“I didn’t even know that they’d been talking before,” Farrah said in irritation. “That girl is giving me gray hair.”
“You don’t have any gray hair,” Casper scoffed, coming to a stop next to his bike.
“You brought the bike?” I asked in surprise, glancing at Farrah.
“Yeah, not too much longer before I’ll be too big to ride. Gotta get our time in now,” she joked.
“Can’t believe you’re havin’ another baby,” I said softly, wrapping my arm around her narrow shoulders.
“Me, either,” Casper said ruefully, making Farrah smack him with the back of her hand. “Havin’ a baby the same month as our son—fuckin’ Jerry Springer around here.”
I bust out laughing, and fuck, it felt good.
“You’re such a dick,” Farrah snapped, laying a hand on her belly.
“Aw, Ladybug.” Casper grabbed Farrah’s hips and pulled her toward him. “You know I’m excited as hell.”
He leaned down to kiss her and I turned my head away. They’d always been really affectionate, which was cool, but that didn’t mean I wanted to see my dad sticking his tongue in my mom’s mouth.
“We’ll see you later,” Casper called, pulling my attention back as he climbed on his bike and reached out to help Farrah on behind him. “Come to dinner.”
As they backed out of their spot, Farrah blew me a kiss, so I waved back in response. When I was a kid, she used to do the same damn thing when she dropped me off at school, and she wouldn’t let me leave without acknowledging the kiss somehow. One year, she’d made me fucking “catch it” every day or she’d climb out of the car and start singing at the top of her lungs.
She was such a pain in the ass. I smiled at the memory. I guess that was what happened when your adopted parents were only like thirteen years older than you were—they were still young enough to feel the need to embarrass the hell out of you for fun.
I glanced across the field to Dragon and Brenna’s place and took a deep breath. I knew Trix was there. She wouldn’t have left the property without someone coming to tell me.
I started walking, but took my time making my way over to the small house that seemed so out of place in the large field next to the garage. Maybe I’d take Trix out on the bike. We hadn’t had a minute to ourselves in a long ass time, and I thought she might like riding up to our old swimming hole and spending the day. We had to get shit worked out. The distance between us was fucking killing me.
I wanted to touch her. Fuck, it felt like years since the last time I’d been inside her—and even that memory was tainted. She’d been so desperate when she woke up from a dream that I’d got both of us off in record time so she could fall back asleep again. I hadn’t realized that it would be the last time she’d reach for me, instead staying awake for as long as she could, so the nightmares wouldn’t come.
The sexual frustration was a killer, but even worse than that was her complete personality change since she’d found out she was pregnant. She wasn’t herself in any sense of the word. The opinionated woman I loved had become a fucking shadow. Barely speaking. Barely existing.
I finally reached the front porch of the house, and knocked on the screen door before letting myself in. Leo was sitting on the couch. He’d practically taken up residence in that exact spot since the attack.
“Hey, Trix around?” I asked him.
“Yeah, man. Think she’s in the kitchen.”
“Thanks.” I walked toward the back of the house and found Trix eating a bowl of cereal as she stood at the counter.
Jesus.
She looked like my Trix again. She’d showered and the long black hair that I loved was wet and slicked back from her face. Her eyes weren’t shadowed, and the dark circles that had seemed like they would never leave had faded quite a bit.
“Hey, Sweetbea,” I said, announcing my presence.
Her head snapped up at my voice, and her eyes grew round in shock.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, taking a step back along the counter.
“What?” I watched in confusion as she set her bowl down and moved even further away from me.
“I thought—”
“What’re you doing?” I cut her off as she took another step away from me.
“Cam,” her voice was soft as her expression shuttered.
“Cam,” Dragon’s voice boomed as he came up behind me. “Need to have a word.”
I glanced behind me at Dragon’s expressionless face, then spun toward Trix again. “The fuck did you do, Bellatrix?” I asked, watching her face fall. “You fuckin’ kiddin’ me right now?”
“Cam,” Dragon snapped, laying his hand on my shoulder. I shrugged him off and took a step forward, watching Trix in disbelief.