When I pull up in front of the hotel, Cammy and Ever are already waiting outside. They both squeeze into the front seat, and it isn’t hard to notice how miserable Ever looks.
“So…” Cammy says while settling into her seat. “I think we should introduce Ever to your parents and Hunter before we go.” For some reason, this shocks me. I wanted to do this, but I wanted to do a lot, and a few days isn’t enough time to do much of anything. Selfishly, I’ve hogged all the time I could with the two of them alone.
“Really?” I ask her. “I—um. I haven’t exactly told my parents anything that’s happened this week.”
“Now’s probably as good of a time as any,” she says, looking down to her fingers. I see she still has her ring on, and while I haven’t questioned that part of her life in the last couple of days, maybe I should. While I’m at it, though, maybe I should question why I still have my wedding band on. Maybe I should realize that everything we have created in the past four days is borderline disastrous. “I have to tell my parents too.” I don’t envy her for that. I can’t see them being very understanding.
I’m not sure how to say no to Cammy, especially with Ever sitting between us. I wouldn’t want her to think there’s a bigger reason for not telling Mom and Dad about her, and my situation with Tori. All I can hope is that Hunter’s big mouth finally helped me out. I don’t see how he’d keep all of the information I dumped on him yesterday to himself. He may not think I know he runs to Mom and Dad every time something huge is going on with someone other than himself, but I always have a way of finding out. Truthfully, I don’t tell him things I don’t intend for Mom and Dad to eventually find out. This was the exact reason I kept Ever’s existence to myself all of these years. For a man who keeps his own feelings sealed tightly away for no one to ever know, he has no issues sharing mine.
“Okay,” I tell them. “But I thought you needed to get on the road early?”
“I’m not in a rush to get this process started. I just want to hang on to what we have for a little longer.” I can agree with that.
“If I could keep you both from leaving, I would,” I tell them.
“Why can’t he come with us?” Ever asks.
“It’s complicated,” Cammy replies quickly.
Is it, though? I can’t help but feel like there’s more to her reason than me proving a stable job and home.
“You look nice today, Ever,” I tell her. The dark make-up has slowly disappeared from her face over the last few days and she’s wearing new clothes, which I assume Cammy had a hand in choosing. Her hair is off her face and it’s the first time I’ve seen her like this. My focus is pulled to the birthmark beneath her ear—the one that looks like shooting stars. It was as vivid in my memory after all of these years as it is on her skin. “But that’s probably because you look more like me without all that makeup on, you know?”
She glares at me, and I know if I had a hand in raising her to this age, the snarling look might have gotten old by now, but I swear every time she gives me this look, I love her a little bit more.
“My parents are a little overwhelming,” I warn Ever.
“Oh, just like the two of you?” she replies, proudly grinning at her shot.
“Exactly,” I say, rolling my eyes and giving her a snarl back.
We pull into the driveway, and I don’t know why I should be surprised, but Hunter’s here. It’s like he knew we’d be showing up, or maybe he’s just here every morning before work, and I don’t know about it. That’d be weird though. He’s married and stuff.
“Let me go in first, okay?”
“Sure,” Cammy says through a thick inhale—one that sounds coated with anxiousness.
I take Gavin out of the backseat and carry him inside, finding everyone sitting in the living room, looking at me like I just walked in naked. “Um, good morning?”
“AJ? What are you doing here?” Hunter asks, looking and sounding guilty.
“Hi, Uncle!”
“Olive, don’t you have school?” I ask her.
“Nope!” Lana shouts from the kitchen. “It’s a professional day for the teachers so we get to stay here for a bit this morning.” Well, at least there’s an actual reason for them being here. I was starting to assume Hunter raced over here to tell Mom and Dad what I came to tell them. I know he totally did.
“You don’t have to be at work for another hour, Hunt. It’s kind of early to be here, don’t you think?” I ask, shooting him a look to tell him I know exactly why he’s here. The bastard was definitely ratting me out.
“Uh—just wanted to get an early start,” he says.
“Bull!”
“Oh, AJ,” Mom says, standing from her chair and making her way over to me. “Can I please meet her?”
“Seriously?” I ask, looking at Hunter. “It’s seven-thirty in the morning. Last night must have killed you, keeping this secret in all night.”