Page 120 of Hot Damn
“That I understand. What I don’t know is what no one knows.”
Eyes on Oakley, I open my mouth but can’t get the words past the lump in my throat.
“Here. Drink this.” Natalie shoves a tumbler of amber liquid in front of me. “I know you don’t drink alcohol during the season but two mouthfuls won’t hurt. Drink.”
I’ve never been a drinker. Didn’t have the access or money as a teen and once Whit came into my life, I had no time to indulge even if I wanted to. And that hasn’t changed as she’s gotten older.
But maybe a drink will help. Taking the glass I down the two fingers in one go.
The burn feels good going down and better when it settles in my churning gut. Handing back the empty glass I start at the beginning.
“My mother was a drug addict. By the time I was thirteen, I was in and out of foster care so many times I’m sure the doors never closed behind me. At thirteen she was found dead in a gutter and I went to live with Mama Dot. She was the first woman to care for me.”
I take a deep breath before going on.
“The second woman was my high school counselor. Catrina Hooper.”
The breath Natalie sucks in tells me she understands where I’m going but I can’t stop now or I’ll never start again.
“The year I turned fifteen, Ms. Hooper became Catrina. I can’t even remember the moment it stepped over the line and at the time I didn’t believe that it had. Now, as an adult, and after talking with Cam, I see that line was a trench so wide it should never have been spanned. But I’m not sorry about what happened or how it fell apart because without any of it there is no Whitney.”
“She’s Whitney’s mother.”
“Yes. A twenty-eight year old high school counselor gave birth to my daughter five days after I turned sixteen.”
“And Whitney doesn’t know?”
I look at Oakley. “Why would I tell a child that?”
Oakley waves her hand. “Ignore that question, it was the dumbest thing to ever come out my mouth.”
“Catrina was arrested and jailed before Whit was born and Ichanged my name to give us both a clean slate and a chance to have a future without the stigma of her mother’s actions hanging over us.”
“You were just a kid.” Blake crouches beside my chair. “I can’t imagine dealing with Drew as a sixteen-year-old. Bex, you and Whitney are a miracle, you know that right?”
“Someone pointed it out recently.”
“Cami.”
I glance at Natalie. “Yes. Cam.”
“It really is a miracle you are where you are, that Whitney is the amazing kid she is,” Oakley adds with a shake of her head. “It could have turned out so different for the two of you.”
“I know. But from the moment they placed my daughter in my arms, I knew I’d do anything and everything to secure her future. To make sure she got every opportunity possible. To make sure her life was the best it could be. To make sure she didn’t have to fight to survive every day like I did.”
“You did more than give that to Whitney, Beckett. You gave it to yourself too.”
We all turn at the sound of Cam’s voice.
Tears stream down her face, the lines marked by her makeup.
“I can’t stop it from airing. Dad and I have been going round and round for over an hour. They won’t pull it from the lineup.” A sob rips through her chest and I’m on my feet, heading her way when she says words that remind me why I fell for this woman. “I can’t protect her from this.”
Pulling her into my arms, I hold her tight and offer no words because there aren’t any. Neither of us can protect Whit from what’s about to happen, what we can do is tell her before it becomes public knowledge.
Cami
“Where’s Whit? Is she here yet?”
