Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 128083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Cami’s heart gave a small jolt, followed by a squeeze. “I don’t know, Cyrus. Your birth father . . . well, it’s a complicated situation. We’ll have to think about that one, okay?”
“I sent him a message,” Cyrus said. “But he never answered.”
That jolt again, only this one more powerful.
“What do you mean?” Rex asked. He must have sensed her inability to form words at that moment. Perhaps her gaping mouth was a clue. “Where did you send him a message?”
Cyrus sat up straight and tilted his chin. “Online at school. I got his email address from that website that talks about his campaign.”
“His campaign email?” Rex and Cami glanced at each other. Hairs raised on the nape of her neck, and her mind swirled as troubling questions took shape. Was it possible . . . Oh God, she didn’t even want to consider that Hollis had been involved in Cyrus’s kidnapping. But why? To what end?
Cyrus nodded, his chin still jutted slightly as if he was expecting them to chastise him. “Cyrus,” Rex said, “did anyone ever tell you that you might want to consider going into law enforcement when you grow up?”
Cyrus nodded. “My dad said I’d make a good military man. But he didn’t want me to go to war. He said you only fight as a last resort.”
Cami felt more tears threaten. In some ways, it felt like her little boy had been to war. He deserved peace now. And she was going to do everything in her power to give that to him.
“He sounds wise,” Rex said.
Cyrus nodded gravely and then looked from Rex to Cami. “Is he your boyfriend?” he asked.
Cami released a breath of surprise. She glanced over at Rex, who looked slightly embarrassed. “No,” she said, their eyes holding. “He’s a friend. One of the best friends I’ve ever had. Without him, I wouldn’t have found you.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Rex found Cami on the deck in the spot she’d apparently become attached to. He didn’t blame her. He liked the spot next to her, not only because she was there, but because the view took his breath away. The towering trees, the glittering sprays of ocean below, the endless black sky now blanketed in stars. They finally had a few hours where they could enjoy this slice of heaven before heading home.
Cami would have challenges when it came to Cyrus. He didn’t even know exactly what those would be, but he could predict that they’d exist. His emotions regarding Cami were both conflicted and clear, and there were still far more questions than answers relating to what they’d both become involved in. But to sit out here in the fresh air tinged with pine and moonlight with no immediate danger and a round of hurdles overcome—well, he was going to soak it in. And by her relaxed posture, head back on the chair, feet kicked up, he could see she’d embraced the serene moment too.
“I just checked on him again,” Rex said as he handed her a glass of red wine and sat down next to her, placing his own on the edge of the firepit. “He’s snoring.”
Cami smiled. She’d checked on him, too, but Rex was still shaking off the residual fear of watching Cyrus standing near the edge of the cliff while a man with a gun stood between them. Even though he’d tried not to, he kept going over the whole scenario in his mind, saw it playing out in different ways, and kept evaluating where he could have done better. They’d both survived, and yet Rex was having a hard time not reassessing anyway. Stress was an unreasonable bitch. Looking in on Cyrus sleeping peacefully in the king-size bed felt healing and necessary.
“He asked what he should call me earlier,” she told Rex.
“What’d you say?”
“I told him he could call me whatever he felt comfortable with, but that I knew he had a mom who he still very much missed, and so if he wanted to call me Cami, I completely understood.”
“That sounds like the best answer.”
“I think so.” She smiled, and it was soft. “Maybe he’ll want to call me mom at some point, but frankly, we both probably need to get comfortable with that idea.” She paused. “And I don’t want to take anything away from the woman who loved and cared for him when I couldn’t.”
His heart swelled. She was thoughtful when she could have been . . . jealous or, well, any number of things.
“I’ve been thinking,” Cami said. “About my own mother.”
He looked over at her, not sure what to say and deciding to remain quiet until she continued. He could only imagine that her PTSD still gripped her sometimes. How could it not? But at the moment, she didn’t look distressed, only thoughtful.
“My mother lived for a few minutes after she was shot. Long enough to . . . say a few words.” She paused, swirled her wine. “They never made sense. I’ve wondered over the years where her words might have gone and never could come up with anything.”