Page 50 of Stanton Unconditional

My eyes widen and I smile. “Oh my God, really. How did it go?”

“Great, they totally hit it off. The LUST was ridiculous. Josh and I were worried we were going to be forced to watch gay porn when they finally got it on, but it didn’t happen.”

My face falls. “What? Not even a kiss?”

He shakes his head. “Nope.”

“Why not?” Bridget asks.

Cameron shakes his head. “No idea, they had a great night laughing and talking and then Murph walked him out at the end of the night and came back ten minutes later to announce to us that he isn’t interested, something about living too far away from each other.” He shrugs as he takes a sip of his coffee. “I don’t know what’s going on in anyone’s head at the moment, everyone’s fucked up.” His gaze comes back to me in insinuation.

I narrow my eyes. “Cameron, why don’t you just come out with it?” I reply sarcastically.

“Out with what?” he snaps.

“Oh I don’t know, maybe Joshua for one.”

“I just don’t see why you can’t talk to him. Listen to what he has to say.”

I roll my eyes. “You know what Cameron? The time for talking was in the hospital before he slept with me. Before he lied to me.”

“Tash,” he stammers.

I cut him off. “Don’t you dare Tash me! I sat in that hospital room with a woman who he was sleeping with five meters away and you all knew it. You were all keeping his sordid little secret for him. You all make me sick.”

“I make you sick?” he snaps.

I raise my eyebrows as I take another sip of my coffee. “Yes, you do actually.”

He sits forward in anger and Bridget pipes up. “Let’s calm down, shall we?”

“Well, you make me sick,” he snaps. “You are the one that broke up with him and broke his fucking heart and then he fucks up once and you dump him again. What the hell is that?”

Abbie puts her hands on her head in a panic.

Steam starts to pour from my ears. “Fucking up, Cameron, is forgetting to pick up the dry cleaning, forgetting an anniversary or maybe forgetting to pick the kids up from soccer practice. Putting your dick inside another woman is a bit more than fucking up, asshole!” I sneer as my anger hits crescendo.

“Sssshhh,” Bridget snaps as she looks around the room to see if anyone can hear us.

“You, shush Bridget. How did you think this conversation was going to go? You all are taking his side and blaming me for this. I did nothing wrong. I demand honesty because that’s what I give and I damn well deserve better,” I stammer.

They all sit silent, their eyes planted firmly on me. “Tash, we are not taking his side. This is not a cut-and-dry case,” Bridget whispers.

“I know that.” I lean back on the chair and put my hands over my face in frustration.

“Tash, he hadn’t heard from you in over two months,” Bridget whispers.

“Because I was devastated. I had just killed my father. Cameron, you were there with me, you saw how I was when you would visit. Was I really in my sound mind?” I demand.

He drops his head. “No,” he whispers. “You didn’t kill

him, Natasha.”

“I know you all love Joshua and you are trying to help. I love Joshua, I will always love Joshua, but he doesn’t love me the way I need to be loved.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Cameron snaps.

“I tell you what love is, Cameron. I went out with a man for two and a half years who loved me, and I could not bring myself to physically have sex with him,” I whisper.