Page 76 of Camden

We’d all been looking forward to a day where we could all relax and have fun.

“This all looks so good,” Rylie said, rubbing her baby belly. She has taken the ‘eating for two’ seriously. Every time I saw her, she had some kind of food in her hand.

Usually a donut.

“Thanks,” I said, motioning toward the food. “Everyone help yourselves.”

“Looks good, sis,” a rough, familiar voice said from behind me. Every muscle in my body stiffened. My heart pounded as tears filled my eyes. Slowly, I turned, hoping like hell I wasn’t imagining that voice.

Twenty feet away stood my brother with his arms wide open and an even wider smile on his face. The tears flowed freely down my cheeks as I raced to him, throwing my entire body weight against him.

Grayson braced himself for impact, barely taking a step backward from the force. “Oh my God,” I cried into his shoulder as he held me tightly. I hadn’t seen him in person for over three years. When he’d been on leave in the past, he always stayed in South Carolina, where he was stationed. His deployments were never more than a month or two apart. I think it was hard for him to go home because of all the memories. It was hard for him to be there when I had moved away for school and our parents were gone.

When I talked to him a couple of weeks ago on facetime, I finally confessed to moving to Sweet Springs. Every time I talked to him, I felt sick to my stomach, keeping it from him, but I just couldn’t tell him about what I’d been through.

Jax was one of Grayson’s best friends growing up. I couldn’t tell him the kind of man Jax had become, so I avoided it. When he asked about our relationship or what was happening around town, I changed the subject.

Eventually, he stopped asking.

Deep down, I think he knew we weren’t together anymore. He just waited for me to admit it to him.

It was easy to brush off because Jax and Gray hadn’t kept in touch while I was in nursing school. Grayson only ever called me. He wasn’t happy that I’d moved all that way on my own, but he understood.

He even spoke with Cam for a while and exchanged numbers.

After a few minutes of clinging to my brother, he placed me on my feet. “What are you doing here?” I slapped his arm.

“Your man invited me.” He smirked and hooked an arm around my shoulder, leading me back toward the picnic tables.

“That’s not what I meant. I mean, how are you here? You’re supposed to be in some desert.” Honestly, I didn’t know where he was even stationed. My brother was a Marine, and most of his deployments had been on a need-to-know basis.

Apparently, his only family didn’t need to know.

“I got back two weeks ago. I went home and was surprised when you weren’t there. I wanted to surprise you.”

“You’ve been home for two weeks? How come you didn’t tell me when we facetimed?”

“You had other news to share.” He glanced over at Cam. “Cam and I planned this.”

“I’m so glad you’re back.” I wiped away my tears. “How long are you here for?” If he had already been on leave for two weeks, it wouldn’t be long.

“I decided to get out.”

“What?” Tripping over my own feet, I tilted my head back to look at him. Grayson was a tall guy. Taller than Cam. Over the past years, he had bulked up. Nothing like the scrawny kid I was used to.

He shrugged. “That was my last deployment. I’ve been doing it for eight years.”

“You’re not going back?” I asked. Hope bloomed in my chest. As much as I loved the family I created here, I wanted my brother home.

“Nope.” A grin kicked up his lips. “Know of a place I can stay?” I squealed, hugging his waist again.

“You can crash at my place until you find an apartment. I’m so excited. Have you met everyone already?”

“Just Cam and Rylie.”

“Come on, let’s introduce you.” I led him toward the group of people I’d come to love more than anyone else in the world. Rylie and Stacey stood with glistening eyes and watery smiles. “Gray, this is Haley, Stacey, Meghan, Asher, and Mason. You know Rylie and Cam. Everyone, this is my brother Grayson.” My cheeks hurt from smiling.

“It’s nice to meet you all.” He stepped away from me to shake the guys’ hands. I walked over to Cam. He opened his mouth to say something, but I just shook my head, wrapped my hand around the back of his neck, and pulled his lips down to meet mine. He instinctively squeezed my waist, holding my body flush against his. I tried to pour every ounce of love and gratitude I felt into our kiss. He never tried to deepen the kiss, but it made my heart flutter all the same.

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