I walked into the house and found my father and Colton standing in the living room. But before the two could even make a move towards me, I held up my hand to stop them. I knew they’d have plenty to say, and I knew exactly what they would say. My father would want me to open up about anything and everything right then and there so he could have all the answers at his disposal while Colton would simply want to know where I was and if I was all right. However, I had some things I wanted to say to them both, and none of those things revolved around what they would really be curious about.

Which was why I needed them both to shut up.

“I have some things I want to say, and then I need to go to bed. It’s been a long day, and I’m tired, and after going and talking with Mom I know what needs to be said now and what can wait until later,” I said.

I watched the two of them nod before I turned towards my father.

“I’m sorry if I worried you in any way with my leave. I went to Mom’s grave. I just needed her. There are times where all I’ve needed is her. But it’s hard to tell you that because you always take it so personally. Like you somehow aren’t enough. And that isn’t it, Dad. Nowhere near it. It’s just that, sometimes, I know Mom would have taken information better than you. That’s all.”

I watched his face drop and it broke my heart.

“You’ve been an incredible father over the years. You’ve taken care of me and raised me. You’ve built your company with Colt while raising a child that technically isn’t yours.”

“You’ll always be mine, Cal--.”

I held up my hand again and drew in a deep breath.

“I know I’ll always be yours. I am yours. When you adopted me, I wanted your last name for a reason. You’re my dad. Plain and simple. But, you’re only just Dad. Even though you try to be Mom and Dad, there are times when all I need is to talk with her. Like today. So, I’m sorry if me leaving so quickly worried you,” I said.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I get it,” he said.

“My heart hurts, Daddy. I spent the last six years with a man I adored. And idolized. And looked up to. And trusted. And that man turned out to be nothing like I thought he was. I feel betrayed, and hurt, and abandoned. I know, in the back of my mind, he didn’t deserve me. But it doesn’t stop me from grieving a six-year relationship that has now been obliterated.”

Then, I drew in a deep breath and launched into the part that worried me the most.

“What Matthew said on the porch is true. The day I got back from college, after Colt cooked dinner and I went up to my room, we shared a moment. A vulnerable moment born out of an accidental kiss that sparked something latent and beautiful. And I need you to hear me when I tell you that he didn’t take advantage of me, Dad. Colton didn’t force himself on me or manipulate the situation or any of the other things you accused him of doing. When we kissed, I didn’t stop in. In fact, I pressed into him. I gave him the go-ahead.”

I watched my father grimace. Like I’d just forced him to swallow a can of salt.

“So, if you’re going to be upset with your brother, then you have to be upset with me as well.”

And after I was done, I fluttered my gaze over to Colt and smiled quickly before it faded.

“What I said on the porch was true. I did want it. I did want what happened between us. But, I can’t honestly say it was done from a selfless point. It’s been a very long time since I’ve enjoyed something like that. Intimacy with Matthew was selfish, at best. Unfulfilling, constantly. But, you were also right. In the library, when we spoke before he came over. I wasn’t emotionally prepared for that conversation, and I was fearful that if I told anything he was coming over that someone would talk me out of it. I did invite him. And I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d successfully talk me out of it. I’m glad the conversation happened, but I don’t want you thinking that I didn't hear you. That I didn’t take what you said to heart. Because you were right. I wasn’t ready, I wasn’t prepared, and I intentionally kept that from you because--deep down--a part of me knew that. I just wanted him off my back so badly, no matter what it took. And I’m sorry, Colt. I’m sorry for keeping that from you.”

“It’s okay, Callie. I’m just glad you’re safe. But, thank you for telling me now,” he said.

“Had you not been there to step in and intervene, I probably would have caved just to try and smooth things over with him. I’ve never seen Matthew that angry. Ever. And it honestly frightened me. Thank you for being there, Colton.”

“I’ll always be there for you, Callie.”

“With all of this said, however, I’m not as okay as I appear to be. What happened between you and I happened at a time in my life where I was not all right. And even though I wanted it and even though part of me has wanted it for a very long time, I’m not sure I can fully blame what happened between the two of us on that want. I can’t tell you when I started liking you, or if I ever liked you, or if I ever crushed on you. All I can tell you is that what happened between us felt natural and real. Something I never felt with Matthew. Ever. That’s all I’ve got, Colt.”

“And it’s more than enough,” he said.

Then, I turned my eyes back to my father.

“I can’t give you any more answers than that, Daddy. I can tell you that I’m drawn to Colton. That I do and did enjoy being with him and around him. That I trust him. That I can confide in him. I’ve always been able to do those things. It’s always been easy with him. But setting all of that to the side, my heart is broken. And I’m floundering. So, that’s where I’m at. I’m standing in my childhood home with a broken heart looking my father in his face and telling him that, yes, I had relations with my step-uncle. And I can’t tell you why other than the fact that it simply felt right.”

And as tears crested my eyes, I looked over into Colt’s one last time.

“I’ll never take back what happened between the two of us. But, I don’t know what this means going forward. I don’t know what the future holds for me. And I don’t know if Matthew will go away and leave me alone. I don’t know any of these things, but I can promise you that once I do know, you’ll be the first to know.”

“That’s all I ask,” he said.

I nodded my head as a silence fell over the three of us, then I slowly made my way upstairs. I’d done it. After talking at my mother’s graveside and driving around trying to gather my thoughts, I addressed the issue like a woman. With my head held high, with my mind confident in my words, and my emotions as deciphered and understood as they would be for now. But when I slid into my room and closed the door behind me, I sprang onto my bed and unleashed my tears. I buried my face into my pillow and sobbed as loud as I did the day my mom passed.

I held myself in womanly confidence, then broke myself down in childish anguish.

And I wasn’t ashamed of the tears that fell. Because I knew they had to in order for me to heal and move forward.