Before you hear it from anyone else…we need to talk.
Chapter forty
Cam
Kate’s behind the circulation desk when I get to the library. She’s sorting returns, calm on the surface but wound tight—every motion precise, every breath careful. I can see it in the set of her shoulders. She’s pissed. And she has every right to be.
As I approach, she doesn’t look up when she says, “So…I heard you had an eventful morning.”
I drag a hand over the back of my neck. “You heard.”
She snorts softly, still not meeting my eyes. “Oh, just a few details.Between Haddie Carmichael, the group chat, and Kinsey stopping by for a book she didn’t even want, I’d say the whole town knows my fiancé went full vigilante on the mayor’s son before noon.”
I lean against the counter. “You weren’t supposed to find out like that.”
Her eyes finally lift, sharp and full of disbelief. “HowwasI supposed to find out, Cam? When Haddie posted pictures of you wearing handcuffs?”
“That wasn’t going to happen,” I say evenly. “Nobody pressed charges. I just made sure he understood he doesn’t get to show up at your house again.”
She slams the return cart closed. “You can’t just fix this by showing up at his door!”
“I didn’t go to fix it. I went to make damn sure he knows where the line is.”
“Cam—” she begins to protest.
“He scared you, Kate. He came to your home.” My voice drops lower. “He had the audacity to try to see her after abandoning you both for years. And he thought he could get away with it. You think I could just sit on my hands after that?”
She exhales, frustration spilling over as she turns away. “You can’t fight every battle for me. That’s not love, that’s…too much.” She sighs. “Plus, now you have a child in your life that practically thinks you’re Superman. You need to think about her when you do things like this.”
Fuck, that hit like a dagger straight to the heart.
“I’m sorry.” I shake my head. “You’re absolutely right.”
“And next time, check in with me to see if I need assistance.”
I nod. “Absolutely.”
She turns toward me, still not looking in my eyes. “Just promise you won’t do anything like that again.”
I make an x above her heart. “Promise. Cross my heart.”
Her eyes finally look intomine. “You scared me.”
“I know.” My thumb traces her jaw. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Katie.”
The silence softens. She exhales, the fight leaving her body all at once. “I forgive you. You’re lucky I like you.”
“You like me?” I smile, teasing. “Even when I’m an overprotective idiot?”
She shakes her head. “Yes, even when you’re an idiot.”
Chapter forty-one
Cam
“I need a favor,” I say into my phone, leaning against the truck outside the high school.
“Is this a borrow-a-grill favor or a we-need-to-hide-a-body favor?” Knox asks.
