Chapter 33 #2
“Seems like maybe I’m going to have to force myself to take some vacation time. We can take Claud.”
Nate side-hugs me. “She’ll love that.”
I pass him his letter. “Your turn.”
He holds it in both hands, palms up, and doesn’t move.
“What are you, Houdini?” Leo nudges from beside him. “Trying to open it with your eyes? Come on.”
But Nate’s nerves are palpable, his fingers slightly unsteady as he starts to break the seal.
I place my hand gently over his. “You can open it later,” I whisper.
“No.” His voice is quiet but firm.
Then he opens it the rest of the way.
Nathaniel,
As I write these letters to the family, I’m not only reflecting on the past, but on the future I’m going to miss out on. The milestones I’ll miss with my Claudina. The birthdays, weddings, and births of new Morales-Davenport babies.
It’s sad…God, it’s so painfully sad, but it’s not what scares me…there’s only one thing I’m truly afraid of, Nate, and that is, I’m leaving this world with a secret that should be shared.
I’m scared that when I leave this earth, I won’t be your support system any longer. That you’ll feel like you’ve lost your safe place.
So I need you to be brave for me.
I need you to find the courage to let the others in—your brothers, but most importantly, Maddie. Let her take care of you the way you take care of everyone else.
You don’t have to carry everything alone, no matter how much you think you should.
Burying your past won’t heal you, Nate. You know that as well as I do. But Maddie…she’ll come closer than anyone ever could. Closer than any therapist. Even closer than me.
So, here it is, my dying wish (yes, I’m throwing that out there)… finally allow yourself to lean on others. Let them show up for you.
I love you so much, Nate.
I love the way you love so deeply and unconditionally.
I love your quiet devotion. Your relentless drive.
And I love, more than anything, how fiercely you love my best friend.
One day, I hope with my whole heart that Claudina finds a man like you. Someone who will love her completely, stand beside her dreams, and cherish every piece of who she is.
Until we meet again, but until then…celebrate me, because I’ll be above somewhere, cheering you on every step of the way.
Set your sails to the life you want, Nate, not the wind you’re given.
“Oh, Camila…” My hand flies to my mouth, barely holding back the sob that climbs my throat.
I glance around the room.
Not a single dry eye. I knew it was coming.
Nate is hunched forward, shoulders shaking, and my own vision blurs so quickly I can barely see him.
I lean into Nate, while his brother reaches across and rubs slow, steady circles over his back.
After a long, heavy moment, Nate drags in a breath and looks toward Leo, who has clearly read the letter too. “I have a lot to share with you.”
Leo squeezes his shoulder. “Whenever you’re ready. No rush.”
“Look.” I point toward the bottom of the page. “It says flip.”
Maddie and Nate,
I’ve already said my piece to you separately, but there’s one thing I want you both to know, and it’s not that I’m dancing in the afterlife, happy as can be that my favorite people are back together.
I know you both are aware of how special your relationship is, but it’s so much more than that, and I need you to know…to really understand.
When you’re together, there’s an electricity that everyone in the room can feel. The love written in storybooks has nothing on the connection between you two.
This is once in a lifetime.
Don’t let it die.
Fucking love each other endlessly until your dying breath, for me.
xoxo,
C
“Was she always this wise?” I trace the words with my fingers.
“No,” Nate and Leo say in unison, and we all laugh, tears still present in all our eyes.
“What would have happened if we hadn’t gotten back together yet?” I ask.
Leo reaches for the second envelope and hands it over. “Here. Find out.”
Nate slides the last letter free, and a second later, a rough, surprised chuckle breaks from his chest.
Just like that, the heaviness in the room cracks.
I gently take the page from his hands, and the second I read it, a wide smile spreads across my face.
Get your fucking shit together, Davenport, and go get our girl!!!!!
XO
Your loving sister
“God, I miss her so much,” Nate mutters.
“There’s no better time to go to the pub,” Leo declares, already pushing to his feet. “Let’s go celebrate our sister.”
We’re quick to follow.
Carefully, reverently, I tuck the letters back into the box.
I’ll come back for them later, because I’m keeping them safe for the rest of my life.
“Cheers to Camila,” I say to Nate and Leo, and I clink their scotches with my Diet Coke.
“To our wild, carefree, loving sister,” Nate adds. “We miss you.”
We take a sip of our drink, then Nate slides his phone over to me.
“Look at this.”
It’s the deed from Camp Horizon. I almost forgot about this.
“So it’s officially yours?”
“Ours.”
“Same thing.”
He taps the screen. “Those names beg to differ.”
He’s right, it says both our names on the deed. “Now what?”
He shrugs easily. “Whatever you want. We can leave the land as is and let it be a nature preserve. Or…” His eyes glint. “We rebuild the camp. Hire staff. Bring in new management. Your call.”
“My first instinct is to say rebuild,” I admit, “but that’s a massive undertaking and life is already insane.”
“The land is ours forever,” Nate says calmly. “Five years. Ten. There’s no rush.” His thumb brushes my dimple.“We’ll put it on the back burner for now, but someday, we’ll start planning. Good thing I know some incredible architects.” He winks and turns back to the guys.
I slip my phone from my bag and text Addie.
Come to the bathroom with me.
“I have to use the bathroom,” I announce, shimmying so Nate releases his arm.
His eyes immediately flick to one of the guards, silently signaling.
God, I will never get used to that.
“I’m coming too,” Addie says.
The bathroom is a single private stall, but thankfully large enough for both of us.
I lock the door and turn to her.
“How are you doing with everything today?” she asks gently.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
She frowns. “But—”
I shake my head. “Yes, I’m freaked out. The what-ifs are on a constant loop in my head. But there is literally nothing we can do right now. If I let myself really think about it…” I exhale shakily. “I’m going to spiral into a pit of regret and self-loathing for not saying something sooner.”
Addie studies me carefully, then nods.
“Okay.” She doesn’t like it, but luckily, she lets it go. “So, why am I in here with you?”
I almost tell her about the letters. But that feels like a wine-and-couch conversation, not a bathroom-at-the-pub conversation.
“Do you remember when I told you I wanted to donate the money from the horse head to Building Unity?”
She nods immediately. “Yup.”
“Well…I’ve decided that going forward, whatever I make from Cherry, I want to split into thirds and donate it to three charities.”
Her eyes go wide. “All the money?”
“Yes. Obviously, we’ll pull your salary, rent, and expenses first. But everything else? I don’t need it. I already have a high-paying job…and my partner is a billionaire.” I shrug lightly. “I want every extra cent to go somewhere meaningful.”
“Wow.” She smiles. “I knew I loved you for a reason.”
She pushes open the stall door. “Okay, what charities? And why are we discussing this in a bathroom? Actually hold that thought, I need to pee.”
I bite back a grin. “I’m getting there.”
She disappears into the stall.
“I want it equally split between Building Unity, the Ovarian Cancer Research Project, and…Healing Horizons.”
“What’s Healing Horizons?”
My smile is wide as I tell her, “Healing Horizons is where we are, hopefully adopting our baby from.”
There’s a loud commotion in the stall as I hear her rushing to get her pants on, then she bursts through the door.
“What did you say?” she blurts out.
I hunch my shoulders, excitement bubbling out of me.
“Nate and I decided we’re going to adopt our first child.”
She stands there stunned, not a gesture I’m used to with her. Then she walks over and throws her arms around me, and whispers. “You’re an amazing person.”
And I don’t know why, but out of everything that cracks my chest open with pride. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
She pulls back, holding my shoulders while looking down. “No, it’s not. I regularly tell you how amazing your perky tits are.”
I burst out laughing and hit her shoulder playfully. “God, I love you. So you can handle the donations bit?” I ask. “Oh, and I want to donate it anonymously.”
“We can put it under Cherry. You’re already anonymous.”
“No. I want it all to be donated in honor of Mr. Parth Patel.”
“Who the heck is that?”
“Someone who made an impact on Nate’s life,” I say softly. “It’s not my story to tell.”
“Okay.” She doesn’t question it.
She washes her hands while I use the toilet.
“So,” she calls, “are you going to leave me hanging or tell me everything about this adoption situation?”
I give her the short version while Nate’s texts start lighting up my phone, asking if I’m okay.
“There’s one more thing. Mase doesn’t know yet. So don’t say anything at the table. We’re keeping it quiet for now. Until we know more.”
She pulls me into another hug after I wash my hands. “Okay. But I wish you had told me earlier. I’m going to look like a complete psycho at the table, all giddy and shit.”
“You’ll be fine. Let’s go.”
We walk back to our table, and the guys are huddled tightly around Leo’s phone and don’t notice us approaching.
Their expressions are caught somewhere between excited and furious.
Luckily, I have the height, so I lean over Leo’s shoulder and gasp out loud. “Oh my god. Who is that?”
Leo fumbles the phone in his hand, and it goes flying across the table. Addie snatches it mid-slide, and I rush to her side to confirm what I saw.
“Holy shit,” she breathes.
We both look up at the guys. Then down at the phone. Then back at them again in perfect, horrified sync.
“What is this?”
“Nothing. Stop snooping,” Leo snaps, already reaching to lock the screen.
I turn my furious expression toward Nate. He knows I hate being left out of the mix.
“What’s going on?”
The guys exchange a loaded glance at each other.
Nate blows out a long breath, and Mase looks defeated, too. Both are busted and know now they have to tell me.
“Let’s sit down,” Mase suggests.
The guys take their seats, only then do I take mine, and then Nate gestures for Leo’s phone.
“What I tell you right now does not leave this table.” He looks between Addie and me. “Ever.” Nate’s voice is more lethal than ever, so I know he means business.
Both Adelaide and I nod our heads. “We promise.”
Nate looks at me. “What you thought earlier about Matteo’s family wasn’t wrong.”
I think back and don’t recall what he’s talking about.
“What do—” My eyes widen. “Oh my god. Really?” Then I remember what he said and mock him. “Oh, you watch too many movies.”
“You must understand why I wanted to keep this from you, right? If anything ever gets out…”
“I’m not mad.”
“Hello, what’s going on?” Addie interjects.
I turn toward her, lowering my voice. “Do you remember Nate and Leo’s friend Matteo?”
“The hot Italian one? Of course I remember.”
“His family is part of the Mafia,” I whisper.
“Holy shit. I think I need another wine for this.”
“Not part,” Leo interjects. “They are them. The head in Italy.”
The waitress must have bionic hearing because he comes over to take Addie’s order.
The guys switch to beers, and I order a Diet Coke.
When she walks away, Nate leans across the table, and we all follow him.
His voice is low. “We don’t know much because Matteo never shared that side of his life.
I think he was ashamed and honestly didn’t want anything to do with it.
But when Leo and I did some digging, we realized they’re much more important than we realized.
The Moretti family runs one of the biggest organized crime syndicates in Italy. ”
My stomach sinks.
“And you asked them for help? Dang it, Nate, are you crazy? You’re going to owe them a favor now. Something illegal for sure.”
“Oh fuck,” Addie adds, “They’re going to come when you least expect them. Demanding something for helping.”
“What, are you two experts in the Mafia?” Mase chuckles, “Maybe you do watch too many movies.”
Leo shrugs. “Who knows, maybe they’re right.”
“Matteo wouldn’t do that,” Nate says firmly. “And it doesn’t matter. I’d do anything to get answers.” His eyes darken. “Hence the video.”
Oh shit. I forgot about that.
Wait.
“It was a video. I thought it was a picture.” I hold out my hand. “Let me see.”
The guys all look at each other again, and my blood begins to boil.
I hate when they do that.
“Don’t play the video, Mads. If you need, just look at it like a picture.” His eyes are sad, begging. “Please.”
“I don’t make any promises.” I hold out my hand, and Addie leans in.
Holy hell…
“Is this the guy that you chased after?” she asks Nate.
He nods.
“The one that came to our door?” I confirm, and he nods again, chugging the last of his drink.
The video is paused on a man in what appears to be a bleak, concrete basement, locked in a cell. He’s tied to a chair, with his legs bound to the bottom, and his arms pulled back and tied together.
My god…
Just like the movies.
“I really want to watch it,” I admit.
Mase shakes his head. “This is the beginning, Madeline. By the end, the guy is a bloody mess.”
Oh.
“Well, what did he say? Who is he?”
“So far?” Nate’s voice goes cold. “Only that someone hired him to watch you. Along with Leo and me.”
Ice slides down my spine.
“Why would anyone do this?” I whisper, staring at the screen.
Addie’s arm wraps around my shoulders, and I lean into her without thinking.
At this point, I don’t even care if I get someone sick.
I just need the contact.
“People are seriously messed up,” she murmurs.
The waitress drops our drinks, then immediately loses her mind over the new puppy, completely ignoring Skye.
Rude.
I narrow my eyes at her.
There goes your tip.
I reach under the table and give Skye a few treats from my pockets so she knows I still love her.
Everyone takes long pulls of their drinks, even Mase, who will probably be regretting this tomorrow. He doesn’t normally drink during the season.
“So what now?” I ask, still unable to take my eyes off the guy until Nate physically removes the phone from me.
“We sit back and wait. We’ll get our answers,” he assures me. “Trust me.”