The Girl He Marked by Laila Callaway novel Chapter 3

Callie's POV.

'Okay,' I say with a sigh as I take off my shoes. 'Go for it. Give me your best, disapproving brother lecture.'

Ben scoffs. 'Please, I'm not Rixon,' he protests.

I cross my arms over my chest and raise an eyebrow in question. Ben rolls his eyes at me.

'I'm just saying, must you make out on the porch' Ben demands.

I throw my hands in the air in exasperation. 'Where else am I supposed to kiss him goodbye And why were you watching you creep'

'I don't know, save it for in his car or something!' Ben retorts. 'And I am not a creep, I just happened to be doing the washing up and looked out of the window.'

Our kitchen window overlooks the porch.

'Whatever just don't watch your sister kiss her mate. It's weird,' I tell him.

I stomp past him and up to my bedroom. Thank Goddess that he isn't half as bad as Rixon.

Thinking of Rixon, I should probably go and visit him and Lexi tomorrow.

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Ben and I arrive at the cabin after breakfast. Lexi and Rixon are expecting us.

Rix opens the door when we get out of the car. I embrace him and then Lexi, who is looking much better. The color is back on her face.

We enter the cabin, and we all sit down in the living room to catch up. It's only been a few days, but the last week has been crazy.

Lexi cuddles up to Rixon's side and I can't help but smile. They look so happy together.

'How are your parents coping with all of this' I ask her gently.

Lexi's parents don't exactly approve of Rixon. They've only recently come around to their relationship, and Lexi nearly dying was the main reason for their change of heart.

She nods, a soft smile on her face.

'They're doing a lot better. They came over yesterday and actually found it in themselves to be decent to Rixon, so that's progress. I think they're mostly so excited about the prospect of being grandparents, if I'm honest.'

Rixon kisses his mate's temple and places his hand on her stomach protectively.

'None of us can believe it,' he murmurs.

He looks at his mate with such adoration, it makes me miss Nate instantly.

'How are things between you and Nate You've been going on dates, much to Rixon's displeasure,' Lexi comments, playfully nudging her mate.

Rixon frowns at the mention of my mate.

'They're really good, thank you. So far, he's taken me bowling and indoor—skiing. We've got another date on Friday.'

Lexi grins. 'Amazing! I'm so happy for you two. I hope your brothers aren't giving you too much of a hard time.'

I give Ben a pointed look. 'No, they're okay at the moment. I'm still too nervous to invite Nate inside, though.'

Ben scoffs. 'Please, we're not that bad. You can invite him in.'

'I think it's a bit early for that. Let's just keep it at the date level, okay' Rixon chips in. 'No sleepovers yet, please.'

I roll my eyes and Lexi nudges him again.

'Callie is a grown woman. If she wants her mate to stay in her bed, he can,' Lexi defends me and both brothers start protesting.

'Honestly, with the way those two are, I will never complete the mating process with Nate,' I complain to Lex.

'And what would be so wrong with that' Rixon asks and I scowl at him.

We stay for most of the afternoon. It's nice to have the family together again, the house has been a bit quiet, just Ben and me.

I'm making another round of drinks in the kitchen, when Rixon joins me. He leans against the counter and crosses his arms over his chest.

'Tell me honestly, he's treating you well You're happy' Rixon checks.

I laugh at him. 'You'd be the first to know if I wasn't, Rix. Don't worry. He's the perfect gentleman, I am so unbelievably happy.'

Rixon nods, his face serious.

'Good. Ben tells me you've still been getting nightmares, though.'

My hand freezes as I reach for the kettle. I swallow hard and focus on carrying on making the drinks.

'Um, yes. I have,' I begrudgingly admit.

Damn, Ben. Why is he worrying Rixon with this

He has enough on his plate.

'I thought they would stop after…you know,' Rixon says quietly.

I refuse to meet his gaze, worried that I might cry. I take a deep breath and pour the hot water into the mugs.

'So did I. But apparently, they haven't,' I respond curtly. 'It's nothing I'm not used to, Rix. Don't stress about me.'

Rixon moves closer to me, and I try to ignore the familiar burning at the back of my eyes, the one that threatens tears.

'You're my sister, Cal. I'm always going to stress about you.'

I finish making the drinks and turn to him with a forced smile.

'Well, you don't need to. I'm perfectly fine.'

He doesn't believe me. I know, because I don't believe me, either.

We stay a little longer, but soon, Ben and I have to get home and get started on our dinner.

We say goodbye to the happy couple, but I linger behind whilst Ben gets the car started.

Rixon stands with me on the porch. I take a deep breath.

'Nate doesn't know…about what happened,' I tell him shakily. 'And I'd like to keep it that way, please.'

Rixon frowns. 'I don't think that's a good idea, keeping such a big thing from him.'

I shake my head. 'It's too soon. I don't want to burden him with it. Please, don't mention anything if you see him.'

Rixon's lips set into a thin line, but he nods.

'Fine. But you should tell him. With that kind of thing, honesty is the best way to deal with it.'

I know he's right; I just don't want Nate to look at me any differently. The way that my whole family looks at me.

There's nothing worse than seeing pity in their eyes. Poor Callie who was attacked by a misogynistic pig. I don't want Nate to feel sorry for me.

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Friday comes around quickly and I'm grateful for it. I've been missing Nate the last few days.

I'm grinning when I meet him on the porch. I've stepped out before he can knock on the door, having heard him pull up in his car.

'You look beautiful,' Nate compliments me.

I thank him and notice that he is looking thoughtfully at the door.

'Are you ever going to invite me in' He asks curiously and I grimace.

'Not whilst my brothers are home,' I respond.

He takes my hand and walks me to his car.

'Oh, come on. They can't be that bad.'

I give him a deadpan look. 'Trust me, they are. You'll see, eventually.'

'I'm Myra's brother, remember I'm used to pushy siblings,' he says, making me laugh.

'I don't think Myra would appreciate that comment,' I tell him, and he chuckles.

'Probably not.'

Once again, he won't tell me where we're going. He drives back towards the city, and we pass a lot of restaurants.

Nate says that we have plenty of time to just go for meals, but right now, he thinks that active dates are the best way to break the ice and get to know each other.

I'm inclined to agree with him. Despite my reservations because of my past, I feel like we've gotten much closer the last few times we've been together.

Nate parks outside a building that seems to contain a lot of different companies. I don't know which one we're here for.

He takes my hand and leads us inside as my curiosity intensifies. The anticipation builds as he ushers us over to a separate building, linked to the main one.

I turn to him, my excitement bubbling.

'We're going axe—throwing'

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