Page 70 of Fault Lines
I shot up from the bed, anger blooming in my chest. “I’m not lying. You’re the one out screwing God knows who. What right do you have to question me?”
“Because I can’t stand the thought of you with anyone else!” He was almost shouting now.
“Do you even hear yourself?” I yelled back, amazed at his nerve.
He raked a hand through his hair, face crumpling. “I know! I know I have no right, but I can’t help it. Just imagining you with some guy—I want to explode!”
“I wasn’t doing anything,” I said, which wasn’t totally true. If he hadn’t called, would I have stopped Nate? I honestly didn’t know.
“Stop lying to me, Livi. I’ve never lied to you—not about any of this.”
“I’m not lying,” I shot back.
“You weren’t with Rachel.”
I yanked my pajamas and underwear out of the drawer, ready to end the fight right there.
“And why do you think that?”
He hesitated, then sighed. “Because I put a tracker on your phone. I know you were in an apartment building near downtown. I know you’ve been there before on a Thursday night. The building belongs to a friend of mine. I called him. He gave me a list of tenants. The name Nathaniel Porter jogged my memory. Isn’t that the grandson you’re always taking food to? Nate? The same Nate who was texting you at the cabin?”
I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at him, heartbeat loud in my ears.
Finally, I said, “It’s not what you think.”
He knelt between my knees, took my hands. “Then tell me what it is, because honestly, it’s taking everything in me not to go find him right now. I know it’s not fair, and I know it’s not right, but I can’t stand the thought of losing you. I know you wouldn’t just sleep with anyone. If you are, it means there’s a real connection. He’s trying to take you away from me.”
“Can’t you see you’re doing that all by yourself?” I whispered. “This isn’t about another guy. You’re losing me, Cam.”
The pain in his eyes made my chest hurt. I just wanted to erase that look.
“I’m not sleeping with him, Cam. I was with Rachel tonight. She’s dating Nate’s friend Jackson, so we all went over to Nate’s apartment together. The guys played a game, I spent most of my time with Rachel. And we had dinner.”
“That’s it?” he asked, some of the heat draining from his voice.
That was it. Or at least, that was where I’d leave it. Maybe I wasn’t telling the full truth, not really. But it didn’t matter. I wasn’t doing anything that Cam hadn’t already been doing.
“Why are you home so early?” I said, wanting to steer the conversation in a safer direction. My voice bounced off the walls as I busied myself by stacking a few stray towels, making it seem like I had more interest in the work than in him.
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing visibly. “Because I missed you tonight.”
“You see me every single day. We shared lunch. You literally watched me eat a sandwich a few hours ago,” I pointed out, one eyebrow raised.
“I know. It’s—I just wasn’t feeling it tonight. I was thinking about you.” He shifted his weight like he wasn’t sure if he should stand still or pace.
“You were thinking about me while you were out with another woman?” My tone was dry as toast. “Hope she didn’t notice. That’s a blow to the ego. And while we’re on odd behavior, you want to explain the tracker on my phone? What’s up with that, Cam?”
He stared at the floor, shoulders slumping. “I know, I know. I’m terrible. At first, I told myself it was for your protection. Just so I could check in if I got worried—you know, make sure you were safe. But then you started those morning runs to thebookstore, and then you got that text from him at the cabin, and I just… I put two and two together.”
“So you’ve been checking my location to see if I was with Nate?” I folded my arms, waiting for the punchline.
“You spend a lot of time at that store,” he mumbled.
“Because I like it there, Cam. It’s got comfy couches, good coffee, and it keeps me from climbing the walls here.”
He winced, maybe realizing how ridiculous he sounded. “I realize that now. I was worried you were using that place to meet up with him.”
“So let me get this straight. You’re the one who asked for an open marriage, but now you’re accusing me of breaking the rules? That’s rich, Cam. Real rich.” I was done. I turned on my heel and stomped off toward the master bath.
