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I don’t understand how or when she figured it out, but she does. Camellia knows I’ve never met her, much less seen a photo. I know nothing about my daughter.
To say I haven’t been tempted to reach out in the past would be a lie. Ask for updates, anything, to know they’re both doing alright. These thoughts usually come later at night, my mind finding the time to grow curious.
Then I glance over at the woman sleeping beside me,my wife, and everything falls back into place. My reality.
I don’t know if that makes me come off as a weaker man. Somehow though, I get the sense Camellia doesn’t think that and it lessens the weight of my burden by a fraction of a decimeter.
Stretching, she reaches between us and closes her hand over mine. Locking the necklace in my grip. Her smile is so reassuring, charming. “…Do this for me, Abram?”
“Camellia, I can’t—”
“—you can,” she encourages, giving my hand another squeeze. “This is a shot at redemption. A reminder to her that you’re there, same as the moon. We can’t always see it, but it’s here. It’s with us, always.”
Her eyes shine with the same sparkle as the silver pendant in our joined hold.
“This.Thisis the answer. The solution.”
My heart thumps. The answer? A solution? Does one of those really exist for me? A necklace with the pendant of a moon on it can’t make it that simple.
Can it?
twenty-seven
Rory
“Ohmygod!Ohmygod,heretheycome. Shh! Here they come,” Hailey squeals, gripping my elbow. Basically, turning my bones into putty in the process.
We’re at the boys’ last game, and I have no idea why she’s insisting I shush. The room is packed and literally no one else isnottalking or cheering or doing something.
Rolling my eyes, it’s not enough of an issue to argue over, so I let it go, following where her head turns instead.
The students in the crowd go wild as soon as the hellhounds make their appearance. I, however, only have eyes for the one in the dead center. Leading his teammates with Eli and Finn close behind.
The chants are growing louder, the noise of no interest to Iceman. His face stays stonelike and expressionless. That strong jawline of his fixed and stuck in place.
That is until his head turns sharply up in our direction. Cole shoots me that signature smile only reserved for me. The one that makes my stomach flip-flop. Every. Single. Time.
The dick does it on purpose and that smirk grows. I don’t bother to pretend he doesn’t know what I’m thinking. He always does, always has.
Another teammate nudges him, but it doesn’t faze him because he’s winking and that smile… ugh! This guy will be the death of me.
My misery will becomeoursif he doesn’t stop and pay attention.
Our spell is broken when he’s tapped again and this time, he does turn away. His teammate doing me a solid because I’m suddenly too warm.
Hailey’s mouth is already open, and I think she has words at the ready, but I’m proven wrong. Her teeth snap, unlike her eyes which are oversized.
I shake her, trying to ignite some sort of life back into her but she only mumbles nothings. They are as garbled as if trying to speak underwater.
“Mind if I take a seat?” the person says at our side, and I go stiff.
Now I understand Hailey’s reaction. It had nothing to do with me and everything to do with her surprise at who’s near me.
Somehow in the lost time—which is nothing—her eyes have gotten bigger. Squeaking out another noise as her cheeks flush into a nice shade of pink.
“Is that a yes?” the person asks, but it’s cute how he almost sounds nervous. It’s so unlike him.
He’s waiting and I’m not sure if I’m happier he’s here or upset that it’s taken him this long to finally see his son play.
