Only You (32 page)

"Talk to me, Javi," Brody ordered.

"Daphne's at the bar. I'm calling the Captain. You check on your sister," he ordered before stomping down the hall, angrily dialing his cell phone.

***

"Hello, Shane."

Shane turned in the direction of the soft voice. Bright green eyes met his, and he smiled weakly at Daphne.

"Hey, Daphne. It's been a few months. How's civilian life treating you?"

"Can't complain. I was just passing through and thought I'd stop by and say hey. I didn't like how things ended last time, and I wanted to apologize. I know you have a girlfriend, and it wasn't right of me to try to win you back when you are already in a relationship." Daphne looked a little embarrassed, and Shane couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He and Melia had been a little harsh when he last saw her.

"All's forgiven. How 'bout I buy you a drink for old time's sake?" he offered.

Daphne smiled in reply. "That would be really nice, Shane."

"Still an amaretto sour girl?" he asked.

"Absolutely. My grown-up Kool-Aid," she grinned.

Shane's smile was weak, but he offered it to be polite.

"So, how is your baby doing?" Daphne asked, wanting to know all she could about Shane's child. After all, if she was going to become its mother, she'd need to know everything.

"She's doing great." He smiled his first genuine smile.

"It's a girl?!" she cried happily.

"Yep. Lauren Elisabeth Hunt. The doctors plan to induce her in five weeks."

"That's great!" Daphne cheered. "And how is Camden? Is her treatment going well?" Daphne ignored the shadow that fell over Shane's countenance.

"She's doing okay. Once the baby is delivered, the doctors will start her on high-dose chemotherapy, which will hopefully eradicate the cancer permanently." He frowned, worrying about Camden having chemo without him by her side.

"And where is she today? I thought you two were inseparable."

Shane looked at her for a moment, debating whether to admit the truth, but he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.

"I was needed at the bar today, so she's back home with her best friend."

Daphne was furious that he was lying to her. How were they supposed to have a relationship that wasn't based on honesty? She would have to deal with that later. For now, she hid her anger behind a peaceful façade.

"Well, I am glad you both are doing well. Perhaps I could meet her sometime. She sounds lovely."

Shane's expression was pained for a moment before he nodded.

"Shane! Sorry I took so long. I was checking on Aiden. The sitter said he's teething." Melia stopped suddenly and pretended to look surprised at Daphne's presence. Her lip snarled involuntarily.

"Daphne, I never thought I'd see YOU here again," she sniped.

"Melia, be nice. Daphne was just apologizing for her behavior the last time she was here," Shane chided.

"Oh, I'm sure she was," Melia muttered under her breath. Turning to Daphne with a fake smile, Melia addressed her.

"So what brings you to Jackson, Daphne? Or did you ever leave?"

Daphne's eyes narrowed. "I've been all over the last couple of months, enjoying being a civilian. I told Shane I was just passing through. I was on my way to my parents' place and thought I'd stop at the bar to say hello when I drove through town."

"I see," Melia sneered. "Well, I know Javier and Brody will hate that they missed you. They told me just last week how much they were hoping to see you. Javier said Captain Hawke had called with a message for Shane, but he also asked about you. Seems you made quite an impression on the Captain."

Daphne stiffened and glared at Melia. Shane stared at Melia, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Why would Captain Hawke ask Javier about Daphne?" He looked to Daphne for an explanation, but Melia was the one who spoke.

"Well, the Army usually is interested when one of its soldiers goes AWOL." She smirked at Daphne.

"What the hell? Daph, I thought you were discharged." Shane's eyes widened as Daphne stood suddenly.

"No," she growled, "and they were sending me back over there." Her eyes looked to Shane in terror. "I'm not going back, Shane. I don't want to go back!" she yelled.

Melia was starting to question the wisdom in baiting the red-headed woman when the door to the bar swung open. Several burly men entered, but Melia's focus was on the firearm that had suddenly appeared in Daphne's hand...a gun that was currently pointed at her.

"I'm not going back!" Daphne screamed. She looked at Shane accusingly. "You were supposed to protect me. You always took care of everyone. You're the most loyal person I've ever met. You were supposed to protect me!" she yelled.

"Daphne, right now, you need to protect yourself," Shane murmured. "Put the gun down, honey."

"No!" she screamed, tears suddenly flooding her cheeks. She gestured the gun at Melia. "If she wouldn't have interrupted us that night, we might have had a chance. When Camden dies, I could be a mother to your baby. I could love you. That's what I told Camden, and it's true."

Shane froze at her words. "You what?" he whispered, his tone lethal.

"I met Camden one day while you were gone. I told her that I was better for you. I'm healthy. I'm not going to die. She's going to die."

"She is NOT going to die," Shane yelled, causing Daphne to flinch.

"I tried to get her to leave you. She was being selfish, keeping you and forcing you to watch her suffer. When your truck broke down, she was supposed to think you had spent the weekend with me."

Shane stared at Daphne in shock and horror. How had he missed the fact that she had separated from reality. She'd had a breakdown or PTSD or something. It had to be. Why didn't he recognize that she wasn't the Daphne he remembered? Shane was suddenly worried for Camden and Lauren. He glanced at Melia, worried for her, too. He felt ashamed. She had a baby, and she was in danger because of him.

"Daphne," he murmured gently. "Daphne, these men are going to get you some help."

"No!" she cried frantically, brandishing the gun around her head. "They're going to make me go back to Afghanistan. I don't want to go back!" Her eyes met Shane's, tears still streaming her face. "Please don't make me go back," she whispered. The world seemed to slow as Shane watched Daphne turn the gun from Melia and point it to her own face.

"Noooo!" Before Shane could jump the bar to reach her, he heard Melia yell and run across the room. The tiny little spitfire barreled the tall red-head to the ground, knocking the gun from her grip. In seconds, the soldiers in the room had Daphne subdued. As they pulled her from the bar, her voice echoed in Shane's ears.

She had gone AWOL. She had sabotaged his car. She had met Camden. The last point stuck with him the most. Camden was so vulnerable right now, and he would put money on Daphne's twisted reasoning playing a role in Camden's abandonment of him. As Shane pulled a shaking Melia into his arms, he made a vow to himself. He would get Camden back, and this time, he would never let her go.

***

Chapter 39

Shane wiped his sweaty palms against his jeans. He had spent the last week trying to figure out how to get Camden to take him back. She was the most stubborn woman he’d met in his life, and never once had he known her to change her mind. Not once.

Shane inhaled deeply, counting to ten before exhaling at the same pace. If he didn’t, he was sure he would hyperventilate. He was about to lay his heart on the line, opening himself to the risk of getting it shredded again. He prayed the guys didn’t let him down.

***

“Eric?” Camden asked warily. “Where the hell are we going?”

Eric smiled at her apologetically from the driver’s seat of his SUV.

“Sorry, sweetie. Brody called to say he’d be in town tonight to surprise you, but he hadn’t had dinner yet. I told him we’d meet him at Luigi’s for pizza.”

Camden’s stomach grumbled. She’d primarily been eating soups and other bland, soft foods over the past two weeks. She hadn’t been able to keep anything down, but she had a feeling that had more to do with her broken heart than the chemo. She’d been missing Shane like crazy, and Eric had made a point of reminding her that it was her own fault whenever she broke down in tears. The jerk wasn’t the least bit compassionate.

Within ten minutes, Eric pulled into the parking lot at Luigi’s, but before Camden could even unbuckle her seatbelt, the back door flew open and three people climbed into the car. Camden stared at Brody, Melia, and Javier in confusion. Melia grinned.

“Let’s hit the road, bitches!” she yelled.

Javier grumbled something, and Camden noted the two were more awkward with each other than usual. Brody smirked as he sat between them. He shrugged his shoulders as if to say “What can you do?” and opened the pizza box in his lap.

“Got my dinner, so I’ve gotta agree with Melia, Eric.” He winked at Camden. “Road trip!”

Eric and Javier laughed, and Eric pulled out of the parking lot heading AWAY from their apartment. Camden’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“Anyone want to tell me what’s going on?” she asked.

“Roooaaad. Triiiiiip.” Brody smirked. “Feel like camping little sister?”

“What?!”

“Nothing,” Melia replied innocently. “Just enjoy the ride.”

An hour later, Camden was ready to pound her head on the window as Brody continued singing “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”. He was currently down to sixteen bottles of beer, and Camden couldn’t wait to get out of the car. Her mind wandered to Shane. She wondered how he was doing. She missed him so much it physically hurt, and she had a feeling Lauren missed him, too. At night, when Lauren would become active, Shane had sung to her, and she would calm immediately. The last two weeks, Camden’s already restless sleep was even more disturbed by Lauren’s aquatic aerobics.

Molly had voiced her disapproval of Camden’s choice, telling Camden that she was doing more damage to Shane by leaving him than watching her die ever would. Molly had been so blunt, and Camden had such respect for her, she’d spent the last week questioning her decision. She’d pushed him away thinking it would save Shane the pain of seeing her slowly fade into nothing, but according to Molly, her rejection would do more damage than that. Camden had tried to imagine the situation being reversed, and she knew she would want to be by Shane’s side no matter what.

Cheers from the back seat drew Camden from her thoughts. As Brody promised, they were driving into the campground where her family spent the first weekend of every summer. Instead of driving to their usual campsite, though, Eric drove to the entrance to the obstacle course. Once he parked, Melia opened her door and yelled, “Wait here.” She hurried under the “Obstacle Course” sign and disappeared into the shadows. A few moments later, the whole area was glowing with twinkling white lights. Camden watched Melia run back to the car. She opened Camden’s door and reached across her to unbuckle her seatbelt.

“Your turn, girlie,” she squealed. She pulled Camden from the car. “Go!” she ordered, motioning frantically to the obstacle course. Camden looked at her as if she was crazy but turned and walked slowly to the obstacle course.

When she came to the climbing wall where Shane had pulled her to the ground, hurting her ankle, she found him waiting, an anxious expression on his face.

“We need to talk,” he murmured.

“About what?”

“About us. We have a lot to discuss.” Camden stared at him, memories of their conversation in the tent after they’d first made love running through her mind.

“Discuss?” Camden questioned.

“Yeah,” he murmured. “We need to clear up some things about the last few months.” His expression grew serious. “Starting with you breaking up with me.”

Camden started to open her mouth to argue her point, only she wasn’t sure what her point was anymore.

“I know you talked to Daphne,” Shane admitted.

“You’ve seen her?” Camden’s heart dropped.

“Yeah. She stopped by the bar last week. Almost shot Melia.”

Camden’s eyes widened. “What?!” she whispered in horror.

“She had a breakdown, Sunshine. She had been AWOL for over three months. The army has her under psychiatric care.” He paused, pleading with his eyes. “Whatever she said to you was wrong.”

“She told me I was selfish to let you watch me die,” Camden murmured. “She said if you suffered through that, the trauma would break you.” Her eyes blazed as she stared at him. “I needed to know you would be there for Lauren. I couldn’t do that to you."

Shane stepped forward, his posture stiff. “Why?” he demanded. “Why couldn’t you do that to me?”

“You are the most amazing man I’ve ever met Shane. I couldn’t be the one to leave you broken.”

“You broke me, Camden Shepherd! You ruined everything good in my life on that night.”

Camden cringed as her words from months ago were thrown back at her, words Shane had never forgotten. He continued using her own words against her.

“I deserved a choice,” he whispered. “And I’ve made one. I choose you. I will wait forever for you, Camden. I will search for you if ever you are gone from my side. I will fight for you when you can’t fight any longer. You are my one and only. You shattered me when you left me, but I will not let that be the end of our story.”