Reclaim - Aly Martinez Page 0,102

a life together. I really liked the idea of not dragging them into more of my mess again. But, most of all, with Camden at my side, I really felt like we had things under control.

I stepped out of my brother’s hold and crossed my arms over my chest. “I’ve been…busy.”

“Doing what?” Thea asked, sliding the tub of cream cheese she’d found in my fridge toward Ramsey. “You were arrested, Nora. By a freaking Caskey. We would have been here sooner but we had to get special permission to come down for the day. Dad tried to tell me you were in good hands, but honestly—” Her shoulders snapped back as her gaze lifted over my shoulder.

“Hi,” Camden said, his front hitting my back, his hand going to my hip.

“Oh my God,” Thea whispered.

Her eyes bounced from me to Camden and back again. While Thea didn’t understand the depths of my relationship with Camden, she’d heard me talk about him over the years. Being that her soul mate had been incarcerated for the majority of her adult life, I’d tried not to rub it in on the few occasions I had gotten to spend time with Camden. Though, one night, after a few too many glasses of wine, I’d spilled all about our night in and out of the hot tub. I’d even shown her a picture of him from Instagram once too. But as far as she knew, Camden Cole was the one who got away.

“Are you…” She flicked her gaze back to me. “Is that…”

Shocking the hell out of me, it was Ramsey who finished her stammered question. “Mr. Cole.” He wiped his hand on the thigh of his jeans twice before extending it for a shake.

Cam took it immediately. “Please. For the hundredth time, call me Camden.”

Mr. Cole?

For the hundredth time?

What the hell?

It seemed I was not the only one on the train to Confusion Junction.

“Do you two know each other?” Thea asked.

Ramsey laughed and continued shaking Camden’s hand, going so far as to cup it between both of his palms. “This is Mr. Cole. The attorney I told you about who helped at my parole hearing.”

“Just Camden. Mr. Cole was my dad,” the obvious stranger—the one I was planning a life with—said behind me.

Wait…

Oh my God.

“No way!” Thea gasped, stealing the exact words from my mouth. She came unstuck and hurried around the counter. Then she thrust a hand out, and Ramsey let go long enough for her to get a shake in too. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. Ramsey told me you were incredible speaking to the board on his behalf. He doesn’t think they would have released him without you.”

“Happy to help,” Camden said.

Had I been able to form coherent sentences at a decibel that would not leave all the dogs in Clovert deaf, I would have taken that route. But finding out the love of my life—who had just come back into my life days earlier, who’d then planted his foot in the ground that we were no longer doing goodbyes and fewer than five minutes earlier had been debating where we were going to live—had somehow gotten my brother out on parole for a crime he had not committed after we’d all given up hope and had never so much as mentioned it, did not lend itself to those kind of rational reactions. Therefore, my only response was to crane my head back and stare up at him.

Blinking. Lost for words.

His blue gaze met mine and he must have caught the gist of panic in my eyes, because he released Thea’s shake, wrapped his palm around my hand, and inquired to my family, “Can you excuse us for a moment?”

“Yeah, totally,” Thea chirped.

While Ramsey’s, “Sure,” held a confused reluctance.

Camden gave my hand a tug and guided me down the hall. As we went, Ramsey and Thea continued to talk, their hushed whispers not nearly quiet enough for my small house.

“How do they know each other?” my brother asked.

“Are you kidding me? He’s the kid she’s been in love with since, like, middle school,” Thea replied. “He’s so much hotter than the pictures.”

“Sparrow, I am standing right here. Can you quit panting for a second and explain to me what the hell is going on?”

Thea laughed, and Camden must have heard their exchange too, because he grinned before shutting the door.

When he released my hand, I took a step away, needing a second to catch my breath.

“I was going to tell