Broken Bond by C.J. Primer

40

CALLUM

I don’t typically get nervous. Agitated and pissed off, sure. Annoyed, definitely. But nervous? It’s not a frequent state for me, at least it wasn’t until recently.

Since I returned from the mission, it’s like

I’ve lived in a constant state of

apprehension. Coming clean about my past and trying to win Nessa back came with a heavy dose of nerves, as did confronting Troy, but after successfully navigating all of that, I thought I was finally in the clear. Troy was exiled last week. Nessa has remained by my side, and we’re closer than ever. I can’t remember a time when I’ve been more at peace that I have been this week, but now here I am again, a fumbling, uneasy bundle of nervous energy as I walk with Nessa up to the front door of her family’s house.

“You’ve already won me over, but now you

have to win my parents.”

That’s what Nessa said when she invited me to this dinner, and my anxiety has been on overdrive since. I’ve never been great with parents, and the thought of coming face to face with these people after I abandoned

their daughter and broke her heart has me feeling physically ill. Sure, we’re back together now, but that doesn’t undo my past mistakes. Nessa may be giving me a clean slate, but I doubt her parents will be as forgiving.

“You ready?” Nessa asks, pausing with her hand on the knob of the front door and looking back at me with an encouraging smile.

I blow out a breath, nodding slowly. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” I mumble past the lump in my throat.

She leans in, cupping my jaw in a palm and brushing her lips against mine. “You’ll be fine,” she reassures. Her touch and scent

send a wave of calm rushing through me, but then Nessa twists the knob to open the front door and I follow her inside, stepping into a scene that can only be described as

utter chaos.

Right after I step over the threshold, a hockey puck flies at my head and I bob out of

the way at the last second, my head whipping around to see it collide with the

wall beside the door. 2

“Marco, Matias!” Nessa calls sharply, turning a glare on a set of pre-teen identical twins running through the foyer with

hockey sticks clutched in their hands. “You know the rules,” she admonishes.

“Yeah, yeah,” one of them sighs, rolling his eyes as he skids to a stop. “Not in the house.”

“Exactly,” she tuts, stooping down to pick the puck up off the floor. She hands it back to the kid and ruffles the top of his dark hair, much to his chagrin. “You’d better go put those sticks back in the garage before Mom

and Dad see.”

The twins scamper away, groaning, and a high-pitched yell draws my attention to the stairs, my eyes widening when I see a blur of motion as a younger boy shoots down them riding atop a red plastic sled. He picks up so much speed by the time he reaches the bottom that he goes crashing into the wall opposite the stairs with a loud thump, laughing hysterically when he lands in heap on the floor.

2

Nessa rushes over to help him up, her eyes wide with concern. “Raf, are you okay?!”

“That was awesome!” another young boy calls from the top of the stairs, jumping up and down excitedly. “Bring it back up, I wanna try!”

Nessa whips around, glaring up at him and pointing a finger. “Absolutely not! No more sledding down the stairs.”

The real-life crash dummy- Raf, apparently

– is still laughing like he just had the ride of his life. “Lucas, you have to try it!”

“No,” Nessa repeats, confiscating the sled from him as soon as he picks it up off the floor. “Go wash up for dinner, little

menace.” She shoos him away with a pat on the back, then pulls open the door of a small coat closet and stuffs the sled inside to hide it.

“Mom!” a shrill voice calls out, followed by a very angry looking teenage girl stomping into view from the upstairs hallway. “Mia got into my makeup again!” She freezes when she looks down and sees me standing in the foyer, her face flushing with

embarrassment before she whips around and runs out of sight.

“Did not!” a tiny voice replies defensively, and I turn to see a little girl in a bright pink dress skipping into the foyer, the evidence of her lie all over her face in the form of a truly awful makeup application. She lights up

when she sees Nessa, her face splitting into a

wide smile. “Ness!” she squeals, running up to her and launching herself into her arms.

“Hey, little one,” Nessa laughs, scooping up the small girl and balancing her on a hip. You know you’re not supposed to be playing in Elena’s makeup.”

“I wasn’t,” she protests, but then Nessa

gives her a hard look that has her heaving

a

sigh and coming clean. “I only used a little

bit. I wanted to look like Princess Aurora.”

Nessa shakes her head, an amused giggle slipping from her lips.

The little girl in her arms suddenly spots me, brown eyes widening as she points a finger in my direction. “Who are you?”

clear my throat, shuffling my feet, and

Callum,” she provides. “Callum, this

he your boyfriend?”

((

incredulously.

sister down. “Go wash that makeup

him. Use the makeup wipes in the cabinet under the

in delight, rushing off in a

should’ve warned you that my house

eyes as she steps closer and reaches out to take my

brow, smirking.

her head back on a laugh, and fuck I love that sound. We’ve been through a lot of shit lately, but since

my hand to lead me from the foyer into

That twitchy, nervous feeling sets in again as we weave through a minefield

throughout the living room. floor, making our way to the

of the house.

Nessa’s house. It feels

cliché shit that you see in movies but never believe exists in real life. My own house was always devoid of all that, cold and empty like a tomb. Tidy and sterile, in stark contrast to the chaos of this place. This house

within its

fussing over something on the stove while her father carries platters of food over to the table. Mrs. Diaz is bopping along to an old Billy Joel song blaring from a

give her a once-over. “We’ve missed you, Mija.” He lifts his head to glance in my direction, greeting me

to see you again, sir,” I say politely, forcing the words past

throat.

levels me with

have to have a talk,

out, a cold

washing over me.

Dad, can’t we get through dinner first?” Nessa sighs, stepping closer to me

my

way,” he replies with a stoic expression. He looks to me again, beckoning me with a flick of his

the girls finish getting the table

dropping Nessa’s hand and following her dad to the sliding glass door off the kitchen, my heart racing as we step

say I’m dreading this would be an understatement. I’m not easily intimidated, but standing out here looking at Nessa’s father, my guts are so twisted up that I feel like I’m two

he moves closer, clapping a hand down on my shoulder

to say so many times, but now that I’m standing here

in

your daughter,” I begin, shuffling my feet on the concrete patio

her the way I did, and that’s something I’ll always regret. But she’s giving me another chance, and I plan to spend the rest of my life making it up to her. I won’t hurt her again.”

apology, son. That’s between you and my daughter. Vanessa’s a good girl, and I trust her. That means trusting her to make the best decisions for her own life, so if

a wooden patio chair and

follow his cue, dropping down into the chair and raking a

about your age when we found out we were mates,” he provides.” A few months later, she got pregnant. We were still kids ourselves, we had no idea what we were going to do with a child of our own. And then Vanessa came along.” His

glancing toward the kitchen through the glass patio doors. Nessa is grinning, talking animatedly

(C

the beautiful smile on her face,

back to him. “I love Lia with

stressful, starting a family is stressful. But we

run just because things

past the lump in my throat, my fingers tightening on

patio

most important thing you can do in a relationship,” he says, leaning forward and pinning me with a

out. “I

an ankle over his knee. ” Good. Because second chances are a gift.” He points a finger in my

“I know I

Callum,” Mr. Diaz interrupts. “It’s human nature.

a bad person. It’s okay to make mistakes, as long as you learn from them. I’m not going to hold yours against you, as long as you take good care of

in doing so, I’m trusting you with my baby girl. Don’t make me regret it.” 3

Nessa is the best thing that ever happened to me, and I

that.” He pushes up from his chair, signaling the end of our conversation, and I quickly scramble to my

closer. ” For trusting

house. Ordinarily, I’d recoil at a gesture like that,

me. He’s a good man, a good father. Something I wish I’d had. Sometimes I wonder what my life would’ve turned out like if I’d had a real

opening the door to head back

Lia and I are here for you if you ever need to talk, or if you need advice.

Anything.” 2

an

forming behind my eyes.

I say again.

me a warm smile, pulling the sliding glass door open and ushering me back inside. As we enter, Ness immediately shoots me a look as if to ask if I’m good,

me. It’s more than I ever got from my own father figure, and I haven’t felt that from another adult since Alpha

Vaughn. 1

hand and pressing a

complete peace washes over

of my eye, I see Mr.

waist and whispering something in her ear, and then they both look our way, knowing grins on their faces. In the two

if I’m not looking forward

around and causing mayhem. I slip an arm around Nessa’s waist, tucking her into my side,

slowly.

believed it could really happen for someone

with Nessa’s family resembled the

walked into when we arrived. The two