Page 111 of Fault Lines
“I was lost. I see now how stupid I was. You’re all I need. Maybe I had an early midlife crisis, I don’t know. But I see things more clearly now. What we have—it’s all I want.”
“But now there’s someone else. Two someone elses.”
“She won’t be involved. I’ll have her sign away all her rights.”
“And she’s really agreed to that?”
“She will.”
My laugh came out brittle. “You’re dreaming, Cam. She’s going to hang onto that baby as long as it gets her what she wants. Which is you. Maybe that’s for the best. I don’t even think Icanstay with you. And that baby deserves its parents, not constant secrets.”
His voice cracked. “Don’t say that, baby. You’re not leaving me. We’re too strong for this—even stronger together. We can get through this, I promise.”
“I don’t want to try right now. It hurts too much.”
His voice turned hard, steel behind the velvet. “No. You’re not giving up on us. You take your time, and I’ll give you space, but this isn’t over. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you if I have to. You’ll be smothered by how much I love you, baby. I promise. Just take the time and come back to me—the new me.”
He hesitated, voice low. “Just… don’t see that guy anymore. Please. The thought of someone else touching you makes me crazy.”
I almost laughed. “And you thought I was okay picturing you with another woman?”
“I told you—I was stupid. But I’m done with that now. We need to focus on us. It won’t work if you’re still seeing him. Please. Tell me you’ll stop.”
“I can’t promise that. He’s been good to me. Better than you, lately. I won’t give him up for something I’m not even sure about anymore.”
Cam let out a long, ragged breath. “I guess I deserve that.”
“You do.”
“I love you, baby. Please come back to me.”
“Not now.”
“That’s okay. Not now doesn’t mean never.”
“Bye, Cam.”
“Bye, Livi.”
∞∞∞
When morning came, I mustered just enough energy to drag myself into work. I’d hardly slept, my thoughts flicking through every bad scenario like a shuffled deck of cards.
Nate was behind the counter, humming a tune under his breath and shining the glass carafe when I walked in.
“Morning!” he called, too cheerful for the hour. “Beautiful day out there.”
I grunted, barely a word, and brushed past him toward the coffee machine.
He followed, leaning in the doorway. “Rachel doesn’t have coffee at her place?”
I poured the beans into the grinder on autopilot, only to realize what he’d said a moment later. I paused.
“How did you know I was staying at Rachel’s?”
Nate hesitated, shifting his weight. “Jackson told me. Sorry if you didn’t want me to know. We talk, I guess.”
I filled the carafe, mulling that over. It wasn’t like I was planning to hide it from Nate, but it was strange imagining them talking about me when I wasn’t there.
