Cam was back in her life, or had been until their last fight. Was she ready to give that up again? Was she ready to let go of the hurts of the past? Maybe it was time she did exactly that. First, she had to get a clear head, and she needed to be alone to do that.
But it seemed her troubles were over.
“Open the door, Grace!” There was no response, so he pounded with his fists even harder. “Open the damn door or I swear I’m going to break it down this time.”
When the door came flying open, Cam nearly fell forward. He caught himself at the last minute and then found himself standing with Grace inside her house. They were both wearing scowls.
“I’ve told you all week that I need time to think, Cam—that I don’t want to talk to you right now.”
He hadn’t seen her in nearly two weeks, because a week before she’d moved back to her house—and that had really irked him—she’d been avoiding him over at his brother’s house. He was done with being avoided.
“You look stunning,” he said, taking a step forward.
“Don’t you dare sweet-talk me and expect to get not only into my house but into my pants as well.”
“You’re not wearing pants,” he pointed out, which only made the heat in her eyes go up another ten degrees.
“Get out right now, Cam, or I’m calling the sheriff.”
“Good, call him. I need to talk to him about a case he’s a witness for,” Cam said smugly as he sat down on her couch and made himself at home. “You know the sheriff and my dad go fishing just about every Sunday when the weather permits.”
“Yes, remind me of all the connections you have. I don’t care. You’re still trespassing.”
She sat down across from him, folding her arms and glaring, letting him know in every possible way that he wasn’t welcome in her place.
“That wasn’t what I was doing at all, Grace. I was just reminiscing.”
“I told you I needed time to figure things out, Cam. I’d appreciate it if you would give me that time.” Some of the anger drained and he spotted the fatigue enveloping her.
“I’m sorry, Grace, but this couldn’t wait any longer. I have a lead in your case.”
The last of her anger vanished right before his eyes and she looked so vulnerable at that moment, he couldn’t help but rise and move toward her.
“Don’t, Cam,” she said, but without any heat this time.
“You need to be held, even if it’s just for a few moments,” he told her, and pulled her from the overstuffed chair she’d sunk down into.
She fought him for only the briefest of moments before she allowed him to capture her in his embrace, and she rested her head on his chest.
“It’s okay to not always be the strongest person in the room, Grace. You’re strong, and that’s admirable; but you’re also a real person, and contrary to what you were taught, we all need others in our lives. We don’t have to fight our battles alone, and we don’t have to figure it all out by ourselves. Let me take some of your stress and pain on my shoulders. They’re wide and strong and waiting to hold your burdens.”
“You’ve always had the best lines, Cam.” She sniffled.
“It might sound that way, but I love you, Grace. I mean what I say to you.”
“You don’t love me, Cam. You don’t even know me anymore,” she said, tears in her voice.
“I know everything I want and need to know about you.”
“No. No, you don’t. We were young and stupid when you left for college. We both made mistakes—mistakes that hurt people and that we can’t take back.”
“I know all about Jimmy, Grace. That wasn’t on your shoulders. That was all him. Don’t punish yourself for a crime against you. Your mother should go to prison for what she did to you.”
Anger still filled him to even think of what Grace had gone through—and, worst of all, he should have been there for her, shouldn’t have assumed she was cheating on him, that she hadn’t waited for him.
“We were both foolish when I left for college. I was selfish and wanted to see the world, thought I had everything in the palm of my hand. And you were just young and you trusted the wrong person. Can’t we let go of the past and move forward? I still love you, just in case you didn’t hear me. I still want to be with you. And though you might have a hard time admitting the truth, I can see it shining in your eyes whenever you let your guard down. I know you love me, too. I know you believe in us.”
She was silent for several moments, so Cam stood there with her in his arms as he tried to show her by his touch how special she was to him. He never wanted to let her go. If he messed this up this time, he might not ever get over it.
“There are some things we can’t take back from those days, some things we can’t forget,” she said, so much sadness weighing on her that it nearly ripped his heart open.
“Tell me, Grace. I’m sure we can figure this out,” he assured her, pulling back so he could see her face.
“I need tea. Do you want tea?”
He could see she was trying desperately to hold herself together and that she was looking for an excuse to be alone for a moment. “Yes, tea would be nice.” He gave her the chance to get away, but only for a few minutes.
When she came back in the room five minutes later carrying a tray with hot water, tea, and fixings, he was seated on the couch.
“You said there was a break in my case.”
Her tone had changed from angry, and then sad, to neutral. She was holding it all in now. Cam wanted to fix that, but he knew she’d been controlled before, so he made himself let her work through it even though that wasn’t easy for him.