Page 28 of Reckless Hearts
Doreen pulled out a tissue from her purse and wiped away an errant tear in her eye.
London and I glanced at each other briefly, exchanging a sorrowful look between us.
“I know from experience how much it hurts to miss a mother when you’re young,” I admitted, growing reflective. “But sometimes not having a mother is far better than having a bad mother. And when you can substitute it for someone like you, Doreen, it makes up for the pain.”
Dori smiles a crooked and appreciative smile. “Sage, you have gone through hell and back. I look at who you’ve become, and it boggles my mind that you turned out to be such a good man when you could’ve easily slipped into a dark place.”
I raised my eyebrows at her comment, flicking my gaze to London. “Believe me, I’ve been in my share of dark places in my time. Had it not been for my girl, here, I might not be here right now.”
A stretch of uncomfortable silence descended over the table as the waitress returned to take our orders and then walked off, leaving us to quietly ruminate on the deep topic.
Doreen cleared her throat, her hands laced together on the table and spoke in a hushed tone.
“Cam’s just not the same. Even after he was granted full custody and the divorce finalized, I think the closer we get to your wedding, the deeper he spirals into this hole.Listen…” she turns her head and lowers her voice in a conspiratorial tone.
“I know what the three of you share isn’t conventional by society’s standards and not a lot of people understand it. Heaven knows Cam’s father, Mike, never would have given his blessing. But I don’t care about any of that. I want what’s best for my son and my grandson. I know that Cam loves you both deeply and he needs you both in his life. He’s just too stubborn to admit it. And I think that going through what he did with Lisa and her blackmailing threats…”
My head jerked back in surprise. “What? What are you talking about?”
Doreen’s eyes grew wide as if she can’t believe we don’t know. I looked to London who was as equally confused and shocked as I was.
“Blackmail threats?” London repeated.
“He didn’t tell you? Oh Lordy, that man.” Doreen hung her head and shook it in frustration.
“Lisa indicated she knew about the three of you. She’d apparently seen texts or some video on Cam’s phone. And it was revealing.”
Oh shit.
Let’s just say we may have made a video of the three of us at one point. It was just for our eyes and was hot as fuck and was never meant to be seen by anyone else. We’d all promised each other that we’d guard it and keep it safe from any potential leakage.
“She was holding it over Cam, saying she would go to the press with the details and would ruin your career, Sage. But especially yours London, seeing as you work in public service with children. Lisa was always so jealous of you, knowing Cam never got over you while they were married.”
London’s mouth dropped open. “Oh my God. He never mentioned any of this to either of us. How did he resolve it?”
“He paid her off. We used the life insurance from Jeanine’s policy, as I was the beneficiary, and paid her fifty-grand to make her go away.”
“Holy shit.” I mumbled, in disbelief.
I could’ve cared less if a sex scandal had been revealed about me and gone public. But I know exactly how Cam felt wanting to protect London’s reputation. I would have done the exact same thing he did to protect her.
He was always protecting her.
And now he needed us to step up and be there for him more than ever.
