“We’re at Ravenwood.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
The call ends without Jalen needing any further explanation, and his readiness to come without needing a single detail reminds me of how Scott always comes to my rescue without hesitation, too, and how he has saved me from myself more times than I can count. It hits me then that Scott won’t be able to save me this time, though, because he is in the middle of welcoming his baby to the world.
I’m going to have to find the strength within myself to handle this tragedy on my own, because after everything that I’ve already taken away from him, there is no way in hell that I am going to add missing out on the birth of his first child to the list.
I make a vow to myself right then and there to keep Scott and Gabe insulated from this, because if either of them got wind of something going awry, they would drop everything to come help me. I can’t allow that to happen, no matter the cost.
“Drew,” Cameron murmurs, reminding me that I need to be strong for him too.
“I’m here.” I drop my phone to the ground to kneel in front of him.
I put my hands on his knees to anchor both of us, and his brow furrows as he looks at them, then up to my face, as if he’s not sure he can believe his eyes.
“I’m right here, Cameron.”
His jaw tightens, and he blinks rapidly to keep the sorrow from spilling over. I shift to sit next to him against the wall and tuck myself into his side to wait until Jalen arrives and can take over. His wet clothes instantly dampen the side of my body that is pressed against him, but I welcome the distraction, because fighting off the chill that threatens to settle in my bones keeps my mind off the grim reality of what lies ahead: the aftermath of Delaney’s death, and having to end whatever this is between Cameron and I before it even had a chance to get started.
Chapter thirty
BLOOD ON MY HANDS
CameronandIsitin heavy silence until the sound of sirens meets our ears. From there, I shift my attention from fighting the cold to trying to isolate each individual whine in their overlapping chorus.
I am fairly certain that at least five separate vehicles have parked outside when muffled voices rise from downstairs. Five seems a large number for a single victim accident, and panic prickles the back of my neck when I realize I haven’t seen or heard from Ollie since he went to investigate, and I have no clue where Val, Leah, or Judith are either.
The sudden and uncontrollable chattering of my teeth drowns out the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs, and I jump in terror when a man bursts into the room.
It only takes me a split second to recognize the stranger as Jalen, Cameron’s brother. I wave my arm so that he can see us on the ground, half hidden behind the door. The resemblance is uncanny as he jolts forward and takes a knee in front of us,except that Jalen has a slightly smaller build and looks like he is a few years older than Cameron.
“I’m here, what happened?” he asks, as he looks over Cameron for signs of injury.
Cameron lifts his head, and his shoulders sag in relief. “Jalen.”
“I’m here, brother.”
Cameron’s shoulders rack with a choking sob at his words, and my heart breaks into a million little pieces with him. Jalen joins me and wraps his arms around Cameron, as if the two of us can somehow keep him from completely falling apart if we hold him tight enough.
“We’re here, we’ve got you,” I echo, and only lift my head off Cameron’s shoulder when the worst of it has passed.
I meet Jalen’s waiting eyes and am stunned at how similar they are to Cameron’s, only without any of the warmth or familiarity. He just walked into the room and found us both on the floor, so I wouldn’t expect him to look at me any other way, but my stomach clenches as I realize that Cameron has never looked at me like I was a stranger. Not even when we first met, and the thought of it reveals just how attached I’ve become to his unfettered fondness for me.
“What happened to him?” Jalen presses, but as I attempt to flip through the limited facts that I have, both of our attention is pulled back towards the door when a man in a suit with white hair, piercing green eyes, and a badge finds us wrapped around Cameron on the floor.
“I came as soon as I heard,” the man says.
“Me too, but I don’t know anything yet, so you’ll have to fill me in,” Jalen responds.
Cameron raises his tear-streaked face at the new voice, and the man gives him a sad smile as he crouches down to join our huddle around him, finding a place to rest his weathered hand amid our tangle of limbs.
“I’m sorry this happened to you again, son. But we’re going to get through this just like we did last time, I promise.”
Cameron uses his sleeve to scrub his face and manages a few deep breaths.
“That’s it,” the man says, as he gives him a pat on the back. “Smell the flowers, and then blow out the birthday candles, just like Birdie used to say.”
Jalen smiles weakly at the reference, and it hits me just how little I know about this man that I am already mourning having to separate myself from.
