“Yes,” I say simply.
He grows quiet after that. “Christine, I—”
I have no idea what he’s going to say because at that moment, his phone rings, interrupting us. I cover my head with a pillow and scream.
Can I catch a fucking break?
I feel Michael lean away and grab his phone from the bedside table.
“It’s Michael,” he says, his voice low and husky.
I have no idea what the person on the other line is saying but I lower the pillow to see surprise flash across his expression.
“What are you doing here?” he asks.
A few seconds pass where he’s completely silent. His entire body has grown tense. Then he looks at me, and I have no idea what he’s thinking. His face is a mask right now.
“I’m on my way,” he tells the person before dropping the phone. “I need to go, Christine. It’s urgent.”
I’m already nodding. Maybe it’s better this way. When fate and everything else is working against you, it might be better to just give things a rest.
“It’s fine. I have to pick up Noah and get him to school anyway,” I tell him.
Michael’s lips press into a line. “I really don’t want to leave like this.”
“Go, Mike. That sounded urgent. We’ll be fine, don’t worry.”
We will absolutely not be fine.
CHAPTER19
MICHAEL
Ilike to believe there aren’t any coincidences in the world. Everything happens for a reason. Two people don’t just suddenly end up driving drunk and crashing into each other’s cars. That’s a tragedy of their own making. Not a coincidence. People choose the things that go on in their lives. They make their own paths and decisions, which lead to success or destruction.
Right now, I would really like to know who had a hand in making the decision that led to Camila Schott’s arrival in Arcola. Camila’s a beautiful woman. Six feet tall with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She has a perfectly symmetrical face and a mesmerizing smile. She looks like she should be on the cover of magazines or on modeling on a runway. But Camila’s a businesswoman; she created her own cosmetic line and it has been extremely lucrative.
Her looks were what first drew me to her. Her personality made me fall in love with her. I met Camila when I was twenty-seven years old. Back then, the attraction between us was almost instantaneous. We slept together a few times before I asked her out officially, but things turned sour a few months into our relationship.
She claimed that she could feel that I wasn’t fully opening up to her. My heart wasn’t in it, or something like that. Naturally, I didn’t understand her. I had confessed that I loved her and so I wasn’t sure what more she expected from me.
Camila was safe, and I thought that was all I needed. Until she was courageous enough to end our relationship. We both knew safe didn’t mean true love. And now she’s here. I haven’t seen her in more than a year, but Camila’s one of those exes you keep in contact with. We stayed friends even after our breakup, which was probably a bad idea owing to the fact that the lingering feelings always led to us sleeping with each other.
There’s no way her appearance here doesn’t get me fucked.
“Mike,” she calls when she sees me at the doorway of the living room.
She gets to her feet and walks over to throw her arms around my neck. I hug her back but my attention drifts to the faces of my family members. Matthew looks to be thoroughly enjoying the interaction. There’s a devious grin on his face. My mom has on a grimace as she watches, but it’s my aunt Mel’s expression that gives me all the answers I need.
She has on a satisfied smile, meaning she called Camila here. I grit my teeth.
“Hey, Cami,” I greet before leaning away from the hug. “What are you doing here?”
“Wow, harsh, Michael. I haven’t seen you in over a year and that’s the first thing you ask? Not ‘how are you’ or ‘what’s been going on with you?’ Jerk,” she says with a pout.
I inwardly sigh. “You’re right. I’m sorry. What’s been going on with you?”
She rolls her eyes. “Too late.”