“I’m sorry.” His voice cracked, raw and unguarded. “I am so unbelievably sorry for how I treated you. You didn’t deserve my anger. You were just trying to help Elise, and I…” He drew in a shaky breath. “I let my fear get in the way. I lashed out because I was terrified. And it was wrong.”
Nicole’s eyes burned, and the sincerity in his tone unraveled her completely.
“I understand why you got upset,” she whispered. “I overstepped. I should have talked to you first before taking Elise to the school. I just, I wanted to help her, and?—”
“No,” Cameron said fiercely, squeezing her hand. “You didn’t overstep. You did something incredible for her. You gave her hope. You gave her a future.” His eyes shone with unshed tears. “And I nearly ruined it because I was too stuck in my own guilt to see what was actually best for my sister.”
Nicole’s breath hitched. “You have nothing to be guilty for.”
He nodded, his jaw tight. “It’s easy to say that, but hard to feel it, Nic. I was supposed to protect her. And I failed.” His voice broke, raw and jagged. “Ever since then, I’ve been…overcompensating. Smothering her. Treating her like she’s fragile, because if anything else ever happened to her, I’d never forgive myself. Never.”
“Oh, Cameron.” Nicole cupped his cheek, her thumb brushing away a stray tear. “Elise doesn’t blame you. Not one bit. She loves you, but she doesn’t want you carrying that weight forever. It’s not fair to either of you.”
He closed his eyes, leaning into her touch. “I know that now. Elise…she told me herself. She said I needed to stop punishing myself and start believing in both of us.”
Nicole’s heart swelled. What a gem that girl was.
Cameron took a deep breath, his gaze locking on hers. “And you. Nicole, you’ve shown me what love really looks like. You didn’t just accept Elise, you embraced her. You two became such immediate friends in a way I never expected. Watching that…watchingyoumade me realize how wrong I was to think no woman would ever want to take on both of us.”
Tears slipped down Nicole’s cheeks, hot and fast. “Cameron…”
“I’m falling for you.” The words tumbled out, fierce and certain. “I think I’ve been falling for you since the moment you walked into my life. I was too scared to admit it, but the thought of losing you made me see how much I need you. And how much Elise needs you.”
“I’m falling for you, too,” she whispered, her voice trembling with the truth. “I tried to tell myself it was too fast, too soon, but yeah. I fell for you just as hard. And I love Elise. You two are a package deal, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“She said the same thing,” he admitted on a laugh. “Man, did I get an earful on the way home from Eagle Mountain.”
“The school and the program are?—”
“Wonderful,” he finished. “I am being a selfish jerk to try to stand in the way of her doing exactly what she was put on Earth to do. But more than that, she said…what an incredible woman you are.”
Nicole smiled. “We definitely bonded.”
“It’s more than that. She made me see what I already knew.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I want you in my life in…in every way for as long as you’ll stick around. I’m crazy about you and I believe I will be a better man because of you.”
“Oh.” She leaned into him, speechless as he pulled her into his arms.
Their lips met in a kiss that melted the world away, leaving only the warmth of his mouth and the steady thrum of wildly pumping pulses.
When they finally broke apart, breathless, he rested his forehead against hers. “I want to do this right. For both of you. I’m going to help Elise get ready for vet school. I’ll talk to Mom and Dad, convince them it’s the right move. And when she leaves in a few weeks, I’ll be the one cheering the loudest.”
Nicole’s joy bubbled over. “Oh, Cameron, that’s amazing! She’s going to be so happy!”
He smiled, a little sheepishly. “I haven’t told her yet. I wanted to do it with you there. We’ll tell her together.”
Her heart soared. This wasn’t just forgiveness. It was a future, solid and shining before them.
They kissed again, slower this time, savoring the sweetness.
Cameron brushed a strand of hair from her face. “So…are Elise and I still invited to the New Year’s Eve party at the lodge tonight?”
Nicole laughed, swatting his chest. “Of course you are!”
He grinned. “Good. Because I’m pretty sure Elise has been doing her makeup since I left, certain that I could grovel my way out of this.”
“You don’t have to grovel,” she said. “You’ve been honest and…and fearless. That’s what I find the most attractive about you.”
“Didn’t feel fearless driving here.” He kissed her forehead. “But I do now.”
