Page 42 of What He Always Knew

Still, though I’d had an amazing weekend with Cameron, and I was happy he was seeing a therapist, I still felt like we were standing on a broken bridge. There were still scars we shared, ones that hadn’t healed — ones we hadn’t even talked about. He was trying, and so was I, but it didn’t change the way I felt for Reese.

Reese drove me mad. He got under my skin the way only someone you love more than the oxygen you need to breathe can. He pushed me to limits I never knew existed, and he showed me a life I never imagined I could have — a love I never imagined I could feel.

He made me irrational, and yet, I wanted him.

But I’d pushed him away.

Was this it? Was it over?

Be careful what you wish for.

“Alright, everyone. That wraps us up for today,” Cindy, our moderator, announced after the last keynote speaker. “We’ll have a break for dinner on your own and then there is an optional mixer at Hulligan’s, the same place as last night. Beach gear encouraged.”

Everyone clapped before the room erupted into a mixture of conversation and laughter. I packed up my bag in silence, smiling at a few people I’d met that day before waving goodbye and excusing myself upstairs to my room.

My phone rang as I stepped off the elevator on our floor, and I swallowed at the sight of Cameron’s face on the screen. It was a photo I’d snapped at the park downtown one afternoon years ago. His aviator sunglasses reflected the Pittsburgh skyline, the sun bright behind it, and his laughing smile took up his entire face. He had just a hint of stubble, my favorite length, and I remembered that moment like it had just happened.

With a tap of my finger, the picture disappeared, the call ignored.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk to Cameron, but more that I didn’t want to talk toanyone.

After our weekend together, everything at home had been perfect. I felt Cameron again, the old Cameron, the one I fell in love with and married, the one I built that home with so long ago. We cooked together twice before I left for the conference, both nights filled with laughter and wine. He had surprised me at school, bringing me flowers and taking me out to lunch. And in Cameron fashion, he had taken care of my car when the check engine light came on — just so I wouldn’t have to.

Even more than all that, he was talking to me — maybe more than he ever had.

By all counts, he was giving me what I’d always wanted.

But there was still one thing we hadn’t discussed.

Her.

I shook off the thought as my phone buzzed in my hand, just as I slid my key card against the entry pad and slipped inside my room. I dropped my bag on the chair by the desk before sliding the message open.

- I know you’re busy with the conference. Just wanted to check in on you. Hope you’re having fun. -

I sighed, flopping down on the bed and kicking my heels off.

- It’s very fun, but lots of people-ing. You know that’s my favorite. -

- Oh boy. Forced conversation. Sounds like a blast. -

I smiled at his text, watching the little bubbles bounce beneath it as he typed out another.

- Well, I’ll leave you to it. Was just thinking of you. I miss you. -

My heart twisted, one hand moving to press against that spot in my chest where the ache was most present. It seemed to be almost a permanent ache now, between Cameron and Reese.

- I miss you, too. Talk soon. -

My stomach growled as I tossed my phone face down on the comforter, and I frowned, debating my options for sustenance. Reese would be joining a big group for dinner, no doubt, networking the way I should have been. But now that I was in my room after a full day of talking and listening to presentations, the last thing I wanted to do was talk to anyone else.

So, I flopped on my stomach, reaching for the phone to dial room service. Once I’d ordered, I stripped out of my dress, ran the hottest shower I could manage, and pulled out my laptop to go through my notes from the day.

When I opened the first document, my computer warned me of low battery, so I hopped up to dig through my bag for my charger. It was at the very bottom, the head of it stuck under my books. I yanked, and when I pulled it free, I cringed at the sight of wires poking through the white protective tubing.

“Shit.”

I plugged it in, anyway, finagling the wire after it was connected to my computer to see if I could get it in a spot to charge. I twisted the wires left and right, pinched them together at different areas, and even tried using a Band-Aid to fuse the tubing back together, but it was no use.