“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.

“I just can’t.” I take a deep breath. “I love him, but damn it, it’s been a shitty week, and I don’t want to talk about him. Just thinking about him hurts.”

“He’s a moron,” Van says, shaking her head, and I just nod in agreement.

“You know what you need?” Charly asks.

“A lobotomy so I can forget how great we had it for a little while? Because it was so great.” I hate myself for falling apart like this. I sit on the couch and hang my head in my hands, just crying. “He was so sweet and I miss him, you guys. I miss his hands, and I miss the way he wouldn’t touch me when I was sleeping so I didn’t get too hot.”

“Wow, I love it when a guy does that,” Charly says.

“I just can’t get the image of him with that woman out of my head,” I continue. “I mean, he hadn’t even broken up with me yet before he moved on.”

“What if I told you that it’s not what you think?” Van asks. “And that he loves you, too.”

“I’d say I don’t know,” I reply honestly. “I just don’t know. I thought I knew him, and then he just… threw me. So frankly, I don’t know what I want. I have a lot on my plate right now, and I just feel overwhelmed. I definitely don’t want him to see me like this.”

“No,” Charly agrees. “I think I have a good idea. You should get away, even if it’s just for a couple of days. Take some time to think. Think about what you want, for you. Then come back and have it out with Declan.”

“I don’t think he’ll want to wait that long to talk to you,” Van says.

“Well, it’s not all up to him, is it?” I reply. “I wanted to see him all week, and he blew me off. So he can wait.”

“Atta girl,” Charly says.

“But I don’t really have anywhere to go,” I add.

“We do,” Van says. “I’ll call Gabby. You should go to the inn for a couple days. It’s quiet there, and it’s out of the city.”

“You guys do remember that it’s your brother that is no longer my boyfriend, and that the thinking I have to do involves whether or not I want to even see his face again?”

“I wonder whether I ever want to see his face again all the time,” Charly says, waving me off.

“We love Declan, Callie,” Van adds, “but I really think he’s messed up here. I like you. I want you two to work it out because I think you’re really good for him. But whether you end up together or not, you’re our friend, and we’d make the same offer to any other friend that we care about.”

“What she said,” Charly says.

God, I’m an emotional mess. What did I do to deserve these sweet women? I bite my lip, but can’t stop the tears from flowing as I simply nod and then say, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Go pack a bag.”

Charly’s already dialing the phone. “Hey Gab, we’re sending Callie to you. Declan’s being a man.”

***

Van was right; it’s very quiet at the inn. I’ve been here for two days. I’ll go home later today, and I’ve loved every minute that I’ve been here.

“Your cinnamon rolls are the best, Gabby,” I say as I watch her knead the dough for the delicious pastries for the next morning.

“Thanks,” she says with a smile. “It’s my mama’s recipe, and it’s usually a big hit.”

“I think I’ve gained ten pounds in the past two days, just from eating too many,” I reply, patting my belly.