“I’m sorry,” he says quickly. “I didn’t know your sister was here. I wouldn’t have come.”
“Cameron…” I say before stepping closer and wrapping my arms around him, knowing that he’s here because he needs comfort and understanding. “I’m glad you came over.”
He tries to swallow down his emotions, but I can still hear them in his voice. “Thank you, Z.”
I pull back from him and gesture over to the sofa. “Why don’t you have a seat? I’ll grab you a cup of coffee.”
“Got any whiskey for that?” he says, trying to make light of the situation.
“Self-medicating isn’t healthy,” I reply, popping back into the living room with his coffee and sitting down right beside him.
“Who says I’m self-medicating?”
I place my palm on top of his hand, and I have to ignore the sparks that fly around us. “You didn’t show up here looking like that for no reason. You’re here because you need someone to talk to, and I told you before to let me be that person.”
Cameron lets out a heavy breath. “Yeah…”
“Did you talk to your dad?”
He nods. “He showed up at my place this morning because I’ve been ignoring his calls.”
“What did he say?”
His eyes are glassy, and he tries to turn away so I can’t see. “That I’m a pathetic disappointment because I like this new league. That my mother made me soft. That I need to stop ignoring him because I have a career thanks to him.”
“No,” I state emphatically, moving my hand to his cheek and turning his face to meet mine. “Every part of that is wrong.He’sthe disappointment because he can’t see how great his son is. Your mother taught you empathy, which is something the world is sorely lacking. And you don’t owe him a goddamn thing. He thinks you owe him your career, but did you evenaskfor this? Or did you play hockey because your dad pushed you to?”
Cam closes his eyes. “Because of him. I don’t regret that now because I genuinely love it, but I started playing because he signed me up. I didn’t have a say.”
“Cameron, from the time you were a child, you’ve been doing what he pushed you to do. You haven’t had a say in your own life.You’re twenty-nine now, and he’s still trying to keep you under his thumb, but you don’t have to be there.”
“That’s where I’ve always been,” he says dejectedly. “I don’t know anything else.”
“That’s why you have me.” I give him a reassuring smile. “You deserve to live your life without his constant degradation and judgment. You’re your own person; you aren’t an extension of him, no matter what he thinks.”
“It doesn’t feel like that.”
“Because you’ve always been told that you are.” Even right now, his caramel eyes hold me prisoner. “You can’t turn off your feelings like a switch. Depression doesn’t work that way.”
“What if I’m not depressed?”
“You won’t know for sure unless you start therapy. I’m more than happy to be here when you need someone to talk to, but I’m not a professional. I can help you feel betterfor now,but a therapist can help you get to the root of the issue.”
Cameron sighs. “I guess I should look for a therapist.”
“I’ll help you. We’ll find someone who focuses on family trauma.”
“You’d… do that?” His words come out choked.
I smile at him. “Of course I would. I’m your friend; Iwantto help you. I want you to be your best self, and it’s okay if you need a little help to get there.”
Cameron leans forward and wraps his arms around me, and I melt into his embrace. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. Just take care of yourself. That’s all I want.”
When he pulls back, his eyes are glassy again, but he still forces a soft smile. “I will.”
Cameron and I spend the rest of the day together. We find him a therapist with great reviews, and because he’s a famous hockey player, he has no issue getting an appointment. He’ll have his first one next week.
