Page 83 of SALT

"It's not what I think happened. It's what did happen," I say flatly.

"I wanted my baby girl. That baby was my everything, Everett. I loved her so damn much. I couldn't wait to hold her in my arms and give her the world, but I never got the chance…" Her voice cracks as a tear runs down her cheek. "I had a traumatic birth, and after my daughter was born, she was rushed to the NICU before I even got a chance to hold her. Three hours later, the nurses brought me a cold, lifeless little girl who didn't make it, and my world was forever changed. I was so fucking broken. I had to grieve the loss of my little girl alone because the father was a married man who had no idea she existed. The next day, when that man showed up in my room and the money was placed in my account, I wanted to scream. I wanted to burn the entire hospital to the ground. I couldn't believe Damon knew. I never said a word about the pregnancy to him. He didn't leave Amelia, and I never asked him to, but I thought he cared about me enough to show some kind of sympathy. Something more than a check and an NDA. I would have rather had a phone call, a card, anything would have been better in that moment than a check, but the longer I sat there with my pain and hate, the more I saw that money as a chance to start over. That money saved my life. It allowed me to get away from this place because there was no way I could have stayed here without her. Everywhere I turned were memories of feeling her kick inside of me, places I planned on taking her, and love I'd never get to have. So I left."

"You're lying," I spit as I start pacing. She has to be. That's fucking sick. There's no way Damon would do what she's insinuating.

"She's not lying," Stormy says, walking up the path with Cameron and Mackenzie in tow.

Cameron's eyes connect with mine, and she's immediately at my side, wrapping her arm around mine. "What's going on?" I close my eyes, wishing this were unfolding differently. The last time I spoke with Cameron about this, I asked for time, but that's once again being stolen from me. I don't have a smoking gun, but what I do have is damning.

"Remember when I said I lied?" Stormy asks Cameron, to which she nods. "Well, she was my reason. Lauren Rhodes is your biological mother."

"What?" Cameron gasps with a laugh. "You can't be serious." Her eyes flick around the group, and reality settles quickly as she sees the sober expressions on everyone's faces. Her hands tighten around my bicep before her eyes lock onto mine. "Did you know?"

"Cameron, it's not that simple," I try, unsure where to begin.

She unwraps herself as her hand rises to cover her mouth. "You did. You knew, and you never told me."

I shake my head. "It's not what you think." I run my fingers angrily through my hair. This is such a fucking mess. Did I know Amelia wasn't her mother? Yes. Did I know her mother was Lauren Rhodes? No. I'm just as stunned as she is. The story Lauren has spun has shaken me to my core and turned everything I thought I knew about my best friend on its head. He's not here to defend himself, but the evidence against him is strong. My eyes rise to hers, and I see nothing but hurt. Hurt that breaks me. "I didn't know," I say so softly I'm unsure it's audible because I know it's too little, too late. I knew enough, even if it wasn't this.

She turns to Connor and Garrett. "You guys too?"

"Cameron, none of this was black and white," Garrett tries.

"That's an excuse, and you know it."

"We don't have DNA evidence. We have stories. Her words against your father's." Connor steps in. "Cam, you have to remember. You lived with your parents on the East Coast until you were eight years old?—"

I raise my hand for him to stop. I know where he's going, and I can't stomach it. I hate feeling like I've aided my best friend in covering a lie, but I also can't stand by and watch his character get ripped apart with speculation instead of evidence. What Connor's implying isn't improbable. They didn't live here when Amelia would have been pregnant with Cameron. None of us saw her with or without a child. When Damon broke the news, it was with a picture of Cameron that read, "Surprise, we've been keeping a secret." He forgot to add it was a really fucking big secret.

That's when Stormy reaches into the bag she's carrying and pulls out a book. I know it is Damon's because it's from his collection—the same collection I keep in my office. I've stared at that spine countless times. "I have his words."

"Give me that." I demand, reaching her in two steps and snatching it out of her hand before she can react. Not only does she have something that belongs to me, she had to have stolen it from an office I always keep locked. "How did you even get this?"

"How I got it isn't as important as the truth it holds."

Before I can respond, Cameron takes the book out of my hands. "If anyone gets the book, it's me. He was my father, and this is my life. If these words belong to anyone, it's me."

I drop my head, place my hands on my hips, and step back. I've failed her again. "You're right. I don't even know what I'm protecting you from anymore. Not that I ever did." I slowly bring my eyes back up to hers. "You know everything I do now. I guess you have everything you're looking for right there," I say as I nod toward the book in her hands. "You can make your own choices."

I take another step away, giving her space. I've spent years defending something untenable, and what's more, that's not even the whole of it. I've been trying to uphold an oath, a promise I made to my dying friend, one whose death was my fault. I have no business being here.

"Why does it feel like you're leaving?"

I tell her she's more. I believe she's more, yet here I am, failing her. I've been so blinded by everything she makes me feel that I'm holding her back. History feels like it's repeating itself right before my eyes. I'm standing in a cornfield at seventeen, determined to save the girl. All this time, I saw Lauren's push to get close to me as something else. I missed signs that were always there. For years, I've been her protector: duty instead of love. She's no longer a fragile obligation. She's the woman I want at my side and one who can handle the truth.

"Because I am. You're a grown woman. You have things to figure out, and I can't be what you need. All this time, I only wanted to guard your heart, but all I was doing was poisoning it."

"That's not true. I'm upset. I'm hurt. I'm not poisoned. We'll figure this out together. You just said yourself you didn't know?—"

"But didn't I?" I throw my arms wide. "I knew enough, Cameron."

"You said you loved me, Everett. Was any of that true?"

"I meant every damn word. I love you so damn much. It's because I love you that I'm letting you go…" My eyes flick over to Lauren's. "So you can make room to love someone else. All I've done is turn that heart of gold into heartbreak."

"It's my heart, Everett. I get to decide how I want it, and I'd rather have broken pieces that include you than a whole one that doesn't."

Her words slowly dig out what remains of my own. I fucking hate knowing that I'm hurting her. If I were her, I'd hate me. I turn on my heel before she can argue anymore. Her hate is deserved. I'm not walking away because I want to. I'm walking away because she won't, and while she may want me, she deserves so much better than me.

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