Page 22 of Cougar

“I hope so.”

“How are you holding up?”

“I’m worried but I’m okay. My parents are here with Alex.”

“Liam said no one is allowed to see her or talk to her for seventy-two hours.”

I shake my head even though he can’t see me. “Nope.” Tears form at the corners of my eyes. “I can’t believe she did this to herself,” I cry.

“Hey,” he says softly. “You don’t think she did it on purpose, do you?”

“I don’t know.” I sniff. “No. I don’t think she would.”

“She wouldn’t,” he insists. “You have to believe that. She’s just having a hard time without Marcus. Maybe the hospital is where she belongs.”

“Yeah,” I breathe shakily. “As much as I want her to come home, I think you’re right. This is what’s best for her.”

“I think you should—”

“Cameron, who are you talking to?” a female voice interrupts in the background.

“Cam—” I start.

“Hold on.” I hear Cam’s muffled voice and then the woman’s. “Sorry about that,” he says into the phone.

“I can’t believe you called me while you had a woman in your bed.” An uncomfortable feeling settles in the pit of my stomach.

“It’s not like it’s the first time,” he chuckles. It’s true. I’ve witnessed Cam and Liam at the height of their manwhore days. I’ve seen and heard a lot worse. “She’s just a friend.” I don’t know why he’s explaining himself. He never has before.

“Mmmhmm,” I tease.Just a friend, my ass.

Cam’s soft laughter echoes through the phone. “She’s a friend. I swear. I can put her on the phone if you don’t believe me.”

I roll my eyes. Either I’m still high, or this conversation has just taken a sharp left turn into Strangeville.

“Thanks for calling, Cam. I’ll let you get back to yourfriend.”

“Emerson, hold on.”

“Yes?”

There’s a brief pause. “Are you gonna be okay?”

God, he’s sweet.

I roll my head to look over at Marcus’s side of the bed and pain shoots through my chest. “Yeah. I’ll be okay.”Eventually.

Emerson

Pushing the door open, I step into the empty room illuminated by the moonlight pouring in through the windows and inhale deeply through my nose. The faint smell of her Joe Malone perfume still lingers in the air.

After seventy-two of the longest hours of my life, I was finally allowed to see Jay. There was a lot of crying and apologizing that day. And after six weeks and countless hours of counseling with Dr. Ramos, she’s coming home.

Crawling into the cold, empty bed, I roll to my back with my hands on my stomach and stare up at the dimly lit plastic stars fixed on the ceiling above her bed. I’d put them up there when she was about seven or eight. Marcus told her they were magic stars and she had to make a wish out loud just before sleep.

“The little stars are for little wishes, and the big stars are for big wishes.”

“Can I wish on a big star?”

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