“He patted me on the head and said, ‘your mother knows best.’ Like fuck she did.” I had to drag in another breath. “So trust me, Cam. You’re the only thing standing between your girls and a lifetime of therapy they’ll be too scared to start.”
Fuck. FUCK.
I gripped the edge of the counter, willing my heart rate to settle.
Without a word, he reached over, wrapped his fingers around my wrist and pulled me to him. I went, stiff as a board when he wrapped his arms around me.
“I’m sorry,” he said finally, his voice rough. “That you went through that.”
“It’s fine. I survived.”
“Surviving and being okay are two different things. Thank you. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”
“You’re welcome,” I mumbled against his shirt.
CAM
Girls had a great time! We’ll have them back by 5. Also, forgot to tell you. Knee is feeling much better. Doc says I should be good to take over babysitting again starting next week.
Iread it twice, processing.
Emily, tucked against my side on the couch, lifted her head. “Everything okay?”
Rain streaked down the windows, turning the world outside into a blur of gray. A sappy romcom played on low volume on the TV. Neither of us had really been watching it.
“Uh, yeah. Mom says she’ll drop the girls back at five.” I showed her the screen. “And she’s cleared to start babysitting again next week.”
She sat up a little more. “That’s great. I’m really glad her knee’s doing better.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“I’ll miss hanging out with the girls though, not gonna lie. They’ve kind of become my favorite people.”
My heart squeezed at the sweet smile that curved her lips. “They’re gonna miss you too. But you know you’re still welcomehere whenever you want, right? You don’t need babysitting as an excuse.”
“Good to know.” She shifted away, pulling a cushion to her chest and watching the tv screen absently. “The timing is pretty good, anyway. I really need to buckle down on my portfolio. This just gives me more time to work on it.”
“Portfolio?”
“Yeah.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “Didn’t I tell you about it?”
“You didn’t. What’s it for?”
“It’s for an art scholarship at Appalachian State, partly funded by our company. It’s kind of a big deal.” She made a face.
“How big are we talking?”
“I have to submit five completed pieces and right now I’ve got two I’m actually happy with. And like, eleven that make me want to burn my brushes.”
“Two is better than zero.”
“Yeah, I guess.” She kept her eyes down, picking at a thread in the cushion.
Uh oh, her mood had just taken a dip. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I’m just... I don’t know if I’m ready for this, to be honest.”
“You don’t know unless you try.”
