Page 5 of (Un)Spoken

I chuckled as Cam filled the screen, his facesuddenly serious. He looked behind his shoulder, watching as Emilia left the room. “How are things going there?”

“Better than I expected,” I said. “Even though I was super nervous, I have to admit, it’s good to see Cole. And this town is absolutely adorable; it’s easy to see why he loves it so much.” I exhaled slowly. “But we’re taking things slowly.It's almost like we’re walking on eggshells. He tried to bring up the past, but I’m not ready to get into it, at least not yet. I want to just enjoy this week without all that hanging over our heads.”

“Give it time,” Cam said. “This is a good step, but remember, it’s just the first one. Y’all will get there, Vic.” His cheek ticked, and my hackles raised. After being in each other’s lives for over a decade, I knew Cam’s tells almost as well as my own. And that little tick? Clear sign he was holding something back.

“What?” I asked.

“Are you sure you don’t want to tell him about Emilia?”

I pushed out the remaining breath in my chest, hating how conflicted I felt. When I found out I was pregnant, it was a shock. For someone who prided herself in following a particular plan, seeing those two pink lines completely disrupted everything. Not that I’d trade my life with Emilia for anything, but the fallout still stung sometimes.

Not only did I leave school to focus on Emilia entirely, but I’d changed in my parents’ eyes. I’d gone from their perfect angel to a scandal, and despite being loving grandparents, they still hadn’t completely gotten over that betrayal. For weeks after I told them about my pregnancy, I called Cole, hoping he’d be the one person who wouldn’t let me down. But he only answered once, and from his voice, I could tell he’d been drinking. The moment I asked about it, he became belligerent, screaming at me for fucking up hiswhole life. He’d said I was nothing more than a burden, and an unwanted one at that. The moment the call ended, I decided I was done, no longer willing to put him before my mental health and safety. I had to think about more than just myself, and I vowed I wouldn’t let my child get involved in his mess, not until he cleaned up his act.

And while he was sober now, keeping up with our scheduled phone calls and settling down, there was still a part of me that didn’t trust that his progress would last. I’d been burned too many times, gotten my hopes up, only for him to fall back into the bottle and break my heart all over again.

“I’m sure,” I said quietly. “At least, not yet. Cole seems good, but…”

“Hey,” Cam said, pulling my attention back to him. “You don’t have to explain. I know how much it hurt when he was drinking. You’re trying to make the right choice for Emilia. Don’t let anyone make you question that.”

“I don’t want her to get used to him, only for him to disappear again.” My eyes lifted to the ceiling as I tried not to cry. “I can handle him breaking my heart; it won’t be the first time. But if he crushed hers, nothing in the world would get me to forgive him. I don’t want her getting attached to someone if it’s not a long-term thing.”

“You’re a good mom, Vic.” Cam smiled softly at me. ”And hopefully, Cole will show you how much he’s changed. For what it’s worth, I’ve got faith in the guy. Sometimes, it takes hitting rock bottom to pull yourself back up, and it seems like he’s got enough to lose to make sure he never lands down there again.”

THREE

The taste of bitter coffee hit my tongue as I stared out at the woods behind my cabin. No other living creature stared back at me, and for a moment, it felt like I was truly alone. Even though I was sitting on the back porch, only a handful of feet away from other people visiting Saint Stephen’s Lake, it felt like I was the only person in the world.

For so long, my life was all about the hustle: making connections, taking on even the most minor role, and doing anything I could think of to break into the acting world. And while I loved it, it was also draining. How long had it been since I was able to just…be?

Since I moved here a month ago, this has been my routine. Without anything filling up my calendar, I’d make a cup of coffee and just sit on the back porch of my cabin. It was a far cry from the beach back at my house in California and the complete opposite of my penthouse in New York, but this was now my favorite view in the world. All I needed was the same Adirondack chair and the sounds of nature filling my ears.

As I relaxed in my seat, enjoying the quiet calls of birdsin the nearby trees, a sudden pounding on my door shattered the illusion. It was tempting to ignore it, to pretend I’d gone out for the day, but when I heard the voice on the other side, I knew that wasn’t a choice.

“Dude, open the fucking door. I know you’re in there.”

I rolled my eyes as I stood, tapping the screen of my phone on the side table.Shit.So much for wasting away the morning. It was way past morning, and I was still in my sweats, my hair all messed up from sleep. I stopped to run water over my face before heading to the door, interrupting another round of pounding knocks when I pulled it open.

“Jesus, Cole. What the hell’s your issue?”

But my best friend didn’t even flinch, too busy staring at my face. I could only imagine the sight he saw, from the scraggly beard I’d been rocking for far too long to the dark circles lining my eyes after another restless night of sleep. He didn’t say anything as he barged inside, gripping the back of one of the chairs at the breakfast nook.

My cabin wasn’t much, but it had everything I needed. It was pretty much a studio apartment with a king-sized bed and a small kitchenette, so even two people made it feel crowded. But it was all I needed.

A part of me felt guilty for squatting in one of Cole and Alex’s largest cabins, but they’d insisted when I showed up at their doorstep, desperate for a place to stay. And as much as I hated relying on them, they didn’t even hesitate to open their doors. I tried to pay them, to give them a date for when I’d check-out, but they wouldn’t hear of it.

“It’s the least I can do,” Cole said at the time.

But that happy, settled man was nowhere to be found this afternoon. Even though I’d been staying here for over a month, Cole had never shown up like this, with a frantic look on his face. Shit, did something happen between himand Alex? They constantly bantered, but it was usually more playful than anything else.

Deciding to wait him out, I stood on the opposite wall of the kitchenette, crossing my arms over my chest. Cole gripped the wooden chair in his hands, his knuckles blanching. After several silent minutes, he finally relented, dragging his hand over his face. “Tori’s here.”

“Oh, shit, that’s today?” I cursed under my breath for forgetting, knowing this had been making Cole anxious for weeks. Even though his wedding was in a handful of days, those plans never stressed him out. He never even wavered in his desire to get married, often saying it was about damn time. But seeing his little sister again after so many years apart? That was tearing him inside out.

I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and offered one to Cole. He shook his head. Taking a sip, I sat down across from him. “Take it the reunion didn’t go well?”

“It was fine,” Cole answered gruffly. “Too fine. It was like talking to a damn stranger. And she’s so fucking grown up, Adam. I almost didn’t recognize her at the airport.”

I paused, trying to remember the last time I saw Victoria Campbell. Maybe six years ago? It had to be right after we held that disastrous intervention for Cole—the one that led him to my doorstep in California, trying to get away from his demons and triggers. As far as I knew, she cut him off right after that, refusing to deal with his self-destruction any longer. But between my career and trying to help Cole get sober, Victoria rarely crossed my mind.

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