Mistakes I’ve Made by Jordan Marie

37Callie

One Week Later

Reedand I have fallen into a pattern. It’s the happiest I’ve ever been in my life, and maybe that’s why it feels like I’m waiting for a shoe to drop. It feels as if something bad must happen. There’s no way I can be allowed to be this happy.

Mom hasn’t mentioned the truth behind who my father is, and I haven’t asked. I spend my time off taking care of her and checking on her. Then, I work at the flower shop. One night a week is spent at the Johnson’s staying with Mrs. Johnson. Sometimes Reed stays with me, and I fix dinner for all of us, making sure to have plenty of leftovers for Mr. Johnson when he comes back. I haven’t seen Niles since the day I left with my belongings, and I figure unless it’s something to do with mom… I never will.

I can admit that my head is still messed up over that. I loved him my whole life and I searched for his approval, never receiving it, but always trying.

I try to pull away from my thoughts. I can’t look at the past. I need to look at what I have in the here and now, and that means Reed. He’s quickly become my entire world. We haven’t made love completely yet, but it’s coming. We both know it and we’re ready for it. We’ve pleasured one another often and the tension between us is about ready to boil over. I know he’s waiting for me to give him the go ahead. I’m not sure why I’m holding back—unless it is this feeling inside of me that it’s all going to fall down around me…

I shake my head. I’m just being silly. Reed loves me and I love him. That’s all that matters. If there’s one legitimate dark spot on our happiness, it’s the laundry. That thought makes me smile as I put our clothes into the washing machine at the Spin Cycle laundromat. Usually, Reed comes with me, but he’s working late at the garage trying to finish a car up. With what I make at the flower shop and what he makes, we get by fine. He works overtime every time he gets a chance though. He says he wants us to put money back so we can have our own place one day. He’s completely confident in what we have together, and I envy him that. I’m always the scared one.

“Well, hey, Callie. I haven’t seen you since school.”

My entire body tightens up as I turn to see Chasity Newberg.

“I guess not,” I mutter, turning back around, praying she’ll take the hint—yet knowing she won’t.

“They’re saying you’re living with Reed Lane now,” she says.

“That’s what they say,” I mumble, not bothering to turn around.

“I guess I had you pegged all wrong,” she says, and my back stiffens, because I know whatever she’s getting at, it’s not good.

“What are you beating around the bush about, Chasity? We both know you’re here to be a bitch, so get it over with already.”

“You don’t know me, Callie,” she argues, but God, I only wish that was true.

“I know you walked into the laundromat without clothes to wash,” I respond. She crosses her hands at her chest defensively.

“You’re not the nice girl you pretend to be,” she spews. “You’ve got this whole town snowed, but not me. You look down your nose at me, thinking you’re so much better than me. It’s bullshit. The truth is you want to be me.”

“How in the hell do you figure that?”

“It’s the only answer I can come up with as to why you want to sleep with the same men I do,” she says with a nasty smirk.

“Oh please, at the rate you sleep with men I couldn’t hope to keep up, even if I wanted to—which I don’t.”

“You’re doing a good job of it, considering you have slept with both Reed and Mitch. I guess you like keeping it in the family, too. Huh, Callie?”

A sick feeling hits me, and I find myself looking around, panicked someone might have heard her. Thankfully it’s empty in here. My relief is short-lived as I realize that it doesn’t matter. If Callie knows I’ve slept with Mitch, she’ll be spreading it all over town. I don’t have any options other than to fake my way through this and pray Mitch can shut Chasity down.

“I don’t know where you’re getting your information, but you’re wrong.”

“I don’t think so,” she sings out, making me long to plant my fish in her damn mouth.

“I know so. Quit trying to spread your poison, Chasity. It’s not going to do you any good. Reed and I are happy. He’s in my bed every night and I don’t have to get him drunk to make him want to be there.”

“You fucking bitch!” Chasity cries and she lunges at me.

I grab her hair as her body slams against me. I try fending her off, as her fingernails scratch into me like talons. I kick her, pull her hair, punch her—basically trying anything and everything I can to strike back. I somehow maneuver until I’m on top of her and she slaps the fire out of me. I punch her, crying out because the force of my hit hurts my knuckle as I bruise it on her jaw.

All at once, I’m pulled off her. I fight to get back, wanting to take my anger out on her. Chasity is being restrained by Jake. I look behind me, realizing it’s Mitch holding me back.

“Let me go!” I growl, wanting free to wipe that damn smirk she’s somehow still wearing on her face.

“Callie, calm down. You can’t hit her,” Mitch says.

“The hell I can’t,” I argue. Reed picks that moment to come running into the laundromat.

“Callie? What the fuck is going on?” he growls coming over to take me out of Mitch’s arms.

“Your girlfriend attacked me,” Chasity says, and I want to call her a liar, but I’m panicking too much to get the words out. She’s going to tell Reed that I slept with his brother and then everything is just going to blow up in my face.

“Shut up, Chas! If Callie attacked you then she had good reason. Mitch, Jake what the hell is going on and why did you call me to come down here, Mitch?” Reed growls, turning around to look at his brother. “How did you know this was going on? Hell, what is going on?”

I hold my head down with his words.

“What’s going on here?” Katie asks rushing in the laundromat.

“Katie what are you doing here?” Jake asks, immediately going to her side.

“Mitch called me and asked me to come down. He said Callie needed me. It scared the hell out of me.”

“Will someone please tell me what in the fuck is going on in here?” Reed barks and I feel myself trembling, as Reed wraps me up in his arms. He sure won’t do that when Chasity delivers her poison. “How did you know Chas and Callie were fighting, Mitch? And if you did, why did you take the time to call all of us to come here?”

“I didn’t know they were fighting. I called because Chasity told me what she was going to do,” Mitch says, and he looks at me with such sadness that my heart hurts.

She’s going to tell everyone I slept with Mitch…

It’s going to destroy Reed. I should have told him. I shouldn’t have tried to run from it. I did and now it’s much too late.

“Do what? What could Chas possibly do?” Reed growls.

“I was just going to tell her the truth Reed.”

“What truth is that?” he snaps.

“I was trying to explain to her when she just attacked me. God, I hope she didn’t—”

“Spit it out, Chas,” Reed growls.

“Reed, maybe we should move this outside or take this back at your place,” Mitch suggests. I look around to find the manager and several other people are standing around. I want to beg we leave, too. I don’t want everyone to hear. But Reed doesn’t give me that option.

“The hell I will. Spit it out Chas, what in the hell are you talking about.”

“I’m pregnant,” she says.

“What?” Reed says, but his voice is different almost full of fear.

“I’m pregnant and you’re the father.”

It takes me a minute to realize that she didn’t tell Reed that I slept with his brother. It takes a little longer than that to realize what she said, and when I do, my legs give out, and the world goes black.