Chapter Twenty-Four

Madison

M y regrets about agreeing to go to a family function of Callum’s had started the second my sex-addled brain had agreed, and they hadn’t stopped. If anything, with every passing hour, they grew worse.

I’d barely slept the night before, tossing and turning, trying to figure out a way out that wouldn’t be obvious or rude. I couldn’t just tell him I didn’t want to go because I didn’t want anyone to think I was with him. That would be mean. Besides, what if he’d only meant it in a friendly manner and that made him think I thought we were together?

My brain just hurt thinking about it. It was a disaster, and I needed to avoid it.

“Callum,” I said as he stepped out of the bathroom.

The words died on my lips as I stared at his naked upper torso. God damn, the man was perfection to look at. He had a drool-worthy body with just the right amount of chest hair for me to play with and to remind me he was a man .

Stop. You’ve had sex once, and that was a mistake. It’s not happening again. That’s final!

“Yes?”

“We need to talk,” I said, tearing my eyes away from his abs as they rippled while he walked.

“About what?”

I knew he was in a bad mood. The news that the guard was missing and had likely fled, taking all clues about Noa’s death with him, had taken away any semblance of happiness for the time being. And now I was about to add to it.

“Is this … I mean, I don’t want to intrude,” I said awkwardly. “It’s your family. I don’t know any of them. It would just be weird, don’t you think?”

“Not at all,” he said, smiling, trying to put on a happy face. “They’re very welcoming.”

I grimaced and prepared to try again.

“Besides, my mother would flip if I didn’t bring you. She already assumes we’re madly in love and blah blah, blah,” he said, making motions with his hand to mimic talking. “Maybe if she meets you, it’ll put that to rest.”

He didn’t want anyone to think we were in love either. That was good. That was very good. Right?

So, why was I sad?

“I’m serious, Callum. I don’t know about this.”

“It’ll be fine ,” he said. “And besides, the food is just …” He pantomimed kissing his fingers and throwing them in the air. “You don’t wanna miss this. The neighbors will be there, too. You won’t be the only non-family.”

“Just the only human,” I said.

He sighed, shaking out his wet hair. I stared impolitely at his body as he did.

“You’re going to have to get used to that eventually,” he said. “You’re on an island of dragons. You’re outnumbered. Don’t use it as a crutch.”

Then he was gone, disappearing into his room to get ready.

I guess I’m going after all.

Accepting it then was the easy part, but once we left the house and I climbed on his back for the flight to one of the smaller isles—there were four in addition to the Big Isle with the palace and most of the population—things began to get real. The knots in my stomach tightened, nausea coming with it. I was bordering on sweating through my baggy purple knit shirt.

It wasn’t good. In fact, it would be terrible. I knew it in my gut.

We landed on the open grassy field next to a single-story country house. It was a good size, but it was no manor estate. Just a large house with white siding beginning to fade in the sunlight and a handbuilt wooden porch wrapping around two sides.

A large crowd milled around the back, where three barbecues were being tended to by some of the men, and a handful of children ran laughing, ducking in and through legs in their race to finish an imaginary obstacle course.

“Callum!” a woman exclaimed as I slid from his back and landed on the soft, freshly cut grass. “My boy!”

The woman who detached herself from the crowd had to be his mother. Although he looked almost nothing like her, I could see it clearly in one spot. The eyes. He’d inherited her eyes, the softness around the corners, and the wrinkled lines of the brow.

And then he smiled, and I saw it even more.

“Hey, Mom,” he said, wrapping the shorter woman up in a fierce hug.

Short was relative, though, because she was about my height, and I wasn’t tiny at five-foot-seven either.

“Are you doing okay?” Cal asked as they kissed cheeks.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine. Now, introduce me.”

I hid a smile at the interaction. His mother clearly loved him, but seeing Cal unafraid to show emotion in return was the best part. He was a good family man.

A new part of me tingled at seeing that, but I shut it down immediately. That was made easier as introductions began, starting with Miriam, his mother, and Asa, his father, who made his way over from the barbecues, handing us both a fresh burger.

“Thank you,” I said, digging in.

Other relatives and friends came over, and Callum was dragged away. Leaving me with his mother.

“It’s good to meet you at last,” Miriam said with a knowing smile. “Callum has said next to nothing about you.”

I laughed at the blunt invitation to spill the beans about myself.

“That’s because we’ve only known one another for a couple of weeks now,” I said, thinking that it was more like ten days. Which was incredible when I stepped back and actually took note.

Time was flying past.

Belly laughter erupted from the group that had waylaid Callum. I found him in the middle and watched as he grinned from ear to ear, laughing heartily at a joke told by a younger version of Asa, who I assumed to be Baz, Callum’s brother. He’d given me a roster rundown of expected guests, but we’d focused mostly on his immediate family.

“I haven’t seen him this happy in quite some time,” Miriam said as we chatted idly about everything except me. “He’s a good boy, you know.”

“I’m beginning to see that.” I bit back a smile.

Miriam and I chatted about more nonsense for a bit, then Asa and Baz came over, and they began to grill me. I sidestepped many of the questions, but bit by bit, they managed to tease out enough information to form a picture of who I was. It was hard to be distant with them. They were all friendly and welcoming and just wanted to get to know me.

Before I knew it, I was laughing and telling jokes, including ones at their expense. They gave it right back, and time passed.

“I’m glad you came,” Baz said at one point. “You’re a good person.”

“Thank you,” I said awkwardly, unsure how to respond.

I was saved by Callum returning. “Sorry about that,” he said. “I didn’t mean to just leave you at the mercy of these people like that.”

“It’s fine. I can handle myself,” I said. “But I am hungry.”

“Come on, then,” he said, walking me over to where the food was piled high on tables. “Take your pick. What do you want?”

I paused, looking up at him, catching his eye and holding it. “I want to apologize,” I said, trying to hold back unfamiliar emotions.

Cal looked around. “Why? Did you piss someone off? Am I going to get yelled at?”

“No, no, not that,” I said, putting a hand on his forearm. “I wanted to apologize for something I said. Back when we first met, I called your family dysfunctional. And I want you to know I was wrong. Your family is lovely.”

Cal’s cheeks turned a little rosy with color. “Umm, thank you, I guess? It’s fine. I’d forgotten, to be honest with you.”

“I’m glad. But I still had to tell you that.” I stopped talking to sniffle, despite everything I was doing to avoid it.

“Are you okay?”

I smiled, blinking away tears I didn’t want to shed. “I’ll be fine. It’s just that I’ve never experienced something like this.”

“Like what?”

“ This ,” I said, gesturing around. “This isn’t normal to me. I never had this.”

“I’m sorry,” he rumbled softly.

“You know, I hated you at first because I thought you’d stolen my family away from me,” I said bluntly.

“Oh.” Cal looked down, at a loss for words.

“I think I was wrong, though. What I had wasn’t a family. This, this is a family, Cal. You’re very lucky.”

“I know,” he said under his breath. “I know. I’m glad you like them.”

“How could I not?” I asked before we were mobbed by people coming back for more food.

I dove into the madness as well, determined not to go hungry. I got separated from Callum as I did but ended up leaning against an exterior wall of the house, eating my burger and potato salad in peace, simply watching everyone else interact.

“ So, ” I heard come from the window above my head. “ Madison seems nice, Cal. Do you like her? What’s she like? ”

It was Baz asking the question. I smiled, listening intently for the answer.

I wished I hadn’t.