Chapter 284: Uncle Callan
At the mall, the glass doors parted with a soft whoosh as Jamal and Callan stepped inside. The cool air rushed against their skin, carrying the faint mix of perfume, fabric, and freshly brewed coffee from a nearby café.
They rode the escalator up, and when they stepped out of it, Jamal’s gaze scanned the wide aisles until he spotted the bright sign of the clothing store Brenda had mentioned.
Inside, the store buzzed with activity. Bella and Brenda were bent over a rack of clothes for little boys, holding up T-shirts decorated with cartoon heroes and giggling whenever Josh shook his head or made a funny face. Branden was fiddling with his phone while occasionally glancing toward them.
Abigail emerged from the dressing room, and the moment her eyes landed on Jamal who approaching the store but yet to see her, her heart skipped a beat and a wide smile broke through her face.
"Josh, your daddy is here!" She called out, her voice light and excited.
Josh’s head snapped up at once and he hurried over to look in the direction she was looking at. The moment his wide brown eyes locked onto Jamal, he let out a squeal of delight and dropped the shirt he had been holding as he bolted across the store, his sneakers slapping against the floor.
"Daddy!"
Jamal’s face lit up when he saw Josh running to him, and his chest warmed as he bent, scooping Josh up into his arms in one fluid motion.
Callan watched as Jamal spun the kid lightly before pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Missed me?"
"I missed you so very much," Josh said as he wrapped his arms tightly around his neck.
Jamal chuckled, his deep laugh rumbling in his chest, "I missed you too, baby," Jamal said, grinning.
Josh giggled, his voice tumbling out fast with excitement. "Daddy! Guess what? Grandma Lucy got me toys! So many toys and a bicycle! It’s in the car. And I picked clothes too. And Brenda said I will get ice cream and chocolates after shopping if I keep being a good boy. And—"
Jamal listened with amusement at his reference to Lucy as grandma. "Grandma Lucy, huh? You’ve gotten real comfortable calling her that."
Josh nodded eagerly. "She said I can call her that! Mummy said so too."
Beside Jamal, Callan had a small smile played on his lips as he watched the boy chatter. The kid his biological father had raised. He wondered what Josh thought of Ryan.
Jamal noticed Callan’s gaze and shifted Josh slightly on his hip. "Josh, buddy," Jamal said warmly, "I want you to meet my best friend. This is Uncle Callan. Callan, meet my mini me," Jamal said proudly.
"Mini me? What is mini me? My name is Josh," Josh said, and both Jamal and Callan laughed.
"Mini me means you’re a mini version of me. Like a little me. And yes, my mini me’s name is Josh," Jamal said, and Josh smiled as he turned to Callan, his eyes settling curiously on Callan.
Callan stretched out a hand, "It’s nice to meet you, Josh."
"The pleasure is mine, Uncle Callan," Josh said as he reached out to shake him, and Callan looked from Josh to Jamal, amused by Josh’s display of maturity.
"You’ve got a strong handshake for a kid your age," Callan observed.
Before more could be said, the triplet joined them. "Callan! I can’t believe I get to see you again!" Brenda exclaimed excitedly.
Callan laughed. "Ah! The infamous Bees are here," he teased.
"We only ever see you when Jamal is around. You don’t care about us, do you?" Bella asked with a pout.
"Are you kidding me? I only stay away because you two are too beautiful. Dangerous for my eyes. Plus I don’t want to be stung by the bees," he said as he opened his arms to them.
Both girls squealed with laughter as they rushed into his embrace, while Branden snorted loudly, shaking his head. "Quit giving them false hope, Cal. You know very well they’re a menace," he said as he went to join in the hug, but all three of them pushed him away.
"Go away, man! Why will I want to hug a man like you?" Callan asked, and the girls giggled.
"The world is a harsh place for men, Josh. And it’s even more unfair that men treat men like this," Branden told Josh, then turned to Callan, "So, why can you hug them but not me? Huh? Why? Didn’t you miss me too? What do they have that I don’t?" He asked, and the group burst into laughter.
At that moment, Abigail joined them. A shy smile tugged at her lips when she saw the way Jamal was staring at her.
"There you are," Jamal said warmly. "I was starting to wonder if you went into hiding," Jamal said as he pulled her close and pressed a kiss against her lips, before she could answer.
"Hey, hey!" Brenda scolded playfully, plucking Josh from Jamal’s arms with a giggle. "Little eyes don’t need to see such embarrassing display."
Josh wriggled in her hold, squealing with laughter as she spun him away from his parents’ kiss.
Bella clapped her hands together dramatically. "Get a room, will ya?"
Brenda shook her head. "Shameless. Completely shameless."
Jamal only laughed, his arm still around Abigail’s waist as he broke the kiss. Her cheeks colored faintly as she leaned against him, hiding her face.
"Why are you hiding your face?" Jamal teased, his voice low and amused. "Don’t tell me you’re shy?"
Abigail laughed softly, ducking her head. "Why did you do that? We have an audience. I wasn’t expecting you to do that in public."
He chuckled. "I thought you were always bold. But now I see you’re not as bold as you claimed."
She nudged him playfully, and he chuckled again before glancing around. "Where’s Lucy, by the way?"
"She left to handle something urgent at the office," Branden explained.
As they spoke, Abigail’s gaze shifted toward Callan, who stood quietly now, watching her with unreadable eyes.
Her smile softened. "Hello! You must be Callan."
"Hello, Dawn," he replied, offering his hand, but Abigail’s heart pulled her another way. Instead, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
The embrace caught everyone by surprise. Callan stiffened at first, then slowly relaxed as he returned it lightly.
When they pulled back, Abigail’s voice was soft. "Sorry I took you by surprise. I just... felt like hugging you."
Callan smiled. "It’s fine."
They both stood there looking at each other for some seconds, then Abigail blurted out. "I’m sorry for what my mother cost you."
Callan shook his head. "And I’m sorry for what Ryan did to you," he said, choosing never to refer to him as his father since the only father he acknowledged was Hunter Quinn.
She smiled. "I survived. That’s what matters."
"So did I," he answered quietly.
Sensing that they both needed a moment, Jamal signaled to the Bees to follow him. Josh wriggled out of Brenda’s hold and Jamal took his hand and herded them toward the kid’s section of the store, leaving Callan and Abigail alone.
"Why don’t we go in and continue your shopping then we can talk after?" Callan suggested.
"I was thinking maybe we can talk while I shop? I don’t think I want to sit still and have this conversation with you. Maybe talking as we go will make it less serious?" She said, and Callan’s lips curved.
"You don’t want it to be serious?" He asked, and she nodded.
"I know it’s not an easy subject for you. And honestly, I’m sort of tired of it too. And considering your relationship with Jamal, I don’t want our first conversation to be so awkward and heavy. Let’s keep it light," she said, and Callan smiled.
"I think we are going to get along just fine," Callan said as they walked in side by side.
As they moved through the racks, Abigail made light conversation, asking how his job and talking about places she found interesting in Husla, since she had schooled there.
After a while Callan watched her carefully before asking, "What do you want me to do?"
She tilted her head. "Do? About what?"
"About Ryan Harris."
Abigail paused, eyes darkening. "That’s your decision to make. I believe you should do whatever you’re comfortable with. You should be able to live with whatever decision you make. Something you won’t regret. But you should know that... I already burnt down his house. And right now Tom is helping me buy the company shares with the money from my trust fund."
"I see. For what it’s worth... I support you. Whatever you decide, I’m with you," Callan said slowly, "but is this all you plan to do? Are you done with him? Or is there anything else you plan to do?"
"All I want now is for him to turn himself in and face the consequences for what he did to me. I don’t mind him exposing what my mother and grandparents did. But he should own up to what he did. The video he made was a slap to my face. What if I had gotten surgery as he wanted me to just to hide his crimes? I can’t let him twist the narrative that way like he stole my life out of love for me."
Callan nodded slowly. "Like I said, I support you. And I’ll help you however I can."
Her throat tightened, and she gave a small nod. "Thank you."
He studied her for a moment. "Jamal mentioned that you want Ryan here. Why?"
She sighed softly. "At first, I felt sorry for him. I wanted to take care of him. But then after I saw that video he released. I don’t feel sorry anymore. My reason for wanting to see him has changed. Now I just want him to see me. My face. I want him to hear my voice. I want him to know that his plans failed and I got back all he stole from me."
Callan’s lips twitched and his respect for her increased. "Maybe we can go see him together when he gets here. I’d like you to be there with me when I meet him."
Her eyes widened. "Are you sure about that?"
"I’m sure. By the way, what about Genevieve?" Callan asked curiously.
"What about her?" Abigail asked, and he shrugged.
"What do you plan to do about her?"
Before Abigail could respond, Jamal approached them, his phone in his hand. "Sorry to interrupt you both, but Stefan and Genevieve are on the line. Genevieve wants to talk to you," he said, holding it out to Abigail.