Page 14 of Knot Your Sugar Rush (Starling Grove #2)

Chapter fourteen

Jamie

T he car is quiet for all of three seconds before it turns into a pressure cooker.

Cam’s in the back seat beside me, tucked into the corner like she’s trying to take up as little space as possible.

She’s quiet, her fingers worrying the edge of her coat, but her scent—gods, her scent—is everywhere.

Warm, soft, a little spiced from tears and stress, and still so very her.

It wraps around all of us, curling into the crevices of the car like smoke.

Dane’s driving, jaw tight, hands gripping the wheel like the steering column owes him money. Theo’s in the front passenger seat, quiet and still, except for the subtle twitch of his fingers drumming against his thigh.

And I’m trying really, really hard not to inhale like I’m drowning.

We’re all trying to act normal, like we’re not three alphas crammed in a car with a single omega who smells like safety and heartbreak and something none of us want to admit aloud.

We’d talked about it years ago—how it might be nice to share a bond with someone who could tether us all. Someone who could soften our edges and stitch our differences together. But it had always felt like a daydream. Something for other people. Someone else's life.

Now she’s sitting next to me. Camellia Vale. She’s grown into herself in a way that’s quiet and unshakable, even with everything that’s happened. And she smells like a wish.

I glance sideways. Her eyes are fixed on the passing trees, the glow of streetlights flashing across her face.

“You doing okay?” I ask softly.

She startles a little but nods. “Yeah. Just... processing.”

“You were solid back there. She’s lucky to have you.”

Cam lets out a shaky breath. “I’m lucky to have her.”

Theo clears his throat up front. “Gram Rosie once caught Jamie skinny-dipping in her koi pond. You want lucky? That man is still alive.”

Cam turns to me with wide eyes, a ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. “Please tell me that’s true.”

I grin, relaxing into the moment. “In my defense, it was a heatwave, and I was fifteen.”

“She gave you lemonade and then made you scrub algae out of the pond with a toothbrush,” Dane adds, voice dry but amused.

“She was surprisingly chill about the nudity,” I say.

“She was not,” Theo corrects.

Cam laughs, and it’s this soft, tired thing that hits me right in the chest.

“Tell me more Starling Grove horror stories,” she says, a little lighter now.

“Oh, I’ve got one,” Dane offers. “Remember when Theo tried to build that treehouse in the old pine out back?”

“It was an engineering marvel,” Theo deadpans.

“It collapsed on Jamie.”

“It sagged on Jamie. Big difference.”

“Sprained my ankle,” I remind them, for dramatic effect.

Cam shakes her head, a genuine smile forming now. “You three have been friends forever, huh?”

“Since we could walk,” Dane says, glancing at her in the rearview mirror. “Which is exactly how long Jamie’s been the most dramatic person I’ve ever met.”

“And yet, you love me.”

“Debatable.”

Cam’s smile falters a little as we pass through downtown and its shops, undoubtedly filled with memories.

“You okay?” I ask again, quieter.

She nods, brushing a knuckle under her eye. “Just... memories.”

“Want to tell us one?”

She’s quiet for a beat, then says, “Zae and I once tried to make our own caramel in our mom’s microwave. We ended up welding the sugar to the inside of the bowl. It took three days and every cleaning product in the house to get it off.”

Theo hums. “Worth it?”

“Definitely,” she says. “Even if Mom made us write apology notes to the microwave.”

I feel something tighten in my chest again, some mix of admiration and heartbreak. She’s been through so much, and she’s still choosing hope. That does something to me.

But behind all the soft edges of this moment, there’s a knot of fear in my gut. Because I see the way Theo looks at the road a little too long. Hear the way Dane’s voice gets a little distant when we talk about the future. I’ve caught them both researching places outside of Starling Grove.

I don’t want to lose what we have. I don’t want to be the last one standing.

Cam’s presence feels like gravity. Like maybe she could be the reason we stay. The reason we stop drifting.

But I don’t know if she’s ready. Or if she’ll want us. Or if we’d be asking too much.

We pull into Gram Rosie’s driveway, the porch light casting a golden circle over the path.

Dane kills the engine. No one moves.

“We’ll walk you in,” I say, already reaching for the door.

She hesitates for a heartbeat, then nods. “Thanks.”

The four of us move slowly toward the house, something like calm settling over us. She unlocks the door, and I feel her sway slightly.

“You’ve got this,” I whisper.

She doesn’t answer. But her shoulder brushes mine as she steps inside.

And for tonight, that’s enough.