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Standing here, staring at the girl that I shared a terrible commonality with, I felt… empty. There were no harking angels or golden light of revelation. I felt the same way I did walking out of my parents’ house. Nothing. In a sudden instance, I knew Cam was right. I didn’t need to do this to move on. I hadn’t really even needed to confront my parents. Although that had felt terrific.
I had begun to move on the moment I had told Cam the truth.
It just hadn’t happened overnight. Letting go had been a slow process that took a bitch slap in the face to figure out.
I didn’t need to be here.
I needed to be out there, with Cam, and back home, in West Virginia, with my friends. I needed to continue letting it all go.
I started for the door.
“Where are you going?” Her bony fingers dug into my arm, stopping me. “Avery?”
Removing her hand from my arm, I kept my voice even. “I’m leaving, Molly. I’m going back out there to a man who loves me no matter what happened in my past or what stupid decisions I’ve made. I’m going home, which isn’t the house on Red Hill, and I’m going to go see my friends. That’s where I’m going.”
Molly’s throat worked, but she said nothing as I walked to the door. I stopped and turned back to her. “Look, if you want to call me to just talk or something, you obviously have my number. Call anytime you want, but I’ve learned from my mistakes. If you send me anymore messages that piss me off even the tiniest bit, I will call the police and I will press charges against you.”
She clamped her mouth shut and took a step back.
“I wish you the best. I seriously do. Goodbye, Molly.”
She didn’t stop me as I left and didn’t come outside like my father had. I slid into the cooled exterior of the car and let out a ragged breath.
“How’d that—why is your face so red?” Cam caught my chin and gently turned me toward him. “Did she hit you?”
“Yeah.” I winced at his explosive curse. “But I think it made her feel better after she got it all out of her system.”
His eyes narrowed. “That does not make it fucking okay.”
“I know.” I wrapped my hand around his and pressed it to my sore cheek. “But it’s over. I’ve said what I need to and I don’t think I’ll be hearing from her again.”
Cam opened his hand, gently palming my cheek. “Avery…”
“You were right. I didn’t really need to do this, but I’m glad I did. I’m okay with it.” Closing my eyes, I turned my head, pressing a kiss to his palm. “Take me home, Cam. That’s where I need to be.”
Chapter 34
The only problem with summer once you grew up was that it was over before it felt like it got started. Or that could have something to do with taking summer classes, which seemed to suck the summer right out of life.
Prying one eye open, I groaned. First I saw my bracelet—not the silver one. Cam had replaced it with several loops of rope that carried an infinite charm. Then I saw the time. Why had I set the clock for this early? I didn’t have class until nine.
The bed shifted beside me.
And Cam didn’t have class until ten. It was going to be a light semester for him as he was winding down on his college career.
A sleepy smile pulled at my lips as I rolled onto my stomach, stretching my legs out and pointing my toes. The sheets slipped over my bare skin and ended up somewhere at the foot of my bed. There was either a perverted ghost in my bedroom or Cam was wide awake.
Lips pressed down between my shoulder blades as a hand flattened on the base of my spine. Fingers trailed up, causing a wave of little bumps to race across my skin.
“Good morning, sweetheart.” Cam’s voice was thick with sleep.
Ah, this was why I set the alarm for so early, which was so different from a year ago. I had been worried about being late, annoyingly anal about it in fact. Now I set the clock an hour early for a little bit of one on one time.
“Morning,” I mumbled, closing my eyes as he ran his hand up and down, stopping at the cleft of my cheeks and going straight to the nape of my neck.
He kissed the center of my back and then his lips were on the flare of my hip. Warm breath danced over my lower back and then he kissed my right cheek.
I giggled, wiggling.
