Page 38 of A Sinner's Saint

“Yeah, but I need you all the fucking time. I’m a selfish asshole, Cammi, but I will not be a burden on you.”

He thinks he’s a burden? Well, that’s just stupid. I’ve never heard anything more ridiculous.

“Wait… Do you think I’m a burden on you?” I sputter.

“Fuck no. You are a lot of things, Cammi. A burden is not one of them,” he says.

“I love you,” I tell him.

“And I love you. Which is why I don’t want my issues to become yours.”

“I’ve already jumped in, Vin. There’s no climbing back out of that hole for me. I will sell my soul if it means being with you.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. You can’t do that. Your soul is pure. Let’s keep it that way.”

“My soul will be just fine as long as I have you. Now, can you please wrap your arms around me and close your eyes? Let’s sleep.”

“Cammi? Ask me,” he says.

“Vin, can you kiss me?” I smile, and Vin gently presses his lips onto mine.

“Thank you for coming over,” he says against my mouth.

“I will always be here when you need me,” I tell him.

Chapter Seventeen

There’s a saying about how bad shit always seems to happen in threes. Over the last couple of weeks, my family has had two. First, my sister-in-law was attacked. And then, one of my brothers got fucking locked up.

Gio is still in Sydney. Dealing with everything. Trying to get Gabe out. My big brother is confident that this shit is only temporary, insisting that Gabe will be freed in no time. I hopehe’s right. But until that happens, it’s me, Santo, Marcel, and Eloise at the house. Oh, and Daisy—Gabe’s girlfriend. She’s a mess and I’m doing my best to split myself between everyone who needs me. Cammi included. It’s fucking hard. But family is family, and I’ll find a way to manage.

Cammi has been my rock over the last few weeks. If God designed the perfect girlfriend, it was her. I don’t have to explain shit. She just gets it. Considering she’s an only child and comes from a small family, I appreciate how tolerant she is of mine. I want to show her just how grateful I am. I’ve planned a date night. It’s out of my comfort zone. I’m not romantic like Gio. He’s got the romance shit down to a T. He’s always making grand gestures for El.

And I want to try to be like that too. For Cammi. I don’t want her to miss out on anything, which is why I’m standing at her front door, about to knock and meet her parents for the first time. I’m fucking nervous. I get that no father in their right mind would want their daughter to be dating a De Bellis. We’re known around town as not exactly being on the up-and-up. And now, with the news of Gabe’s arrest and pending charges hitting the papers, it’s probably the worst time to do any of this.

The door opens, and Cammi stands there in a white sundress that reaches her ankles. She has strappy little gold sandals on her feet. “Hey,” she breathes.

“Hey yourself. You look beautiful.” I hand her the flowers I picked up on the way. Rainbow roses, because no matter how dark my days are, Cammi is the rainbow after the storm.

“Thank you. Come in. I’ll put these in a vase. Then we can go,” she says.

“Are your parents home?” I ask her.

“My mum is around here somewhere. My dad’s at work.”

And just like that, a huge weight is lifted off my shoulders. I don’t have to meet my girlfriend’s father today.

“You want to meet my mum?” Cammi questions as I follow her into the kitchen.

“Do you want me to meet your mum?” I throw back.

“It doesn’t bother me. She’s out there.” Cammi points to the window that overlooks the backyard. A woman in her forties is bent over, digging weeds out of a garden.

I glance back in Cammi’s direction. “Did your parents have you when they were ten?”

“What? No.” She laughs.

“Your mum looks really young.” I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t… this.

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