“You’d consider taking him back?” Astonishment widens her eyes. “After everything?”
I bristle. “Don’t judge me.”
Cam holds her hands in front of her chest, palms out. “Not judging. Just surprised. Riding the bang train to closure town is one thing, forgiving him and taking him back is another.”
“It’s not that simple, Cam. It’s not a snap of the fingers, or, like, an epiphany.” I mime the brain-exploding emoji.
“I know, Avery. It’s just…he hurt you. Badly.”
“We both made mistakes.”
“He made more.”
I nod. “Is this your way of telling me you don’t think I should ever give Gabriel another chance?”
“Nope.”
“Then what are you saying?”
“I’m neutral. I only want you to be happy and healthy. Whatever that means for you.”
“Chickenshit.”
She barks a laugh. “Not usually, but maybe a little in this case.”
I gather the mail and stand. Cam brings Ruby inside and walks us to the front door. “Be happy Hudson removed himselffrom the equation. Otherwise, this would be messier than it already is.” Cam lightly presses a hand to my arm, her forehead creased with concern. “What do you plan to do about it all?”
My shoulders curl inward, and my head is heavy as it swings back and forth. “The only thing I know to do. I’m going to bury my head in my computer, write my little heart out, and throw you the best bridal shower you’ve ever seen.” I lift my drooping head to deliver a kiss to her cheek. “And copy the next Spill The Beans on the board.”
“Tomorrow,” she says, mouthing the word please.
“I’ll swing by Gem in the morning.”
“And be ready to see Dad and Lara this weekend. They want to have dinner.”
I frown as my head fills with a fleeting vision of me providing my dad and Lara with a sanitized summary of my trip to Sugar Creek.
Cam sees my expression and asks, “Are you going to tell Dad about Gabriel? I think his heart was as broken as yours when everything happened.”
“No. I don’t know.” I sigh. “Not yet, at least.” What, exactly, is there to tell? I don’t want to rope him into my angst.
Cam pretends to zip her lips.
I go home. I unpack. I float through my routine, my movements on autopilot. When I take a shower, I wash my hair with body wash instead of shampoo. To Ruby’s delight, I feed her three cups of food instead of two. I spend an hour on the internet looking at cute matching shirts to force Camryn and Dani to wear at their shower, then forget to order them.
My mind is approximately one hundred and seventy-eight miles away.
CHAPTER 19
GABRIEL
The arch is finished.
I stand back, arms crossed, rocking forward into the steel toe of my boots. Seemingly simple, yet intricate upon further inspection.
Joel lightly smacks one side of the arch. It’s sturdy and solid, a masterpiece. “Think you can deliver this next week? Ernie’s on vacation.”
“Sure.” I don’t mean for my tone to sound gruff. “No problem,” I add, softening my voice. Delivering the arch to Camryn might mean seeing Avery.
