Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 138844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
Greer was there to open the gate for us, and Noa and I trailed a few paces behind Cam.
“How you doin’, pet?” Greer flashed him a look of sympathy.
“Ugh, Sir. The answer is ugh.”
“I bet.” Greer ruffled the boy’s hair a bit, then nodded toward the porch. “Archie’s ready to fuss over you.”
“Hi, Noa!” Corey waved from the porch. He was appropriately dressed in a green onesie—with a hood and everything.
Noa waved back.
Cam returned to me and dropped his bag before he hugged my middle, and I squeezed him tightly. When he wriggled inside my jacket, I understood it wasn’t going to be the briefest hug, so I nudged Noa and told him it was okay to go say hi to Corey.
Noa nodded and greeted Greer on the way too.
I kissed the top of Cam’s head and rubbed his back. “Everything’s gonna work out, little one.”
He sniffled and nodded against my chest.
Greer cleared his throat. “Any updates on Lucian?”
I lifted my head. “Not really. He was out like the light when I left a message in his room—but the blood work confirmed the EKG, at least. No sign of a heart attack.”
Greer released a breath. “Thank fuck. So he’s comin’ home tomorrow?”
I inclined my head and rubbed the back of Cam’s neck. “Noa and I will pick him up pretty early.” I dropped another kiss to Cam’s hair. “You ready to go in, pet? You need to get some rest.”
Cam nodded drowsily and took a step back. “I love you,” he mumbled and wiped at his cheeks.
“I love you too.” I cupped his cheek and kissed his forehead. “Don’t feel bad, okay?”
He let out a tearful chuckle. “I’ll try.”
“I mean it,” I murmured. “You did the right thing. As much as this pains me, I think it’s good for all of us. We don’t wanna taint anything by acting out of guilt and sympathy. You need this break—and when you come home again, you’ll’ve had a day or two to prepare.”
He nodded jerkily, eyes welling up again, so I reckoned he’d needed to hear that. “Thank you,” he croaked.
I gave him a final squeeze, then let a chunk of my heart walk away from me with an overnight bag he’d gotten from Lucian and me for Christmas.
I blew out a heavy breath and gripped the cane a little harder.
“I’d appreciate if he didn’t stay up too long tonight,” I said. “He needs to relax—which I’m not sure he’s done in weeks.”
Greer nodded with a dip of his chin. “Of course. And if Lucian calls tomorrow?”
Fuck, I hadn’t thought that far.
It would be easy to say that it was Cam’s choice whether to answer the phone or not, but Greer had asked the question for the same reason I didn’t respond right away. Cam would cave before he was mentally ready. If Lucian begged Cam to come home, he would.
“You have my permission to take Cam’s phone,” I replied. “You know Lucian—he would never do anything to hurt anyone, least of all that boy. But…”
Greer nodded once. I didn’t need to elaborate.
In Lucian’s time of need, it was possible he couldn’t see what his actions had already caused. Furthermore, how his requests might unintentionally manipulate Cam emotionally. We needed to prevent that from happening.
“You can let Cam know that I will tell Lucian to give him some space,” I decided. “Even if I have to take Lucian’s phone in the process.”
“To be a fly on that wall,” he chuckled quietly.
I huffed.
He ran a hand through his hair and jerked his chin at my car. “Go home and get some rest, buddy. We’ll look after Cam—he can stay for as long as he needs. And let me know when I can see Lucian. I’ll bring Penelope with me.”
Oof, the heavy artillery right away. “You were infantry in the Marines, weren’t you?”
He let out a laugh. “You know it.”
Good timing for Noa to come running down the stone path. He didn’t arrive empty-handed either. He was carrying a brown paper bag.
“Archie gave us road snacks, Daddy,” he announced, out of breath. “Homemade chips, lemonade, and two sammiches!”
“Those chips are lethal,” Greer said. “They’re supposedly not overly unhealthy either—in case you wanna let Lucian try ’em.”
“Oh, I don’t think he’s earned homemade chips yet,” I answered. “It’s best Noa and I eat them.”
Noa giggled and hurried back into the car, this time parking his butt in the passenger’s seat.
I turned to Greer again. “Please thank Archie for us. And thank you for—fuck, everything.”
He smirked and offered a two-finger salute. “Anytime. Just keep us posted.”
“Will do.”
CHAPTER 2
Lucian Leroux
Smile and breathe through the pain.
I took a steadying breath and felt KC’s eyes on me. I didn’t know if he could sense something was wrong, or if it was because of what Santiago was saying—some harangue about taking it easy, about focusing on the people you loved—and I should be listening. I felt that with every ounce of my being as the pain spread throughout me, spiking my anxiety levels to new heights. Holy fuck, was I having a heart attack?