Page 84 of Staying for You

She actually does take some time. Two minutes of it, in fact.

“Did you call the police and your lawyer?”

“I did. Police are checking on the house and I left a message for my lawyer.”

“I still can’t believe Scott did that.”

“I wish I could say me either but the fact is, this doesn’t surprise me all that much. He’s an entitled little prick who expects everyone to just give him what he wants. I cannot begin to imagine him as a father and as much as it irks me that he told me for years that he didn’t want kids and wouldn’t consider it even knowing how much I wanted them, I’m so grateful we never went there. He’s one of the most selfish humans on the planet and that’s not something you have the luxury of being when you’re a parent.”

“This is so so true,” she murmurs.

I kick my feet up on the bed and rest against the pillows I propped up against the headboard. “I’m going to stay here for another day, I think, as long as the hotel has space and then I’ll head home. The words are flowing so well and I don’t want to shake anything up now.”

“When am I going to get to read these words that are flowing?”

“Before I leave tomorrow, I’ll send you the entire document.”

“Look at you. Back to my Cami. I knew you were still there.”

Tears spring to my eyes. It’s so true. I lost myself for a little while but a few weeks in a cabin by a lake recharged my batteries and helped me remember that I am awesome.

“I love you,” I tell her simply.

“I love you, too.”

“I mean it. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know where I’d be right now. Thank you for knowing what I needed.”

“To be fair, I told you to go south so I could visit and you did the opposite,” she reminds me.

“I definitely did the opposite.” I laugh then she starts laughing harder because she knows how different Scott and Owen are from each other.

Once our laughter dies down, she goes quiet.

“What?”

“I think you should call him.”

I pick at the soft sheets and then run my hand back and forth over them. “Owen?”

“Obviously.”

Rubbing my lips together, I can’t help but think maybe she’s right. He overreacted by not letting me explain myself, but maybe I did the same. I left without a goodbye and neither of us were able to get closure.

“Maybe.”

“Call me before you leave?”

“I will,” I promise.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Owen

Cami’s been gonefor a week. Today is the day she was supposed to be heading home to Tennessee and instead of a tearful goodbye, I’m spending my day stomping around The Escape, barking at anyone who gets in my way. Since we started getting more reservations, some of my staff came back early. I bet they’re regretting that decision now.

Someone I’ve never seen before is here with the crew who gets the docks ready for the season but that’s not completely unusual.

“Nice place ya got here,” he says to me as I’m fixing a couple broken planks of wood. His brand new pair of boots are planted next to my hands and in my way. I could tell this guy was green when it comes to doing manual labor just by looking at him. His actions have only proven as much.

---