But before I opened Betsy’s door, a thought struck me. I couldn’t let this become routine—avoiding him while he stubbornly insisted on playing chauffeur. I had to say something. So I turned and walked back to Cameron.
“I can’t be in the same space as you, Cam. Especially alone in the car, just the two of us. I don’t know how to handle the hurt when you show up to get me in the morning, right after you’ve spent the night with her. And I’m not sure I can handle youdropping me off only to drive straight to her afterward. I’m not ready for that. So please... just leave me alone.”
I paused, taking a shaky breath. Cameron stayed silent, Caleb looked stunned, and for a heartbeat, everything froze. Even the air hung suspended, the world holding its breath as if waiting for what came next.
“You’ll pick Harper up in the morning and take her to Anita’s. In the evening, you’ll bring her home. I’ll get myself to work and back. Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.”
Then I opened Betsy’s door and climbed in, barely catching Caleb’s low, furious hiss behind me, “You and I, we’re gonna have a talk.”
Caleb slid into the truck just as I dug through my bag, fingers closing around my AirPods. I jammed the earbuds in before he could speak. He frowned at me.
“Don’t want to talk about it?”
I shook my head, thumb already swiping through my playlist. The opening chords of Tomorrow by Black Pumas flooded my ears, swallowing Betsy’s rumbles. The song fit so perfectly for me.
‘Cause I’m no longer waitin’, wishin’ for the edge, yeah
All I wanna do is see everything there is to see
Out on the edge of tomorrow
The truck lurched forward as Caleb pulled away, and I didn’t need to look to know his brows furrowed, that resigned exhale I knew surely escaping his lips. Outside, the blur of passing trees, cars, and buildings blended into streaks of color as I let the music drown out everything else.
The drive passed in silence, just the music in my ears. When Betsy rolled to a stop, I muttered a thanks and hopped out—only to freeze.
Cameron’s car sat parked across from us. He leaned against the door, arms crossed, watching me like he’d been waiting.
His expression was tight, but something in it made my shoulders tense. Then his gaze shifted past me to Caleb, and the air turned thick.
For a heartbeat, nobody moved. Then Cameron pushed off his car, and Caleb stepped forward. A confrontation hovered, seeming inevitable.
I decided that I didn’t care, so I turned and walked away, letting the music blur everything into the background.
But the brothers caught up quickly. A glance to either side confirmed it—two tall figures flanking me now. One was silent, coiled tight like a spring; the other radiated barely contained fury as we crossed the parking lot toward the hospital. I pulled out my earbuds, suddenly alert, a flicker of worry rising in my chest. These two often didn’t get along. Things could turn ugly fast, though they always made up in the end. For all their differences, they still loved each other.
Cameron spoke first, grinding his teeth. “This is between Sloane and me. Stay the hell out of it, Caleb.”
Caleb shot back without missing a beat. “Your marriage is your business. But whether my brother’s a decent fucking human being? That’s mine.”
“I’m telling you—stay out of it,” Cameron snapped, bristling with fury now. My forehead creased in irritation. What was he so angry about?
Caleb came to a stop, and so did Cameron. Now they were speaking over my head, with me still standing between them.
“Are you cheating on Sloane, Cam? Is it true?” Caleb demanded. “You’ve got a sidepiece now? And you went to her every night? Am I right? Am I fucking right, Cameron?”
“Caleb,” I hissed, glancing around nervously. He was almost shouting, and even though the other people in the parking lot were a way off, his voice might have carried far enough to reach them.
But he ignored me, stepping around to get right in his brother’s face. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Cam? You don’t do that to your wife. No man should ever do that to his fucking wife!”
“Caleb,” I tried again, my voice low. “Cam and I are getting a divorce. That’s where the story ends. We’re not talking about it anymore.”
He finally looked down at me. “Because of what? His infidelity? Because he chose someone else over you?”
“You wouldn’t understand,” Cameron said, his voice shaky as he fought to keep control. “How could you? You’ve never settled down. You don’t know shit about marriage, Caleb, so stop talking.”
“Yeah, I’m not a married man.” He gritted his teeth. “But I know enough about loyalty. About trying to fix things instead of piling on more damage. About thinking things through first before selfishly hurting the one you vowed to spend a lifetime with. And to think about a little girl—a beautiful little girl—who’s about to lose her father because he turned into a selfish asshole.”
“Harper will never lose me,” Cameron snapped, his face flushing red. I braced myself for the storm I knew was coming. “I’ll always be in her life.”
