He caught her by the waist to stop her.This wasn’t right.She should be spitting mad or crying.She was doing neither.
He shook her to get her attention.“It wasn’t the company I was worried about.”
She didn’t respond.She just stood there, tired and defeated.Tired he could understand.Defeated he wouldn’t accept.
Bending his head, he peered straight into her eyes.“I was worried about you.What adoption agency separates identical twins?Even twenty-some years ago, they knew better than to do that.It didn’t make sense.That’swhy I wanted to be here this morning.That’swhy I tried to dig into the adoption details.”
“But you made me think you were concerned about Roxie.You didn’t tell me you suspected my…” a muscle near her mouth tensed, “…Julian.”
There it was, a tiny bit of the pain, a scrap of the anger she had to be feeling.
She looked blindly down the long driveway.“At least I got the truth.”
Brutal as it was.
She didn’t swallow hard or even blink.The hurt was there, but it was buried deep.
Cam’s jaw clenched.This was exactly what he’d been trying to prevent.“I didn’t want you to get hurt this way.”
He pulled her close, and she didn’t resist.She didn’t accept, either.She simply stood tense in his embrace.This close, he could finally feel it in her, the anger and the pain.Her body was practically vibrating with it.He let his cheek brush against her temple.There was the sound of footsteps, and he tensed.
“Would you two get a room already?”Roxie strode across the driveway, her stiletto heels ringing out like gunshots.She was walking hard and fast.
And trying not to cry.
Cam felt the bottom of his stomach drop out.Shit.He’d left her behind.
Moisture was in her eyes as she hurried past them, but he reached out and snagged her.She didn’t take kindly to the contact.Her hips rolled and she pushed at his forearm, but he clamped down tight.
Unable to fight him, she lashed out at her sister instead.“Nice family.”
Lexie flinched.
“Don’t you take it out on her,” Cam growled.
Yet guilt draped heavily across his shoulders.He should have pulled her out of there with him, but he hadn’t even thought of it.His main concern had been to get to Lexie.“What did they say to you?”
Roxie wiggled in his grip.“Just let me go.”
“No.”
She blinked too fast and worked her jaw in a circle.As tough as she was, the tears were starting to leak from her eyes.Cam couldn’t help it, he gathered her in.The two of them might not have gotten off to a good start, but none of this was her fault.
For a moment, her hand bit into his shoulder, but then it seemed to latch on.Crumpling against him, she gave in.He cupped the back of her head and looked at the other woman he still held.Lexie’s eyes were wide as she watched, and she was breathing too fast.She felt almost brittle in his arms.
The incongruity struck him.Roxie was crying, while Lexie had gone almost steely.It seemed backwards somehow.Roxie was tough on the outside, but things obviously affected her deeply.Lexie, on the other hand, was gentle and open—until she shut everything out.
She’d taken all that she could.
He rubbed his thumb in small circles at her waist.“Where are your keys?”
She didn’t respond.
He noticed that they were already in her hand.He took them from her grip and held them out to Roxie.“Are you okay to drive?”
Roxie’s gaze sharpened when she heard the jingle.Nodding, she reached for the set.
Lexie reached for them too.“I can drive.”
