Page 105 of Never Will I Ever

Shame cackles and shrieks with glee, its talons clanking against the cage that once contained it. A cage that’s now been dismantled, piece by piece, by my father’s presence.

I know it, and from the hurt in Kaleb’s expression, he knows it too.

Shit, shit, shit.

“Kaleb, wait,” I whisper.

His forest gaze collides with mine, speaking to me with it as he gives a subtle shake of his head.

Not now.

“I’ll leave the two of you to…catch up,”he says instead, his focus flicking from my father, then back to me.

With that, he heads off to the shoreline and drops his board in the water.

And I watch after him, full of helpless anxiety, and knowing damn well that every step forward we’ve made was just taken out in a landslide.

Twenty-Eight

Kaleb

I don’t see Avery for the rest of the day, which is both a relief and unsettling at the same time. While I needed time to cool off from the encounter with his father, I would’ve thought the two of them wouldn’t be more than an hour or so, and maybe he’d be back in time for dinner. Even with Colin giving him the day off to spend with his dad, I assumed he’d figure out some way to cut it short. But as evening bleeds into night with no sign of him, worry has long since slipped in.

After everything his father’s done, and after all the work he’s put in to overcome it…

My jaw tightens as I stare at my cabin door, and I force myself to reroute my line of thinking. Because my worry isn’t just for Avery alone. It’s also for me, forthis.

I’m fucking terrified ofwhoI’ll be getting back after he spends the day around dear old dad. Especially after the way he recoiled from my touch earlier.

Thankfully, I don’t have to wait much longer before the sound of footfalls on the cabin porch outside have my ears perking up. There’s a soft knock before the door opens seconds later, revealing Avery.

He’s still dressed in a pair of jeans and long-sleeved Henleyhe must’ve changed into before leaving camp for the day, and I have to admit, he’s edible in it. Although, he’d look a helluva lot better with it on the floor.

Our eyes lock instantly before he whispers a soft, “Hey.”

There’s a smile on his face as he steps through the doorwaybefore allowing it to fall closed behind him. It’s the same one he’s been giving me for weeks, and fuck if it isn’t a sight for sore eyes. I hadn’t realized just how anxious his absence was making me today until now.

Now, I feel like I can finally breathe again.

“Hi.” The word comes out on a sigh, and it causes his grin to widen. “How was your day?”

“No, no. I wanna hear about yours,” he says while dropping onto the bed beside me. “How much hell did you have to manage all on your own?”

“Eh, it went fine, I guess. The kids were menaces for the most part. Elijah wouldn’t stop asking where you were, and I swear, Liam is gonna end up putting one of the other kids in the hospital with his fishing pole one of these days.”

An airy laugh fills the cabin. “So, all in all, it went exactly as expected.”

“Pretty much, yeah,” I reply with a soft chuckle. Raking my fingers through his blond locks, I allow the warmth of his body and presence to let something deeper slip out. “Wasn’t the same without you, though.”

Avery shifts beside me, and when I glance down, I’m met with a devious glimmer in his blue eyes. “Dare I say it, but it sounds like youmissedme, LaMothe.”

“You can say it. Doesn’t mean I’ll admit it.”

My denial only makes his grin spread wider, and he rolls until he’s hovering over me.

“Mmm, I’ll try not to let that go to my head.”

“I honestly was beginning to think your dad kidnapped you,” I say, my feeble attempt to make a joke. “Maybe he took one look at where you’d been staying and decided you’d faced enough punishment. Pitied you, told you to pack your shit and head back to the city.”

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