Theirs (Possession #2)

31. Camila

31

Camila

D eath had a funny way of making you look at life in a different perspective. No one thinks they are going to die early or suddenly. Most of us have this crazy idea that we will be super old and die when we have lived a long life.

Watching them bury Luke’s family yesterday was a lot harder than I had imagined. While we were never really close, I saw how their lives impacted so many and their death left a little bit of destruction.

When my parents called to give their condolences to Luke, I stayed on the phone with them for a little longer than usual. My parents and I had always had a rocky relationship, especially with my mother, but seeing how quickly Luke’s parents were taken, made me appreciate my parents a little more.

Texting Genevieve was not something I thought I was going to do yesterday morning. Luke was still exhausted, still passed out from the emotional day. Sleep didn’t come easy to me and I blamed my lack of sleep on why I had responded to Genevieve and why I told her I wanted her here. I didn’t need to be back in Denver for another week, so I don't know why I had told her I had to go back.

My chest ached as I ignored why I had agreed to her coming. Being mad at her was easier, it meant I could keep Luke safe, keep us from falling apart except that's not what I wanted. I sighed and rolled onto my back as another night of sleep evaded me.

Just as I was reaching for my phone, Luke’s alarm clock went off. Dammit, I don’t think I got more than an hour or two of sleep. I yawned as he shut off his clock, groaning when he rolled over to me.

“I can’t do this for much longer.” Luke pulled me against him.

“I know,” I said, against his chest. “Anyone else brought up what to do with the farm?”

“No, we are all skirting around the issue because we know Iris is going to have a shit,” he said, his voice still raspy from sleep.

“Everyone has a life they'd like to get back to unless… unless you want to stay here?” I tried not to cringe because if he asked me, I don’t know if I could live here.

“No, I miss Denver. I left for a reason because this was not for me,” he sighed. “I just wish Iris didn’t have such good memories here. I know she wants to keep their memory alive, but at what cost to the rest of us. Every time I talk about it, I feel selfish.”

I was worried this would tear them apart, if they couldn't agree on a solution.

“Theo has to go home too, he’s got a whole ranch to take care of and if Jude wants to have a job he’s gonna have to go back too,” he said, sounding tired. “I also can’t expect you to leave your job, things have been going so well for you. It’s not fair.”

I squeezed him tightly. Luke always had big feelings and sometimes felt like he needed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. I was also surprised he hadn’t mentioned Genevieve. Maybe inviting her was a mistake.

“I also don't know if I want to leave Genevieve,” he said softly. “We haven’t talked about her coming back and what that means, even if it does mean anything. She said the right words and I really loved what we had before she got scared.” He sighed again. “I know we need to sit down and talk it out, but after yesterday, I have this urgency to have both of you with me. Unless that isn’t what you want.”

“Cari?o,” I said looking up at him, seeing the torment in his eyes. “Take a deep breath.”

He did as I asked.

“I think we need to have that conversation with your siblings because everything you vented about centers around this farm,” I said, cupping his face. “I know no one wants to have this conversation, but it needs to happen. After that, we can decide what we need to do.”

He sighed. “You're right, there is no sense in getting worked up if?—”

“Getting worked up is a normal response, you've been through a lot and I know you hate fighting with your siblings.” I leaned up to kiss his lips. “Let's do one thing at a time.”

He studied my face and I knew he was going to ask about Genevieve or how I was feeling towards her.

“Ok,” he said, kissing me.

He opened my mouth with his tongue, rolling over so he settled nicely in between my thighs. His kisses turned frantic, his hips thrusted against me.

“Cari?o, you don’t have time,” I sighed, as he kissed down my neck.

“Hermosa, I always have time for you,” he said, kissing me again.

His words made me shiver. How much time did we really have?

It was eleven thirty in the morning and there was still no sign of Genevieve. Not even a phone call. Anger was stewing in my chest, it was better than being disappointed. I also felt restless, like I had to keep moving, but I also felt like something wasn’t right.

“Hey, are you ok?” Iris pulled me from my thoughts.

“Yeah, why?” I snapped.

She looked at me with wide eyes. “Uh, you're washing very aggressively.”

“I’m sorry, Iris,” I said, taking a deep breath seeing a lot of suds and water everywhere.

“It’s ok. I’m sure being here is hard,” she said, rinsing some dishes.

I sighed. “It’s not?—”

“Don’t lie,” she said. “I know it's been hard on both of you.”

“Iris,” I said, debating on what I wanted to say.

It wasn’t my place to say a lot of things, but I knew Luke didn’t like confrontations, and I wondered if I needed to get this conversation over with or at the very least set it in motion.

“I know we have to sell the farm, but it doesn’t make it any easier to have to do it,” she said sniffling.

I put the sponge down, drying my hands, pushing aside my own uneasiness to help her. Iris was young and sheltered and I think her brothers forgot that.

“I just hate that everything I know is going to get sold to someone who is going to demolish everything or put some fancy ass hotel or ranch getaway,” she said, as I pulled her in for a hug. “But I also know it's not fair to make everyone stay in a home that they have no good memories in.”

“Iris, its?—”

“I knew what they were doing, but I wasn’t strong enough to say anything,” she cried. “It was easier to pretend I didn’t know than to face the reality that my parents were shitty people to my brothers.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I just held her while she let it out. When her cries became hiccups, I pulled away to look at her face.

“Maybe we can figure out a way for you to keep it,” I said, feeling bad for her.

“No, I called a man who has been coming around for years continuously asking for my parents to sell it to him,” she said. “I want to hear what he has to offer.”

“Iris, maybe you should wait,” I said, hating that she was making a rash decision.

“No, I can’t take care of this place and I can’t ask them to stay here.” She pulled away, wiping her eyes.

“Are you going to talk to your brothers about it?” I leaned against the counter looking out the window to see the guys putting away some tools.

“I’m not going to ask them, we all know no one wants this,” she sighed, looking over her shoulders to see them. “We can decide what we need to do with the money.”

“Sounds like your mind's made up,” I said, feeling a little relieved, but also a tad worried. “If you need to talk about it you can always talk to me. I know it must not be easy with three older brothers especially with such a big age difference between you and Luke.”

“It’s… I think we all have different views,” she said, biting her lower lip. “I've never left this environment, and I’m thinking maybe it's time I do.”

“You can come to Denver and visit us anytime,” I said, wondering about Genevieve again. “You are always welcome.”

She nodded absentmindedly. “I’d like that.”

“I think Luke would too,” I said, feeling even more uneasy.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I actually need to make a phone call,” I said. “Tell them your plan and stick to your guns.”

I went to the living room to look for my phone and saw it on the coffee table. I picked it up to send Genevieve a message.

Me: Hey, are you still going to make it today?

I waited for the icon to say it was delivered, but as I waited it never came. Uneasiness hit me, as fear also took root. Genevieve was many things, but I didn’t think she would bail on us. I also didn't think she would ignore us like she did.

Me: Please call me or text me. I’m worried.

My emotions were running wild as I decided what to do or what I might be forced to do. Wait. I hated waiting so I stretched my neck side to side, and rolled my shoulders hoping to relieve some tension.

I went back to cleaning the dishes trying to keep my mind off Genevieve, but the later it got the more I worried until I couldn’t take it anymore. There was only one person who I knew could get ahold of Genevieve and that was Vincent. I dialed his number, hoping he answered because for all I knew he was on his honeymoon.

“Hello.” The person who answered wasn’t Vincent.

“Vincent?”

“He’s not available at the moment,” the man said, and I knew who it was.

“Easton?” I hoped I was right. “Hi, this is Camila, and I need a favor.”

“Are you and Luke ok?” The worry in his tone was genuine.

“Yes we are,” I said.

“I’m sorry we didn’t call to give our condolences, we th?—”

“Have you heard from Genevieve?” I interrupted him.

“Not since the wedding. What's wrong?” He sounded even more worried.

“She was supposed to come today, but she never made it and her texts aren’t going through,” I said after hearing Luke come into the room.

His eyes were wide and I hated that he found out like this.

“Shit, I’m not in Denver,” Easton said.

His words deflated any hope I might have had.

“Let me call Cheryl and I’ll call you back,” he said hanging up.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Luke came into the room taking off his mud-caked shirt.

“I wanted it to be a surprise and when she didn’t call when she got to the airport, I initially assumed she got cold feet,” I said, gnawing on my lip. “When my texts didn’t go through, I don’t know, something didn’t feel right.”

“She could have gotten cold feet, I mean I wouldn't be surprised if she did,” he said, his shoulders slumped forward, and I hated seeing the defeat in his body.

“I don’t know, but this doesn’t feel right,” I said. “She was supposed to go have dinner with Cheryl. What if…”

I couldn't bring myself to say an accident, and I hated that I was worrying him. He stared at me with a look that said everything he was thinking.

“Get your stuff, we are leaving now,” he growled, marching to his bag, grabbing a new shirt and putting it on.

“Cari?o, we should?—”

“No, I want to see with my own eyes if she is ok, even if it means that this might be the last time we see her,” he said, grabbing things and stuffing his bag. “I’m tired of this whole worrying about what happens when we get back to Denver. When we find out she is ok, we are talking and I don’t care if I have to tie you to a chair and make you talk.”

I didn’t move, stunned that he was so adamant about driving back now. Except that this is what I wanted too. I needed to see her, even if it was a possibility that it would be the last time. If she had gotten cold feet, at least we knew where we stood with her. We packed in less than ten minutes, and were on the road in twenty.

His brothers or sister didn’t question what the emergency was. I don’t think we were ready to tell them because we didn’t know if there was going to be a reason to tell them at all. My mind went to the darkest places as we drove and we still hadn’t heard from Easton.

We made a stop about an hour outside of Denver. It was the fastest stop we had ever taken and even though I was starving, a bag of chips and a Diet Coke would have to do. The second we got back on the interstate my phone rang with Easton’s name.

“Hello,” I said a little too loud, putting the phone on speaker.

“She’s at the hospital,” he said immediately.

“Fuck, what happened?” I said, as tears gathered in my eyes.

“Shit,” Luke whispered.

“No, she’s fine, it's Cheryl,” he said.

Relief coursed through me and I felt like an asshole.

“Is she ok?” If anything happened to Cheryl I didn’t know how Genevieve would survive.

“I don’t know details, but I do know she’s in surgery again,” he sighed. “Vincent’s friends at the station were going to do a wellness check for us when Cheryl wasn’t answering her phone either, but he recognized her address,” he said. “He found her wallet at the scene of an accident along with her phone.”

I clenched my jaw, keeping my emotions at bay, watching Luke tense up.

“We are about an hour away,” I said. Thankful we weren’t going to hit traffic.

“Can you call me back when you're with her?”

“Of course,” I said immediately, knowing they were close. “Thank you for getting this information to us.”

“Of course, if you need anything, please let me know,” he said. “I can get on a plane?—”

“We've got her. I promise,” I said confidently.

“Thank you,” he said, but it sounded like he had more to say. “I know it's not my place, but Genevieve is crazy about you two. I know she might not know how to express it, but she was devastated when she went to go see Coop. She felt so guilty and hated herself for it.”

I stilled when he said the man’s name.

“Who the hell is Coop and why would she feel guilty?” Luke snapped.

“Oh shit, I thought she told you,” Easton sighed.

Luke glanced at me. “You knew?”

“She said it before we left, but I didn’t want to do that to you when you just found?—”

“I’m so sorry. I think I’ll let you go.” Easton hung up immediately.

Luke stared straight ahead, holding onto the steering wheel a little too intensely.

“I didn’t want to?—”

“I thought we said we would always tell each other the truth, Camila,” he clipped. “We kept things from each other during the lowest point of our marriage.”

“I know, but we decided we were going to tell you when we came back and?—”

“Is this why you were so distant about her since we left?” he interrupted me again. “I was worried that you were no longer in this.”

“Yes,” I said, looking out the window, seeing mile markers pass by. “I did it because I didn’t think you needed to know while you were having to deal with the loss of your parents.”

“Did she fuck him,” he sighed, running a hand through is hair.

“No, she left, but he wasn’t too happy she did and manhandled her,” I said, sticking to the truth because at this point there was no reason to keep anything from him.

“What do you mean he manhandled her?” he growled.

“He tried to get her to stay in the hotel,” I said, hating that I was the one to tell him this stuff. “He grabbed her arm and tried to get her to stay because he paid her a deposit.”

I winced, it sounded so much worse when I said it. Luke clenched his jaw, taking deep breaths. He didn’t say anything and the longer he was quiet, the more I wanted to say something. There was nothing but silence for the rest of the drive. I knew why he was upset, but I didn’t see the need to tell him on top of the devastating news he had just received. He pulled the car up to the entrance of the hospital and I felt uneasy.

“We don’t have to be here,” I said.

“Go up and see her,” he said, glancing at me. “I’m going to park the car.”

“Luke,” I said, trying to find the right words to make this better.

“I just need a minute and I’ll be right up, ok Hermosa?” he said softly. “Go make sure she is ok.”

I hated feeling conflicted like this. It felt like I was putting her first.

“I want you to go up and be with her,” he said. “I’ll be right up.”

I didn’t know what else to say, so I leaned over the console and kissed him.

“I love you, Luke,” I said before one more soft kiss and then I opened the door.

I entered the hospital not knowing where to go. It took a few people to help me, but I managed to find the right location on the fourth floor and was directed to a waiting room. I hoped Genevieve was there because if she wasn't, I didn’t know where I would look for her.

The waiting room was empty except for two people and my eyes landed on a red-head in the corner. She was looking down, her elbows resting on her knees. Her messy bun was falling apart and she was wearing leggings and a sweatshirt.

My heart ached for her as I made my way across the waiting room. She looked up at me just as I stood in front of her. Her eyes were red, face blotchy and her lip was so red from her chewing on it.

“Camy,” she cried out, throwing herself at me.

“Hi, Evie.” I embraced her.

She held on to me tightly as she sobbed. Her heartache made my eyes water. I didn’t like the circumstances that had brought me here but having her in my arms felt amazing. Yes, we had a rough time getting here, but I don’t think I would change anything. It was just growing pains we needed to go through because navigating this relationship with the three of us was going to be hard, but I was ready for it. I was all in for my husband and Genevieve, I just hoped Luke felt the same way too.