Page 80 of Echoes in the Storm
Her face falls. My heart is crushed. “Oh, love. I deleted it after I wrote it down. I figured if you wouldn’t take it today, you wouldn’t ever need it.”
I frown, looking around for her bag. “He phoned you, though. It’ll be in your call history still as an unsaved number. Where’s your bag?”
“In the car.” She launches to her feet, hurrying out the door.
I jog after her, my heart beating so fast it’s almost a solid vibration. The removalist spots me as I drop off the porch, bypassing the stairs, and heads over.
“We’re done for the day, so unless you’ve got anything urgent, we’ll be back in the morning to load up the last of it.”
I glance over at the younger guy as he straps the bedframes to the side of the truck. “Uh, no. Thank you.”
He offers a goodnight and heads to the rear of the truck as his offsider jumps to the ground.
I couldn’t care less what they want to do. All I need is my mother’s phone. She skids to a stop beside me, her Chucks kicking up dust in the gravel.
“Here. You do it. I don’t know what to look for, or where to find that kind of information.”
Despite my panic, I manage to chuckle as she passes her phone over. The removal truck pulls away while I unlock the screen. My finger swipes up, left, taps the screen again and again, but it’s still not fast enough. I need it now. I need to call him and tell him that I hear his voice very fucking day, and I’ve only just figured out which way to go.
“Cam?” Mum asks, still beside me.
“Hang on.”
“No, Cam.” She nudges my arm.
I look into her eyes as the thunder of the storm grows louder, enough to drown out my erratic heartbeat banging a bass drum in my ears. Only it’s not thunder—it’s the rumble of a car that I never thought I’d hear again.
It’s the sound of home coming tome.
Duke
Fuck. She’s sold the house. The anxiety I’d managed to get a lid on these past six weeks hammers to life in my chest as I turn up the driveway, only to be greeted with the grill of a huge fucking truck.Jesus.
I slam the HQ into reverse and backtrack to the road to let the guys out.
Just in time, I hope.
The second the truck clears the gateposts, I curve over the grass to get in behind the vehicle and pull up Cam’s drive. My fingers beat to an imaginary rhythm on the steering wheel as I take the final bend around the trees and see the house come into view.
With her standing outside.
Thank fuck.Small miracles do happen.
Screw parking the car properly. Screw even turning the damn thing off. I shove the door open at the same time as I wrench the handbrake on, and step out to face the music.
Clara gives me a quick wave as she steps backward, and turns for her car. Her daughter, on the other hand … I widen my stance to brace for Cam as she literally leaps the final half a metre between us.
“I heard you,” she cries, burying her face in my neck as she wraps her arms and legs around me. “I heard your echo every day, Duke.”
“You found it.” Fuck that makes me happy. So fucking happy.
Cam pulls back, her hands on my face as I hold her to me. “Why are you here?” Her eyes search mine as her mum’s car pulls away behind us.
“I couldn’t wait any longer. It’s been almost two months.”
“I know.” Her forehead touches mine as she closes her eyes. “I couldn’t call.” She pauses, swallowing hard. “I wanted to, but hell …” Cam leans her head back, unshed tears caught in her lashes as she looks to the sky. “I couldn’t bear to hear your voice again if you would have said that you didn’t want me.”
“Fuck, Cam.” I drop her to the ground so she can stand. “Idowant you. But you had to be sure.Ihad to be sure.”