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“I shouldn’t say any more. If your daddy wanted you to know all this, he would have told you himself.”
“Please, Mimi—” I reach out, grabbing her arm. “Please.” My voice rises, pleading. “Daddy will never. He doesn’t want to talk about her.”
Mimi presses her lips together, biting at her lower lip the same way I do when I’m thinking hard about something and I silently pray she’ll keep talking. I need to know.
“She turned him down. He came back with the ring—my ring I loaned to him—and that was that. She had you a month early, in August, then up and left town.”
Tears spring to my eyes and I shove down the wave of grief rising out of nowhere. Stupid, because I never met thewoman. My dad and his family are all I’ve ever known. So why am I emotional about a total stranger who abandoned me?
Mimi pats my arm, rubbing her weathered thumb across the skin. “So, yes. I’d say your daddy took risks, and big ones at that. They didn’t always turn out because that’s life.”
I rock back in my chair and blow out a long breath. “Thanks for telling me all this. It explains a lot.”
She shakes her head, long wisps of bangs falling over her eyes before she brushes the hair away.
“I probably shouldn’t have. That’s your daddy’s story to tell. But I suppose it’s your story, too. And you deserve to know. Don’t be too hard on your daddy—I think he kept the details to himself for good reason. He never wanted you to hate your mother. I believe he thought it’d be easier to just carry on as if she never existed. Trouble with that is, he never moved on. Sure, he moved forward. Minute after minute, day after day. But he buried all that passion and love, tucked it down deep so no one could ever hurt him like that again. That’s my guess, anyway. He never told me as much.”
Mimi stands, whisking her mug off the table and pouring the last drops of coffee down the drain.
“Enough about that. Let’s go say hi to Toast and Jammy.” Her tone lifts and she’s the upbeat Mimi again, her face cracking into a wide, easy smile. She holds her hand out to me and I take it, following her outside into the bright morning sun.
But I can’t shake my dad’s somber words from last night, the pain in his eyes.
Some people stay. And some people don’t.
CHAPTER 27
SLOANE
When I get home, Cam’s Rover is in the driveway, but there’s no sign of my dad. He must still be at practice.
Despite my dad’s warning about Cam last night, fizzy excitement bubbles inside me and I know I have my answer.
I’m going to go for it. Take the risk with Cam and hope for the best. Sure, Ratface did me dirty. But Cam’s not him. He’s never been anything other than honest with me. I can’t live my life like my father, always guarding my heart and not letting anyone in because I’ve been burned before.
It’s not who I am, not who I want to be.
“Cam!” I run into the house, shouting his name.
“Hey.” He walks out from the hallway, duffel in hand. His dark hair’s damp from a shower and the crisp scent of his body wash floats through the air.
“Hey.” My excitement dulls and a wave of sadness rolls through me at the sight of him carrying his stuff. I knowhe’s not moving too far and getting his own space, but the moment still feels somber somehow.
Cam must read my expression because he drops his bag and grabs my hips, pulling me in close.
“Don’t be sad, Trouble. This is a good thing. For both of us.” He sweeps my hair from my eyes, running his thumb across my cheek.
“I know,” I whisper, my throat scratchy and tight.
“I’ll still be close. And you can come over anytime you want.”
“Thanks.”
Cam tips my chin up, brushing his lips with mine in a slow, soft kiss. “Want to come see the new place right now?”
Happiness sparks inside me and a smile spreads across my face. “Yes, I’d love to.”
“Come on, then. I’ll drive.” He grabs his duffel and takes my hand, and we head outside.
