“It tells me I need to respect her wanting space but also be ready if she wants me to be there,” I say firmly.
A notification chimes from Leo’s watch, and he glances down at it, then back up to me with a rueful grin. “Sorry to cut tonight short, boys, but I’ve gotta go. Early shift tomorrow, and that was Serena letting me know Vi is having a hard time sleeping. Duty calls.”
One by one, the guys all stand, and we make short work of cleaning up the food and drinks. At my front door, we give a round of backslapping man hugs.
“Sorry we never got to play poker,” Sawyer says.
“Do we ever actually play poker on these nights or do we just talk and drink and solve all the problems?” Max injects wryly.
“Thanks for coming. Poker or not, I appreciate it.”
Jude’s the last one out, and he pauses in the doorway. “Let me know if you need anything. And no matter what Sawyer said, no matter what doubts are rolling in your mind, you know Cam, and you know your relationship. If you think you should be in Manitoba, then don’t hesitate. Go to your wife.”
I clap a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks, brother.”
After they all leave, I turn off the lights and make my way down the hall to my bedroom. But something makes me pause outside of the spare room where Cam’s been keeping her stuff. Flicking on the light, I walk in and sit down on the bed she hasn’t slept in since the very beginning of her time here.
She belongs in Dogwood Cove. She belongs with me. I know it, and if I push past my fears, I think she knows it, too.
My phone chooses that instant to chime with an incoming text. And when I see the message, it’s the final turn of the key that unlocks that belief in my heart.
CAM: I miss you too.
I exhale. Jesus Christ, I didn’t know how badly I wanted to see those four words until now.
BECKETT: How’s Manitoba?
CAM: Flat. Boring. Lonely.
I chew on my lip, debating how to respond. If she would just say the word, I would be on a plane to her as fast as possible. But she isn’t saying it, and I won’t make the same mistake again by pushing too far.
BECKETT: Dogwood Cove is here for you, whenever you’re ready.
CAM: I’ll come home soon.
BECKETT: I’ll be waiting.
Impatiently, but I’ll wait forever, I think to myself with a wry grin. I wait a few minutes to see if she’ll reply, but nothing more comes. Still, it’s better than nothing. I push up to stand and it’s then that my eye catches on some official-looking papers sitting inside an open drawer beside the bed.
My gut tells me not to snoop. Cam’s business is her own. But a second glance has me noticing my name, and the next thing I know, I’m snatching the papers out, skimming over them with growing dismay.
“Fuck that,” I growl to myself.
Striding out to the living room, I grab my laptop and power it up. Ten minutes later, my ticket is purchased and I’ve emailed my partner that I won’t be at work the rest of the week. I fire off a quick text to my brothers before dropping my phone on the coffee table and going back to my room to pack.
BECKETT: I’m going to Manitoba tomorrow.
Chapter thirty-two
Cam
For two sleepless nights, I’ve done nothing but toss and turn. Well, that and pick up my phone and open my text messages to send something to Beckett a dozen times or so. But every time, I stopped, not knowing how to say what I want.
How do I tell him that as soon as I got on the plane, I wanted to get off again and run straight back to him?
How do I tell him I’m scared, of having him, of losing him, of not being able to give him everything he wants?
How do I tell him that coming here, running away like that, was the dumbest fucking thing I’ve ever done, and yet, also the most necessary. Because it forced me to admit the one truth that beats out everything else.
