t tell me to relay a message.”

“I just figured you would!”

“Well, I didn’t know I was supposed to be Dr. fucking Phil this week,” he shouts, just as frustrated as I am. “She didn’t come to work last night.”

“Great.” I pace the living room. “I don’t know where she would have gone.”

“You know, I should deck you. I trusted you with her, especially after we had the talk where you assured me that you love her and want to be with her forever.”

“I meant every word of that.”

“But you hurt her, and then you walked away without a word.”

“I didn’t walk away for good. I walked away in the moment. I’m not interested in anyone but Callie, damn it. If I can just find her, I’ll explain everything and fix this.”

“Well, I don’t know where she would be,” he replies. “Keith’s probably left town by now.”

“Who the fuck is Keith?”

“Her old boss from Denver. The guy who was in the office with her the other night.”

“He was from Denver?”

“Oh, right, you left without talking, so you don’t know what went down there. He wanted her to come back to Denver.” Adam’s eyes widen as mine narrow. “She wouldn’t have gone back to Denver without telling me.”

“No, but would she be staying in some hotel with the fucker?” I ask, fury at the very thought running through my veins.

“No,” he says, shaking his head. “Definitely not. She’s too hung up on you to fall back in bed with Keith.”

“Back in bed?”

“They were a thing, but that’s been over since she moved home.”

We stare at each other for a long time. “Call him.”

“I don’t have his number.”

“Find it.”

“I know the name of his club in Denver that Callie used to manage,” he says, waking his laptop up and loading Google. He finds the number to the club and calls, but curses when they’re closed. “It’s morning. No one’s there.”

“What’s his name?”

“Keith Marron,” he replies, “but I won’t be able to find a cell number for him. We’ll have to wait for the club to open.”

“Damn it,” I mutter, the very idea of her being with him now eating a hole in my stomach. But then I remember her, in my arms, telling me she loves me, and everything in me just… calms. “You know what? She’s not with him.”

“She’s not?” Adam asks.

“No. I know her better than that. Damn it, Adam, I love her. She may be pissed at me, but she’s not fucking some other dude.”

“You’re right.”

“So where is she?”

“Fuck if I know.”

***

As night falls, I’m exhausted and worried out of my mind. Adam and I looked everywhere we could think of for Callie, and couldn’t find her. She obviously doesn’t want to be found.

And that just pisses me off. It’s not fair for her to worry us this way. Even a text to let me know she’s okay is all I need.

My phone rings in my hand and I answer before it can ring a second time. “Yeah.”

“It’s Charly,” my sister says. “What are you doing?”

“I just got home. I’ve been looking for Callie.”

“Can’t find her?” she asks.

“No, and I’m really worried. Do you know where she is?”

“Yep,” she says, totally throwing me. It never occurred to me that my own sisters might know where she is.

“Where is she?” I demand, standing and grabbing for my keys.

“I’m not telling.”

“Excuse me?”

She clears her throat at the sound of my voice. “She’s safe, Dec, but she’s hurt, and she just needs some time to think.”

“I’ve given her two fucking days,” I growl. “I’m tired, worried, and I need to see her.”

“And you will,” Charly says. “I’ll call you in the morning and let you know where you can find her. But for tonight, she needs to be left alone.”

“Fuck that, Charly. This is all way more dramatic than it needs to be.”

“For you,” she says. “You can be the knight on the white horse tomorrow. She just wants to be left alone for today.”

I sigh and sit back down, scrubbing my hand over my face. Christ, I can’t sleep without her.

“This isn’t fair, Charly.”

“Neither was not speaking to her for days, then going out with another woman,” she says. “I love you, and you will always have my loyalty, but the woman meant for you wants one more night to think, and you’re going to give it to her.”

“Does she hate me?” I whisper.

“She’s so in love with you she’s stupid with it,” she says. “I think you’ll figure it all out, and one more night won’t kill you.”

“Thank you for being there for her.” I love that my sisters like Callie. It’s important to me that they do. Because they’re going to have her in their lives for a very long time.

“I like her,” she says simply. “We all do.”

“I do too.”

“All I’ll say is this: when you do talk to her tomorrow, really listen to her. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Chapter Eighteen

Two Days Earlier…

~Callie~

I can’t believe he walked away. I mean, he didn’t even say anything; he just walked away.

I’m lying in bed the next morning. Actually, I think it’s almost afternoon now, and I just keep replaying the last twenty-four hours in my head, over and over again.

It’s beginning to feel like it didn’t really happen to me, and instead it was a bad movie.

But it did happen. Declan blew me off, and then went out with someone else, and instead of talking to me about it, he walked away.

Un-fucking-believable.

“Cal?” Adam says from the other side of the door, knocking softly. “Are you awake?”

“No.”

“Okay, I’ll tell Declan’s sisters to leave on my way out,” he says and walks away.

Damn it.

I peel the covers back and wince when I see the outfit of leggings and an old, stained cami, and then decide, who cares? I’m sure they own the same outfit.

They’re women, after all.

I walk out to the kitchen, and there they are, looking way too much like their damn brother.

“Hi, guys.”

“Hey, Callie.” Charly raises a brow and looks me up and down, then grins. “I have the same outfit.”

“It’s the standard girl outfit,” Van says, nodding. “So, I talked to my brother this morning, and—”

“I don’t want to know,” I say immediately, holding up a hand, already on the verge of tears. “I can’t do this.”

And now the tears do come, and I hate it.

“Ah, honey,” Charly says as I pace away and wipe furiously at the tears on my cheeks.