23. Callan

23

Callan

B eckham must have glanced over at the bar for the hundredth time when he dropped his pool cue and stood ramrod straight. “Uhm, guys.”

“What now?” Reed complained right as a loud bang sounded from my right.

My head twisted toward the bar so fast that I had whiplash, but I didn’t give it a second thought when I beelined for the girls. The others weren’t far behind as we pushed through the few groups of people that were now staring at the commotion.

Brandy was yelling in some guy's face as Sage tried to scoot off her seat behind the man. His barstool had tipped over when he stood up, blocking her exit. She looked cornered and scared and it ignited a rage inside of me that I’d never felt before.

Lettie and Oakley stood behind Brandy like her backup, but they were so focused on the man that they didn’t see Sage trying to get away. It was like slow motion as I rushed over. She tried to balance a foot on one of the metal rods on the stool, but her sneaker slipped and she careened forward. Breaking into a run to close the ten feet still separating us, I caught her around her waist as she braced her hands on my chest.

“I’ve got you,” I murmured into her hair as she shook against me.

Making sure her foot wasn’t caught in the stool, I kicked it away and pulled her to me. Her entire body trembled as my hands tightened on her waist.

Seconds later, Beckham was in the man's face, sending a punch straight into his jaw. He was a swing first, ask questions later kind of guy. Brandy tried to get a punch in, but before her fist could land true, Reed was picking her up by the waist and slinging her over his shoulder.

“Let me go!” she screamed, but Reed didn’t pay her demands any mind as he hauled her away.

“Are you okay?” I asked Sage. Her eyes were frantically searching the bar, so lost in her head that she didn’t hear me. “Sage.”

Lettie and Oakley were already backed away from the fight, Bailey and Lennon now pulling Beckham off the man. Beck had him on the ground, sending punches to his jaw .

Sage’s chest was rising and falling like she’d run a mile. I needed to get her out of here. The signs of a panic attack were clear to me, and she was on the verge.

I reached for her hand and she ripped it away, eyes flaring up to mine. “It’s okay, Sage. I’m going to get you out of here, okay?”

She blinked, clearing whatever fog she was stuck in, and nodded quickly. I gently grabbed her hand, her trembling fingers folding around mine. Leading her toward the door with the trust that Bailey and Lennon would take care of the rest, we exited the bar.

As soon as the music was muffled by the door closing, I could hear her rapid breaths. Stopping in my tracks, I turned, quickly scanning her for injuries, and then cupped her cheeks.

“Breathe with me, baby. Okay? In and out.”

She nodded, the movement frantic. I inhaled deeply through my nose, then out through my mouth, watching her the entire time. Her chest was still heaving, pressing against mine with each rise. Tucking her hair behind her ears, I tilted her head up toward me.

“Sage, look at me.”

Her eyes found mine, the green in them glossed over from tears threatening to fall.

I spoke slowly to be sure she heard every word. “You’re okay. You’re safe. Slow breaths, in and out. Can you do that for me? ”

She nodded again, her body still wracked with tremors. I inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly, repeating the action until she was doing the same.

My hands smoothed over her hair, resting back on her cheeks. “Good. That’s good. How was work today?”

“Bad.”

My thumb brushed a tear that fell down her cheek. “Why’s that?”

“I burnt the pastries.”

“That’s okay. Things like that happen. How was Avery’s first day of school?” She’d texted me last night that Avery was jumping all over her bed, excited to see her friends.

“Good. I called her after your mom picked her up.”

“I’m sure she had a lot of fun seeing her friends. Probably told them all about the horses, too.”

Sage nodded, the movement slow. Her eyes were too damn far away, lost in whatever spiral the fight sent her into.

“Did he touch you?”

“No,” she said quietly. Her throat worked on a swallow, and I knew her mouth was dry from the panic.

The urge to storm back in there and beat the shit out of the guy with Beckham eased the slightest bit.

“Come with me.” I grabbed her hand again and led her over to the passenger side of my truck. I opened the door and reached in, all while keeping her hand in mine.

After blindly feeling around, I turned to her, letting go of her hand to twist the cap off the water bottle. “Here. ”

She grabbed it gently, taking a few deep gulps.

“Thank you,” she said, handing the water back to me.

I set it in the cupholder, then faced her again. I had a million questions about what the fuck happened in there, but mostly, I was kicking myself for not keeping a closer eye on them. On her. I should’ve been watching. Hell, I should have gone with.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

My focus on the door to the bar snapped back to her. “I don’t matter right now. You do.”

“You always matter.”

My teeth ground together, the urge to kiss her too fucking strong with all the adrenaline coursing through me. Now was not the time.

“I’m okay.”

I couldn’t tell if she was only worked up about the incident inside or if it was a combination of things. Something was off when I walked in earlier, but it wasn’t my place to pry.

She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around my torso, laying her head on my chest. Without hesitation, I folded myself around her. What if we hadn’t been here tonight and the girls went out alone? We wouldn’t have been here to protect them, and the thought ate away at me. Anyone I loved— No. Anyone I simply knew being in danger made my gut twist.

“What did he do?”

Sage kept her head against my chest as my thumbs began to stroke circles on her back. “He wanted to buy me a drink.”

That couldn’t be all. “What else? ”

She hesitated, then said, “He wouldn’t take no for an answer. Then he called Brandy a princess, and she blew up.”

My veins felt like they were on fire with the knowledge that he wanted to force a drink on her. But not just a drink. If he had…

Sage pulled back slightly to look up at me. “I’m okay.”

The look on her face assured me of that, but feeling her shaking just minutes ago, how scared she was, I wanted to fucking kill him for making her feel that uncomfortable.

Lost in the rage that still coursed through me, I didn’t realize it when she raised herself up on her toes slightly. Only when Sage pressed her lips to mine did I snap out of my fog and breathe again. I breathed her in. Her sweet, lemony taste danced on my lips as she slipped her tongue past mine. My hands fisted in the back of her shirt, tugging her closer to me.

I was kissing Sage McKinley in a bar parking lot, and it felt a lot like what I imagined heaven to be.

My hands slid up her back, coming around her neck to rest on her cheeks. Tilting her head, I deepened the kiss, our mouths molding together like they were meant to. She arched into me and let out a soft moan, and all I could think about was her. Her soft skin, her lips, her voice, just her . She took over every sense that my body and mind had, and I quickly realized I didn’t want this feeling to ever end.

Her hands wrapped around the back of my neck, and I reached up to take my cowboy hat off, setting it on top of the truck. Her fingers slid up, tangling in my hair and pulling me closer to her, if that was even possible.

Across the small parking lot, the door to the bar opened, letting music filter out into the night.

“Hey, you fucks!” Beckham shouted, and I reluctantly pulled back.

We both turned to find everyone filing out of the door, letting it slam shut behind Bailey.

“You guys okay?” I asked, not having to raise my voice too high with the small lot we were in.

“I’m fucking amazing,” Beck said, striding up to us with the others tailing behind.

“Your hand says otherwise,” Lennon remarked.

Beckham whirled, his feet a little unsteady. “I can shove it where the sun don’t shine if you want to feel it.”

“That’s disgusting, Beck,” Lettie said, a hint of revulsion on her face. Other than her frown, she was fine. They all were.

“He asked!” Beck exclaimed.

Lennon draped his arm over Oakley’s shoulders. “I didn’t ask shit.”

“How many shots did you have after we left?” I asked Beck. He was slurring and not very stable.

Beck’s grin grew. “Bartender gave me free drinks for slugging the guy. Can’t not take advantage of that, can I? Speaking of,” he started, his expression sobering up the slightest bit, “you okay, Sage?”

She nodded next to me. “Thank you for…punching him?”

Beck saluted her. “My pleasure.”

Behind them, Brandy came storming out of the bar, Reed close on her heels. His black cowboy hat was pulled low, but he looked frustrated as shit. I could practically see the veins bulging out of his tattooed arms.

“Leave me alone,” Brandy spit out at him, not bothering to glance back as she headed for her Bronco in the parking lot.

Reed grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks. We all watched them, knowing what was coming next.

“Get your fucking hand off of me,” Brandy seethed, her tone lethally calm.

“No. You’re not getting in that fucking car drunk,” Reed gritted out, his voice gravelly.

She ripped her arm from his, though it took little effort. “Callan will drive me.”

I swallowed as Reed turned his glare on me. Brandy was practically my little sister, and though I’d come to her rescue from Reed countless times to avoid further drama between the two of them, tonight was not one of those nights.

“Reed will have to take tonight, B,” I said to her.

Brandy turned to me, a look of betrayal passing over her. I couldn’t keep getting in the middle of them. Sooner or later, they’d have to figure this shit out and get over whatever the fuck was going on between the two of them.

Brandy crossed her arms. “Then I’ll walk.”

“Like fucking hell you will,” Reed grumbled. “There’s two other vehicles here. Take your choice. ”

Brandy was doing this to get a rise out of him. She always did. She practically reveled in him getting worked up.

I turned to Sage, blocking the two of them out as they all situated who was driving with who. “Ready to go?”

She sucked in a deep breath, nodding. Though she’d come with the girls, there didn’t seem to be any question that I’d be driving her home. I braced one hand on the already opened passenger door while the other hovered at her back as she got in. I wanted to give her space rather than assume she’d be okay with me touching her again.

Once she was buckled, I closed the door and rounded the truck, giving everyone a short wave before sliding behind the wheel.

“My parents' place to pick up Avery?” I asked as I turned the key.

She shook her head, leaning back in the seat. “No. Your place.”