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‘Why what?’
Cameron averts his gaze but there’s not many safe places to look in the small kitchen.
‘The silence is implying it won’t look good for you,’ Carrie says. ‘Spit it out.’
He stares at his bare feet. His sisters already think he’s been a dick. Spitting it out will only make things worse.
Or they could help him figure a way out of this funk. Chloe said it wasn’t too late for him to fix things, but if he wants their help—which they’re clearly here to give whether he asks for it or not—they need to know the full story.
He sighs. ‘It’s why she told me she wasn’t interested in only a fling.’
‘Cameron.’
‘I know. I know.’ He scrubs his hands over his face then folds his arms over his chest, trapping his trembling hands beneath his biceps.
‘And?’ Carrie says. ‘I can see you’re holding something back.’
‘How do you—’ Cameron sighs again, every confession still raw like he’s pulling his insides out into the open. ‘She told me she’d liked me for months and wanted all of me. Not just my body. She said—’ His throat constricts and he has to swallow four times before he can speak again. ‘She wanted the chance to fall in love with me.’
‘Ah.’ Chloe lifts a finger into the air. ‘There it is.’
‘There’s what?’
‘The real reason you ended things. We know,’ Chloe gestures between her and Carrie, ‘your job doesn’t come into it. That’s an excuse. It’s really about protecting your heart.’
Cameron’s stomach swoops. ‘Protecting my heart?’
‘Yeah, you know. Your thing with the wall.’ Chloe prompts.
‘And your trust issues,’ Carrie adds.
Cameron looks back and forth between them. ‘You’re saying I broke up with Jules to protect my heart?’
They both nod.
‘You did basically say as much when you were yelling a minute ago,’ Chloe reminds him.
‘Well I did a shit job of it because I’m pretty certain my heart is crumbling in my chest.’
Chloe makes a wounded noise and lunges to wrap him in a hug. He holds stiff for a few seconds before sighing and wrapping his arms around her. It doesn’t make the raw pain go away, but it helps.
‘I’m sorry you’re hurting, Cameron.’ Carrie walks over and lays a hand on his back. ‘You obviously care a lot about Jules. I know we’ve been pushy about this and I’m sorry if that complicated things.’
‘Thanks,’ he grumbles. ‘But pretty sure I made it complicated all on my own.’
Carrie laughs softly and bumps her knuckles on his shoulder. ‘I’ve got one more pushy thing to say.’
He sighs, pulling out of the hug. ‘Of course you do.’ He takes a deep breath and rolls his shoulders back and down before facing Carrie. ‘Let’s hear it.’
‘If our parents have taught us one thing, it’s—’
‘No phones at the dinner table,’ Cameron and Chloe say in unison.
Carrie rolls her eyes but her lips quirk. ‘It’s that clear communication is important in relationships. You think me and Jesse are still together because we didn’t talk through the hurdles along the way? ‘Course not. It sucks sometimes, but you’ve got to be that vulnerable with your partner if you want the long-term. Hard conversations are worth it for what’s on the other side. Your heart may take a bruising here and there, but it’ll recover stronger for it.’
There’s nothing but sincerity in her words. Cameron wants to scoff, and maybe a week ago he would have, but not tonight. He wants to be on that other side with Jules. He wants to be with Jules.
‘That was truly sappy,’ he can’t help but say.
