We’ve flown home early.
You may as well stay here.
I just wish I knew she was safe before I left. What if something has happened to her?
God, I hate this shit. I put my head into my hands in disgust.
“I’m hungry.” Owen yawns.
“We can have breakfast at the airport.”
“Where’s Mom?” He frowns.
“Um.” I try think of an answer. “She’s with Andrew. She’ll be home later.”
Owen frowns as he processes the information.
I blow out a breath and continue packing until everything is done. I just wish I had confirmation that she was okay before I left.
What if something has happened to her? My heart asks.
It hasn’t, you fool, my head replies.
“Let’s go, Owen.”
I grab the suitcases and he follows me out and down the corridor. When we get down to the lobby, I hold my phone in my hand and the doorman hails a cab.
We climb in. “Where to?” the driver asks.
“The airport,” I reply flatly.
He pulls out into traffic and begins the journey when my phone rings. Ashley.
I frown as I stop myself answering it. I’m not losing my shit at her while Owen is with me.
It goes to voicemail and when it’s complete, I listen to it.
“Fucking voicemail,” she shrieks in a panic. “Oh my God, Cameron. I’m so sorry. I took some headache tablets and they must have knocked me out. I just woke up on Andrew’s mothers couch. I’m so sorry. I’m coming now.” She hangs up.
My blood pressure rises. The fury I feel is beyond belief and boils my blood.
Does she think I’m stupid?
“Was that Mom?” Owen asks.
I nod, lost in my thoughts.
“She’s going to be very angry that we left without her.”
I glance over at him and then back to the road.
“She might not come home. She might stay here.” He frowns, speaking with a worried little voice.
I take his hand in mine as I stare out the window. The phone rings again and I let it go to voicemail before I listen to it.
Ashley’s voice is frantic. “Oh my God, Cameron, forgive me. I love you. I’m on my way.”
I get a lump in my throat as I stare out the window.
Every ounce of my being wants to be as far away from her as possible, yet I know if I go and take Owen, it will be over for us.
“Can’t we just wait for Mom?” Owen asks. “She won’t be long. You know she’s slow all the time.”
I stare out the window as my mind goes into overdrive. Do I believe her?
Do I trust her?
I think back to everything we’ve been through. Despite it all, she’s somehow learned to trust me again.
I took her child and she forgave me.
I lean my elbow up against the door as I hold my head, deep in thought.
I don’t want to see her…but if I don’t go back…
Ashley
The elevator finally opens out into the foyer and I run out, dragging my suitcase behind me when I get to the doorman. “I need a cab, please,” I blurt out in a panic.
The doorman frowns as he looks me up and down. “Are you alright?”
I nod, but in all seriousness, I’m on the edge of a complete meltdown.
“Won’t be a minute.” He goes out onto the street to hail me a cab and I wait in the drop off bay.
What a disaster.
“Come on, come on,” I murmur as I look around frantically. “Where are all the bloody cabs?”
Everything was going so well. Why did I mess this up?
A cab pulls up, and low and behold…
Cameron is sitting in the backseat with Owen.
My face falls and he glares at me as he gets out of the cab and slams the door. He walks around to get Owen out.
I smile through my tears.
He came back.
He retrieves the suitcases out of the trunk and I wait on the spot.
He walks over, emotionless. “Get up to the room now before I strangle you in public,” he growls in a whisper.
“Oh my God, Cameron, I’m… I’m so sorry,” I stammer as the tears break the dam. “I had some headache tablets after dinner and…” I shake my head as I try to get my words out quicker. “And, honestly, I have no idea what happened, but I woke up on the couch this morning.”
Cameron looks at me, deadpan.
“And my phone was on silent,” I add.
He narrows his eyes and storms over to the elevator. Owen and I run after him like little puppies.
We get in and the elevator attendant stands to the front and looks straight ahead.
Cameron stands at the back and I face him. “You have no idea of the horror I felt when I woke up and realized what had happened.” I shake my head. “And then I got here and you were gone,” I continue. I grab his hand and he tears it out of mine.
“Stop talking to me. I’m furious with you.” Cameron growls.
Owen stands next to the elevator attendant at the front and swings his arms, smiling stupidly up at him. The elevator attendant glances down at Owen and smirks.
“But, Cam… you came back.” I smile in relief. “You came back for me. Thank God you came back,” I whisper.
Cameron looks at me, deadpan.
I smile broadly through my tears like a crazy person. “This means we’ve progressed. You really do love me.”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself. I hate you today.”
“Liar.” I smirk.
Owen is still smiling goofily up at the elevator attendant as he swings his arms. “My mom and dad are fighting,” he announces.
The attendant nods subtly, trying not to be rude to Owen while remaining respectful to us.
“Sometimes they always kiss, but today my dad hates my mom,” he continues.
“Owen,” Cameron snaps.
“Because my mom went out with my other dad and didn’t come home all night.”
The attendant drops his head, embarrassed.
“Owen Stanton. Stop telling everyone everything!” Cameron snaps.
Owen widens his eyes. “I think he hates me today, too. He’s very cranky, isn’t he?” he adds.
The attendant drops his head to hide his smirk.
Cameron shakes his head, exasperated.
I wrap my arms around Cameron and smile against his chest as he stands still with his arms rigid by his sides.
“I love you, Mr. Stanton.” I smile up at him as I start to quickly kiss him all over. “And you came back for me and this is progress for us. I think Andrew’s mother tried to set me up and I’m so bloody angry with her,” I continue.
He moves his face away from me so I don’t kiss him, and I know he’s going to be furious over this for a while.
It doesn’t matter. He came back.
There’s hope for us yet.
Trust is earned.
And little by little, Cameron has earned it. I think the turning point for us was when he came back for me in New York.
Furious beyond belief, yet he came back.
He lost his ever-living shit and didn’t talk to me for a week.
But he stayed.