47. Chapter 47
Cameron
Time always seemed to slow down when it was snowing. I pressed my forehead against the cold glass, separating me from the outside. I’d been looking out this window for what felt like forever.
My gaze flickered toward the clock on the wall.
It had been almost an hour and a half since Sebastian called to yell at me about the food order.
I knew service at Jade Palace could be slow, especially if they were busy, but this felt excessive .
We’d all gotten so tired of waiting that we finished decorating the tree and sent Lucian upstairs to read to the kids before bedtime.
I shifted on the couch, pulling my phone from my pocket, hoping I’d have something from either of them.
Nothing.
Maybe I was just overanalyzing this. Hell, I knew for a fact that neither Mason nor Seb could keep their hands to themselves, so they were probably just out having sex in the woods or whatever those kinky little shits were into.
My fingers started to tingle as I looked at the clock again, unable to do anything else.
“Would you look at that snow,” Sophia said, sneaking up behind me and planting a hand on my hip .
Her warm body melted into mine as I continued to examine the world lying just beyond the window. A thick blanket of white snow covered the rolling farmland, and I was glad I’d made it a point to get all of our equipment into the barn last week.
Sophia’s head rested on my shoulder as she looked up at me. “Are you okay? You seem distracted.”
I swallowed hard. Less than an hour ago, I’d wanted to scream at her for giving Lucian alcohol, but now all I wanted was for her to soothe my frayed nerves.
“I’m just thinking about Seb and Mae. They should have been back a long time ago, or at least called someone to let us know they’re alright.” The snowflakes swirling outside were almost mesmerizing, but they only seemed to make my anxiety worse.
“You worry too much.” She shot me an award-winning smile. “Mason likes to get lost. I’m sure she just sweet-talked Sebastian into going to look at the stars.”
I forced myself to nod. Sophia had yet to be wrong in our three-year relationship, and I hoped that trend continued.
Still, I couldn’t shake the unease that gnawed at me.
The longer we stood there, the more the picturesque scene outside the window felt like a cruel reminder of the unknown.
I tried to check my phone again, but Sophia slipped it from my fingers.
“They’re fine.” Her voice was soft and soothing, which was the polar opposite of the panicked steps thundering down the stairs.
My head snapped back to see Lucian running down the steps with Jasper and Juniper on either hip.
“You two. Coats and shoes. Let’s go.” He barked his orders, but the lack of context left me confused.
He placed the kids on the floor as soon as he could before rushing them to the line of shoes by the door. Lucian was pale and shaking as he did his best to calmly coax the twins into their rain boots. But he wasn’t as kind with Sophia and me.
“What are you two, deaf?” he snarled. “Get your fucking shoes on. We. Need. To. Go. Now ! ”
Behind the anger in Lucian’s words was a slight quiver that caused my blood to run cold. That feeling only worsened when he looked up. Tears rimmed his eyes, and he looked like he was one moment away from losing his mind.
“Lucian, what’s going on?” Sophia asked as she slowly approached him.
His chest heaved as he slipped a pale pink coat onto Juniper’s body. Sophia instantly grabbed the matching green coat for Jasper. But while she was helpful, fear had me frozen.
“Cameron. We. Need. To. Fucking. Go,” he repeated, a stray tear escaping him.
I shook my head slowly as a lump the size of Texas formed in my throat. I had a feeling I knew what this was about, but I didn’t want to be right. “Where do we need to go?”
The first of many sobs broke through Lucian as he zipped Juniper up. He looked up at me, his lips rapidly parting and shutting, like he couldn’t physically get the words out.
“Luce, where do we need to go?” My voice broke.
A torrent of emotions played across his face—fear, helplessness, and a pain so raw it was contagious.
“The hospital, you dumbass.” The desperation in his voice took the edge off his words.
Sophia’s breathing stilled as she clutched onto Jasper like he was a stuffed animal. “Lucian… What happened?”
He closed his eyes, like it’d be easier to say if he didn’t have to look at us. “My sister called me. There was an accident and…”
Lucian’s lips continued to move, but all I heard was TV static as the room closed in around me. I’d done everything in my power to keep Mason safe from Dale, and yet, it felt like the past was painfully close to repeating.
Due to the weather, we decided to take Lucian’s Jeep, but I was the one who drove.
I needed something to focus on, something other than the fact that Mason, Sebastian, and Rosie could all be dead.
That wasn’t officially confirmed, but I couldn’t think of a single reason they wouldn’t call someone in the house instead of involving Leona in this mess.
Lucian said something about Mason being out of it and calling his sister on instinct–something about her being the closest thing to a mom Mason had–but it just didn’t make sense.
The tires crunched on the freshly fallen snow and ice, and the Jeep’s headlights sliced through the darkness.
The tension in the car led to a deathly silence, only broken by the occasional sniffle from the kids or Lucian doing his best to comfort them.
Despite all his shortcomings, he was a good dad.
Something I’d never really get the chance to be.
As we got closer to the hospital, a blue SUV wrapped around a pine tree caught my eye. Instantly, I knew it was Seb’s. No one else in Hartwood drove anything like it. My stomach churned, and I prayed to a God I wasn’t sure I believed in anymore.
I did my best to stay focused on the road, but a sick feeling formed in my stomach. Sophia reached over, placing a hand on my thigh, silently reassuring me that everything was going to be okay. It had to be.
When we reached Hartwood General, Lucian was out of the car before we fully parked, leaving Sophia and me to get the twins out of their car seats.
He disappeared into the whiteout of snow, and we did our best to keep up with him.
From there, everything was a blur; life happened far too fast for me to take note of anything .
All I knew was we talked to someone, who led us somewhere and to someone else who’d take us down another corridor.
Eventually, we came upon Leona. I was a little shocked to see her here considering Hartwood was a good two hours, if not more, from Portland.
She was seated in the waiting room, dressed in pajamas just as the rest of us were, hers just didn’t have turkeys. Her dark eyes were rimmed in red as she stood to greet us.
Lucian reached her first, wrapping his arms around her before the two conversed in Spanish, and I really didn’t like being left out of this specific conversation. After a moment, she shrugged her brother off and beckoned me closer with one finger.
“Come on Cameron, we need to take a walk, just us,” she explained.
But that didn’t bode well with Sophia.
“What? No! We’re all here, we’re all worried,” she pleaded.
Leona’s corkscrew curls bounced as she shook her head. “They’re only allowing two visitors right now, and Cameron goes first.”
Why did I go first? What happened? Who died?
“Why don’t you stay here with Lucian and the kids? Cam and I will go,” Sophia said as she held onto Leona’s arms.
But Leo gave her a small smile as she pulled herself free. “Because I’m the only one who knows the way. Cameron and I won’t be gone long. I just think he needs to go first.”
I glanced at Sophia, and despite the worry etched into her face, she gave me a reassuring squeeze.
I took a deep breath before allowing Leona to lead me away and down another dimly lit corridor. Every muscle in my body was so tense I feared they’d snap, but as we pushed through a set of silver doors, I was greeted with a sound I didn’t expect to hear.
Babies crying .
I stopped dead in my tracks and looked down at Leona. “Where’re you taking me?”
“To meet someone special,” Leona said as she moved from pulling to pushing me down the hall.
The rigidity gave way to an unyielding shakiness as she led me a little further into a room full of incubators. Most of the babies were tiny and hooked up to more tubes than I could count, and I thought I was going to throw up as Leona made me wash my hands before taking me to the back of the room.
“Hi Leona!” A young-looking nurse called to her like they were old friends. “Who’s this?”
“This is Rosemary’s daddy.”
Leona’s words caused warmth to spread through me .
“Ah, I was wondering when someone would come to claim this cutie.” A paper mask covered in cartoon characters obscured the nurse’s lower face, but I had a feeling she was smiling. “We were just getting Rosie ready to move to intermediate care. I’ve never seen such a chunky preemie!”
Before I fully registered what was happening, the nurse helped me into a yellow paper gown and led me to the last incubator in the row. There she was, the angriest-looking baby I’d ever seen.
Rosie’s little face was scrunched into what looked like a scowl, and her fists were balled near her face.
And if the fact she didn’t look exactly like Mason wasn’t enough to tell me this was my baby, the thumb in her mouth would have.
I stepped closer; the top of the incubator was open, but instead of reaching right in, I touched the warm plastic surrounding her.
“Can I put my hands through the holes?” I said, realizing I was one wrong move away from crying.
“I can do you one better,” the nurse chirped before scooping Rosie up. “Have you ever held a baby?”
I looked back at Leona. There was no way the nurse was talking to me or that this was even real.
“He has.” Leona nodded toward me.
I looked back as the nurse inched toward me, guiding my arms into place before depositing Rosie where she belonged.
My heart nearly burst as I stared down at the infant in my arms, the one that was half me and half Mason. Instinctively, I offered her one of my fingers. Her tiny hand reached up before grabbing me with a strength I didn’t expect from someone so small.
“Hi there.” My voice shook as I adjusted the pink hat on Rosie’s head. I didn’t want her to get cold.
“Psst. Slide the beanie back a little,” Leona whispered.
Emotion clogged my throat as I did as she said.
The pink material slipped back, exposing a head full of copper hair .
And that’s all it took to shatter my composure.
A sob tore through me as I held Rosie that much closer.
After over twenty years of being denied this moment, I was finally holding my baby .
But there was still something missing from this moment.
“Where’s your Mama?” I asked as if Rosie could actually respond.
It was like I was enjoying an orchestra but the lead violinist was missing.
Leona cleared her throat before extending her arms. “Maybe I should take the baby before we talk about that.”
“No, I want my daughter.” I said, holding Rosie closer.
Leona’s eyes locked onto mine with an understanding I didn’t expect. “Cam, what I’m about to say isn’t easy news, and you’ll probably want to go sit down.”
“Leo, where’s Mason?”
And Sebastian, for that matter.
Leona placed her hands on mine, and panic crept in as I realized I probably wouldn’t like what she had to say.