The Redemption of Callie & Kayden

up but I don’t move as he leans over me, propping an arm on each side of me. Lowering his mouth toward mine, I wait in anticipation for him to kiss me, but right as he’s there, right as our lips are about to make contact, he pauses.
    “This is nice, right?” he asks and I nod, resisting the urge to grab the collar of his shirt and jerk him down to me. “We should make it a tradition for next year.”
    My stomach flutters with a thousand enthusiastic butterflies as I think about being with him for an entire year. “Okay.” I cross my ankles over each other, trying to contain the nervous energy created by the flush of our bodies.
    “So we’re on for next year?” he checks, and I nod without any contemplation. I know what I want and I’m not afraid to say it. No more living in fear.
    “Good,” he says and then leans in to kiss me, whispering, “Thank you for saving me.”
    “Thank you for saving me too,” I say, and seconds later his lips engulf mine.
    The fireworks explode and boom above our heads, vivid and colorful against the dark sky, but I think about nothing but him.

Chapter 19
    #11 Say good-bye and move on
Callie
    The next two weeks are pretty uneventful. Between the road trip, the recovery, and the confessions, Kayden and I are drained and we spend the rest of our winter break avoiding our houses, and hanging out in the hotel room, diner, or café as much as possible. Seth and Luke hang out with us a lot too. It’s been snowing quite a bit, but the air feels warm. My mom calls me every morning and every night. At first I wouldn’t tell her where I was staying, because I didn’t want her tracking me down, but then I finally fessed up that I was staying with Kayden and Seth in a hotel room.
    She isn’t very happy about this, but I’m almost nineteen years old, which is what I tell her.
    “Callie Lawrence,” she says after I finally tell her. I’m sitting on the hotel room’s bed in shorts and a T-shirt and Kayden is lying behind me, making shapes on my lower back with his fingers. Every once and a while, he hits a ticklish spot and I giggle.
    “This isn’t funny,” my mom says, sounding irate.
    I cover my mouth with my hand to stifle the uncontrollable laughter. Once I settle down, I lower my hand to my lap. “I know, Mom.”
    “You need to come home… We need to talk about what happened.” She sighs. “Callie, the police said they can’t do anything about it and even if they could Caleb… he… No one knows where he is still. Jackson thinks he might have taken off.”
    “I already knew the police couldn’t do anything,” I tell her, lying down on the bed beside Kayden. He has his boxers on with no shirt and when he snuggles against me the warmth and sturdiness of his chest soothes me. “And I’m not surprised about Caleb.”
    “But…” She’s frustrated and I hear something crash to the ground. “Shit,” she curses—she’s been cursing a lot lately. “I broke a damn cup.”
    “I’m sorry,” I say, arching my back as Kayden draws hearts on my spine, his hand drifting up my shirt to the area between my shoulder blades.
    “You don’t need to be sorry, sweetie,” she says and then sighs. “It’s just a cup.”
    As much as my mother and I have never gotten along, I have to give her credit for how nice she’s being through all this. After her meltdown, she’s been less teary eyed and she’s never once tried to put the blame on me. Sometimes my thoughts wander back to my twelfth birthday and my head fills with what-ifs. What if I had told her then? What if I’d never had to suffer in silence for the last six years? What if my life had been different? But I always shove the thoughts right out of my head. What-ifs aren’t important. I can’t go back through time and change things, but I can move forward and create the life I want.
    “Callie, did you hear me?” she asks, sounding a little annoyed.
    I blink away my thoughts. “Yeah… no… huh?”
    Kayden snorts a laugh from behind me as he traces the length of my spine. “You’re so going to get into trouble.” He makes a silly airhead voice when he says it.
    I reach back and pinch his arm and he laughs even harder. “What, Mom?”
    She sighs exhaustedly. “I said, have you thought about going to that therapist friend of mine in Laramie when you get back to school? I think it’ll be good for you.”
    “I’m not sure… I’m worried what it might bring up if I do.”
    “Callie, I think it’s