by Skylar Hill
“I actually did discuss it with Evie,” Aiden said. “I didn’t think about telling Cam because Evie’s an adult.”
“It doesn’t work that way with them,” James said. “She’s not just her sister. Cam raised Evie on her own for years after their mom died. They’ve got a bond that goes beyond siblings.”
“If Evie’s not mad, I don’t see how Cam can be,” Aiden said.
James sighed. “Because money’s a sensitive issue, Aiden,” he said patiently. “And you should’ve asked or told her or given us some kind of head’s up.”
“I honestly assumed Evie would tell her,” Aiden said. “Jay, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fuck things up with you two.” When James looked into his brother’s face, he could see he was sincere. “I will do whatever you want in this situation to fix it. But I really think she needs to talk to Evie. Because this isn’t charity. Evie saved an entire project. She deserved to be remunerated appropriately.”
James glared at Aiden, wondering if tossing his whiskey glass at him would be too much. Knowing Aiden, he’d just dodge it easily. He was always slightly catlike in his movements when they fought as kids, sly and quick, springing when James least expected it.
“You really think she’s going to dump you?” Aiden asked, his voice softening reluctantly.
James sighed. “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “It turned into this whole big… thing. I let loose a little.”
“About?”
“Cam… she skirts around certain subjects. I know her mom died when she was barely eighteen, but I don’t know how she died, or even how the girls got through it. She flat out won’t talk about their dad. And sometimes…” he stopped, rubbing a hand over his beard, wondering if he should voice it. “Sometimes she does stuff, reacts a certain way, and it makes me think she has PTSD or something,” he finally said. “Like something really bad happened to her. And I just… I want to know. I want to be able to help her. Love her. Take care of her. But she doesn’t let me in all the way.”
Aiden shifted in his seat, and it was enough to make James take notice, to focus on his brother’s face. Aiden scratched his left ear, and James straightened up. That was his brother’s tell when he was about to lie. He’d played—and won—enough times at poker by knowing it.
“You know something,” he said.
“I don’t want you to get angrier,” Aiden said. “So I want to start with the caveat that we do background checks on all new interns.”
“You ran a background check on Evie?!”
“Technically, HR did,” Aiden said. “But I may have read it.”
James groaned. “This is a disaster. Cam’s going to kill me if she ever finds out.”
“Evie knew it was part of the job,” Aiden said.
“Yeah, but you took it further than Evie, didn’t you?” James asked.
“There was information in Evie’s file that made me… curious,” Aiden said carefully. “Those things involved Cam. I may have made some calls.”
“You’re a meddling asshole,” James said, glaring at him.
“Aren’t you going to ask me what I found?”
“No,” James said. “Because I’m not going to go behind Cam’s back to find out things she’s obviously not ready to tell me. That’s no way to build trust.”
Aiden shook his head, a smile tugging at the edge of his lips. “You’re so much like Dad,” he said quietly.
James couldn’t even roll his eyes at that, Aiden so rarely mentioned their father. He knew it was his brother’s peace offering and he got up, going back over to the bar. “You want one?” he asked.
“I should get going,” Aiden said, getting up. “I am sorry I fucked this all up,” he said sincerely, his blue eyes serious. “I really think I should call Cam and explain.”
“No calling Cam,” James ordered. “I’ll handle this myself. No more meddling. I swear, you’re worse than Lydia.”
“Take that back,” Aiden frowned.
“I won’t,” James said mulishly, feeling every inch the little brother in that moment. “Now get out of here. I’m still mad at you.”
“You’ll get over it, though?” Aiden asked, and James knew there was more of a question in his words than his brother would like.
“If I can figure this the hell out,” James said. “And if you stop meddling like a seventy-year-old matchmaking grandma.”
“I know you’re just saying that because you’re mad,” Aiden said serenely. “Night, baby brother.”
He strode out of the loft, and James slumped back on the couch, knocking back another whiskey.
Unless she reached out first, he would give Cam a few days of space. And then he’d find a way to explain. Somehow.
She was his forever. The person he wanted to be by his side for always. The woman who’d be the mother to his children and the partner who would lift up his dreams like he would hers.
He couldn’t let them end like this. He couldn’t let them end at all.
He would fix this.
Somehow.
Chapter Seven
Cam
The first thing Cam did when James left was cry. A lot.
The second thing she did, while still crying, was go to her freezer and pull out a pint of chocolate ice cream.
It only took a few spoonfuls, as she sat on the couch, to realize she was being a huge jerk. That she needed to get up off her ass and grab her phone and call him. She needed to apologize for not trusting him. They needed to call Dr. Young together and figure out what had happened with the bill. Crap! Why hadn’t she suggested that?!
Because you decided to act on your hurt feelings first and think second.
Sometimes she hated that little voice in her head. And she hated her slow-to-burn temper that, once unleashed, tended to cause destruction. She worked so hard not to be angry. To be in control of herself. She hated her temper. It was one of the things she worried she got from… from him.
She shoved her ice cream onto the coffee table and was reaching for her phone to call him, when her gaze fell to the stack of mail she’d been distracted from when she opened the bill from Dr. Young’s office.
Everything inside her froze as she stared down at the envelope on the table, a roaring filling her ears. She reached for the letter automatically.
California State Parole Board
Her vision tunnelled. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t. There had to be a mistake. He had years left on his sentence.
She scrambled to open the letter, her heart thumping in her chest like she’d just run miles. Her hands were shaking by the time she unfolded the paper.
Dear Ms. Ellison,
This letter is to inform you that inmate 3457, Keith Fawcett, will be the subject of a Parole Hearing on November 8th.
Her eyes were glued to that first line, unable to read further as shock coursed through her. She forced herself to finish, skimming lines about him being an exemplary inmate and showing true regret for his actions and details of how to set up an appointment to petition the parole board. She dropped the letter as if it had burned her, backing away until her shoulders hit the wall. She couldn’t stop the panic that swamped her as she sank to the ground, hugging her knees to her chest.
She was eight years old again, screaming at him to stop hitting mommy. Ten years old and putting herself between his fists and Evie’s face. Thirteen and getting pulled across the floor by her ponytail. Sixteen and begging her mom to leave.
Eighteen and coming home to her mother’s dead body.
Tears coursed down her cheeks as she rocked back and forth on the ground, trying to gain some kind of control.
But there was none to be found. This was real. That letter was real.
He had a chance of getting out. They might actually let him go after what he did.
After what he took.
It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. It shouldn’t even be possible. He’d been convicted, twenty years to life.
What had he done? How had h
e gotten them to even consider giving him parole? Her mind whirled, trying to think properly, and failing miserably. Her hands were still shaking and sweaty. He must’ve made some sort of deal—used his connections from his cop days to get letters written or the parole board or something.
All thoughts of calling James to apologize fled as she slumped on the ground, her panicked mind working a mile a minute. She wanted to stay down here and just cry. She wanted to let this be the thing that finally broke her. She’d remained unbroken for so long… it would almost be a relief to finally break.
Evie.
That voice—the one she cursed and loved, the one that sounded like her mother—whispered inside her.
She couldn’t break. She had Evie to think about. Her little sister had suffered enough at Keith’s hands. The idea that her adulthood would now be shaped by whether or not he was released… it made Cam sick to her stomach.
Cam took a deep breath, pushing the pain and panic down as she got to her feet. Her legs were still shaking as she sat down on the couch, staring for a long time at her phone. She wanted desperately to call James, but she had no idea what to say now. She had to focus on her and Evie’s safety first and foremost.
She typed out a quick text, her fingers hovering over send for a few seconds before tapping it:
I jumped to conclusions. It was wrong and I’m sorry. I want to talk, but something’s come up. I promise I’m not avoiding you. Can we talk in a day or two?
It was barely a minute before she had a text back:
I’m really glad you texted. I understand, I realize now this was a sore spot and I’m sorry, too. I want to talk whenever you’re ready. I love you.
Some of that intense hurt, the fear and the worry, lessened as she stared at those final three words. They filled her with a warmth and courage that was completely new but also vaguely familiar, like something from a dream long ago. That courage his love gave her was enough to make her dial a number into her phone, raising it to her ear when it clicked over to voicemail.
“Hi,” she said. “It’s Cam. Are you available for lunch tomorrow? I really need to talk to you. Just let me know.”
She looked across the room, restless, after she hung up the phone. Her glance fell onto the gloves she wore to protect her hands when she sparred. Evie had bought them for her a few Christmases ago. They were pink. Evie had a matching pair, in blue. They’d used them dozens of times together at the gym. Over the years, sparring together had become their sisterly bonding time more than pedicures or shopping.
Cam had made sure they knew how to protect themselves.
She had just prayed they’d never have to use it. But now…
She pressed her lips together, determined.
Even if he got out, Keith was never hurting her or Evie again.
No matter what it took.
No matter what it made her.
Chapter Eight
Cam
Cam had slept horribly. She dreamed of being chased by dark shadows, running and running up a hill, but never reaching the top, as sinister laughter surrounded her. She was up at the crack of dawn, unwilling to try to fall back into her bad dreams, preferring to face the day ahead, no matter how hard it was going to be.
She almost texted James, but she knew the conversation to come needed to be face to face. She had to apologize for real, and she had to actually listen to his side of the story. And then they had to get to the bottom of it together. Technology was great, but texting wasn’t ideal when it came to emotionally nuanced conversations. So instead, she made coffee and sat down at the kitchen table and reread the letter from the parole board, staring at it for long periods while she tried desperately to come up with a plan on how to tell Evie.
Only a knocking at her door could break her out of the dark churn of her reverie. She rose from the table, pulling her silk robe around her and tying it closed before she peeked through the peep-hole.
She opened the door, frowning when she saw it wasn’t just Aiden standing there; Lydia was with him.
“Hi,” she said slowly.
“This idiot,” Lydia said, pointing at Aiden. “Has something to tell you.”
“Hi, Cam,” Aiden said.
“Come on in,” she beckoned them inside. “Do you want coffee? Tea? I think I have some croissants if you’re hungry.”
“He doesn’t deserve croissants,” Lydia snapped. Cam was slightly alarmed as she realized how pissed her friend was. Her eyes were practically glowing with fire.
“Okay, what’s going on?” Cam asked, confused as she sat down on her couch. Lydia sat on the other side, and Aiden took the chair across from them, looking like a chastened schoolboy.
“Tell her,” Lydia ordered.
Aiden glared at Lydia. “You’re being dramatic,” he told her before turning his focus to Cam. “Cam, I seem to have caused a big problem with you and James. James has told me to stay out of it. But Lydia—” he shot Lydia a look that had a little too much affectionate heat to be anger,“—has insisted I come here and explain myself. Lydia is a lot scarier than James. Ergo, I’m here.”
“Take that back—I am not scary!” Lydia protested. “And you came to me and asked me for advice. At the crack of dawn, no less!”
“I didn’t think you’d drag me over here immediately,” Aiden shot back.
“I still don’t understand,” Cam said, looking down at her phone. It was nearly ten. She needed to get dressed and drive downtown soon.
“He paid for Evie’s medical bills,” Lydia said. “And he also paid off her college. Dr. Young only saw that a McGowan had paid for the surgery. He assumed it was James.”
“What?” Cam asked. God, had it only been yesterday her biggest problem was that someone had paid off Evie’s medical debt? And now apparently her student loans? Her head began to throb, and a cold knot begin to form in her stomach. “Aiden did that?” she asked. Oh, God. She’d accused James repeatedly. She’d basically called him a liar. She was a horrible person. A horrible girlfriend. She should have trusted his word. She felt sick.
“I did,” Aiden said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you would assume it was James who did it, or that you’d be bothered by it.”
“I really wish you had talked to me before you did something like this,” Cam said. “That kind of money… I have no way of repaying you, Aiden.” It killed her to admit it, even though it was obvious she didn’t have that kind of money sitting around. But her pride was hard-won, and it was important to her.
“It wasn’t a loan, Cam,” Aiden explained.
“We are not the kind of people who take giant piles of cash as gifts,” Cam said.
“Why not?” Lydia muttered, and Cam shot her a look.
“But it’s not a gift,” Aiden protested. “Think of it as remuneration. Evie saved Green Valley’s wind turbine project by noticing that the math was wrong. She deserves to be rewarded. Which is why I paid off her college loans as well.”
Cam’s heart squeezed. She hated the thread of relief that lit inside her at the thought. Evie’s scholarship had covered a lot, but far from everything, and Reed was a private university. She hadn’t even dared think about the cost of grad school. No matter what, she was going to be saddled with those loans forever.
But apparently not.
“Aiden,” she began, not knowing where to start. “Thank you for your apology,” she said. “And it seems I owe a big one to James now.”
“I’m sorry for causing you two to fight,” he added hastily. “Seriously, Cam, you are the best thing that’s happened to my baby brother in a long time. I couldn’t live with myself if what I did to cause issues with you two.”
I caused the issues, Cam thought miserably. You were just the unknowing catalyst. I picked a fight. I didn’t trust him. I didn’t listen to him. I don’t let him in. He was right about everything.
“My brother loves you, Cam,” Aiden continued. “You’ve got his heart in your hands. Please don’t break it because I did
n’t think this through. I know it’s not an excuse because I crossed some boundaries, but I really was just trying to make your sister’s life easier. It wasn’t meant to be an indictment or a judgment. I think you’ve done an amazing job with Evie. Raising a gifted child is never easy, and she’s a wonderful young woman. So smart and outgoing, which I can’t say about all of our interns. Usually we geeks are pretty introverted; better with numbers than people. Which is also probably why I screwed up the approach to this so badly.”
Lydia sighed, looking slightly mollified by Aiden’s honest remorse.
“I appreciate that,” Cam said. “I really do, Aiden. I understand your intentions were all good. And I’m sure Evie will be very grateful. I just…” she didn’t know how to explain it to someone who’d never had to struggle for money before. She was glad that Aiden and James hadn’t had to worry about that ever. But she had never lived in a world where that even seemed possible, let alone probable. She’d never had a financial safety net. She’d never had safety. Not until she’d been forced to take matters into her own hands. And even then, it was a horrible, blood-stained kind of safety that wasn’t quite real, because it had required a sacrifice too great. She took a deep breath. She needed to let it go. She had much bigger things to focus on now. She had just received a huge gift that opened up Evie’s future. And she had some things to explain to James.
“Thank you,” she finally said. “It was an amazing thing to do for Evie.”
“She deserves it. And I really do just want the best for her. And you,” Aiden said. “My dad…” his lips tightened and the air in the room suddenly seemed weighted with the quiet grief that emanated from him. Lydia’s eyes widened slightly at the mention of his father. “He made Green Valley a family company,” he said finally. “And I want it to stay that way. That means Evie—and you—are family.”
It was a little emotionally clumsy, but an incredibly touching sentiment. And it was very Aiden, Cam was beginning to understand. He had the heart, it was just buried under ten layers of logic and analysis with a dash of geekiness. Which wasn’t a bad thing. But it made these emotional moments more rare.