Page 93 of Already At Risk
She chewed on her lip for a second before asking, “Is Cam helping you so I don’t have to move away with Dad?”
“He is,” I assured her. We’d talked before about how custody worked, in general terms, and she knew what her dad wanted.Mostly because I’d wanted to check if there was a possibility it was whatshewanted, even if hearing it would have wrecked me. “He’s helping me argue that nothing should change from how it is right now.”
Chloe nodded, staying quiet for a moment. “Maybe you should get tacos with him tonightandtomorrow night, then.”
I sighed, hated that Korey was doing this to her, putting her through this again. While I was happy that she wanted to stay with me, I wasn’t happy that she was concerned about it. No child should have to think so much about this sort of thing.
“Don’t worry, honey,” I assured her. “Cam’s been working very hard to figure this out for us. It’s going to be okay.”
Chloe nodded, but I didn’t like the look in her eyes as she took off for the park on her bike, and I needed to remember that whatever happened between Cameron and me…this case and my daughter were the priority here.
Luckily, I still trusted what he told me in his office that day. For some reason, I sostronglytrusted that he could take care of me in more ways than one, all at the same time.
So hell, I was going to let him do just that.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
natalie
IDECIDED TO WAIT for Cameron outside.
Early June in Boston deserved to be treasured. The blooming trees, the gentle breezes of summer before the stifling heat rolled in, the people milling about in the evening, heels clicking on the cobblestone.
I took a sip of my wine, hoping it would calm a few of my nerves around seeing Cameron. I felt more jittery than last time. Maybe because I had downtime to think about everything, which didn’t happen often. Possibly my expectations were higher, too, since I knew exactly what was in store for me. Or it could be because the teasing scrape of lace against my skin was reminding me what I’d put on beneath my cotton dress.
After dropping Chloe off at Noah’s a couple of hours ago, I decidedwhy not. Why shouldn’t I treat myself to a little shopping spree, pick something up that made me feel sexy and desirable when I put it on? Being a responsible mom didn’t mean I couldn’t indulge in something that was just for me, right? That was exactly what this whole thing was with Cameron; I might as well play into it.
Now I was wearing lingerie for what felt like the first time in my entire life, feeling a little uncomfortable. Not because I wasself-conscious about how I looked—honestly, I’d never felt more confident in something—but because the material cutting into my skin made me squirm with how tight it was. It seemed to be finding dips and curves on my body I didn’t know existed and carving into them.
Hopefully, Cameron would peel it off quickly once he got here.
My glass of wine only lasted five more minutes, which aligned perfectly with Cameron’s arrival, who strode up to the front of my house at exactly eight o’clock. As promised.
He wore a dress shirt and slacks again, making me wonder if he’d ended up at the office on a Saturday or if that was the only outfit that he owned outside of his short running shorts. Not that it bothered me; he looked so fucking good with his shirtsleeves rolled up, veins twisting across his smooth brown skin as he held a paper bag in one hand.
He stopped short when he realized I was sitting outside, eyes sweeping over me. When he spoke, his voice had a husk to it.
“Next time you want to sit outside at night, call me, and I’ll come earlier.”
I flicked my eyes up in pretend annoyance. “I’m perfectly safe on my front steps, and it’sbarelydark.”
He made a grunting noise but came to sit next to me, settling himself on the concrete stair.
We were quiet for a long moment, the air vibrating with a new frequency now that he was here. Suddenly, my skin also felt stretched too tight beneath the lace, my breathing shallow. The sweet sounds of summer were hidden behind the humming in my veins and the pulse in my throat, which hammered so loudly I wondered if Cameron could hear.
“We should get you a little table and chairs. So you don’t have to sit on the ground,” he commented thoughtfully, oblivious to my struggles as he pointed to the small cobblestone patio beside my front stoop. The area was slightly overgrown with bushes I’d been planning to trim and a little flower garden I’d been meaning to plant something in. But it was more space thana lot of similar-style homes had outside, so I was grateful for it all the same.
“The ground’s not so bad,” I replied, even though what he said sounded nice. Maybe one day, I’d get around to it. “I usually sit here because you can see a sliver of the sky through the trees.” I pointed above us, and Cameron tipped his head back, following my finger. “And sometimes the stars pop up. Although with all the light pollution in the city, it needs to be a really clear night.” Tucking my knees to my chest, I wrapped my arms around them. “I like to sit here when I have a spare second, try to catch a glimpse. Doesn’t happen often, though.”
“Did you stargaze a lot growing up in Minnesota?” Cam asked, surprising me with the question. We hadn’t talked about where I grew up since that night at Mulligan’s, but he remembered. Or maybe he knew because of Noah.
“Sometimes,” I answered. “My dad worked nights as a security guard, but occasionally, he’d have one off. He’d pile blankets into his pickup truck and drive us out into a field to stare at the sky. He’d tell us stories about them, and Theo, in particular, would eat them up. You could definitely see more stars there, but you also had to contend with the state bird.”
“State bird?”
“Mosquitos.”
That pulled a chuckle out of him, and he swatted a hand in front of his face where a bug appeared, as if called when it heard its name.
