Drew pasted a big, fake smile on his face, and Cameron had to give the guy a smidgen of credit. He knew how to turn it off and on, which was something Cameron had yet to figure out.
“Great. Just came to see how the team’s doing,” Drew commented. “We’re playing a tough one on Friday and wanted to talk your game plan.”
He and Blake stepped to the side, but not before Blake tossed Cameron a look that said, You just can’t help yourself, can you?
No, he couldn’t. He had impulse issues.
“What the hell?” Brandon complained.
Cameron held his hands up in defense. “What? I was minding my own business when he came over here and egged me on.”
Brandon shook his head. “Yeah, but why do you have to say shit like that to him?”
Because Drew Spalding was an ass who deserved it. Drew Spalding was the type of man who used his own grief as a weapon and had taken things to a level with Cameron they shouldn’t have gone. He knew Brandon and Blake suspected there was more to their story than just Cameron screwing Drew’s wife.
They were right, but they didn’t have a clue why.
And Cameron would keep it that way.
“Do you remember what your teacher’s name is?” Audrey adjusted Piper’s backpack for the fifth time and smoothed her hand over the child’s hair. That morning, after setting her alarm for six thirty, she’d readied Piper for her first day of kindergarten, then spent twenty minutes trying to get Piper’s hair to look just right. Piper had scowled at Audrey’s reflection because she hated braids, and Audrey had assured her she looked just like a Disney princess, which had lessened the scowl to a mere pout.
Now they were in front of Cameron’s house waiting for the bus to pick up Piper. Audrey swallowed back a lump as she took in Piper’s pink leggings, matching sweater and boots. They’d picked out the ensemble together last night before putting in a dual effort to make Piper’s lunch. Cameron had done a surprisingly good job of shopping for Piper. They’d been gone for four hours, and the entire time Audrey had been tempted to call to make sure they were okay. She’d had to force a distraction upon herself not to invade their time together. Despite her worries, they’d returned intact, full of smiles and shopping bags crammed full of stuff. Cameron had even thought to purchase a lunchbox and two new pairs of shoes.
“Ms. Matthews,” Piper answered as she swung her backpack back and forth.
“And do you remember where you’re supposed to sit?” Audrey knew she was overworrying, or fussing, as Cameron had accused. But she couldn’t help it. Piper had never been to school before and didn’t know any of the kids. What if she got lost on her way to the classroom? What if she went into the wrong classroom? What if none of the kids talked to her?
Good grief, is this what parents went through every day? How did they not lose their minds with worry all the time? Cameron had seemed to handle it much better than Audrey as he’d simply ruffled Piper’s hair this morning before leaving for work with a muttered, “Have a great day, kid.”
Piper nodded and picked at the strap of her backpack. “Yeah, it’s the desk with my name on it,” she answered, reminding Audrey she was obsessing again and needed to chill. Best to just focus on getting Piper on the bus for now.
But maybe one last question first. “And do you remember where to put your backpack?”
Piper slumped her shoulders, indicating she was tired of all the poking and prodding. “I know, Audrey. It’s cubby number twenty-three. That’s my student number because Ms. Matthews told me.”
Yeah, okay, she needed to stop already and give Piper more credit. She’d be okay. She’d make friends and have a great time and tell Audrey all about it after school.
She heard the familiar sounds of the bus pulling around the corner, and Audrey’s heart picked up. Okay, this was it. Time to put Piper on the bus and spend her first day without the child who’d become like her shadow.
Audrey swallowed back a lump as she held Piper’s backpack for her to slip on. “You’re going to have a great day, right?”
Piper nodded. “Yeah.”
“And remember to eat all the food in your lunch.” Okay, you’re fussing again.
The warning sounded oddly like Cameron, and Audrey shoved the thought away.
“But I don’t like those red things you packed,” Piper complained.
Audrey knew that was going to be an issue, but she’d packed them anyway. “Those are strawberries, and they’re really good for you. They make you run fast.”
Piper spun around after securing her Frozen backpack over her shoulders. “No, they don’t. You’re just saying that so I’ll eat them.”
Audrey squatted in front of Piper as the bus rolled to a stop next to the curb. “Why don’t you just give them a try for me?”
Piper didn’t answer, and Audrey knew that was her way of saying, “Yeah, fat chance.”
The bus doors swooshed open with a soft hiss. Piper turned around, ready to climb on the thing, but Audrey stopped her. She turned the girl around and gave her a fierce hug, willing the tears to hold off at least until Piper was on the bus. It wouldn’t do either of them any good for her to turn into a blubbering mess now. Piper needed Audrey to be strong, even though she was crumbling inside at the idea of Piper being gone for the whole day.
For months, it had been the two of them. Piper would turn her big, green eyes to Audrey’s, or slip her fragile hand in Audrey’s bigger one as though to say, “You’ve got my back, right?”
The amount of trust Piper had in Audrey was both staggering and unfamiliar. She was unused to someone, especially someone so
