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I didn’t want to leave him here, I knew that much. Maybe this was the perfect catalyst to finally get my own place. Living with Dad had always been the easiest option, especially for him. The convenience of having me close by made me that much easier to influence, and I was realizing that now with the gift of some space.
Not in a malicious way, anything with ill-intent, but simply because it was how he was wired.
For a moment, I thought about sending him a picture of Neville, just to see if that would elicit a reaction, but it felt petty. And even if he deserved some of my petty, I couldn’t fight that crawling sensation of what it was like to disappoint him.
With the cat occupied with the end of the string, I pulled out my phone and brought up my text thread with my dad.
Me: Forgot to tell you yesterday, but I’ve moved locations and am no longer at the hotel.
I sent him the address and chewed on my bottom lip before tapping out another message.
Me: House is progressing on schedule. Real estate agent is optimistic for a quick sale given the size of the property and the good bones.
I watched while the text showed it was read. Then nothing.
It was amazing what your body could handle on any given day, the wide swing arc of emotions, and nothing changed on the outside. It very much felt like I should’ve had a hole punched in my chest from that conspicuous silence on the other end of my phone.
My throat was tight when I tried to swallow that down, and I stood, deciding it was past bedtime.
After washing my face and ensuring Neville used the litter box, I slowly tugged the comforter down and crawled into bed. I pressed my face into the pillow, seeking out a remnant of Cameron’s scent, but nothing was there.
We’d stayed on top of the covers, and it was my head thrashing wildly on those pillows, not his.
I spread my hand out over my stomach and tried to will myself to sleep without thinking about beds and Cameron Wilder.
Tonight had been a miscalculation. A mistake I wouldn’t make again.
As my eyes drifted closed, I think I already knew that I was lying to myself.
Chapter 20
Cameron
Sex always complicated things.
Didn’t matter if it was good or bad or mind-blowing, there were always tangles that came on the heels of that sort of intimacy.
Even though I got some smirking looks and knowing glances from my family when I came back to the main house for the rest of Parker’s football game, no one said anything.
I managed to sleep, but it was uneasy.
Maybe it was a mistake was my first thought when I woke up.
Maybe it ruined whatever was left of her time in Sisters because if there was anything I knew to be true, it was that.
Her time here was short.
I still couldn’t get a clear read on her—so much was held back, but whether by necessity or choice, I wasn’t sure.
Was it the mystery that had me so interested? I didn’t think it was.
And it wasn’t because I wanted to fix her or save her or any of the stupid shit my brother hinted at. It was just her.
Everything in my world made sense, and I liked it that way. My days, while varied, existed in a framework of predictability. Something I’d built over a lifetime, with purpose and intention.
I never sought out a relationship to complicate that framework, something that might press against the edges of my life’s structure until sacrifices had to be made. There’d never been anyone to tempt me either. And never had there been sex that spun my head around so badly that I started questioning things.
Questioning everything.
