Forgive Me (Callaway Book 2) (14 page)

"Shit, I really messed up, didn't I?" He watched his sister's face as a wave of emotion hit her, making him feel like an asshole. But the truth was she really
had
messed up, and no matter how much he loved his sister, she had to understand that he also loved Amanda.

He leaned back. "You sent the woman I love running and crying, Bec. She could have killed herself driving in that state." Just the thought of anything happening to Amanda made him see red.

"I'm sorry," she said without looking at him, which told him how ashamed she was of her own behavior. He loved his sister, but she had gone too far. This wasn't the girl he knew.

"Are you really? What's going on with you?" For months, Becca had been edgier than usual, getting into arguments about silly things that she never used to care about. The broken shell of the woman in front of him wasn't his sister, but no matter how much any of them tried to get past the wall she'd put up, they had never succeeded.

He watched as she straightened her back, as if she were readying herself for battle, before going soft again. He couldn't help but wonder what the hell was going on with his sister. "Nothing is going on. I'm sorry I hurt you." She sounded defeated as she spoke to him.

He swore under his breath because it was like she didn't understand this wasn't about just him. This was about Amanda feeling welcome, something Becca had taken away from the both of them. "This isn't about me, Becca, This is about Amanda. Do you know how hard it was for her to come here that day? You don't know why she left, and it doesn't even matter anymore because that's the past. You need to get over it, Becca, because she's going to be a part of my life."

"You were just so lost. I wanted her to understand the damage she left behind."

"You think she doesn't know that? Jesus, Becca, what happened to you to make you so damn cold? She was your best friend, and I know it hurt when she left, but if I can get over it, you should, too."

"I'll apologize to her," she told him with more compassion than he'd seen in her in a long time. Whatever was going on with his sister, he didn't like how it was changing her.

"Thank you. That would mean a lot to her." He poured his heart into his words because it meant the world to him that she was going to reach out to the woman he loved. The ache in his stomach loosened, like a piece of the puzzle had fallen into place.

"I really am sorry about what I did. Mom wasn't too proud, either." The tears coming down her face broke his heart.

He pulled her to him and hugged her tightly as he kissed the top of her head, just like he used to do when they were kids. "It's done. We move forward."

"I have to go pick up Emilia at the airport. Maybe…maybe I could call Amanda and see if she'd like to do a girls' night out?"

"I think she would like that very much. You should ask her to invite Abby, too. They've been spending a lot of time together lately, hell, so has John."

"The waitress?" she asked, sounding shocked that their brother was spending time with a woman. Damn, it had been a shock for everyone that their closed-off brother was spending time with Abby. There was something so sweet and innocent about that girl, so Drew could understand why his brother was so infatuated. No one really knew what was going on with them, but it was clear Abby's feelings for John ran deep. "What? Really? I'm missing out on so much."

He could hear the longing in his sister's voice. Out of them all, she had always been the one who loved growing up on the farm most. As a kid, she would always talk about getting married and raising a family, just like their parents had done, but the summer she left for college was the summer that changed everything.

"Maybe you should move back, come work with Cole." For the past six years, each of them had taken turns trying to convince her to move home. Even if they didn't know what had made her leave, they all knew she wasn't quite ready to face whatever had broken a piece of her.

"Yeah, I'll think about it. Are we good?" He knew she wasn't really going to think about it by the tone of her voice, but that was a discussion for another day. At that moment, he was just happy to be at peace with her.

"Yeah, we're good." He hugged her like they did when they were kids. Everything had been so much simpler back then, but they still had each other, and that was all that mattered.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed him tight. "I love you, Drew."

"Love you, too."

She nodded before walking out of the room. He took a deep breath, letting their conversation settle in the back of his mind.

Just as he sat down at the kitchen table, his mom's voice startled him, making him jump a little. "Your sister, she can be impulsive, but she doesn't mean any harm."

The look on his mom's face, the same one he'd seen so many times over the years when either one of her children got into a fight, told him this conversation was going to be an education. "I know, Mom, but she stepped over the line."

"Can you blame her, though?" His mom's question surprised him and threw him for a loop.

Then he remembered Becca saying how hurt he had been when Amanda left, and understanding grew within him. "I guess not, but it wasn't her place."

She placed her hand over his. "I know that, and she does, too. You remind me so much of your father, fierce about the people you love. He would be proud of you, Andrew."

Going through the past months—hell, if he was honest, the past five years—he had never missed his dad so much. As much as Cole took on that role after their dad passed, it just wasn't the same. He would give anything to be able to talk to his old man and listen to him share some of his wisdom. "I miss him so much."

His mom's eyes grew misty, and the ball of emotions that threatened to erupt every time they talked about him stirred deep within him. "I know, honey. Me, too. He's still here, on every inch of this land. He would have loved Amanda. She's good for you, and you're good for her. She needs roots, and you need to be kept on your toes."

"I love her, Mom" He had never spoken truer words in his life. They might have their share of issues to work through, but he was completely and utterly still in love with Amanda.

"I know, honey." She kissed him and headed to the kitchen.

He pulled his chair up and walked toward the back door then stopped and turned around "Thanks, Mom."

"For what?" He smiled at the surprise in her voice. That was the one thing about his mom he could never get over, her genuine love for her children. He knew growing up how lucky he was to have her, and as the years went by, and thoughts about starting his own family weighed on his mind, he could only hope he would be able to give the same underlying devotion to his kids one day.

He kissed her cheek as he answered her question. "For giving us a home filled with love."

"You're going to make me cry now…hush," she said through a mixture of tears and laughter, smiling as he walked out the door. He headed straight to Amanda's house, desperate for some alone time with her.

If there was one thing she could have brought with her when she left Montana, Amanda would have taken the view of the star-filled sky. Growing up, it was always the one thing that kept her centered, because no matter what she was going through or what was happening in her life, she could always sit on the grass, look up at the sky, and everything would fall into place for a few moments. That night was no different as she sat on her newly renovated front porch, looking up at the stars, seeking answers to so many questions.

The past two weeks had been a whirlwind between the diner, the work being done on the house, prepping for Cole and Jamie's wedding and her blossoming relationship with Drew. They had agreed to take things slowly, to rebuild a strong foundation, but since they were almost done working on the house, she couldn't help but feel sad that she might not see him every day. She hated that lovesick feeling she got whenever he was around, or whenever her thoughts drifted off to him. It made her feel like a teenage fool. But she couldn't help herself because she was in love with him, and compared to the feelings she had for the boy, what she had for the man could move mountains.

Over the past couple of weeks, their relationship had become a lot more physical, yet not once had Drew tried to take things further. Not once had he stayed the night, either, and as a woman, she didn't know how to respond to that.

As if her thoughts had manifested him, the glow of headlights illuminated her driveway, and she smiled when Drew turned off his truck and climbed out. God, the man was pure perfection in jeans and a grey T-shirt that clung to his chest in all the right places.

He smiled at her when he saw her sitting on the porch. Lost in his greeting, she knew she would have left the Montana sky behind and taken Drew's smile with her when she left instead.

He climbed the four steps and leaned in to kiss her before sitting down and pulling her closer to him. "Hi, baby, how was your day?"

He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close to his side. God, did he know how much she loved being close to him? How good it made her feel when he held her like he never wanted to let her go? "It was okay. It's a little insane with the wedding prep, but nothing I can't handle. How about you?" She looked up at his face and grinned when she caught him staring at her.

"It was good. I talked to my sister." Her whole body went stiff as he spoke. The barbeque had been a complete disaster. She and Becca hadn't spoken since, and that hurt as much as the words Becca had spoken to her.

They had been best friends back in the day, almost sisters. To see where their relationship was now hurt, but there was no way she would be responsible for creating conflict between Drew and Becca. "Drew, I really don't want to get between you and your sister. As painful as her words were, I can understand where she's coming from, and I don't want you to be angry at her. "

"I know." His words reassured her, but she still hated the tension she felt rolling off him. She knew how much he loved his sister, and going against her like that had to be hard for him.

"What did she say?" she asked, needing to know if she and Becca had any chance of fixing their broken friendship.

He kissed the top of her head and ran his fingers through her hair. "She apologized for her behavior. She said she was going to call you to see if you wanted to do a girls' night."

Her lips curved as she looked up at him. "That would be fun. I miss having her as a friend."

He kissed her forehead, something that had become a daily occurrence for him. She didn't know why he did it but every time, she felt some of the tension flee his body. "Now, let's stop talking about my sister and talk about feeding me instead."

She pulled away from his body, laughing because the man always wanted food. Not that she minded, she loved cooking for him. "Oh, so
that's
why you came over? Food?"

"I always come to see you, but have you tasted your cooking? So damn good." The grin on his face had her laughing so loud the dog came running out of the house barking.

When her laughter died down, she took Drew by the hand and led him inside. "How does fried chicken sound?" she asked, knowing it was one of his favorite.

"It sounds perfect. How can I help?" She loved the man but God, he was a messy cook.

She pushed him back toward the counter, desperate to feel him against her. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she looked him right in the eye as she spoke. "You can kiss me."

His eyes grew darker, and she liked seeing that switch go off in him. "I'm getting off easy." He might have said something else, but the second his mouth met hers and his hands grabbed her ass, the only thing she could hear was the sound of their heavy breathing.

He squeezed her butt, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he lifted her off the ground, his tongue pushing its way passed her lips. She rocked her hips into his erection, and he groaned into her mouth as he pushed her back against the wall. He was branding her with this kiss, and her whole body was on fire. She needed more, but just as she was about to ask him, he pulled away before dropping his forehead to hers, his breathing heavy and his eyes filled with lust.

"I like this payment plan," he told her, smiling. She didn't feel like smiling, though; she felt hot and bothered and once again, he hadn't followed through with the passion he had ignited in her.

"Put me down, Drew," she told him, her tone giving away more than she cared for.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concern all over his face. She couldn't help herself—she laughed.

"What's wrong? You kiss me like that for weeks and you don't follow through, Drew. I'm on edge and it's all your fault." She untangled her legs from around his waist and lowered them to the floor, but before she could step away from his warm body, he erupted in laughter and pushed her back against the hard surface.

"You think it's been easy for me to stop at just kissing you? You think I haven't been rock-hard for weeks now?" he told her, rocking his hips into her to prove his point. "Feeling you come undone is all I fucking think about, Amanda, but I'm not rushing this because I want to feel you come for me." He kissed her roughly and passionately, and in that one kiss, she felt all of his desire, all of his need, and she knew he was right.