I feel like I’m missing something right now. I tell her as much.
She sighs and brings her baby blue eyes to me. “Elizabeth used to talk about you, you know.”
My eyes widen. “What did she say?”
“Just about your trip and how great you were,” she says, chewing thoughtfully. “She called you Cam, so I didn’t put two and two together, but yeah, I did hear a lot about you.”
“Okay, and?”
“And,” she says, dragging out the word. “Did you ever have any feelings for her?”
Oh fuck. Now I see where this is going.
“We’re just friends, Jo. That’s all we ever were,” I say, brow furrowing. “Is that what the problem is? You think that you’re trampling on her toes, or is this an insecurity thing?”
She looks like she wants to kill me with her bare hands. I look down to see her little hands closed into little fists, and her eyes are filled with a fire I’ve never seen coming from her before.
“Please tell me that you did not just say that,” she asks between clenched teeth. “You think this is about me being jealous? This has nothing to do with that, Ranger. My cousin just went through a fucking ordeal, and I had no idea that you were the Cam she kept talking about, or I never would have slept with you.”
“Why not?” I ask. “Just because I was friends with your cousin years ago? Because she seems to need me now for some reason? I don’t know why she seems to want me near her—maybe she feels safer? I don’t know, Jo. I care about your cousin, and I’ll be here for her if she needs me to be, but it’s you I want to be with. I hope you’re not just looking for excuses because you’re scared . . . I know this isn’t exactly what you’d hoped for, and I know we don’t have an easy path ahead of us, but I don’t give a fuck. I think you’re worth it, and I hope you feel the same way about me.”
There it is. All my cards laid out on the table, no games, no messing around. She said that I’m never vulnerable, but in this moment I am.
When she doesn’t reply, I bring my hand to her jaw and look her right in the eye. “Tell me I’m worth it, Jo.”
“You’re worth it,” she says. She opens her mouth to say something else when her phone rings again.
“We better get going; we can talk more about this later,” I say, leaning forward and kissing her lips. “But the bottom line is, whatever shit happens, we’ll sort it out, all right?”
She nods and kisses me this time, harder than I kissed her. I smile against her lips, happy that she’s not acting off anymore, that she’s back on my team. On our team. She ends the kiss, flashes me a smile, and stands, ready to go back to the hospital. I stand and take her hand, bringing it to my mouth and placing my lips on her knuckles. We share a look, a moment, something passing between us.
I let her know that I’m all in, and she acknowledges that fact.
It’s not exactly what I want from her, but it will do.
For now anyway.
? ? ?
“Are you flying back with me?” Elizabeth asks. She looks much better today, color in her cheeks and a sunnier disposition. Maybe seeing her family did her some good, or maybe she’s just realizing that she’s safe now. I’m not na?ve enough to think that it’s going to be all good now for her, but she’s definitely heading in the right direction, I think. She’s looking forward to going home, and that’s something.
I look to Jo as I answer her question. “I’m flying back whenever Jo is, so if she’s flying with you, then yes.”
Elizabeth glances at Jo. “Okay.”
“I need to head into the station today,” Jo says, looking at her watch. “Tie up some loose ends. After that I’m ready to fly out whenever. Depends on you, Elizabeth, and how you’re feeling.”
“I’m ready to go home,” she says to Jo, wrapping her arms around herself. “I just want this whole nightmare to be over, you know? I want to be at home, back in my own bed.”
Jo nods, eyes softening. “I know, sweetie. If the doctor says it’s okay, I can book all of our tickets to fly out tomorrow. We need to make sure the media doesn’t get wind of it though, because the news stations are dying to cover this story, and they’re going to be all over you.”
“They’ll want me and the other girls to do an interview or something, right?” she asks, raising her eyebrows. “Yeah, I’m definitely not ready to do something like that. I just want to crawl under my covers and sleep for a year. Helen will be at home with me, so I won’t be alone.” She brings her eyes to mine. “And, Cam, you can drop in if I need some company, right?”
I nod. “Sure, I can check in on you.”
“Great,” she says, a slow-spreading smile appearing on her face. “If I get the go-ahead, then we can leave tomorrow morning.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Jo says, standing up. “I better get going, I’ll be back here in a few hours. Is there anything you want on the way, Elizabeth?”
“I’ll get Cam to text you if I think of anything,” she replies, flashing Jo a grateful look. “Helen brought me some clothes and shoes and stuff, so I’m good in that area. Maybe I’ll want some nonhospital food though, like a giant burger and fries or something.”
“I’ll be waiting for your text, then,” Jo says, then turning to me. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay, drive safely,” I tell her, watching her as she leaves the room. When I turn back to Elizabeth, her eyes are already on me, slightly narrowed.
“You two seem to have gotten pretty close,” she says, looking contemplative. “You’re a biker.”
Amusement fills me. “Yes, I am.”
“And she’s a cop.”
I nod. I know all this. What I don’t know is why she’s pointing it out.
She licks her lips and looks down at her hands. “Cam, the reason I went looking for you wasn’t just to say hello. I wanted to tell you that . . .” She clears her throat, then looks up at me, blue eyes boring into me. “Did you ever think that maybe we’d have been perfect for each other? We got along so well and we had the best time. I don’t think I’d ever laughed so much in my life. I know I was different back then, I was more shy and inexperienced, but I’m older now. Wiser. And I always think about what would have happened if we gave us a chance.” She pauses, smiles, then adds, “You’re kind of the one who got away for me.”
The one who got away? As in . . .
Everything suddenly clicks. Jo’s behavior, Elizabeth’s behavior . . . fuckin’ everyone’s behavior.