Page 41 of Already At Risk
Chloe took off, running as fast as she could in her skates to grab Gemma.
Noah stared after her, shaking his head. “I think we should both be a little insulted.”
“Yeah. But you’re not, are you?”
Noah had a glazed look in his eyes as he watched Chloe pull Gemma toward us with the tenacity of an only child who probably got her way far too much. I needed to work on that.
“No, not at all,” he breathed.
I should have realized that when Noah said they were meeting Julian and Juniper at the Bellflower Bar, a relaxed restaurant and bar that was only a few blocks over from Gardner Law, there was the possibility of Cameron being there.
I should have thought about that ahead of time and used it as a reason not to go.
But I was almost glad I hadn’t realized. Because then I would have been forced to confront reality and admit that Istillwanted to go. In fact, it only made me want to gomore. Because while I shouldn’t want to see Cameron any more often than was necessary for my custody case, Ididwant to see Cameron. Like, a lot.
Shit.
The Bellflower was crowded for a weeknight. Like a lot of Boston buildings, it boasted exposed, worn brick and historic charm. Gold-detailed frames held black-and-white photos on the wall, and a large mirror sat behind the bar, illuminated on all sides. The atmosphere was lively, the crowd mixed. Most patrons were in business-casual attire, fresh from late evenings at the office. But there were one or two other families, too.
Luckily, we didn’t have to wait to be seated. We walked in the door to find that Julian had pushed a few tables together toward the back. Gemma led the way toward them, her bright auburn hair bouncing in her ponytail excitedly. When she stopped, greeting Juniper first, Noah gave her a brief kiss on the cheek before taking Delilah and going to sit by Julian and Cameron.
And, of course, my daughter skipped up to the middle of the table, squeezing her way between Julian and Noah.
Julian looked back in surprise, his expression transforming into one of genuine delight.
“Hi, Chloe,” he laughed. “Is your mom here, too?”
“Nah, we just kidnapped her from the rink,” Noah cut in. He poked Chloe in her side, making her giggle, and I flicked his shoulder as I walked up behind them.
“I’m here.” Julian’s gaze trailed to me, and I smiled at him, painfully aware of Cameron’s gaze on the side of my face.
“Hey, Natalie,” Julian said with a casual wave. “Glad you could come.”
“Same,” I said, suddenly feeling breathless. My gaze wandered to the rest of the table, and I didn’t make it far before I got sucked into Cameron’s orbit, our eyes connecting with an intensity I should be expecting by now but caught me off guard every time, causing my throat to close up and my chest to feel tight. Cameron gave me a nod of acknowledgment—like he knew exactly what was happening. The corner of his lips curved slightly.
I opened my mouth to say something. Something innocuous, plain, boring. Something really clever like “Hey” or “How’s it going?” But my daughter interrupted before I even got the chance to mutter any of my ingenuity.
“Hi, Cam!” she exclaimed. “Annabethreallymisses you.”
And everyone’s expressions shifted.
six months ago
CAMERON
It might have been a mistake to buy this woman a double pour of my favorite whiskey before taking better stock of her alcohol tolerance. Because I was starting to have a sneaking suspicion that she didn’t sip shots of neat alcohol often.
But maybe her comfort level was just shifting, too. Her body was looser, swaying toward me, her smile a little easier. Maybe it wasn’tjustthe alcohol.
I liked that thought, even if maybe it was wishful thinking.
“Are you originally from the Boston area?” she asked, swirling her whiskey glass as she looked at me with interest.
I shook my head. “New York.”
She thought about that for a second before shaking her head. “I don’t know about that.”
“You don’t know about that?” I repeated with a chuckle.
