Page 25 of Finally Home

Whiskey from the bottle had definitely been appropriate.

West had a daughter.

He was a dad. To a sweet little girl.

Tears rimmed her eyes, and she blinked them away, searching the room for anything to concentrate on that wasn’t West. She wanted to be strong for him, not have him get the wrong idea about her tears. They didn’t fall because she was angry at him. They fell because she was proud of the man he’d become.

Some women might be upset at the fact he had a whole freaking life without her, the life she was supposed to have with him. Admittedly, she was before he’d told her the whole story. After, though, she believed he’d done the right thing staying with Tiffani. Even if the woman was a complete bitch. One-night stand or not, Shelby deserved her daddy in her life, and she got the very best.

Cami wished she could have seen him with her.

With as much composure as she could summon, she turned her gaze to West, only to find him focused on the tree in front of him. She still had so many questions but didn’t want to press him too quickly for fear he’d push her away again.

She studied him. When he sat for too long boring holes into the tree, she worried that he’d fallen into another memory.

She asked the question eating at her most. “Where is Shelby now? Do you share custody with Tiffani?”

West sucked in a deep breath and shook his head, but he still wouldn’t look at her.

“It was late one night in January. I took Shelby out after dinner to celebrate doing well on a spelling test she’d been studying for all week. We got ice cream, her favorite. Mint chocolate chip. She didn’t care that it was the middle of freaking winter with snow on the ground. Shelby could eat ice cream any time of year.” He chuckled and raked a hand through his hair.

“Driving home, we were laughing and singing one of her favorite songs. It was one of those songs that you hated to love. The kind that got stuck in your head for days. For the life of me I can’t remember how it went, but I remember how it made her smile.” His eyes grew more vacant and Cami held her breath, bracing for what came next.

“We were having a great time when I hit a patch of black ice. I didn’t see it.”

West swallowed hard, his breathing erratic. Instinctively, she reached out and took his hand in hers, rubbing gently with her thumb.

His eyes widened when they met hers. “Thank you.”

After a few deep breaths, he continued: “The car skidded across the road. We hit a railing and rolled down an embankment.”

A gasp escaped her lips. West didn’t need to say what happened next. She knew. Everything made sense now. His panic attack in the truck. His need to escape. She considered stopping him but thought better of it. This was just as much about him telling her as it was her hearing it. If they were going to be in each other’s lives again in any sort of meaningful capacity, they needed to be able to witness each other’s lives. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

“EMS arrived quickly. I was trapped in the driver’s seat but told them to help her first. Begged them.”

The tears that welled in her eyes matched those threatening to fall from West’s.

“Later they told me she never had a chance. A faulty seat belt caused her to be ejected from the car. She died on scene. There was nothing anyone could have done.”

“I’m so sorry, West.”

Not in a million years could she imagine what he’d gone through that night, and probably every moment since.

“Not a day goes by I don’t miss her. I was in a dark place for a very long time after the accident. I didn’t know how to function without her. She was my life. I threw myself into my work and hated coming home. I’m not proud of the man I became while I fought my demons. I was swimming down, trying to find the undertow to take away the pain.

“Tiffani blamed me for the accident. If I’m honest, so did I. It wasn’t until time and therapy opened my eyes that I began to see there was nothing I could have done differently. Still, that didn’t stop Tiffani from stepping out on me when I needed her most. I spiraled, and she found other beds to warm. She took the settlement money from the car company and left me.”

“That fucking bitch,” Cami muttered under her breath, which won her a small chuckle from West.

“Not long after, I put in my papers to separate from the air force and moved to Los Angeles for a job with a major airline. I’ve been there for the last four years.”

“I wish I could say something to make it better. To take away the pain you must have felt. Still feel.”

West tugged her hand and pulled her into his chest, holding her tight.

“I’m pretty sure I should be the one holding you.”

“Quiet, Cami.”

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