Callum Downtown was chaos in the best possible way. The Halloween festival had taken over half the waterfront, turning it into a blur of lights and costumes. Pumpkin-shaped lanterns bobbed above the crowd. Music from the band playing on a makeshift stage clashed with the thump of bass coming from somewhere in the distance. It had been ages since I’d attended anything like this, but with Maisie by my side, it felt electric to be back. I grinned and glanced down at her, wondering if she would have preferred a quiet, romantic restaurant for the one-night r eprieve of responsibility provided by her mother. “What do you think?” I asked, loudly enough to be heard above the music and the telltale hiss of fryers and grills working overtime. Her head k ept turning to catch every little thing, her eyes sharp, but an awed, almost childlike smile was on her lips. Finally, she lifted those green eyes to mine. “I love it.” As I grinned, I paused to buy a skewer of grilled corn dripping with butter and she gave me a look that was half amusement, half wonder. “We’ve been here ten minutes and you’ve had, what, three snacks already? How?” I held up the corn, bringing it closer to my mouth, but not biting into it just yet. “I have the metabolism of an athlete. It comes with the territory.” She arched an eyebrow at me. “You’re not skating six hours a day anymore, Callum. You can’t ke ep using that as an excuse.” “I can,” I said around a mouthful of juicy corn. “Watch me.” She laughed, shaking her head, and we k ept walking. Every other booth called to me, the churros tossed in cinnamon sugar, the dumplings steaming in bamboo baskets, and even caramel apples lined up like shiny jewels. Every time I stopped, Maisie pretended she was going to ke ep walking, only to circle back and steal a bite. She licked chocolate off her fingers after swiping my last mini doughnut. “Do you know what your problem is?” “I didn’t order enough food for two?” “Exactly.” She smirked and nudged me with her shoulder. “You’re predictable.” “That’s rich coming from you, Ms. I-usually-stick-with-wine,” I countered. “Even back at college, you always had a protein bar in one hand and a water bottle in the other. Whenever I saw you in the student lounge, I’d just think, there’s poor Maisie, living off almonds again.” Her mouth fell open in mock outrage. “Excuse me, I ate actual meals.” “Barely,” I teased. “Diver metabolism, right? It’s just not quite the same as ours.” “What, because I wasn’t a real athlete?” She laughed, and for a second, the sound transported me right back to campus, the scent of chlorine clinging to her hair, the air in the rink cold enough to sting my lungs.
We’d circled each other back then, both just a little too busy, a little too stubborn, and apparently, too chicken shit to admit to the other what we wanted. I leaned against a railing while she tried a candied pecan from a sample tray. “Nah,” I said. “You were a real athlete. Shit, I’m pretty sure you put in more hours than even we did.” She pumped her eyebrows at me. “Let me clear that up for you so you don’t just have to be pretty sure anymore. I totally put in more hours than you.” “There’s that competitive spirit.” I felt my lips curl into a grin, that old spark I used to feel with her combining with all the new stuff tumbling around inside. “I was wondering if you still had it.” “I still have it,” she said. I deliberately let my gaze drift over her, starting at the top where her dark hair was hanging in loose waves to her shoulders, across her soft, skater-style wrap dress, to the comfortable sneakers on her feet. “Yeah,” I finally agreed. “You’ve definitely still got it.” Maisie’s cheeks flushed, but her grin was still playful. “There comes the charm again. I’m going to have to watch myself around you, aren’t I, Callum Westwood?” “Definitely not.” I pushed away from the railing and fell into st ep beside her after she’d bought a bag of pecans. “In fact, you should just fall for me now, then I can pack in the old charm for good and save us both a lot of trouble.” She chuckled. “Somehow, I don’t feel like I’d be saving myself a lot of trouble if I did that. How many girls have fallen for you? A thousand? Yet, here you are, on a date with someone who answered a newspaper ad.” “You’re one to talk,” I argued lightly. “How many guys have fallen for you? Yet here you are, on a date after answering said ad.” She scoffed. “No one has fallen for me.” I actually laughed at that. Really laughed. “Bullshit. Every guy on the hockey team had a crush on you back at Cal Poly.” “Every guy?” She tipped her head back to look at me, widening her eyes before she rolled them. “That’s revisionist history. There is no way that’s true.” “It’s not only true. It’s an absolute fact.” I popped a pecan into my mouth. “At least half of my teammates talked about you. The other half were just jealous.” Instead of arguing this time, she flicked her gaze up to mine. “What about you?” Suddenly aware of the way the lights painted gold in her hair, I held her gaze and dipped my chin in a nod. “Yeah. Me too.” Her smile softened. “It’s funny. I had a crush on you, too, you know. Not that it mattered, exc ept for...” “The party,” I finished for her. The memory rose sharp and vivid in my mind, the music pounding, the way we’d danced until we’d both been slick with sweat, laughing at nothing before tumbling out into the cool night and kissing like we’d been waiting all year for it.
A one-night spark I’d never quite managed to shake. “I told you all of this the other night,” I said quietly. “Why are you suddenly believing me now? You didn’t seem to then.” “I think I just needed some time to make sense of everything,” she admitted. “It’s not easy to rewrite history the way I’ve understood it for years just because I have your perspective to include now.” “Yeah, I get that.” I couldn’t believe she’d had a crush on me either. After the way she’d left that morning, I’d kind of thought she’d woken up r epulsed by the fact that she’d sl ept with me. “It sort of makes me wish we’d spoken like this that night instead of only doing it now.” Around us, the crowd swelled tighter as it got later, a crush of costumes and chatter. Someone in a skeleton mask shouldered past, nearly knocking Maisie sideways. I reached out and grabbed her hand without even thinking about it. The second our palms fit together, heat shot straight up my arm. Her hand was small against mine, but her grip was tight and she didn’t let go. Neither did I. We pushed through the fray until the street opened up again, but her fingers remained curled around mine like they belonged there. I glanced at her, ready for her to laugh it off, but she just looked back at me, her eyes bright and a smile tugging at her lips that made me suspect she knew this wasn’t nothing. “So, uh, this whole marriage thing,” she said suddenly, and I expected the topic to make things awkward. I expected either one or both of us to pull away, but still, neither of us did. My heart thudded behind my ribs. “What about it?” She blew out a breath, brushing a strand of hair back with her free hand, but her eyes were still on mine, only a tiny bit less bright than they had been a moment ago. “I don’t need a big wedding. I don’t even need a real one, if I’m being honest. I’m just not that girl. As long as we can, you know, make things work, it doesn’t have to be fancy.” I studied her, hearing the sincerity in her tone, and something inside me tightened. The more time I spent with her, the more the whole marriage arrangement felt like an excuse, like even if it wasn’t on the table, I’d still be right here, still chasing her. “I’ve been wondering about the formalities myself,” I said carefully. “A couple weeks ago, I was all about going down to the courthouse and just getting it done, but that doesn’t feel right anymore.” Because I think I would’ve been trying to pursue you anyway, and even though you’ve already said yes, I still want to do right by you. By us. The silence that fell between us stretched for a beat, not uncomfortable but definitely charged. Before she could tell me what she thought about it, the skies suddenly opened up. Rain fell hard and fat drops pelted the street, sending the crowd into a scramble for cover. Someone shrieked with laughter, kids squealed, and umbrellas popped up, but I hadn’t brought one. Maisie’s dress was drenched in seconds and that was what spurred me into motion. I caught her wrist, already starting to move. “Come on,” I yelled. “My place is a block away.” She didn’t argue and we took off running, splashing through puddles, dodging slower festivalgoers. By the time we reached my building, both of us were
drenched, hair plastered to our faces, clothes sticking. She was breathless, cheeks flushed, but I’d never seen her look more alive. I fumbled with my keys, laughing as I finally managed to slide the right one into the lock. “I guess you got your answer.” “To what?” she asked, shivering slightly. “If I can actually get full,” I teased, shoving the door open. “It seems even the universe decided I’d had enough.” She rolled her eyes, but she followed me inside, her smile lingering even as rainwater dripped from her hair onto the floor. I tossed my keys on the counter and grabbed a couple of towels from the linen closet. “Here.” I handed her one and used the other to scrub my own hair. She pressed hers against her face with a muffled sigh of relief. “Do you always ke ep spares nearby for drenched strays you drag home?” she asked. “Only the pretty ones,” I said, grinning before I turned to head to my bedroom. “Let me get you something dry to change into while we get all this into the dryer.” As I walked, I peeled my soaked T-shirt off and dropped it on the floor with a wet plop, but I didn’t give a shit. I could feel her gaze on my bare back and satisfaction rolled through me. When I got back to her, I handed over a clean shirt and a pair of sweats. “These should work until your clothes are dry. There’s a bathroom’s down the hall, or the guest room if you’d rather.” She hesitated before she took the clothes from me, her fingers brushing mine. “Thanks, Callum.” I ducked back into my own room to change, peeling off soaked denim and throwing on joggers and a hoodie. When I came back out, Maisie was still in the bathroom, but she’d left her wet clothes in a pile in front of the door. Desperately trying not to think of her naked in my apartment, I busied myself loading the dryer, and as the machine hummed to life, she reappeared. My shirt hung loose on her frame, the sweats cinched at the waist. She looked impossibly good in my clothes, like she belonged here with me, wearing nothing else. I swallowed hard. “Do those fit alright?” She nodded and moved into my living room, perching on the arm of the couch while toweling her hair. “I owe you one.” “You already bought me half a funnel cake,” I said, sinking onto the cushions beside her. “We’re even.” Her laugh was soft, but it faded quickly as she looked around. This was the first time she was in any of my personal spaces and I knew what she was seeing as she took it all in—glass, steel, leather, and absolutely nothing personal. It almost made me feel ashamed, but she set the towel aside and slid onto the couch with me, drawing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them as she turned to face me. “Actually, there’s something I need to tell you.” The shift in her tone tightened something in my chest and I turned too, facing her fully. “Okay. Shoot.”
Her gaze dropped to her hands, her fingers knotting in the fabric of my sweats. “It’s about Brody.” Just hearing his name made the sudden tension between my ribs ease again. Somehow, the kid had wormed his way under my skin. “What about him?” She hesitated, like she was circling around what she actually wanted to say. “You’ve been really good with him. Better than I thought anyone would be, honestly. He looks up to you.” The words hit me square in the chest. I leaned forward, getting closer and looking her right in the eyes. “I care about him, Mais. I mean it. He’s a great kid and he deserves the best. If you’re asking if I’d be there for him, if I’d try to be the kind of man he needs, then yeah. I think I have what it takes to be a dad to him. If that’s what you both want.” Her head snapped up, her eyes glossy like she hadn’t expected me to say it out loud. I went on, the words spilling out of me faster now. “I know I partied too hard in college. I know I made it seem like I thought hockey was the only thing that mattered. Hell, I was a total dickhead back then. I admit it.” I huffed a humorless laugh. “I’m not that guy anymore, though. I haven’t been for a long time, and when I’m with Brody, I want to be even better. For him, but also for you.” Maisie pressed her lips together, like she was holding something back. I knew she was worried about letting me into their lives, hesitant to fully commit even to an arranged marriage because she didn’t trust that guy I used to be. “You’ve changed,” she whispered, eyes locked on mine. “It is for real, right?” I nodded, my throat tight. “Yeah, and I don’t want to go back.” The dryer hummed softly in the background, rain still tapping against the windows. The air between us felt like it might tip into something more, but then Maisie shifted on the couch, pulling her knees tighter against her chest. “Callum...” Her voice wavered. “There’s something you need to know, and I don’t know how to tell you.” I frowned. “What do you mean?” She looked like she might break as her mouth opened and closed. She fidgeted with the hem of my shirt, and she wouldn’t quite meet my eyes. I leaned a little closer. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.” Her gaze lifted then, and strangely, she looked scared, like she was about to hand me something big and wasn’t sure she trusted how I would react to it. Maybe it was selfish, but I couldn’t sit here for one more second waiting for her to change her mind. I’d been holding back with her for weeks, telling myself not to cross the line. Even at the hotel, I didn’t let myself go too far because someone could’ve knocked on the door at any moment. I wasn’t used to being this exposed, but it was just us now and the way she was looking at me said she might believe that I’d changed but she wasn’t sure. I needed her to know that she could trust me. That she could let me in. I hated that she wasn’t sure about me, but I got it. Back at Cal Poly, I’d been such a shithead, but I was desperate to prove to her that I was all in on her and Brody. I wasn’t going to insert myself into their lives and just suddenly disappear. Slowly lifting my hands, I took her face between my palms and surged toward her. People said actions spoke louder than words, and I’d tried words. They hadn’t worked, so maybe it was time to stop holding
back and try actions instead. With no hesitation whatsoever, I kissed her, hoping to show her that I was in this thing with her. I wanted her just as much as I had back then—if not more. She froze for half a beat, but then, she kissed me back. My hand slid up to the side of her neck, her hair damp against my palm. None of this was careful or polished. It was rough around the edges, but it was real, and now that I’d started, I knew I wasn’t letting her go. Not until she believed with every ounce of her being that even the dickhead I used to be now belonged to her.