Asher didn’t blush. He didn’t look the least bit uncomfortable. Releasing Natalie, he moved back to Cameron’s side and wrapped an arm securely around his shoulders, pulling him close to place a kiss on his forehead.
“It was a good talk,” he allowed, his lips curving into a crooked grin. “One of the best I’ve ever had.”
Cameron groaned.
“I do hope you two are using protection,” Sarah Stone said over her shoulder as she inserted a pan of yeast rolls into the oven. “Did you find the condoms I left in your room?”
At that point, Cameron prayed for death. He actively hoped for a bolt of lightning to strike him down right there in the kitchen. It would probably be less painful.
“I hate you all,” he grumbled.
Everyone laughed, even Asher.Traitor.
“Cameron, breathe.” Natalie kissed his cheek as she passed on her way across the room. “We’re all adults, and no one cares.”
Standing next to the sideboard that stretched under the window, she went to drop her phone into her open purse, missed, and sent the bag toppling to the floor. The contents spilled out across the tiles, scattering in every direction. Despite what a pain in the ass she’d been,Cameron extracted himself from Asher’s embrace and hurried over to help her pick up the mess.
“That’s okay,” she said quickly when he crouched down beside her. She snatched the tube of lip gloss from his hand and shoved it into her purse. “Really. Thank you. I’ve got it.”
Cameron rolled his eyes but otherwise ignored her. Duck walking over to the table, he stretched out to retrieve a small pink bottle that had rolled beneath it. The rattling when he picked it up said it was a pill bottle, and he guessed it was probably for menstrual cramps or some other girl thing. Honestly, he didn’t give it much thought until he turned to pass the bottle to Natalie and noticed the picture on the label of an obviously pregnant woman.
“Natalie?”
Her eyes went wide, and she made a grab for the bottle, but Cameron stood and held it out of her reach.
“Give it to me.”
Furrowing his brow, he stared down at the label with a mixture of confusion and disbelief. “Prenatal vitamins?”
“It’s nothing.” She tried to smile as she got to her feet, but her bottom lip trembled. “They’re good for your hair and nails. That’s all.”
She might have been more convincing if she wasn’t shaking from head to toe. Tears welled in her eyes when the silence stretched between them, and she kept shuffling her feet like she might bolt out of the room at any second.
“Natalie?” Rounding the island, their mother came to join them, her brow furrowed in concern as she glanced back and forth between them. “What’s wrong?”
“I…I…”
When words failed her, Cameron handed his mother the pill bottle and pulled his sister into his arms. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t offer reassurances or ask any of the million questions racing through his mind. He just held her as she sobbed against his shoulder.
“Oh,” his mother gasped, but she nodded resolutely when Cameron met her gaze and wrapped her arms around both her children.
A moment later, his aunts joined them. He wasn’t sure if they had cottoned on to what was happening, but it didn’t matter. They had sensed something was wrong, and they had come to lend their strength and support, to surround Natalie with love and acceptance.
Cameron couldn’t even begin to imagine how scared she was, how alone she must have been feeling lately. It did explain some of her strange behavior, though. The illness that had kept her from Asher’s book signing. Not returning Cameron’s calls for days at a time. Locking herself in her bedroom and hiding from the rest of the family. It all made a lot more sense now.
If he hadn’t been so focused on himself, maybe he would have figured it out sooner. At the very least, maybe she would have felt more comfortable sharing such a life-changing secret with him. He didn’t feel guilty exactly. Just…disheartened.
He didn’t know how long they stood there, but eventually, Natalie’s sobs quieted, and she lifted her head from his shoulder. “Thank you.”
There wasn’t anything he could say to make this better for her, so he just kissed her forehead and whispered, “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” their mother added. “Nothing you can do will ever change that, but I do have some questions.”
Sighing, Natalie moved out of Cameron’s arms and took a step back so that she stood facing everyone gathered around the table. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I just didn’t know how.”
“Is it Aiden’s?” their mother asked. Her tone wasn’t necessarily disapproving, but there was definitely an edge to her voice.
“Yes.” Natalie bit her bottom lip and nodded. “It’s Aiden’s baby.” Moisture shined in her eyes again. “He doesn’t want it.”
