Page 53 of Just Like This
I chuckled lightly. “I’m planning on it.” I looked through the patio doors and watched as Cami methodically cleared the table. Her face was blank, and once again, I worried about leaving her to deal with all this alone. “If something should happen to me, I need you to contact her, Oliver. I need you to let her know because she’s my family just as much as you and Neil and Dad.”
“Absolutely, Garrett.”
“One last thing, Oliver. It’s pretty big.”
“What is it?”
“I need you to be her family.” For a moment, I hesitated to explain, but Oliver needed to know why I was making such an important request. “She’s about to lose her father. He has cancer, and the doctors are giving him a year, tops. And her mother … well, that’s complicated. I just want to know she will be taken care of. I couldn’t stand the thought of her being alone.”
“Of course, Garrett. I’ve never heard you this nervous about being deployed before.”
I ran a hand through my hair and looked out at the bay. “I’ll be honest with you, Ollie. I’ve got a lot to lose if shit goes south this time. But I’m going to fight like hell to make sure I come back in one piece.”
“Don’t be a hero, okay, Garrett? Just … just …” Oliver’s voice trailed off, but I knew what he meant. My dad always told us to keep our noses clean. That was what he wanted.
“I know, Ollie. Thank you. This means the world to me.” We talked for a while longer. For the first time, I wished that I was back in Healdsburg so that we could have this time together. All of that was going to change when I returned. After telling him I would email him Cami’s contact information when I returned to base, our phone call ended.
I leaned against the railing of Palmer’s deck, my arms stretched wide on either side, and I blew out a breath of air. Shit, I was so nervous about this deployment. There was more at stake this time, and that weighed heavy on my conscience. But I would do my job, serve my country, and when my time was up, I would return to the life I finally wanted to lead and to the woman I wanted to love forever.
I turned to head back inside at the exact moment Valerie and Alicia walked into the house.Fuck. Couldn’t a guy catch a break? What were they even doing at Palmer’s house? My eyes instantly went to Cami, who was in the kitchen washing dishes and hadn’t noticed their arrival yet. Palmer noticed me out on the deck and shot me a worried glance. This was not what Cami needed.
The moment I stepped inside, I had a choice to make. Distract Cami until they left or confront Valerie and Alicia and tell them to leave. Cami was blissfully unaware as she stood in front of the sink with her hands buried deep in soapy water. She looked so beautiful with her hair loose and wild, her curls cascading down her back. She wore a long, floral print dress with thin straps that left the smooth skin of her arms and shoulders bare, making my mouth water.
I walked up behind her, circled my hands around her waist, and buried my nose in her hair, inhaling her familiar jasmine scent. She stilled and leaned back against me, a content smile tugging at her lips. She hummed with approval as I lightly kissed her cheek.
“You’re amazing,” I breathed out. “And I don’t deserve you.”
Her smile grew wider. “What did I do to deserve such high praise?”
“You took the time to teach Jackson to bake. He hasn’t had a lot of those moments.”
“That’s so awful,” she murmured thoughtfully. “I hope he marries someone amazing who bakes for him all the time.”
“Me too,” I replied. It was hard not to give her my full attention when I had one eye trained on the doorway and one ear listening for raised voices. As long as I was in here with her, perhaps she wouldn’t know her mother had arrived.
The conversation in the hallway got louder, and I felt Cami stiffen as she picked out the sound of her mother’s voice. Her shoulders tensed as she turned her face toward the doorway.
“What the fuck?” she whispered as she pushed past me and walked slowly toward the foyer. There was no point in stopping her, so I grabbed her hand and followed.
“I just want to thank you for reaching out to me,” Alicia said breathlessly.
“You’re very welcome,” Tim said, placing a friendly hand on her shoulder.
The moment Cami stepped into the foyer, all eyes turned in her direction, and the conversation stopped. Jackson came up beside me and placed a hand on Cami’s shoulder, a silent signal that he had her back too.
“What are you doing here?” Cami asked coldly.
“I came to thank Tim for contacting me about Alex’s condition,” her mother replied simply.
Stone-faced and silent, Cami nodded stiffly before turning toward me. “I’m ready to go,” she said quietly.
“Okay,” I replied with a kiss to her temple.
Tim stepped away from the group and, like only a father could, gently ushered Cami into the formal living room to sit down. “You’re dealing with a lot right now, but if you need someone to talk to or help you navigate all of this, Lucinda and I are here.” It was easy to miss the quick way Tim flicked his eyes over to Alicia, and it made me wonder if he was happy to see her return.
“Thank you,” she replied quietly.
Stepping forward, I reached out for Cami. “Come on, let’s go.” The fight from earlier was gone from her eyes. She wasn’t angry anymore; she was just hurt. I knew there had to be more to the story.
