I snorted a laugh, then followed Sophia into the hallway. We didn’t immediately walk down to Cameron’s room. Sophia stood still until Ollie’s door latched, then she looked at me, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.
“Is something wrong, Ms. Torres?” I asked warily.
“Call me Sophia. And I’m not sure.”
I frowned. “Are you gonna tell me what’s up, or will I have to guess?”
She sighed and gazed around the clinic. “Something strange is going on. I know that. I canseethat, but I’m not sure what.”
Unease trickled up my chest, burning the back of my throat like acid. I did not want to have this conversation right now. If anyone was going to take a chance and tell a human about our existence, it needed to be JC.
Thankfully, Sophia shook her head. “What I really wanted to talk about was Cameron.”
I leaned back, kicking one foot up to rest on the wall behind me. “What about Cameron?” I asked.
“Well, she’ll probably be mad that I’m saying this,” Sophia said, “but I’m not blind.”
“Not sure I’m following you,” I said.
“There’s a connection between you two. I can see it,” she went on, and she looked at me with what I could only call hopefulness. “She’s always had a hard time making connections to people. The only person other than family she’s ever become attached to is her friend Lesley.”
“Hang on,” I said, holding up my hand. “She was close to being engaged to Rick. You don’t call that a connection?”
Sophia surprised me by turning her head and feigning spitting on the ground. “Bah,pendejo. No.” She shook her head firmly. “That was Cameron grasping at straws. I knew it and tried to get her to see that, but she was too blinded by her hopes and dreams of a happy life.” She hung her head and frowned. A sad, guilty look flashed across her face. “It’s partly my fault for the life I’ve given her since Callum vanished.”
“Callum?” I narrowed my eyes. “Is that her birth father? She said she never knew him.”
She nodded. “He disappeared when she was only a baby. Even though she has no memory of him, I think there’s a hole inside her. A missing piece that neither I nor Gael can fill. I’ve always worried that she blames herself for Callum leaving. Thatvacuum inside her heart could never be filled. I watched her try with boyfriends while she worked her way through high school and college, but she never allowed herself to be vulnerable enough to let love in.”
She sighed and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. This was a strange conversation, and if I knew Cameron half as well as I thought I did, her mother was right that Cameron would be pissed she was telling me all this. That being said, I was curious beyond belief and wanted to know more about her.
“So what was Rick, then?” I asked.
“We’ve had a rough go of it,” Sophia admitted. “That’s always been a point of stress for her. It’s all my fault. I’ve been searching for someone to love the way I loved Callum, and I haven’t been the best judge of character. When Gael’s father walked out, things got even worse. Too bad there aren’t any time machines to go back and change things.” She shrugged. “Cameron craves structure and support. She knows she can’t stay with me forever, and she’s trying to find something to fill that void. Rick came along and slid right into her life. He had the money, the success, the looks—everything shethoughtshe needed for structure. But even from the beginning, I could see it wasn’t true emotion.”
“This is getting really deep. What are you trying to tell me, Sophia?”
“I’m rambling,” she admitted, rubbing her temples. “Sorry. What I’m trying to say is that you have to give my girl time. She’s built someverystrong walls around herself. If you want to be with her, you’ll have to navigate that. It might take her some time to come around. That’s all.”
I nodded slowly. “I think I can do that.”
She huffed out a little breath. “Good. Let’s go check on her.”
As we walked, I tried to take her words to heart. Maybe Cameron was as afraid of commitment as I was. Afraid of it, but also craving it? That thought didn’t sit well with me. Itquestioned my thoughts about why I’d stayed a lone wolf for this long. Introspection wasn’t my strong suit.
At the door, I glanced in the window and saw JC still talking to Cameron. In the corner of my eye, I saw Sophia wipe at her eyes. Maybe she’d upset herself with our talk? I reached out awkwardly and patted her shoulder.
“I’m fine,” she said. “I’m going to go freshen up. I’m sure he won’t be much longer.”
She hurried off to find a bathroom before I could say more. I didn’t want to stand out here, waiting. I wanted—no,needed—to see Cameron. I tapped my knuckles on the door.
“Come in,” JC called.
When I stepped into the room, the first thing I saw was Cameron. Our eyes locked, and I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my lips. A burning heat surged through me at the sight of her. The memory of her skin gliding across mine filled my mind. My wolf growled in satisfaction.
“Hey there,” I said, keeping my voice low. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” Cameron said as she smiled back at me. I could have sworn I saw a flicker of desire in her eyes.
