My gaze lands on the bedding, and something tugs at my brain. I frown, waiting a beat. The necklace. I need to bring that with me to return to her. I found it on the bathroom counter and laid it by the phone so I wouldn’t forget.
It’s gone. Frowning, I search the blankets, growing more frantic by the second. It was right here. I didn’tmove anything but my phone, and it’s not like someone else could’ve taken?—
Shit. Did Campbell come back for it when I was in the bathroom? Did she see the messages? Does she think I’m getting back with Natalie?
The pit in my gut knows she saw them. Every word. She practically gave me her blessing.Thanks for everything. See you around.
Goddammit.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Campbell
“And now I’m a bad sister!” I draw in a shuddering breath, but I collapse my face into my hands. I’m sitting on the edge of my bed, and I just want to crawl into the corner.
“You are not a bad sister.” Jamison pats my back. Tavis is sleeping in his car seat through my breakdown, and Kacey’s with Iverson. “I’m glad you called me. I would’ve kicked your ass if you hadn’t.”
I was sobbing so bad by the time I reached town, I doubted my sunglasses could hide my ugly cry. My attempts at holding on to righteous anger didn’t work, and I dissolved. At the turn to my parents’ place, I called Jamison and got out the gist of what had happened. My silver chain is back around my neck. The damn thing saved me from future heartbreak, but it’s not helping the hurt right now.
“I bet she’s gorgeous.” I’ve said that three times already.
“You’re a hottie, so quit with that.”
“I bet he was so happy when he saw her call.” And relieved when I left. The tears well up again. “Ugh.” I swipe at the mascara running under my eyes.
She bats my hands away. “I think we’ll have to start from scratch.”
“Perfect. I’m going to tank this ceremony before it even starts.”
“You are not going to tank it. That’s up to January and Can’t Stanford.”
I wipe my hands down my face, inhale, hold it for four seconds, and blow out for five. I do it again. I’ve had the worst morning, but I haven’t come all this way to be a quitter or let another guy derail my plans. “Okay. Time to get me fixed up.”
Jamison pulls the stool away from my makeup chair and plants it in front of me. “I’ll get you ready. You talk.”
“I already told you everything.”
She returns with a few makeup wipes and sits. She’s in leggings and brackets my knees with hers. Her oversized shirt looks more comfortable than my charcoal-gray skirt and baby-pink blouse. It says I’m a professional and clearly not a guest.
A crease forms between her chestnut brows as she dabs at my streaked mascara. “You told me his ex called and texted, which basically confirmed that you two are messing around, since you’ve been avoiding me.”
“It’s been a day since the luncheon.”
“A day and a half,” she mumbles and dabs at my face.
I manage a half smile at her disgruntlement. She probably got the details from Avery and was leaving mealone until after the wedding. Too much was left for after the wedding, and now it’s all fizzled out like a dud firework. The fuse was lit, but nothing blew, leaving too much disappointment and fear to bother trying again.
“I fell in love with him.”
She drops her hand, her amber eyes shimmering. “Oh, Campbell. I’m so sorry.” Resting her warm fingertips on my knee, she keeps the makeup wipe crumpled in her palm. “But you don’t know that he was happy to see Natalie. That man tracked you the whole time at the luncheon. He was a hungry cougar, and you were an itty-bitty bunny.”
I sniffle. “It was just sex.” Toe-curling sex. Back-bending sex. Eyes-rolling-to-the-back-of-the-head sex.
She snorts and tosses the wipe to rip open a new one. “Listen. I try not to think about my siblings getting down and dirty, and that includes my in-laws, but if Durban is anything like Iverson, there’s no ‘just sex.’”
“It clouded my thinking.”
She resumes smudging around my eyes. “Is that all you did? Really?Justsex?”
