I kept quiet, letting his demons battle it out for themselves. So quiet that it came as a shock when he spoke again.
“Me mam threw me out first time when I was fourteen. Didn’t have nowhere to go. Jimmy was dead, and I didn’t have no one else.”
“She wouldn’t let you back home?”
“Too proud to ask, even then.” He sighed. “I remember her telling me to get out, told me she hated me. Felt fucking rough. Didn’t show it, like. Played tough, but it fucking hurt. Ain’t never spoke about it before.” His eyes met mine, hard. “That stuff with your sister felt like it was happening all over again.”
I flinched inside. “I was a stupid cow trying to keep up appearances. I’ve been doing that my whole life.” I leaned my head on his shoulder. “Hurting you was the last thing I wanted.”
“Don’t matter now,” he said. “Thought it would be me and her missing you, but now you’re here and she’s fighting to get back to us.”
Fresh tears pricked my eyes. “Puts things in perspective, doesn’t it?” I paused awhile until I could speak the words aloud. “I’m going to tell my parents about us, Cal. Push me away all you like, I’m going to tell them anyway.”
He reached out for my hand, squeezed it tight. “You’re upset over Case, that’s all.”
“It’s got nothing to do with Casey.”
“She brought us together, didn’t she?” he smiled. “Best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Yes, she did. And loving her has brought us back together, Cal. Don’t let all this be for nothing. It can’t be for nothing.”
“What now, then?” he said. “I’m off the fucking rails here, Soph. Got no fucking idea.”
“We work it out,” I said. “Like families do.”
My beautiful savage took my hand, and finally the vet arrived.
***
Casey’s tail wagged ever so slightly, but it was enough. Her eyes were focused, smiling up at us as we stroked her face.
“She’s a real fighter,” the vet said. “Didn’t give up.”
“Of course she wouldn’t,” I smiled. “She’s like her owner.”
“We’ll need to keep her in a few days,” the vet concluded. “Run some tests on her kidneys and take some blood samples. She needs to rest and recover, so please leave her with us until she’s well enough to go home.”
“Hear that, Case?” Callum said. “You’re gonna come home, just as soon as these nice people have done some tests on ya.”
Her tail flicked again, happy, like she understood every word. Maybe she did.
I hugged her tight before we left, and waited for my beautiful savage outside. I couldn’t wait to take him home.
***
I didn’t flick the light on. Callum reached for the switch himself but I stopped him, intercepting his hand with my fingers in his.
“Don’t think,” I said. “Just feel. Feel me. I’m right here.”
His arms were crushing, wrapped tight around my waist as he buried his face in my neck. I felt him shudder.
“I need to tell you something,” he whispered. “About Vicki. She wanted me... and I... I couldn’t...”
I smoothed his hair. “It doesn’t matter now.”
“I didn’t fuck her,” he said. “Couldn’t. There was only you, Soph. You’re the only one I ever wanted.”
He was so compliant as I took his clothes from him, dropping them onto the floor like dead skin as I pulled him along the bedroom. The sun was beginning to break outside, bathing us in the softest hue of dawn. I traced the dark lines on his chest, kissing my lips against the heavy beat of his heart.
“It’s you and me now,” I said. “We stand tall, we stand together. I’m going to be there tomorrow, with you, at your side. That’s where I belong.”
“Your parents...” he groaned. “Will they...?”
“They’ll be there,” I said. “Prancing about the place like they own it.”
“Figures.”
I reached up, angling his face to mine. “They’ll be there, and I’m glad. No more appearances, Callum, just what’s real. We’re real.”
“That stuff with the bins... I’m sorry, Soph. I wanted to scare you.”
I lay back on the bed, wriggling out of my own clothes as the savage watched me. I reached between my legs, splaying myself open without reservation. “I like it when you scare me...”
He knelt on the floor before me, clammy hands hot on my thighs. The slightest smile played on his lips. “Then you really are fucking mental.”