In the morning we were back at work, and I resumed my duties of serving Dahlonegas finest.

And that meant hanging the photos Captain Sutherland asked me to, but my short self was not cut out for that job.

"Calum can you help me?!"

I turned to see him walk out of his office, his eyes widening when he saw what I was doing.

"Hey hey hey! What are you doing?!" He ran up to me.

I was standing on my rolling chair, trying to hang a picture of the Dahlonega Police Department logo behind my desk.

"I'm trying to hang the photo." I said.

"Get off the chair are you crazy?" He wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me off to set me back on the ground, making me giggle.

Someone then cleared their throat and I looked to my left to see Meredith's mother standing there, watching us.

I gasped and Calum looked over, his arms loosening from around me.

"April."

"Calum." She nodded and then looked at me. "Nessa."

"Hi." I gave her the tiniest of smiles.

"What are you doing here?" Calum asked her, officially letting go of me.

"You haven't returned any of my calls about the family barbecue. Are you still planning on coming?"

"Oh. I didn't think you wanted me there." He looked confused.

"Of course we do." She smiled.

"Okay, then we'll see you there." He smiled, throwing his arm around my shoulder.

"We?" She widened her eyes.

"Yeah, well if you invite me then you invite Nessa. She's a part of my family now."

"Calum, I don't-" I began to say.

"No." He looked at me. "We're a package deal."

April pursed her lips.

"Very well then." She finally spoke. "I'll see you both and the boys this Saturday."

"See you then."

She gave us a tight lipped smile before walking out of the police station.

I turned to Calum, giving him an incredulous look.

"What the hell did you just get me into?"

"Annual summer barbecue with Meredith's family." He looked at me guiltily and I hit his arm.

"Calum!"

"I'm sorry!"

"They hate me! Why would I go to a party full of people that hate me?"

"They don't hate you!"

I shot him a dirty look.

"I know it will be awkward but this is the first step to making peace with them. They have to see you're a big part of mine and the boys lives."

"Calum." I whined.

"Please?" He placed his hands on my cheeks. "I'll make it up to you. I'll take you out to a nice dinner and then we can go back and have some really hot sex," He wiggled his eyebrows for emphasis.

I rolled my eyes.

"Fine. But the only reason i'll go is for you and the boys."

The subject of the barbecue was minimum until Saturday when Calum arrived at my house to pick me up.

I had my bathing suit underneath a pair of shorts and a cute off the shoulder top. I wasn't planning on swimming but Calum said there was a pool there so I was hoping to tan some more.

Calum had on shorts and a tee shirt, a baseball cap on his head.

"You ready to go?" He asked me as he stood on my porch while I locked my door.

"Yup. I popped a couple valium so I should be all set."

He laughed at this.

"Me too." He threw his arm over my shoulders as he walked me to the car.

Eli and Cade were in the back seat waiting for us and I gave them each a high five before we began the drive to Meredith's parents house.

When we arrived at the large residence I noticed that there were a lot of cars outside the residence and lined up on the street.

We took our time getting out of the vehicle and I carried the bag with towels and extra clothes for the boys on one shoulder, Calum holding my other hand.

"We'll be fine." He placed a kiss to my cheek before we walked through the front door.

He greeted people as he walked through the house to the kitchen and then out the back door to the yard where most people were.

The backyard was very lavish, and I noticed a natural waterfall back in the trees where people were jumping off the top into the water.

A shiver went down my spine at that.

Calum led us down to the pool where I noticed Meredith's parents standing.

April noticed us and tapped Dan on the shoulder, and I felt like the witch being taken to the fire to burn.I was half expecting a stone to hit me any second.

"Calum." April hugged him and then hugged Eli and Cade before looking at me. "And Nessa."

"Hi." I said. "Your home is very beautiful."

"Thank you." She smiled falsely.

Dan just stood there glaring at me.

Awkward summed this up perfectly.

"Calum!" We looked over to see a girl around our age jogging up to us.

She had dark brown hair and the same blue eyes as the rest of Meredith's family.

"Hey, Amy." He hugged her. "How've you been?"

"Good." She grinned before looking at me. "I've never seen you before. Who are you?"

"Amy, this is Nessa, my girlfriend. Ness this is Amy, Meredith's sister."

"Oh. It's nice to meet you." I gave her a smile.

"You never told me you were dating again?" She ignored me and looked up at Calum.

"Your parents knew. I figured they had told you."

"We didn't think it would last long." April said and my eyes went wide at her snide comment.

"And here we go." I muttered under my breath.

"Daddy i'm hungry." Eli chimed in at the perfect time.

"I'll take you to get some food." I offered and he grinned up at me.

I took his hand and gave Calum a pleading look as Eli and I walked up to the house.

As I was helping Eli make his plate Calum came in with Cade.

"I'm really sorry about them." He sighed.

"It's fine."

"No it's not." He shook his head.

Once everyone made a plate we sat down to eat, all of the different family members coming to say hello to Calum and the boys but ignore me in the process.

After we were done eating the boys wanted to swim so I walked with them down to the pool while Calum was occupied by Meredith's family.

"Nessa, aren't you coming in?" Eli asked me after I had sat down on a lay out chair.

"No, not in the water." I shook my head.

"Why?" He frowned as he sat next to me.

I looked around to make sure no one was listening.

"Can I tell you a secret?" I asked him and he nodded, scooting closer to me. "I don't know how to swim."

His jaw dropped.

"You don't?!"

"No. I've always been scared of the water."

"I could teach you! Or Daddy could! He taught me."

"Maybe." I laughed. "But you can swim and i'll watch you, okay?"

He nodded before going to get in the water.

I put on my tanning lotion and watched Eli do handstand and flips underwater.

Putting on my sunglasses I leaned back to bask in the sun, but soon something was blocking the light and I opened my eyes to see Calum above me.

"What are you doing?" I laughed.

"I'm being a good boyfriend." He said as he sat down on my lounge. "I found this for you." He then handed me a red rose."

"Aw. It's beautiful." I smiled.

"I know i'm putting you through hell right know and I want you to know I appreciate you for putting up with all of this bull shit and for being a good sport about it."

"Hey, they came before me, so to them it's like i'm encroaching on their territory."

"They're being dramatic about it." He shook his head. "So you're not going to swim?"

"No."

"Not even with me."

I let out a cute giggle to distract him and it seemed to work because he leaned in to kiss me.

"I'm going to go get us some drinks. I'll be right back."

"Okay." I smiled and he kissed me again before getting up.

Looking to my left I noticed Meredith's sister Amy standing next to another guy who looked similar to her watching me. Amy nodded in my direction and then spoke in his ear before he smiled and they both began to walk towards me.

"Vanessa, right?" Amy stepped up to me."

"It's just Nessa, but yeah." I sat up.

"This is my brother John. John this is Calum's new girlfriend." She introduced me to the other male. So this was Meredith's brother.

"Nice to meet you." He gave me a friendly smile.

"You as well."

"So how long gave you been with Calum?"

"Oh, we've been seeing each other for a couple months." I answered.

"You babysit his kids right? I never thought Calum would be the one to do the babysitter but..." John began to laugh.

"I'm 25 actually and I work at the police station with Calum." I quickly corrected them, my attitude on edge.

"Right. Right." Amy nodded.

"Well anyways, it was great to meet you." John reached out a hand and I went to shake it but was yanked up by it instead and thrown over his shoulder.

"Oh my God what are you doing?! Put me down!" I shrieked.

"New members of the family have to be initiated!" He shouted as he began to run around the pool to the natural waterfall.

Oh no.

Everything seemed to go so quickly yet so slowly at the same time.

I noticed there was a side of it to climb up and as I kicked and hit his back with my fists, he ran up the side, reaching the cliff at the top.

"NO I CANT SWI-"

Was all I was able to get out before I was tossed off the cliff.

I screamed until I hit the water, the velocity making my skin burn as I hit the water with such force.

Fear was flooding through me as the water covered my head and I began to choke, inhaling the water like I knew I shouldn't.

My natural instinct was to kick, but my overwhelming fear of being surrounded by water paralysed me.

The water falling from the waterfall pushed me further down, making it impossible to go up, and the pressure was too much for my body to handle.

Then I began to sink.

I sank like a stone.

Everything went black.

--

As Eli played in the water he heard a scream and looked up to see his Uncle John running towards the waterfall with Nessa on his shoulder.

She looked scared and was kicking her feet, and when Uncle John threw her off the top of the waterfall, Eli remembered the secret she had shared with him, and knew she was in trouble.

But even though it was a secret, he had to tell someone.

Eli got out of the pool and ran up the hill to the house where his Daddy was in the kitchen, his Grandma there too.

"Daddy!" He yelled as he ran into the kitchen and Calum looked at him.

"What is it, Eli?"

"Uncle John threw Momma in the water!"

"What? In the pool?"

"No! The waterfall!"

"I'm sure he's just messing around, Eli."

"No! Daddy, Momma can't swim!" Eli looked beyond panicked.

"Your mother could swim." His Grandma smiled at him.

"No not her! Momma! Momma can't swim!"

Calum looked at Eli in confusion before the realisation hit him and he went running out of the house.

Calum sprinted down to the waterfall where he saw John and Amy laughing away, and no sign of Nessa.

Eli ran up behind him.

"Daddy she's in there!" He pointed to the water.

Calum wasted no time in diving into the water, in search of Nessa.

The water was murky and cold, and as he felt around in the water for her he came across nothing but bubbles and sharp rocks.

He didn't know how long she'd been down here either, and was terrified of what he might find when he did find her.

Calum dove deeper, his ears popping before he finally felt the bottom beneath his hand.

He was running out of air and was beginning to panic when his hand felt the arm of someone.

He yanked up, feeling the body he had grabbed and recognised it as Nessa before swimming up.

When he reached the surface with her in his arms he gasped in for air, his lungs expanding as they gulped in the oxygen.

Nessa's body was limp and as he swam to shore he noticed people gathering around, apparently realising what had happened.

Eli was standing there with big tears in his eyes and Calum had to look away as he reached the edge and pulled both himself and Nessa out, her body falling onto the grass.

Calum moved over her to see her skin pale and lips blue.

His police training kicked in as he immediately went to feel for her pulse. It wasn't there.

"Shit. Shit!" He shouted.

He moved his hands to her chest and began to do compressions, trying to get her heart to start beating again.

As he stared down at her face he could see the life drawn out of her, his emotions in overdrive.

He kept compressing before moving in to pinch her nose and then breath into her mouth.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Breathe.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Breathe.

"Come on Ness! Breathe!" He said through his teeth as he continued compressing and he pressed again only for her to suddenly jerk up, coughing up water.

--

My eyes opened and my chest ached as the water came up, choking me as I coughed it up.

I could feel hands pulling me up into a sitting position and my own hands went to cover my chest as I tried to breathe.

"Someone give me a towel!"

It was Calum.

I looked up as he was handed a towel and put it around my shoulders. He was soaking wet. He must've pulled me out.

"Nessa, Nessa are you hurt anywhere else? Did you hit your head?" He asked me, trying to look in my eyes.

I shook my head no and sucked in a breath before coughing again.

"Breathe, just breathe." He said to me and I nodded.

"What is going on down here?" I then heard the voice of Meredith's mother and looked to see her walking down the hill with Dan.

Her eyes landed on me with a look of disgust.

"Your children just drowned my girlfriend, that's what's going on!" Calum stood up to shout at them and if I had the strength I would've pulled him down but it was a miracle I was even sitting up.

John and Amy stood there looking shell shocked.

"What are you talking about?" Dan looked at him.

"They threw her off the cliff and she can't swim! I just had to resuscitate her!"

"Calum, stop making such rash accusations."

"No! This has gone too far! I know that you hate her but I love her and you can't get over yourselves for one second to see she makes me happy because you don't care! So instead you degrade her and fucking drown her?!"

"DADDY!" Eli shouted over the yelling as Calum turned back to see me there, Eli beside me.

"Momma's shaking."

Calum's shoulders were heaving but he then crouched down to scoop me up in his arms, my head lolling to the side, hitting his shoulder.

He began to walk away but stopped as he reached April and Dan.

"I'm done being your son in law. From now on you can forget about us because we're no longer a part of this family."

I wanted to tell Calum to stop, that he shouldn't say that but I couldn't do anything but feel him carry me up the hill to the house.

My eyes were barely open but I could see him carry me into a bedroom where he sat down on the bed.

"Eli, I need you to run to my car and get the emergency kit." He said and Eli ran off to get it.

"Calum is there anything we can do to help?" I then heard the voice of Amy.

"I think you've both done enough." He glared at them.

"Please, Calum we feel awful. We didn't know she couldn't swim." John said.

He paused.

"Blankets. I need blankets. Lots of them."

They ran off to go get blankets while I shivered in Calum's arms.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." He hugged me closer.

My teeth were chattering so hard I couldn't speak, but he rubbed my back and arms, trying to warm me up.

John and Amy came back with blankets and Calum began to bundle me up, wrapping them around me tightly.

"Here we go." He bundled me up. "I need more blankets."

As he continued to wrap the blankets around me Eli ran in with the emergency kit.

"Daddy, I got it." He set it on the bed.

"Okay. I need the thermometer."

Eli dug through the kit until he found the thermometer and handed it to Calum who proceeded to rub it across my forehead before setting it down and wrapping his arms around me again.

"Okay. You're going to be okay."

I closed my eyes as I tried to get warm, my lower half completely numb.

"C-c-calum." I managed to get out.

"Shh. It's okay. I've got you." He pulled me closer.

I pressed even more into him and the blankets, trying to absorb the heat.

"Eli, I need you to go find Cade and pack up our stuff." Calum said and I opened my eyes to see Eli nod at him. He slid off the bed and went to walk out but stopped by his aunt and uncle.

"I'm mad at you." He said to them before leaving.

Calum slipped off his wet shirt and then moved a hand up to my head to hold it to his chest before he looked up at Amy and John.

"You can leave now." Calum growled at them.

"We want to make sure she's okay." Amy stepped forward.

"Well you didn't seem to care if she was okay when you threw her off the cliff."

"S-s-s-stop." I pressed my hand on Calum's stomach.

He sighed.

"Just go." He rolled his eyes at them before looking back down at me.

They hesitantly walked out of the room and Calum moved his fingers to my wet hair.

"Nessa I don't know how to explain how sorry I am. I'll never forgive myself for this. I'm so sorry."

"It's n-n-not y-your f-f-f-fault." I tried to say.

"I brought you here. I shouldn't have even bothered trying to make them understand and i'm just so sorry for letting this happen."

I sniffled and Calum moved his hand to my face, his hand stroking my cheeks.

My feet were freezing so I brought them up to get even warmer.

While I warmed up Calum continued to apologise over and over.

Finally I got to the point where I wasn't shaking so violently and my teeth weren't chattering.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you I couldn't swim." I whispered. "I was embarrassed."

"It's okay." He spoke with his lips pressed to my forehead.

"I should've told you."

"That wouldn't have changed anything."

"But still."

"Ness, this is not even remotely your fault so don't try and take the blame."

After a few minutes Eli walked in, Cade following behind him.

"Are you feeling better?" Eli climbed on the bed.

"Yeah." I gave him a smile.

"I'm sorry I told your secret to Daddy. Are you mad at me?"

"No." I laughed. "I'm not mad at you. You did the right thing."

Eli smiled before moving in to lay next to me, Cade crawling over my feet to get to Calum.

"Once you're warm we'll go home and i'll have Michael come check on you."

"I'm fine."

"No you're not." He shook his head. "You drowned Nessa, I had to preform CPR on you. You're not fine."

"You did CPR?" I looked up at him.

"Yes, mouth to mouth too. You had no pulse."

"Oh." I said and he sighed.

"But you're alive, so I guess that means my training came in handy."

This made me chuckle as I snuggled into his arms.

We laid there for a while longer before we decided I was warm enough to go home.

He wrapped towels and a blanket around me before he carried me to the car.

Eli and Cade then sat with me while Calum went back inside to get our things.

I watched the front door as he came outside, followed by Amy and April.

He waved his hands at them, gesturing for them to stop before he walked to the car and got in.

"They're unbelievable." He grumbled.

He told me that they were complaining about him leaving and choosing me over them, and he had told them to get over themselves and that they could basically forget about him.

"But they're your family." I said.

"So are you."

When we arrived at his house he carried me inside and I changed into dry clothes before Calum tucked me in on the sofa and put the boys down for a nap.

He texted Michael to come over and while we waited Calum made me some hot tea to drink and sat on the sofa with my head in his lap, stroking my finally dry hair.

When there was a knock at the door Calum got up and opened it to Michael.

"I was told someone got hypothermia?" Michael raised his eyebrows at me as he walked over.

"Yeah." I gave a guilty smile.

"What happened? How do you get hypothermia in the middle of June?"

"My ex wife's family tried to drown her." Calum  said as he sat down on the love seat.

"They what?!" Michael exclaimed.

"I can't swim and they threw me off the cliff as a joke." I explained.

"Until she drowned and I had to resuscitate her." Calum rolled his eyes. "Had to find her at the bottom of the waterfall."

"Woah." Michael shook his head. "Well, you look and sound okay." He turned back to me. "Does it hurt to breathe at all?"

"No." I shook my head.

He took my temperature and then listened to me breathe.

"You sound okay. Just don't take a super hot shower tonight and make sure to cover up when you sleep." He instructed me.

"Okay." I nodded.

When Michael left Calum went to make dinner for us while I continued to lay on the sofa.

I didn't even know what to say to him.

I wasn't angry or upset with him at all, but I was really over being steamrolled by Meredith's family.

What had happened today was not okay, but the blame shouldn't be on me and Calum, it should be on Meredith's family.

Calum felt awful about this, I knew that, and I needed to show him that I wasn't angry with him.

I got up from the sofa and walked into the kitchen with the blanket around my shoulders.

Calum was standing at the counter cutting up potatoes for whatever he was making, so I went up behind him and wound my arms around his waist and leaned my cheek on his back.

"Hi." I spoke softly as I felt his muscles relax.

"Hi." He said back.

"I love you."

I felt and heard him sigh before he set down the knife and turned around to put his arms around me too.

"I love you too." He rested his chin on the top of my head. "I'm just very upset over what happened today. I'm not upset with you, but I am with them, so I don't mean to be cold to you at all."

"You're not. I'm just worried about you."

"Worried about me? You're the one who drowned, I should be the one worrying."

I tilted my head up to look in his deep brown eyes.

"Well, this relationship is a two way street. Therefore you can worry about me, and I can worry about you."

I gave him a sweet smile and he shook his head before leaning down to press his lips to mine.

When we broke the kiss he pressed his forehead to mind and I closed my eyes, enjoying this moment of just being with each other.

I was ready to kiss him again when there was a knock at the door.

We let go of each other so Calum could go answer the door.

I stood in the kitchen so I could peek and internally gasped when I saw it was John and Amy.

"What are you doing here?" Calum rolled his eyes.

"We came to apologise." John said, looking back at me.

"And bring dinner." Amy held up some kind of dish in her hands. "But mostly to apologise."

Calum looked back at me and I nodded for him to let them in.

"Nessa, we are so so sorry." Amy came up to me. "We didn't know you couldn't swim and if we had we never would've done that. We feel just awful about it."

"Seriously, if I had known I never would have done that." John added. "Were so sorry."

I looked at Calum before looking at his once brother and sister in law.

"I know you didn't mean for that to happen, and i'm not angry at you for that." I said.

"But you are angry." Amy sensed.

"Not angry, but it hurts that i've done nothing to you yet your family treats me like i'm the biggest threat since the cold war."

Amy lowered her head in guilt.

"Losing your sister must've been horrible, and for that my heart goes out to you, but I didn't know her. I came after her, and for that I have nothing to feel bad about. Calum didn't cheat, and we didn't go behind anyone's back, we fell in love after that. I know it must be difficult to see the man who was once married to your sister be with another woman, and for that I understand why you don't like me, but please understand I don't mean any disrespect. I love Calum, and I love Eli and Cade, and I won't apologise for that."

"It's just hard to see him so happy with someone else. We're not naive, we know Calum and Meredith didn't have a happy marriage, and so to know he's happy with another girl other than our sister hurts."

Calum gave me a sad smile before walking up to me and putting an arm around my shoulder as he faced John and Amy.

"I loved your sister, and I always will, but she's gone now, and I can't spend forever alone. I didn't expect to find someone like Nessa but I did, and I don't plan on letting her go. I'm happy now and I want you to be happy for me. Eli and Cade have someone to love them like a mom would. Nessa did nothing wrong."

John nodded.

"We know that. Our parents are a different story but we know that Nessa is not the enemy. She makes you happy and that's what we want for you."

I hugged Calum's side.

"We appreciate you coming over here, but give us a little time." Calum said.

"We understand." Amy nodded.

She set the food on the counter and they gave us a little wave before leaving.

When the door was closed I turned to look at Calum.

"I think we make a great team." He smiled down at me.

"Calum and Nessa for the win."

He laughed before leaning down for a very hot kiss.

"Do I still get my date and super hot sex?"

"Yes you do." He chuckled and then continued kissing me, his arms around my waist.

"Ew!" We then heard the squeals of Eli and Cade, and broke the kiss to see them covering their eyes as they giggled.

"I'm gonna get you two!" Calum then began to chase them, and as I watched them run around the house I relaxed in the fact that I had let my old life drown in that water today, Abby had drowned, but Nessa had survived.

And for that I was happy.

--

So what did you think about what John and Amy did to Nessa? And what about the fact that Meredith's parents didn't see the problem?

More to come!

Much love xx-m