Somewhere Only We Know (10 page)

When Callum’s mouth found its goal, Kate cried out with pure pleasure, she had never felt anything like this before. She gripped the bed clothes beneath her and pinched her eyes shut as his tongue twirled around her clit, again and again. She could feel a quiver erupting in the pit of her stomach as she tilted her hips up to meet his mouth, desperately trying to find some relief.

Suddenly, he slipped two fingers deep inside her and the
quiver she was feeling, suddenly charged through her body like a steam train. She reached down and grabbed the top of his head as she lost all control, crying out in sheer ecstasy, her orgasm consuming her completely.

She was just started to regain some sense of awareness when she could feel the head of his cock press again her sensitive folds. Her eyes met his as he thrust his entire length
deep into her, making her cry out once again. His pace started off slow and tender but it soon picked up. He thrust into her again and again, deep and hard until Kate could feel her body come apart beneath him once more.

Suddenly
, Callum cried out as he erupted inside her, then collapsed on top of her, both of them gasping for air.

Finally he looked up and when their eyes met, he smiled.

“How am I ever going to say goodbye to you now?” he asked before he claimed her mouth once again. Suddenly, the sound of her smoke alarm filled the apartment. She had completely forgotten about the pasta in the oven. Their dinner was now a charcoaled mess.

They spent the rest of that night in each other’s arms as Callum made love to her again, slowly.

Kate smiled sadly as she remembered that night. If she was honest, she knew from that night she was in love with Callum, although she had tried to pretend she wasn’t.

She wondered how he was doing and if he was thinking of her, she missed him. She missed him so much
her heart ached like it never had before. But she knew her leaving was for the best. They just needed time to see this.

Then she thought of Finn and his kiss. She knew it was just too soon for her. She wondered if she would ever be able to move on. Right in that moment, she just didn’t know.

Callum dropped his bags on the floor and flopped down on the hotel bed. He was exhausted. It had been a long day and the flight had been a nightmare. When he reached the hotel, he was so happy to finally be there. As he stood at the reception desk, checking in, he scanned the lobby constantly, hoping, willing she would just appear. He asked the receptionist if she was registered, but she couldn’t give him that information.

As he sat there on the bed, he
wondered if she was still in the hotel. If she too was sitting on a bed at that very moment, thinking of him. A knot of frustration formed in his stomach, as he thought of her. He longed to see her, to talk to her, to just hold her.

He flopped back on the bed and closed his eyes
, trying to remember the last time he had held her. He thought about the night of their fight. It had felt so good to finally be able to touch her. It had been so long since he had. When he walked in to the apartment and she threw her arms around him, he thought that maybe, finally, she would let him in.

He remember
ed how good it felt to touch her soft skin, to press his lips to the curves of her beautiful breast, her scent filling his senses. His cock hardened just from the memory. Even in his mind she had such power over his body, she always did. God he missed her so much.

Suddenly, h
is phone rang and Callum sprung up on the bed, searching his pockets afraid it might be Kate and he would miss her.

“Hello,” he said breathlessly, when he pulled it from his pocket and put it to his ear.

“Little brother,” James’ voice echoed through the phone. “How are you holding up?”

“James, enough with the little brother crap,” Callum snapped angrily, disappointed that it wasn’t Kate. “And how do you thin
k I am doing? Have you any news?”

“Yes, I do,” James replied, knowing his brother’s anger was not really
directed at him. “So, turns out Felix knows a receptionist there at the hotel, and she checked the register and there was no Katherine Greyson checked in there in the last few weeks, however there was a Katherine Kelly and she paid in cash. When Felix pushed her, she looked closer at the records and Katherine did provide a credit card upon check in for security and the name on the card was in fact Katherine Greyson.”

“So
, she was here,” Callum asked, feeling his spirits rise for the first time in a couple of weeks. “Did the girl say if she was still here?”

“She checked out
last Friday, the day I saw her,” James replied knowing this was not what his brother wanted to hear.

“DAMN IT!” Callum exclaimed feeling gutted that he was so close and yet
, still so far away from finding her.

“Callum, this is not all bad news,” James tried to reassure his brother. “She was there, so we are on the right track. Also Felix has
found another lead.”

“
What is it?” Callum asked, hopefully.

“Felix said the girl remember
ed Kate,” James explained. “She said she remembered that she didn’t leave the room for days, and the only thing she did was order room service. Then on the last day she had her hair done. She said she remembered that when Kate checked out, she asked for directions to Redmond.”

“What’s in Redmond?” Callum asked.

“Redmond is mostly a residential area,” James replied. “Which the exception of the huge Microsoft Campus. Other than that, there is very little there. So unless she has some business in Microsoft, I would say it’s a safe bet she was looking at houses, so, I have Felix checking the recently rented properties. See what we come up with.”

“Do you think this will work?” Callum asked hopefully.

“I think we are heading in the right direction.” James replied. “Now you need to get some food and try and get some rest, you sound like hell, I can only imagine how you look.” Callum just laughed.

“We will find her Callum,” James promised his brother and he meant it too.
There was nothing he wouldn’t do for his little brother.

“Thanks, James,” Callum replied.

“I will call as soon as I hear anything from Felix,” James promised.

When Callum hung up, he stood up and walked to the window. He looked out over Seattle and wondered where Kate was. He closed his eyes and thought of Kate, hoping where ever she was,
that she was okay.

He ordered some room service and then passed out on the bed watching an old black and white cowboy
movie.

“Cal,” Kate whispered in his ear. “Cal, something’s wrong.”

“What is it?” Callum asked, as he sprung up in the bed. He turned and looked at a terrified looking Kate. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s the baby,” she said, the fear very evident in her voice. “Something is wrong.”

“Okay, don’t panic,” Callum said trying to sound calmer than he felt. “Talk to me, tell me what’s wrong.”

“I don’t know,” Kate replied with tears dancing in her eyes. “I have a weird feeling in my stomach. Like a pulse. I don’t know what it is.”

She reached over and took hold of Callum’s hand and pressed it to her tummy, staring at him with her big, scared eyes, she waited.

Then he felt it. It was like a pulse beneath his hand, a little like a butterfly fluttering beneath
the palm of his hand. He didn’t speak for a moment. He just waited until he felt it again. When he did, a big smile filled his face.

“Why are you smiling?” Kate asked fighting hard to hold the tears back. “Something is wrong.”

“Sweetheart,” Callum said looking up at Kate. “Nothing is wrong. In fact it is very right.”

Once again Callum could feel the flutter beneath his hand.

“Katie,” Callum said, as his smile widen. “That is our baby moving.”

“But, but it’s too soon,” Kate said as the tears of both relief and fear trickled down her face. “Isn’t it?”

“Apparently not,” Callum replied, as once again, he felt a flutter beneath his hand. “And it would seem we have a little soccer player in there.”

Kate laughed and cried at the same time
, as Callum bent down and softly kissed her swollen tummy. Then sitting back up, he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips.

“I love you Katie Gre
yson,” Callum said leaning in and kissing her once again
.

“KATE!” Callum cried out, as he bolted up straight in the bed. For a moment he was confused. He has no idea where he was. As
his memories returned, so did the pain that had gripped his heart for the past couple of weeks. He looked at the clock on the bottom on the TV and saw it was just after 4 am. He climbed up off the bed and walked to the window and stared out into the blackness of the night.

“Where are you Katie,” he whispered then looked over at his mobile phone on the bed
, where he had left it and thought about calling her.  He walked over, picked it up and without thinking, he called up Kate’s number and pressed call. He expected it to go to her answering machine, but instead was surprised when Kate answered it.

“Hello,” she said, still half asleep.

“Katie,” Callum said nervously, half expecting her to just hang up.

“Callum, are you okay?
” she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

“How can I be okay, Katie?”
he sighed sitting down on the edge of the bed. “I miss you. I love you so much. I just want you hold you.”

“I miss you too,” she replied much to his surprise.

“Katie, please,” Callum sighed. “Please come home. Or tell me where you are. Tell me so I can come and take you home where you belong. Please Katie, let’s try again.”

“I can’t,”
she replied and Callum knew she was crying. “Please, understand.”

“I can’t understand Katie,” Call
um replied. “I love you and you love me, surely that is all we need. Please give me a chance to make this right.”

“It’s too late, Cal,” Kate sobbed.
“I met someone else and I love him. Don’t ever call me again…”

Callum sprung up in the bed. He was drenched in sweat
his heart hammering rapidly in his chest. For a moment he was confused and he had no idea where he was, but he knew he felt like he was going to be sick. Then he realised where he was and relief took hold, as he remembered what happened. He had been dreaming.

It was just a dream, oh thank God, it was just a dream
,
he thought to himself.

He stared over at the phone on the bedside table and tried to steady h
is ragged breathing. He needed to calm down, it was all just a bad dream.

He was surprised that the sun was already climbing in the sky and filling his hotel roo
m. He looked at his watch and it was already 10.30 am. He couldn’t remember the last time he had slept so late. He couldn’t remember the last time he had properly slept.

He slipped his legs
out onto the floor and climbed out of bed. Heading straight to the bathroom, he switched on the shower and stripped before he climbed beneath the hot water. It felt good on his skin, made him feel alive.

He thought back to his dream and he felt sick. For the first time the thought occurred to him
, that Kate might not want to be found. She might not want to come home. He thought about what it would feel like if she did decide to move on. If she found someone new. The very thought made Callum feel physically sick. The thought of someone else holding her, touching her. He quickly tried to push the thought from his mind, but he couldn’t.

How would he ever survive if she found someone new
? The answer was simple, he couldn’t. She was his life. She was his everything.

He felt determined, he needed to find her quickly and make her see they were meant to be. She was his Katie. They belonged together, that much he was sure of. And he believed somewhere deep inside
, Kate knew that too.

When he climbed out of the shower and dressed
, he thought about going down to the Beauty Salon in the hotel and try to find out who had done Kate’s hair on Monday. Maybe they might hold the key to where it was she was gone to.

As he slipped o
n his shoes, his phone rang. Callum grabbed it from the bed. His heart thumped fast when he saw James’s number flashed on the screen. Callum picked up the phone and, saying a silent prayer for good news, he hit the accept button.

“Hi, James,” Callum said, he closed
his eyes, as he said a silent prayer to God.
Please be good news, please be good news.

“Hi Callum,” James said. “I have news.”

Kate sat in her car outside Jack’s house and wondered what the hell she was doing. When Finn called her earlier that day to see if she was still coming to his father’s for his birthday, she assured him she was. Now she wished she had made some random excuse and told him she couldn’t go.

This whole situation was out of character for her, well at least out of her character the past ten months.
She had done everything to avoid people, to avoid any kind of gathering at all. She had no idea what had got into her, agreeing to come to Jack’s, but then, they didn’t know anything about her. They wouldn’t look at her with pity or worry. When she was with Jack and Finn, she was just a normal, everyday person. Something she hadn’t been in such a long time.

Since losing Emily, she was the broken bird that everyone pitied and more importantly, everyone avoided. At first
, it hadn’t bothered Kate, in fact, if she was honest, it suited her better. However, as time passed, she missed her friends. The only people she saw were her dad, her two brothers, Shea and Dara, Leah, Olly and of course Callum.

She remember
ed back to the day she had finally found the strength to face the shopping centre close to where they lived. She was walking through the centre and was beginning to relax, starting to feel a little normal once again. She was walking out of the chemists, when she spotted Charlotte, one of the girls she worked with, shopping with her children. Kate smiled and was about to say hi, when Charlotte quickly turned around and pushed her children into one of the shops.

Kate knew Charlotte had seen her and she was tempted to go after her
, but she decided not to bother. It was that night Callum had asked if moving to New York was something she might consider and she said yes without a second thought.

She stared up at Jack’s house an
d thought about starting the car and heading back home. Just as she decided she was going to go home, Finn appeared on the front porch giving her a wave and broad smile. He stepped down off the front porch and headed down the driveway towards Kate’s car.

Kate took a deep breath and opened the car door.

“Hey,” Finn said, as he reached the car. “You made it.”

“I guess I did,” Kate replied
, as she stepped out of her car and walked back to the boot.

“You weren’t about to
bail on me, were you?” Finn said with a hearty laugh. Kate’s stomach jumped straight up into her mouth. She didn’t reply, she just laughed.

“
Dad will be thrilled,” Finn continued, as he followed Kate to the back of the car. “Sara, Dan and DJ are out back. Dan has taken control of the barbeque.” He added with a laugh.

Kate reached into the boot to take out the gift she brought for Jack
, but hesitated at Finn’s words. Standing back up, she looked at Finn.

“I hadn’t realised that you
r whole family would be here,” Kate said, suddenly feeling even more like jumping back into the car and heading for home.

“Stop panicking,” Finn said with a laugh, sensing Kate was feeling suddenly very uncomfortable. He reached in and took the package from the boot of the car and handed it to Kate. “You will like my sister and her husband.
DJ is my nephew, he is five, and pretty awesome.”

“
Cool,” Kate said with a smile but her heart sunk. She wasn’t comfortable around kids anymore, it was just too hard and brought back too many memories.

“Are you okay?” Finn asked, looking at her curiously
, as he slammed the boot shut. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Yeah,” she lied and forced a smile.
“I’m fine.”

“Then let’s get you inside,” Finn replied giving her a big smile
, but he wasn’t fully convinced she was okay. He watched her, as they walked up the pathway to his father’s house.

When they reached the door, Kate paused and took a deep steadying breath. She knew she was being ridiculous
, but her racing heart and sweaty palms were out of her control.

“You know, they won’t bite,” Finn said
, as he reached for the door with one hand and Kate’s hand with the other. “I promise.”

She didn’t respond
, instead just smiling at him gratefully. She wondered for the first time, what he would think if she told him about Callum and Emily. She wondered what he would think of her just walking out of her marriage after eight years.

Finn le
d Kate through the cool shade of his father’s home, straight through the kitchen and out into the backyard, where Jack was sitting on a porch swing, a blonde, curly haired little boy, almost like a miniature version of Finn, sitting next to him.

“Hi there!” he exclaimed with a big smile, when he saw Kate standing on
the porch next to his son.

“Happy Birthday, Jack,” Kate replied with a bright smile
, as she walked towards him. He stood up, as she approached him, greeting her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“What a lovely surprise,” Jack said, seeming genuinely
pleased to see Kate. “Thank you so much for coming.”

“Well, when Finn said it was you
r birthday,” Kate answered, as she nervously glanced over at Finn’s sister and her husband. Sara smiled at Kate and Kate could feel herself relax a little, as she returned Sara’s smile. She turned back to Jack and her smile widened. “I just wanted to drop by and wish you a very happy birthday.”

She handed him the gift she had
brought for him, then pulled a bottle of wine from her oversized bag she had on her shoulder and handed it to Finn.

“You didn’t need to do that,” Finn said
, as he took the bottle from her. “Please, take a seat and I will get you a drink. What will you have?”

“
Just a soda,” Kate replied, giving Finn a smile. “I’m driving.”

“I will be right back,” Finn said before he vanished back into the house.
Kate sat down next to Jack, as Jack pulled his grandson onto his lap.

“Are you going to help me unwrap this, DJ?” Jack asked the little boy
, as he lifted up his gift from in between him and Kate.

“YES!” DJ replied excitedly and instantly began to tear away the wrapping paper from his grandfather’s gift. Kate smiled
, but her heart ached, as her mind went back to Emily, on her fourth birthday. She loved unwrapping gifts so much and the brighter the wrapping paper, the better.

Kate
remembered how she and Callum had stayed up late the night before the party, making sure all Emily’s presents were wrapped and ready for her when she woke up.

“Kate, this is beautiful,” Jack said snapping her out of her trance. He held up the cardigan Kate had bought for
him and called to his daughter. “Sara, did you see this? Isn’t it beautiful?”

“It’s beautiful
, Dad,” Sara said, as she came up to join Kate and her father on the back porch. “You must be Kate, I have heard a lot about you. Lovely to finally meet you.”

“You too,” Kate said fighting hard the desire to run straight for the front doo
r. What the hell was she doing here? These people were strangers.

“We were very grateful for you helping out Dad the way you did
the other day,” Sara continued. “I hate to think what would have happened to him if you hadn’t have been there.”

“It was nothing really,” Kate replied, flicking her eyes towards Jack, who had a sad smile on his face
, as he sat and watched the two girls talk.

“Here you go, Kate,” Finn said when he re-emerged
out through his dad’s back door. He handed Kate her soda and gave her a big grin. As soon, as she saw him, she instantly felt more relaxed.

“Thanks,”
Kate said, taking the soda from Finn, as she quickly glanced at Sara. She blushed when she saw the way Sara was grinning at her brother. Kate knew what Sara was thinking. If she was honest, she knew Sara wasn’t wrong. Finn liked her. That much was very clear. She just hoped she wasn’t sending back the wrong signals. Yes she liked Finn too, but she wasn’t ready to move on. Not yet.

“This is my husband
. Dan,” Sara said, as Dan joined them on the back porch. He reached out and offered Kate his hand, which she took and shook firmly.

“Nice to meet you,” Kate nodded.

“Pleasure is all mine, Ma’am,” Dan replied and Kate noticed he had a slight southern accent. He was an attractive man, with war hazel brown eyes that twinkled when he smiled. “I hope you are hungry, barbeque is nearly ready.”

“It smells delicious,” Kate replied with a smile.

“I’m DJ,” the little boy, who had not taken his eyes off Kate since she arrived announced, as he moved closer to her and looked deeply into her eyes. “Are you sad?”

“DJ!” Sara e
xclaimed with a nervous laugh. “Don’t be so rude.”

“But her eyes aren’t smiling,” DJ replied still not taking his eyes from Kate.

“I’m so sorry,” Sara said turning to Kate. “DJ sometimes says what he is thinking without realising he is being rude.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Kate replied honestly to Sara, feeling sorry for the girl standing in front of her. She knew how much hard work kids can be, Emily co
uld be a real handful at time. And she too would say things that made Kate cringe at times. That’s what children do. “You can’t take kids serious.”

She looked at DJ and gave him a real, genuine smile. He stared at her for a moment, as if he was considering what to do next. Suddenly to Kate’s surprise, DJ stood up and wrapped his arms around her neck and whispered in her ear. “Don’t be sad, I will be your friend.”

His words surprised, but touched Kate. She gave him a hug back. Then he released her from his embrace, he turned and ran off into the garden, as if what happened was completely normal.

Kate looked up at Finn. He gave her a nod and a big smile
. Kate finally relaxed.

The rest of the afternoon went by so quickly. Kate was
surprised she was actually having fun. Finn had been right, Sara was lovely. She and Kate got on famously. They all sat on the deck, as the sun began to set and listened to Jack tell them stories about when he and Kathleen first got married. Every so often, he would stop, as if he was remembering. Once or twice, Kate thought he winced, but no one else’s seem to see it.

As the sun was setting, Sara stood up and said she was going to clear away the dishes. Kate stood up to help her
, but froze when she saw DJ half way up the garden gasping for air. Dan was the first one to notice her face and immediately turn in the direction of his son.

“JESUS!” He exclaimed
, as he quickly jump down from the back porch and scooped DJ up into his arms. “Oh God! I think he is choking!”

Sara and Finn ran towards Dan and the little boy, each taking it in turn to
try and help the boy. Kate just froze, she could barely hear any words that was said over the sound of her heart hammering in her ears.

“DJ!” Sara cried out
in panic and fear. “OH, GOD PLEASE!”

Kate knew that fear all too well herself.
That moment of panic when you realise your child is in danger.

SNAP OUT OF IT!
Kate screamed in her head.
DO SOMETHING!

“Let me!
” she cried out, as she rushed towards the child, and before anyone could respond, she dropped to the ground next to the boy. She quickly took hold of him and placed him across her lap, face down. The she raised her hand and gave the little boy a solid whack across his back. She listened for a moment to see if he was breathing, he wasn’t, so she hit his back once again.

This time he coughed and a nut he had been eating
, came shooting out of his mouth, as he quickly gasped for air and began to cry. Kate lifted him back up from her lap, and looking up at Sara, nodding that she could pick him up.

“Oh my god,” Sara cried, as she held DJ tightly. “It’s okay
sweetie, Mommy has you.”

She then looked down at Kate, who was still on the ground and smiled.

“Thank you so much,” Sara said, the tears streaming down her face. “You saved him.”

Kate just smiled and stood back up.
Then without saying a word she turned back towards the back porch. She tried to seem like she was okay, but her heart was hurting. Once again she was reminded of how, despite all her training, she had failed to save Emily.

She knew it was a completely different
circumstance, but the hurt was still there.

“Kate, you saved his life,” Finn said following her back up on to the back porch. “That was amazing.”

“It wasn’t that big a deal,” Kate replied, refusing to look at Finn, as she began to gather up the dinner dishes. She was trying her best to remain calm, but her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest.

“Well. I think it was pretty awesome,” Finn said talking hold of
her hand. “Thank you.”

Kate just smiled, then picked up the dishes and headed back into the house.