Page 85 of Made to Be

She snorted, “What am I, some stalker? I’m not as crazy as you.”

I rested my phone on my lap and rubbed my creasing forehead, unwilling to release Cam’s hand.

“You didn’t catch the guy’s name or anything?” I asked.

“Sorry, no dice.”

“Thank you for letting us know, Alice,” Cam said in his deep, soft voice.

“Awe, Cam, you’re so welcome!” she crooned sweetly, completely at odds from how she spoke to me. “I’m just looking out for you boys. I don’t know if it’s important or not, but I figured you’d want to know. Might need to be more careful from here on out.”

“Yeah, thanks Ali Cat.”

With that, she hung up and Cam and I were left in quiet once more. I loosed a long sigh, the warm air puffing in front of my face in a small cloud of white with the night’s growing cold.

“Who do you think it could be?” I wondered aloud. I couldn’t help but think back on the story Cam had told me. The story of his past. He’d said the guywho basically got his entire family killed was in prison, along with the others, but how could he be certain he was still there? What if he was free and wanted revenge?

The worry must have been apparent on my face as Cam read me like an open book.

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” he assured me, even though I could see a hint of his own concern pinching his brow tight. Though, he did his best to hide it. Cam chuckled, despite the worry clearly making his shoulders tense.

“What?” I asked, confused.

“Dolly and Delia. Their names don’t rhyme.”

I huffed a disbelieving laugh, “You’re so cute, Cam.”

We made our way back to our hotel slowly, both of us trying to enjoy what remained of our peaceful night. It was clear we were both worried about what Alice had told us, and we were just trying our best not to think too much on it. There was no point in letting the news ruin our night, but it was hard to ignore the cloud of uncertainty lingering above us.

We didn’t have sex. It was a different intimacy we both needed from each other.

One that had Cam holding me tight. Cam was naturally clingy, but he hadn’t parted from my side even as we got ready for bed and climbed beneath the covers together. I held him right back until we both fell asleep.

But I had a sinking feeling that it took Cam much longer to fall asleep than it did me.

***

As we passed the Welcome to Briarwood sign, Cam and I were both wound tight with anxious nerves.

We had agreed we couldn’t leave this worry unresolved. The only way to face it was head-on, and our sole clue was the sweet old couple at the diner. We didn’t even go home to unpack before we were heading straight there. Cam’s thumb rubbed over the back of my hand as he drove us down the familiar two-lane roads. Back and forth it swiped until we were parking outside of the small building.

When he didn’t immediately get out of the car, I reached over and cupped Cam’s chin, forcing his gaze to meet mine. I gave him a reassuring smile,

“It’s going to be alright. But even if it is the piece of shit who hurt you, I’m ready.”

I patted my hand over my coat pocket, feeling the contents jostling a little. Within was a variety of my more dangerous spells I rarely used that I’d had stashed in my glove compartment. For emergencies. Not that I expected to find whoever was looking for Cam here or destroy the couple’s diner. I was certain if I did that, Delia would crack my skull with that spoon of hers.

Cam turned his face so that his cheek was nestling in my palm. When I leaned across the consoleto press our foreheads together, he inhaled deeply, breathing me into his lungs. I did the same then leaned in for a kiss. I kept it chaste and pulled back a few seconds later.

“Alright.” Cam let out an unsteady breath. “Let’s go.”

The diner was rather busy, more than half of the tables and booths filled with people chatting away over their coffee and meals.

A few pairs of eyes drifted to Cam and I, appreciation in their gazes when they spotted Cam. I squeezed his hand tighter as we entered and scanned the room.

“So, if it is that guy, what does he look like?” I asked Cam quietly as we found an empty table.

He slid into the seat across from me as we picked up our menus to feign looking over the options. Cam didn’t get to respond before a waitress strode over, smiling kindly. Once we’d both ordered our drinks, Cam asked her,