All We Never Knew
Page 30
Almost.
Morgan hadn’t said much about her dad or the new baby, or really any of it. Whenever Cam tried to bring it up, she just clammed up. Cam was running out of ideas on how to deal with it but a fresh start could only help.
“Whatever.” Morgan rolled her eyes and put her earbuds back in.
Cam tried not to sigh. There was no point starting something with her. They’d be out of the car soon enough and maybe it was best if Cam was left alone in her own thoughts and memories for the drive through town. It was always her favorite part about coming home when she was a little girl. Her parents would take her on countless trips throughout the United States, to exotic beaches, the castles of Europe, or even on her tenth birthday, to Disney World. But despite all her travels, Cam’s favorite part of traveling had always been coming home. Turning the bend to see the log sign proclaiming, “Timber Creek, Home of the Timber Times Festival,” had meant she was only minutes away from being in her room, sleeping in her own bed and seeing all her best friends: Christy, Drew, and Amber.
It’s not that she hadn’t liked traveling; she just never loved it the way her parents had. Sure, she appreciated having the opportunity to see the world and experience the things she had, but there was something about home that she couldn’t find anywhere else.
Just as it did all those years ago, a familiar sense of peace came over her as she drove down Main Street, which was completely the same yet totally different all at the same time. It had taken her sixteen years, and the circumstances were less than ideal, but she was finally home.
She glanced at Morgan, who stared out the window, her lips pressed into a thin line. No doubt she’d complain about the lack of malls, the tiny streets, the small classrooms, and pretty much everything else about Timber Creek that was in direct opposition to Portland. But that was okay. Cam could handle it because whether Morgan knew it or not, Timber Creek was going to heal them. It had to, because Cam was completely out of options.
There’d be plenty of time later to show Morgan the sights of Timber Creek. Not that it would take long, but for now, all Cam wanted to do was get settled so she could start thinking about her next step. A step that would need to include a job and getting Morgan enrolled in school as soon as possible. The therapist she’d sent Morgan to before Ryan cut her benefits off had suggested building a strong, structured routine for Morgan as soon as possible. If she knew there was stability in her life, she’d be less likely to act out.
Stability. Ha. The very word made Cam want to laugh and then cry. There was definitely not a lot of stability to be found, but she’d do what she could. They both needed it.
She pulled the SUV up in front of Junky’s Auto Shop, looked up and let her eyes take in the grungy windows of the apartment over the shop with a faded For Rent sign in the window.
When Cam had called Christy to tell her she was going to be returning to town, she was adamant about getting her own place, something “stable” and “structured” for Morgan. When her friend finally stopped trying to convince her to stay with her and her husband Mark, she told her about Junky’s apartment and because Christy was able to do some sweet talking, Cam got it at a reduced rate. Although, now that she was looking at it, she couldn’t help but think it had something to do with the fact that the place likely hadn’t seen a broom or a rag in years. If ever. And that was only what she could ascertain from the outside.
“Why are we here?” Morgan stared at her. “Is the car broken now?”
There was nothing to do but put a brave face on. “Nope,” Cam said with as much forced cheerfulness as she could muster, which really wasn’t much. “This is our new home.”
Morgan’s face screwed up in disgust. “You can’t be serious. An auto shop?”
“No. The apartment above it.” She pushed the button to cut off the engine, and turned to gather up her purse. The sight of a police cruiser in her rearview mirror caught her eye, but by the time she turned around to confirm, it was gone. Evan. No doubt he was just making sure she was getting to wherever she was going safely.
Because he still cares about you.
No.
She had no time for Evan or thoughts of Evan or anything at all to do with the past. That’s not why she came home. This time, the only thing Timber Creek was going to give her was her future.
“I’m sure it’s fantastic, Morgan.” Cam forced herself to switch gears. Hopefully the apartment wasn’t too bad. Even if it was, it wasn’t anything a bucket of soapy water and maybe a can of paint couldn’t fix. Nothing was going to bring Cam down, or deter her from starting fresh. Nothing.
“Whatever.” Morgan slid down in her seat, arms crossed firmly over her chest.
“Come on, Morgan.” She turned in the seat and placed her hand on Morgan’s arm. To her surprise, her daughter didn’t shrug her off. It was such a small thing, but when it came to dealing with Morgan lately, Cam would take whatever victories she could get, no matter how small. “I know it’s not ideal and it’s a little different than what we’re used to.”
“A little?”
“Okay, a lot.” Up until a few days ago, they’d been living in the only house Morgan had ever known, a three-thousand-square foot mansion on the water in one of Portland’s most prestigious neighborhoods. One of the perks of being married to the local news anchor. One of the only perks. Cam swallowed hard against the bile in her throat. It was a beautiful house, and she’d taken a lot of pride in making it a home over the years, but it would never be home again. Not anymore.
There was no point dwelling on things. She needed to focus. Besides, Morgan didn’t deserve to be drawn into any more drama than she already had been. Stable and secure. That’s what she needed to remember.
“Look, Morgan.” She squeezed her daughter’s arm gently. “I know it’s not much, and it’s not permanent, but it will be ours and we might actually have a lot of fun fixing it up just the way we want. We can paint it bright colors and maybe get some funky pillows and things. It’ll be fun. Promise me you’ll at least give it a chance.”
She stared into her daughter’s heavily eye-lined eyes, and hoped upon hope that something she said might be getting through to her. For a moment, she thought Morgan would close up again and shut her out, but then she nodded. “Okay.”
It wasn’t much, but it was all Cam needed. “Okay. Let’s go find Junky.” Her face split into a smile she definitely didn’t feel, and she jumped out of the car before Morgan could change her mind again.
* * *
Cam definitely has her hands full. Is a second chance with Evan really in the cards when she has so much going on? Find out what happens and read the rest of When We Left now!
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Also by Elena Aitken
Timber Creek
When We Left
When We Were Us
When We Began
When We Fell
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Castle Mountain Lodge
Unexpected Gifts
Hidden Gifts
Unexpected Endings - Short Story
Mistaken Gifts
Secret Gifts
Goodbye Gifts
Tempting Gifts
Holiday Gifts
Promised Gifts
Accidental Gifts
The Castle Mountain Lodge Collection: Books 1-3
The Castle Mountain Lodge Collection: Books 4-6
The Castle
Mountain Lodge Collection: Books 7-9
The Castle Mountain Lodge Complete Collection
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Falling Into Forever
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Fighting For Forever (Novella)
The Springs Collection: Volume 1
The Springs Collection: Volume 2
The Springs Complete Collection - Books 1-10
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Summit of Desire
Summit of Seduction
Summit of Passion
Stone Summit Trilogy
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The McCormicks
Love in the Moment
Only for a Moment
One more Moment
In this Moment
From this Moment
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Bears of Grizzly Ridge
His to Protect
His to Seduce
His to Claim
Hers to Take
Bears of Grizzly Ridge: The Complete Set
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Destination Paradise
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Escape to the Sun
Hidden in the Sand - Available 2019
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Escape Collection
Nothing Stays in Vegas
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Drawing Free
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Composing Myself
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Halfway Series
Halfway to Nowhere
Halfway in Between
Halfway to Christmas
About the Author
Elena Aitken is a USA Today Bestselling Author of more than forty romance and women’s fiction novels. Living a stone’s throw from the Rocky Mountains with her teenager twins, their two cats and a goofy rescue dog, Elena escapes into the mountains whenever life allows. She can often be found with her toes in the lake and a glass of wine in her hand, dreaming up her next book and working on her own happily ever after with her very own mountain man.
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To learn more about Elena:
www.elenaaitken.com
elena@elenaaitken.com
Copyright © 2020 by Elena Aitken
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.
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