Almost Just Friends (Wildstone #4)(86)

“That is great. So what’s the problem?”

“She doesn’t seem to think she can do that and have a relationship.”

Emmitt sat at the table with Cam. “I’ve got something to say and you might not like it.”

Cam had to laugh. “When’s that ever stopped you?”

“Good point.” Emmitt smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. “In your life, you’ve been . . . well, free. You left home at sixteen.”

“I went into the military,” he said dryly. “Not exactly the definition of a free life.”

“True, but that was your choice. Piper, on the other hand, never had choices, or even much of a say in her life’s path. She’s been stuck here since she was a teenager. Now, I get that you’re ready to settle down, but she isn’t. Hell, she might not even know what she wants.”

That it was all true didn’t help. He’d had a life of freedom and adventure while her life had been dictated from age thirteen. It was no wonder then that she lived by a set of rules no one else was privy to, and an iron-clad sense of control that manifested in bullet journaling and holding on to the reins of her siblings’ lives with both hands.

Now she finally had a shot at being able to live the life she wanted, and he of all people could understand that. Which meant there was only one thing he could do—support her choices. No matter if he wasn’t one of those choices.

“What are you thinking?” his dad asked.

“I don’t want to lose her. But there’s no way I’m going to hold her back either.”

His dad nodded. “Good. But when I look over my life, do you know what my biggest regret is?”

Cam shook his head.

“It’s that I didn’t find a way to make it work with your mom. Yeah, she had her difficulties, but I loved her on the day she died every bit as much as I loved her on the day I married her. It kills me that we spent our years together fighting about why it couldn’t work, when we should’ve been figuring out how to make it work. That, and her unwillingness to stay on her meds, tore us apart, and our family too. I wasted a lot of time, time that I could’ve spent with you. Yeah, I got Rowan, but as you know, life’s short. Too fucking short.”

That was the thing about losing someone you loved. It made you appreciate those who really mattered in life. His dad. His future niece or nephew. Winnie. Gavin. Piper . . . Yeah, it’d been devastating to lose Rowan, and life would never be the same. But the world didn’t stop turning. He could still love. And he’d most definitely found someone special to love in Piper. She was it for him. She made him laugh, she made him feel, and she made him want to be a better man. But he had no idea if she could, or would, feel the same about him. Which made him feel a little bit like he was hanging out there bare-assed naked all on his own.

But she’d said to come home to her, and that gave him hope. As for the rest, she was well worth waiting on the possibility of what could be.

WHEN PIPER WALKED into the house after another long shift at work, she heard voices in the kitchen. It’d been a good day in spite of the long hours. She’d delivered a baby at a rest stop off Highway 46. And then a woman they’d helped last week during a heart attack had brought them cookies. They’d been gluten free, sugar free, and dairy free, but still. They’d been cookies. Plus, she’d heard back about her application to the University of Colorado. She’d been accepted, and could start with their next program in six weeks. All she had to do was figure out how to get either her siblings okay with the sale of the property, or . . . rob a bank.

But since those were both unlikely scenarios, she’d spent a good deal of time thinking about her options, and hedging her bets.

She wished Cam was back. She’d sneak into his bed and rock both of their worlds until thinking too hard wasn’t an option. That would help solve everything, for sure. As she walked through the living room toward the kitchen, the voices became clearer.

“I can’t tell her now, I waited too long,” Winnie said.

Piper stopped in her tracks. God, what now? She couldn’t imagine, but from experience knew it would be bad.

It always was.

“Waited too long to tell me what?” she asked, feeling a shock go through her when she realized Cam was also there. “You’re back.”

“Just got here.” He pushed off from the counter he’d been leaning against and came close, during which time her eyes soaked up the sight of him hungrily, but also taking inventory to make sure he was okay. He wore loose, ripped-up jeans and a T-shirt, and a layer of exhaustion that showed in his eyes. She tugged him into the hallway and looked him over very carefully. No obvious injuries.

“You’re okay?”

He nodded.

“You sure?” she asked. She’d been so worried, and now that he was here, looking whole, she was having trouble processing and letting go of the stress of it all.

“Hey, you’re shaking. Come here.” He pulled her in close.

She pressed her face into the crook of his neck. “Just adrenaline letdown. Are you sure, Cam?”

“Piper,” he breathed, resting his cheek against her hair.

Okay, so he was sure. “I know it’s annoying to be asked if you’re okay,” she said, “but I can’t help myself because . . . apparently I’m not okay. I’m not, and I don’t know how to be.”