Page 68 of Dirty Little Mistake

My gaze met his, and I swallowed hard. He just called me out, but he was right. I wasn't okay, but I didn't know how to tell him I wasn't okay. I didn't know how to inform the man in front of me who made it very clear how he felt about me that I'd chosen Trystan over him, and he'd broken my heart. Not to mention, Trystan and Owen were friends, and I didn't want to be the reason that changed.

"Come on, Cam. Just... talk to me." My chest rose and fell with deep, rapid breaths. Owen sighed. "Look, Camryn, I?—"

"I can't," I blurted out, the hurt in my voice evident. "I can't talk to anyone about any of this. I have to deal with this myself."

Owen's expression darkened. "Is this about—" He took a step forward, and I instinctively backed away. His jaw clenched. "Cam," he said, voice low and controlled. "What happened? Did someone hurt you?"

"No." I sighed. "Not like that."

"Then why can't you talk to anyone?"

"Because it's Trystan." I hung my head. "He's Kaia and Jax's family. He's your friend, and you have feelings for me. I don't want to cause a problem."

He stepped forward again, this time faster than I could step back. "Cam, it's... it's okay to not be okay sometimes." Owen's voice softened. I glanced up, catching his concerned look.

"Yeah, but?—"

"No, listen," he interrupted gently. "The people who care about you? We're here for this stuff. And before anything else..." He paused as if choosing his words carefully. "I'm your friend, okay? You can talk to me."

"Right," I scoffed, raising my eyebrows. "And you won't go all hockey-player-rage on Trystan?" Owen's nostrils flared as he sucked in a deep breath. His silence spoke volumes. "I just... I can't be the reason everything goes to shit, you know? I don't want anyone picking sides."

Blowing out a heavy sigh, he nodded like he finally understood what I was saying.

Owen rubbed the back of his neck. "Kaia's pretty freaked, you know. Radio silence for a week... that's not like you."

"I know," I frowned. "I was going to call her tomorrow. I just needed to work some shit out tonight." My gaze dropped to my phone, and for the first time in seven days, it wasn't blowing up. "But," my eyes lifted, meeting his, "I think I'm good now."

"Yeah?"

Smiling, I sucked in a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah."

"So, you want to get out of here and get a drink? We can go just you and me, or I can invite everyone."

I knew Kaia was worried, but I just couldn't answer her questions tonight. Tomorrow would be better, though. "Just us tonight."

"Okay." He smirked. "Go get dressed and meet me at my car."

Chapter 32

Trystan

"Good luck, bro." I passed Jax the small black square box holding a two-carat princess-cut diamond engagement ring, a wry grin tugging at my lips.

The ring my baby brother was going to propose to the woman of his dreams with.

"Thanks." He snatched the box, his fingers trembling slightly. In a blink, he darted through the open double doors, disappearing into my bedroom.

We'd all gathered here in our favorite place, the beach house, for this exact moment.

Pivoting, I leaned against the banister, my eyes drawn to the pretty brunette in a tiny yellow bikini sitting on the pool's edge, laughing with Owen. Weeks had passed and she still wouldn’t speak to me.

Cam's eyes sparkled as she gazed at Owen, her lips curving into that soft smile I'd thought was reserved for me. A dull ache spread through my chest as if someone had reached in and squeezed my heart.

I clenched my jaw so hard I could hear my teeth grinding, my fingernails carving crescent moons into my palms. The urge to look away was overwhelming, but I forced myself to watch, each second a self-inflicted punishment for what I'd done to lose her.

Jax appeared from below me, distracting me as he made his way out to the beach, where Kaia stood watching the sunset.

"If you want to catch the big moment," I stage-whispered to the group below. Everyone looked up, and Cam's eyes met mine. The world around us blurred, sounds fading to a dull hum. Those familiar blue eyes, once warm with affection, now held a storm of emotions—hurt, anger, and... hate. My heart thundered in my chest, and I had to clear my throat to mask the tremor in my voice. "You better get up here now."

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