"That's not what this is." "No?" "My heart weeps for the child that you were. Not the man you are now. How can I pity a strong man who'd fought his demons and came out the winner?" He closed his eyes. "I don't know if I won. I... Why the fuck I'm telling you this?" "Because you want to share parts of your life with me," I said simply. "I'll take it and give you mine." "I'll take everything you're willing to give me." "Can you handle it?" "I'm more afraid that you can't handle mine," he said quietly. Up ahead was a small fountain of an archangel in ruins. The left wing was gone, the sword broken in half. Dark moss and dirt had covered half of its face and vegetation had snaked around its armored body. It reminded me of how Cameron had looked when he'd told me about his childhood friend's death. Broken, but still standing. "Now that I know what happened here with...Pete," I said gently, "I'm curious why you still bought this property." "Death doesn't represent this place to me. He was...happy here. Just as I was," he said. It shocked me that Cameron thought about it that way. I was ashamed to admit that I thought he bought it because it was part of his dark past. That he was holding onto it out of guilt. I never thought that— "Want to see another secret passage?" I took a deep breath, shook off my thoughts, gave him a smile. "Is it secret, secret? More secret than the last secret passage?" I looked up at him. He was grinning like a little boy. "Yeah." I grinned back. "What are we waiting for, Captain? Steer this ship before it sails without us!" He laughed. * The crew were gone by the time we stopped by Tala's house to check if everything was right on schedule. Other than I still needed to decide on the paint color of the master bedroom, everything else looked good. Cameron promised he'd help me. It was dark when he dropped me off at the shop. Whatever was left of the snow on the roads had melted. Winter arrived mild and gentle this year. Sort of like a considerate lover. Giving you an inch first, easing it bit by bit to prepare you until— "I'd like to come inside, say hi to your dad." I blinked at the gorgeous blue eyes looking at me. Sometimes the color of Cameron's eyes was too intense, especially when the surroundings were dark, and the blue of them was too deep, too appealing for his own good. How the hell am I supposed to function? "All right with you?" "Cool," I answered. "Welcome to our humble abode." He gave me a little smile that disappeared instantly when I opened the front door. Damon was in the kitchen with Dylan, cooking something at the stove. They both turned when they heard us, but both had varying expressions on their faces. Dylan was delighted to see Cameron and was all over him like a little puppy. Damon stood where he was, silently observing us. "Hiya, Cameron!" My dad stepped out of the bathroom, rubbing his wet hair with a towel. "Hello, my favorite daughter. Where did you sleep last night?" "Wouldn't you like to know?" "Hello, sir." "Didn't I tell you to call me Mike? I was just about to pull out the Christmas lights. They're stashed somewhere in the storage shack behind the house. You got time?" "Sure." "Have dinner with us," my dad said to Cameron. "Have you met Damon?" "They already met and, Dad, Dylan already asked him to stay for dinner," I said. "Good. My son's making his specialty. If you don't mind a little poison, then you're in for a treat." "Dad!" Dylan scowled at him, but clearly laughing. "Stop scaring him off." I grinned to myself. They had made up and already joking around, their fight forgotten. "It'll take more than that to scare you off, isn't that right, Cameron?" Cameron said something to my dad that I couldn't hear. My dad's laughter rang out as they stepped outside. As Dylan busied himself at the stove, Damon leaned against the wall, facing me. His dark hair was still damp from a shower. He probably just finished at Tala's and went here to check if Dad needed anything. He hadn't dried his hair properly and his shirt was soaked on the shoulders and back where the water had dripped. I went to get him a new one from my dad's closet, threw it at him. He caught it deftly. He raised a brow. "Do I have to?" "If you're mooching dinner, you have to." He grabbed the collar of his shirt, slid it up and off, but it caught on his earring. "Ouch." I let out a sigh, helped him get it off. "Why do you need so many earrings for?" He had three silver stud earrings in his right ear. "Girls dig it." I rolled my eyes. "Dame, I need to talk to you." He put on the new shirt, hung his wet one on the back of the chair. "Away from the kid?" "Hey, I'm legal! I'm not a kid anymore." "Don't forget to brush your teeth," Damon said to Dylan before we walked to the front door where Dylan couldn't hear us. "Spill." "I slept with him."