Page 5 of Strength of the Mountain
“I’m never taking it off,” I grunt, my voice coming across harsher than I intended.
Cami giggles, and I breathe in this moment where I could bring her a fraction of the joy she’s already given me. “Good. I’ll put it on for you,” she offers.
The beautiful, cheery woman with hazel eyes reaches for my left hand, and I let her loop her delicate fingers around my wrist. She positions me where she wants me, then ties the bracelet on my wrist, loose enough not to dig into my skin. When Cami tries to remove her hand from mine, I squeeze and hold her captive for a second too long.
“Thank you,” I murmur, finally dropping her hand.
“I actually wanted to thankyou,” she says, surprising me. “You’ve been watching over me for weeks now. You’re a good man, Hayden.” I shake my head no, unable to accept her praise. “But for some reason, you don’t believe me,” she finishes.
“I’m no good for anyone,” I mutter. Doubt and shame creep up my spine as I remember the break-in at my sister’s bookstore. I wasn’t there for her. I was useless, just like that day my leg was damn near blown off. I couldn’t help the others in my unit. I lay there, bloody and broken, listening to their agonizing screams.
“Hey, I’m right here,” she whispers, her hand curling around mine once more. “I’m not judging you. I can’t imagine the things you’ve seen and experienced while serving your country. Whatever you did, it was to survive.”
“What if I didn’t deserve to survive?”
Cami gasps, forcing me to meet her gaze. I’m blown away by the sorrow and hurt in her eyes. They glisten with unshed tears… for me?
“Please don’t say that.” Her voice is gentle yet somehow commanding at the same time. “You can’t change the past, but you can honor those who sacrificed everything by living and breathing and finding contentment within. Isn’t that what they’d want? Not a life of penance, but one of peace?”
Once again, this incredible woman is saying everything I didn’t know I needed to hear. She’s my joy, my safety, just like Allen said. I nod slowly and lift her hand to my lips. I have no idea what I’m doing, only that it feels natural. I press a kiss to her knuckles and hold her gaze, willing her to see how much her words mean to me.
“I don’t know what I did to deserve your kindness,” I rasp.
The moment becomes too real, too intense. The storm of emotions bubbling up inside of me nearly takes my breath away, each wave pulling me deeper and deeper into the abyss. I feel like I’ve been put through the wringer, and now I have to adjust to the fact that Cami has a piece of my heart. I think I grew it just for her.
I drop her hand and take a step back, nodding toward her car. “Better get going.” My voice is scratchy and thick with emotion, but I cover it up with a cough.
Cami doesn’t look hurt or offended. Once again, she simply peers at me with bright eyes filled with questions she knows I can’t answer.
I watch as she climbs into her car and drives away, much like the past several weeks. Only this time, I can’t shake the feeling that we should be driving home together.
4
CAMI
“Harold, can you put down the phone and take twenty minutes off work to be here with your family?” my mother scolds. It’s the third time she’s tried to get my father’s attention, but he simply waves her off. This is how he is every week. I’m not sure why she thought tonight would be different.
She rolls her eyes, then focuses back on me. I think I liked it better when she was nagging my dad. At least it gave me a few moments of respite from her judgment.
Our weekly dinners at the one upscale restaurant in town have gone from a quick check-in to my parents telling me everything I’m doing wrong and how they can fix it if I just give them control. I’d be lying if I said their disapproval didn’t hurt, but I know I’d be miserable if I followed in their footsteps and went back to school to be a lawyer.
“So. I have a surprise for you,” my mother says. The glint in her eyes makes my stomach drop. I don’t think I’m going to like her surprise. “I made an appointment with a personal shopper in Denver next week.”
“Oh. Thanks, but I don’t need–”
“It’s already paid for, along with a sizable budget in store credit so you can take home some nice pieces.”
“Mom, I don’t need new clothes,” I try again. “I like what I have now.”
She scoffs and drags her eyes up and down my outfit. I’m wearing a flowy top with colorful embroidered flowers dotting the fabric and pretty stripes on the sleeves. My skirt is a dark green that matches the leaves of the flowers. I think it looks pretty cute and very boho.
“Just because you work with kids doesn’t mean you have to dress like them.”
I bite my lips, partially to keep from snapping at her, and partially to let the sting distract me from the tears threatening to fall.
“Your mother has a point,” my dad says. Great. He hung up his ever-important client call to pile on. Perfect timing. “A new wardrobe befitting a twenty-three-year-old is definitely called for.” His phone rings, and my mother gives him a warning glare. “Speaking of calls, this is Mr. Lancaster. You understand, honey.”
My mom relents, nodding as he answers the phone. He must be an important client, and by important, I mean rich. My parents are partners in the most reputable law office in Hope Mountain. Sure, they don’t have a lot of competition, but it doesn’t take much to stand out around here. They have always enjoyed the finer things in life, and it annoys them to no end that I don’t care about designer labels or luxury vacations.
