Page 105 of Already At Risk
“I like watching,” she assured him, and my brother reluctantly returned to the playing field when Chloe called his name.
A second later, my mom appeared, holding Delilah in her arms. “Can’t he let her stay the night?”
I didn’t have to ask what she was talking about.
“I tried, Mom,” I said, knowing I’d have to put an end to Chloe’s fun soon and hating it. “But this is his weekend with her, and he didn’t have to let her come at all.”
I hated that I sounded like I was defending Korey because I wasn’t. It was just the facts of the situation.
“He’s such a waste of space,” my mom muttered, and I snorted at the same time my phone buzzed. I checked it to see a message from the devil himself that he’d just pulled up.Goddamnit.
Chloe protested at first, and I couldn’t blame her. Once I got her to admit defeat, it took me another five minutes to get her through a line of goodbyes, which were tearful in the case of my parents. She’d also made a lot of new friends today, including all of Gemma’s sisters: Janie, Geneivieve, Gianna, and Josie. She gave a high five to Cameron last, and then I couldn’t help but notice the way he followed behind as we walked to the front of the house. Blake walked with him, and they were speaking in low tones about something that I couldn’t make out.
“Hey, kiddo,” Korey said as soon as I opened the car door for Chloe. He glanced at his watch before switching his attention to me, a look of impatience painted on his expression.
“She had a lot of family to say goodbye to,” I said. “Since you’re taking her away from the party early.”
“When will Grandma and Grandpa be back to visit again?” Chloe asked me, soft like she didn’t want her dad to hear.
“Soon,” I promised her. My parents planned to come for the trial to support me and spend time with Chloe when I was tied up at court. My brothers wouldn’t be able to get back here again this summer, though.
“It’s almost her bedtime, Natalie,” Korey said, voice stern, suddenly the attentive parent.
“When I sleep over at Uncle Noah’s, he lets me stay up until nine or ten,” Chloe announced, which absolutelywasn’tgoing to do what she hoped it would.
“Sounds like a good reason why you shouldn’t be sleeping over at Uncle Noah’s,” Korey said, annoyed, before his eyes caught on something behind me, and his irritation grew fiercer. “What the fuck is he doing here?”
“Korey.” I glared at him. “We talked about not swearing in front of Chloe.”
Korey was too distracted to answer me, though, and I followed his gaze to find Cameron leaning against the house, alone now. He was taking a slow sip from a bottle of beer while he stared straight back at Korey.
Oh my God.
I might have been more concerned about this entire situation if it weren’t for the fact that Cameron standing like that wasdistracting. He wore a button-down shirt, as usual, but it was linen. Much more casual, undone at his throat, exposing a bit of his broad chest. His sleeves were pushed up, exposing muscled forearms, and his eyes blazed as he watched us.
“He’s friends with Noah,” I explained, focusing on Korey again, much to my displeasure.
“Of course you got your brother to get you a new hotshot lawyer,” he scoffed. “That explains everything. He paying for it, too?”
“Of course not.” I rolled my eyes. “I make more money than you, remember? I can afford my own lawyer.”
Korey bristled. “I don’t want him hanging around the same places Chloe is. He’s a fucking prick.”
“Language.”
“He’s not a prick,” Chloe pipped in, sounding confused, and all I could do was grit my teeth together for a second, trying to rein in my frustration.
“We are not having this conversation right now,” I said, dropping my voice. I never wanted Chloe to hear us fight. “Cam has been nothing but kind to me and Chloe.”
“Cam?” Korey repeated, like he disapproved of the nickname. He narrowed his gaze, which darted back to Cameron, and I couldn’t help but follow them.
Cameron lifted his beer at Korey, acknowledging the way my ex continued to glare at him while raising a single, questioning brow.
It was a look that said, “I don’t know what your fucking problem is, but I’m not going anywhere.”
I found it oddly comforting, knowing he was behind me, that I had backup if I really needed it. I also knew I felt that way because Cameron wasn’t hotheaded, wasn’t someone who might run his mouth at Korey and make things worse. I doubted he’d even step a single foot in our direction unless there was some drastic reason that warranted it, and that was exactly what I needed—knowing I wasn’t alone but being supported enough to feel like I could do it alone.
“Fucking prick,” Korey repeated under his breath, at least soft enough this time that Chloe likely hadn’t heard.
