Chapter 38
Chapter thirty-eight
Cam
Sharing a shower with Kate is quickly becoming my favorite way to begin the day.
We stand under the water, steam curling around us as water beads on her shoulders.
It’s a calm, quiet way to share time, to share space without needing words.
It’s one of the many reasons I’ve been staying here most nights.
These days I just stop by my place to check on things and grab more clothes to bring over.
Kate’s back is against my chest, her head tilted back slightly as I run my fingers through her hair, rinsing out the last of the conditioner. She makes a soft, content sound, and it hits me how easy this feels.
When I shut off the water, she hands me a towel, smiling. “You realize this means you’re officially in the morning routine now.”
I grin, the towel over my hair. “Guess I’ll have to learn the Prescott system.”
“Oh, you will,” she says, already laughing as she ties her robe. “It’s mostly loud talking and cereal.”
Fifteen minutes later, the kitchen’s alive with it. Evie’s perched at the table, curls wild while trying to tie one shoe and eat toast at the same time. I’m crouched beside her, helping loop the laces while she tells me every detail why Matilda the dinosaur has to go to grandma’s today.
“You got it,” I tell her, double-knotting the bow. “That dino’s going to stay right by your side.”
She beams. “You’re better than Grandma at shoes.”
“Don’t tell her that,” I whisper. “She’ll never forgive me.”
Kate steps up beside me and sets a travel mug on the counter. Coffee with cream and sugar.
“We’re out of creamer,” she says casually, reaching past me for the cabinet. “I added it to the grocery list.”
I glance at her. “You keep a grocery list?”
She gives me a look. “I have a child.”
Fair.
She screws the lid onto the mug and slides it closer. “I’ll probably stop by the store before I pick up Evie this afternoon.”
I take a sip of coffee. “I can do it. I have a couple of free hours around lunch. Give me the list and let me know any specifics.”
She meets my eyes for a beat, then leans in and presses a quick kiss to my mouth.
“Ewww!” Evie yells from the table. “Mom kissed Coach Wells!”
Kate groans. “Evie, eat your breakfast.”
“I saw it!” she sing-songs, kicking her feet.
I laugh. “Next time, we’ll have to hide in the pantry.”
“Guess so,” Kate says, eyes soft and bright all at once.
The morning turns into backpacks and a scramble for the door after that. Outside, I help Evie climb into the car while Kate leans against the open door, arms crossed.
“Dinner tonight,” she says. “Evie likes to eat promptly at five.”
“I know,” I tell her. “I’ll be here.”
She nods once, closes the door, and they pull away, Evie pressing her hand to the window as they wave.
I stand there for a long moment, then I exhale slowly, walk back to the house, and reach for my keys to my truck on the counter inside.
I won’t wait for a second knock on our door.
If Daniel wants to pretend he can come in and out of their lives whenever it suits him, then he can hear—calmly—that sort of thing won’t work while I’m around.
I DM’d Haddie Carmichael.
Believe me, it wasn’t my proudest moment. I knew the risk: Cedar Falls’ queen of public information would smell a story before I even hit send. But I needed to know where Daniel was staying, and if I needed answers fast, she was the surest bet.
The drive across town takes ten minutes, but it feels longer. Not because of anger—though it simmers quietly—but because I keep rehearsing what I’m going to say. Direct, firm, not aggressive. I want him to understand boundaries. That’s it.
The rental he’s in sits near the lake—white siding, black shutters, the kind of place people book when they want to feel like a local for a week. I park out front, take one slow breath, and flex my hands on the steering wheel.
I’m halfway up the path when the door opens. Daniel fills the frame in a pressed shirt and polished shoes, posture stiff but polite—a look he probably practiced in a mirror for years.
“Coach Wells,” he says, surprise slipping beneath the smooth tone. “Didn’t expect visitors.”
“I just want to talk,” I say calmly. “Two minutes. That’s it.”
He studies me, then steps aside. “All right.”
I don’t go inside—instead, I remain on the porch. Neutral ground.
“This is about Kate and Evie,” I say. “You need to go through the proper channels. Lawyers. Court. Whatever they set up. But you do not show up at their home unannounced again.”
Daniel’s jaw works, stiff and annoyed. “So that’s how we’re doing this?” he asks. “You showing up here telling me when and how I can see my daughter?”
“I’m telling you to stick to the process everyone agreed on up to this point,” I say evenly. “You have to follow it.”
He lets out a sharp breath. “I’m already being treated like an outsider. Now I’m supposed to run every move through a lawyer just to avoid upsetting your…arrangement?”
“That’s not what this is,” I say calmly. “It’s about doing things the right way. That’s all.”
He doesn’t agree, not openly, but he doesn’t deny it either. His silence is all irritation and ego—exactly the friction he’s been carrying into every conversation since he showed up.
The door creaks behind him, and a woman steps out—blonde, poised, her linen dress pressed perfectly. Her gaze skates over me like I tracked mud onto her rug.
“Daniel?” she asks sharply. “What’s going on?”
“Just a conversation,” he says.
“A conversation?” Her eyes narrow. “Is this the husband?”
I keep my tone even. “Yes, that’s me.”
Daniel’s eyes shoot to me. “So, that rumor is true?”
I nod. “Yes.”
Daniel’s eyes narrow. “Well, that was fast, wasn’t it?”
“You should leave,” Elizabeth cuts in. “This doesn’t involve you.”
“It does,” I say to her simply. “Because I care about them and they’re my family now.” My gaze moves to Daniel. “But I’m not here to fight. I’m here to make sure things are handled the right way.”
Elizabeth crosses her arms. “Handled? You show up here uninvited, and you call that handled?”
“I came here calmly,” I say. “And I’m not asking for anything outside of what’s right.”
Her eyebrow shoots up like she has a direct line to drama. “Daniel, he shouldn’t be here. This feels threatening.”
“It’s not,” I say immediately. “I’m not threatening anyone.”
She doesn’t hear that. Or she doesn’t want to.
Her hand is already on her phone. “I’m calling the police.”
Daniel stiffens. “Elizabeth—don’t. It’s fine—”
“No,” she snaps. “He can’t just show up here and intimidate you.”
“I’m not—” I start, but the phone is already ringing.
I step back a pace, palms open. “Ma’am, I’m not here to escalate anything. I came to talk respectfully.”
She aims a glare at me. “Respectful would’ve been staying away.”
Before anyone can say more, a door bangs open across the street. Of course it’s Debbie Carmichael, in a leopard print robe and slippers, phone ready to record, eyes practically glowing with the promise of morning gossip.
“You boys alright over there?” she calls.
Small-town radar never misses. And then, I hear sirens. Faint at first, then growing louder.
Perfect.
Two cruisers pull up. Officer Callahan climbs out, takes one look at the scene, and sighs like he already needs a second cup of coffee.
“Coach,” he says. “Morning.”
“Hey, Mark.”
Elizabeth steps forward like she’s been waiting for her cue. “Officer, this man came here to threaten my husband—”
“I didn’t threaten him,” I say, calm but firm. “I stated boundaries. No yelling, no aggression.”
Callahan looks from me to Daniel. “Anybody pressing charges?”
Elizabeth opens her mouth, but Daniel places a hand on her arm. His face is pale, realization dawning—how this plays in a town where his father is mayor, how a scene like this would look to the community.
“No,” he says quickly. “We’re fine. It was just a conversation.”
Callahan nods. “Alright then. Let’s keep it that way.” He shoots me a pointed look. “Cam, maybe head home. No need to make this more interesting for the neighborhood.”
“Got it.”
I step back off the porch. Before I walk away, I turn and meet Daniel’s gaze. “Do the right thing by Kate and your daughter,” I say quietly. “That’s all anyone wants.”
He swallows and nods once. I walk to my truck and leave.
I drive for a while, radio up on the back roads to give myself time to calm down.
By the time I hit Main Street, my pulse had finally started to slow.
The coffee shop’s open, the diner’s already full, and sure enough, I spot Haddie Carmichael out front of Cedar Perk, phone in hand, eyes alight like Christmas morning.
I scrub a hand down my face because I’m one-hundred percent sure that everyone in town will know about this conversation before noon.
Let them. If it keeps Kate and Evie feeling safe, they can talk all they want.