“Asher’s going to do it,” he said, joining her on the sidewalk in front of a pet bakery.
“What?” She spun around so quickly her hair whipped into her face. She spat a few times and shoved the locks back roughly. “Are you serious?”
“I know.” He fought back a grimace, not wanting her to know how worried he actually was. “It’s the best opportunity to get his side of the story out there, though. And well—” He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and shrugged. “—he thinks it might be a chance to get some closure.”
Natalie chewed her bottom lip, and a shallow valley formed between her narrowed eyes. “I still don’t like it.”
Cameron didn’t like it, either. There were so many things that could go wrong. Asher could freeze up while they were filming. He could lose his temper on national television and call his parents a couple of abusive, bigoted, manipulative bottom feeders. He’d be justified, of course, but that probably wasn’t the message he wanted to send.
“It’s his choice.”
He felt like he’d been saying that a lot lately, but it didn’t get any easier. All he could really do at that point was support Asher and be there for him if shit fell apart.
Natalie sighed. “I guess. Is that why he’s not here?”
“I’m sure he’d rather be here than where he is right now.” Falling into step beside her, he chuckled. “He’s with Talon. They’re going over possible questions that might come up in the interview, and Talon’s coaching him on how to give good answers without being too detailed.”
Since his sister had never met Talon Andrews, she really couldn’t appreciate the full extent of Asher’s current misery. Cameron, however, would be surprised if they both made it out of that conference room alive.
“When is the interview?”
“Monday.”
“Damn, they don’t waste any time, do they?”
It meant Asher had less than seventy-two hours to ready himself for the ordeal. Even if they had a month, he wasn’t sure anything could fully prepare Asher for the confrontation with his parents. On a positive note, that also meant that Cameron didn’t have long to obsess over it, either.
Natalie issued another quiet sigh, and she dropped her head as she rubbed the back of her neck. She looked a little paler than usual, and the shadows around her eyes spoke to a restless night. Cameron figured it was to be expected, but he hated that he couldn’t do anything to ease some of the burden.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay.” She dropped her hand and smiled up at him. “Just a headache. Probably from caffeine withdrawals.” Leaning sideways, she bumped against his shoulder. “God, I miss coffee.”
“You can have a little, can’t you?”
He thought he’d read that somewhere, but he’d have to check. Actually, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to swing by the bookstore on his way home and pick up a few books on pregnancy, parenting, and other general baby stuff.
“Maybe. I don’t know. I’m going to ask the doctor when I see him next week.” She shrugged helplessly. “It’s just really overwhelming. I don’t know anything about babies, Cameron. What if I screw this up?”
Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “You won’t screw it up. You’re going to be awesome at this whole parenting gig.” He smiled when she giggled. “Whatever you don’t know, you’ll learn, and you won’t have to do it alone.”
“I hate to break it to you, but you don’t know anything about babies, either.”
“True, but our mother did raise two of them, and we’re not dead. I figure she must have done something right.”
This seemed to calm her more than anything else, and when she pulled away from him, it was with a smile. “Thanks, Cameron. You’re a pretty good big brother, you know that?”
Under different circumstances, he would have brushed off her compliment or responded with something glib and sarcastic. It was clear from her tone that she was being sincere, and she deserved the same in return.
“I’m here for you, Nat, whatever you need. We’ll figure this out together, okay?”
“You’re right. I’m just scared.”
It was understandable. It wasn’t even his baby, and he was nervous as hell about the coming months. “Do you need me to come with you to your appointment next week?”
She shook her head as they started walking again. “Thanks, but mom said she wants to go. I might try to bribe you into going to Lamaze classes with me, though.”
She wouldn’t need to bribe him, and they both knew it. In an effort to keep the mood light, though, he said, “I take payment in the form of coffee and chocolate.”
