Page 50 of Just Like This
Chapter Twenty
Cami
Garrett let me drive, whichmight have been a mistake considering my emotional state, but since I had no idea where I wanted to escape to, it was easiest if I took the lead. We drove in silence for a while until I found a diner and stopped. The breakfast that I was preparing had been forgotten, and I was positive we were both hungry.
Garrett watched me with cautious eyes. I could tell from the trace of guilt that he was sorry about keeping a secret from me, and it was easy enough to forgive him. I reached across the table and grabbed his hand.
“I’m not mad at you,” I finally said.
“I’m not too sure. You might change your mind,” he replied with a skeptical smirk on his face.
“You have nothing to worry about.” I blew out a breath and looked out at the parking lot. So many thoughts were running through my brain, and they just started to tumble out. “She must live close if she was able to drop everything once she heard from Tim. And if she lives close, then why hasn’t she tried to call us? I thought that she’d be living in Peru or London or something. I just don’t understand. If she’s lived so close for all of these years, then why has it been so easy for her to stay away?”
Garrett’s thumb absently stroked the back of my hand. Mesmerized, I watched as it traced a soft path back and forth on my hand. “You’ll have plenty of time to ask her all of those questions, Cami.”
“But I don’t want to know. It’s easier to think of her as being too far away to come back because knowing that she’s been so close just makes her leaving hurt even worse.”
Our breakfast arrived, and we abandoned the conversation, which was probably for the best. It was easier to concentrate on the stack of pancakes and the plate of eggs in front of me than on all the questions that still swirled around in my thoughts. Garrett paid our bill, and we drove to downtown Gig Harbor. I found a place to park, and we walked down Harborview Drive.
The day was quite beautiful and sunny. Plenty of tourists were around, renting kayaks and boats for the day. We stopped every so often to browse through one of the many stores. I guided Garrett down toward a marina, and we admired some of the boats that were docked there.
“We should probably go to the hospital,” I finally told Garrett as we made our way back to Harborview Drive from one of the side streets. “If my dad doesn’t know that my mom is back yet, then he needs to know before she shows up.”
“Okay. I want to stop back into one place, though, before we leave,” he replied, leading me back toward a row of stores.
We stopped in front of a jewelry store, and Garrett asked me to wait outside. I obliged him because whatever he was doing seemed important. He wasn’t gone long, only a few minutes, and when he returned, he greeted me with a smile and then a firm kiss. I looked down at the small bag that dangled from his fingers but didn’t ask him about it.
“Thank you for today,” I said quietly when we made it back to the car. I stepped toward him and wrapped my arms around his waist. Settling my head against his chest, I could hear the soft murmur of his heartbeat.
“It’s not over yet,” he responded, wrapping one arm around me.
As we drove to the hospital, I mentally prepared what I was going to say to my father. I had to remind myself that he was the one who initiated this; he went looking for her. I wanted to be angry with him for doing that behind our backs, but I couldn’t find it in me to be mad. He still loved my mom and didn’t resent her for leaving, which was astounding. I hoped one day to be able to have that level of forgiveness.
Garrett held my hand firmly as we made our way up to my dad’s floor. I’d rehearsed what I was going to say to him, so when Garrett stopped short of his door, I wasn’t paying attention.
“What’s wrong?” I asked confused. He pointed toward the open door of my father’s room, and we could see my mother sitting on the edge of his bed. She was leaning over him, brushing his hair back and smiling. And he was returning her smile! Valerie was sitting on a small sofa underneath a window watching the entire reunion unfold.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” I growled under my breath. I started to march forward, but Garrett stopped me.
“Whoa there,” he said, pulling me back into a private corner. “You need to calm down before you go in there like a bull in a china shop.”
I rolled my eyes and huffed angrily, which made Garrett chuckle before he distracted me with a toe-curling kiss. “Okay, I’m calm,” I reassured him when we broke apart. He studied me carefully as we stood together in the corner until my breathing was a little more even and my heart rate steadied.
“Good. Try to stay that way,” he insisted as he coaxed me out of our private moment and toward my father’s room.
My father saw me first, and his bright smile made me feel guilty for even thinking about causing a scene at the hospital. “Cami,” he said, reaching out a hand. I couldn’t resist. I rushed forward, ignoring that my mother still sat on his bed, and grasped his hand. He pulled me down for a hug, and that was when the tears started. With his free hand, he stroked my back lightly and whispered soothing words in my ear. “It’ll be all right, Cami. It’ll be all right.”
“I’m so angry,” I whispered so that only he could hear. He nodded his understanding, and I backed away and stood. I swiped my fingers under my eyes, wiping away the fresh pool of tears, and sought the comfort of Garrett.
“Garrett, it’s wonderful to see you again,” my father said.
“Sir.” Garrett nodded at my father.
“Well, now that we’re all here,” my mother interjected. I stared at her coldly; she didn’t have a say in any of this. My body tensed against Garrett, who placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “Tell me, what’s the prognosis? What do the doctors say?”
My mother looked expectantly at Valerie and me. It was remarkable how similar my mother and I looked. Her wild curls were tamer and streaked with gray, and her eyes had lines around them. Her skin was tanned, which made me wonder if she spent a lot of time outdoors wherever she lived. Seeing her made me wonder if that was what my future held. I quickly dashed that thought from my mind because our similarities were only physical. I could never abandon my family.
Valerie spoke first. “It’s not good. He’s already had surgery and chemotherapy, but the cancer was more advanced than the doctors originally thought.”
