Calloway men

The sun was high, casting a golden haze across the storefronts, the kind of light that made the dust in the air shimmer. Kade leaned against the side of his truck, arms crossed, sweat still clinging to his skin from the morning’s work. He didn’t plan on seeing her—not really—but when he spotted that familiar sway of her hips across the street, something inside him snapped taut.

She was there again—like fate was playing a cruel game. Her sundress swayed in the breeze, those bare shoulders glowing under the sun. And Kade couldn’t hold it in anymore. He crossed the sidewalk like a man heading into battle.

“Aria,” he said, breath sharp.

She turned slowly, face unreadable. “Kade.”

He shoved a hand in his back pocket, jaw clenched. “I need to talk to you.”

She didn’t budge. “Why were you helping my dad and never told me?”

Kade blinked. “What?”

“My father told me you’ve been checking in. Helping him. For years. You didn’t say a word to me. Why?”

He looked down. “Because I did