Page 70 of Forge

However, a break wouldn’t be a bad idea. That and some care from his personal in-house massage therapist.

Cam grinned big as he picked up the phone and glanced at the number. Then his face fell as he saw it was Kyle who was calling. He took a breath and swiped to answer. “Yo, what’s up?”

“Tammie left the rehab last week and was found this morning in Nashville. Overdose. She’s gone.”

A stab of pain hit Cam’s heart. There was no love lost between him and Tammie; it was more the waste of life that hurt. Vera and Cecil had tried hard to help their last foster, but no matter what they did, Tammie stayed on that path of destruction until it finally ran out.

“I’ve arranged for a cremation, but I have no place to put the ashes. Can we scatter them somewhere?”

“She liked visiting Point State Park when we were kids. I say we take her there and scatter her in the river.”

“Is that legal?”

“Fuck if I know. You gonna call Morgan?”

Cam heard his brother take a long, resigned breath. “I already did. He’s not interested. I’ll call you back when I have more information, n’at. Yeah?”

“Sure.”

The line clicked dead. Cam suddenly didn’t feel like finishing the billet he had on the anvil. He powered down the shop and furnace, putting the tools away but leaving the metal to cool by itself. The drive home was uneventful. He’d already parked the bike, as the winter cold was too much this first week of January. His four-wheel drive still had trouble on the roads from the recent ice storm that made its way through the city.

Sabrina met him at the door with Rugrat firmly anchored to her shoulder. “Hey, sugar. Long day?”

“Yeah, you could say that.” He entered the mudroom and hung up his thick winter jacket before pulling off his boots. “Kyle called me.”

She blinked at him over her shoulder as she made her way back into the kitchen. A big pot of something that smelled delicious bubbled away on the stove. “Really? What did he want?”

“Tammie died in Nashville. Drug overdose.”

She turned from where she stirred the pot’s contents. “Oh, Cam, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

He nodded and planted his butt against the counter in front of the stove. “Yeah, I’m good. A little numb. There’s a part of me that’s sad she’s gone and another part of me that’s glad it’s over.”

“I can relate. If I found out Rigo was dead, I’d be both sad and okay with it. Right now I’m pissed as hell at him for trying to sue both me and Sunstone for getting shot. Like Cicely needs to deal with that shit on top of being shot herself.”

Cam picked up the matching lizard salt and pepper shakers and switched them back and forth. “I still don’t understand that. It wasn’t your fault. Not Cicely’s either. I’m glad you don’t work there anymore.”

“I am, too, sugar.” She yanked on a pair of oven mitts and bent over to open the appliance. The yeasty smell of fresh bread wafted over the counter. “You need to make arrangements or something?”

“Kyle is handling it.” His eyes drifted over the golden crust of a round sourdough. “Did Rodrigo ever get the rest of his shit settled with Rosa?”

Sabrina rolled her eyes. “As far as I know he did. Rigo gets half of Dad’s estate, and I get the other half. It’s not enough to make anyone rich, but it’s a good start to saving up for my own future massage practice.”

He smiled. “Guess that means you’re gonna stick it out here, with me.”

Sabrina pulled two large bowls from the cupboard. “Was there ever any doubt? Yes, sugar. I’m sticking it out here.”

Cam watched her ladle the Irish stew into the bowls and break off big chunks of bread to add to the side plates. He lifted the saltshaker with its curling lizard tail and placed it in front of her. “How ’bout we make it official?”

Dangling from the end of the tail was a ring of Damascus steel. Sabrina stared at it. “Did you make that?” Her voice quavered.

He picked it up and held it to the light to show all the colored layers. “It’s not a diamond, but it’s made with lots of love and care. You can call it an engagement band if you want. We can rename it later as your wedding band, or I can make a different one for that.”

She slipped the ring onto her finger. “It’s perfect.”

Cam took her hands in his. Nervousness made his stomach feel like Jell-O, but he pressed on. “I spent a lot of time alone in my life. There was a brief moment of family, but then it was gone when Vera and Cecil passed. My brothers and I aren’t close. I found the Knights, but they’re still a dysfunctional mess. I never realized how much I need that in my life, something solid and steady. Someone.” He raised her hands and kissed the spot where his ring sat on her finger. “I love you, Sabrina. I need you. I need you to be my family. Will you take me and forge a new life with me?”

Sabrina didn’t make him work for it. With a wide smile, she nodded. “Yes. Of course I will.”

End