Beyond Eighteen(16)

He readjusted his arms around my back and kissed the top of my head. His breath draped across my scalp, sending chills radiating down my spine.

“Take your time,” he whispered. His heart beat a rhythm I got lost in. I pushed him back against the car and stretched up to kiss him, my lips inches from his, our eyes tangled in a mesmerizing moment. Just then I heard the spring on the garage door lengthen and creak.

“You brought her back. Wilson, you came back.” I heard Camille’s voice crack as she spoke.

“Um-hum,” Max whispered as he stared into my eyes and continued, “she came home…with me.”

I swallowed the lump that grew in the back of my throat before I turned to Camille. Her muddy brown eyes were sunken, dark, and lost. She looked like she hadn’t slept in months. Her once tidy brown hair dangled without the help of a comb.

“Hi,” I choked in a whisper.

“Hi,” Camille answered as she held her arms out to hug me. I slipped right into them and she pulled me into a tight embrace. “God, I am so glad you came back,” she sighed across my ear.

I nodded my head without saying anything. I could feel the pressure of wanting to bawl creep into my chest.

“Me too,” I murmured.

I felt Camille’s body become rigid and her voice wavered as she continued. “Mom’s been asking about you, and Calvin wants—”

“You know what? Wilson is pretty wiped out. Why don’t we talk about this later?” Max interrupted as he constricted his eyes and tilted his head in a manner which amounted to a wordless conversation with his sister.

“Oh, right, I’m sorry,” she said low. An awkward moment settled between us before she noticed Max’s throat.

“What the heck happened to your neck?”

Max pulled on the collar of his winter coat as he answered her. “Nothin’.”

“What the hell?” Camille demanded as she grabbed Max’s hands and pulled them down to look at the cuts and scrapes across his knuckles.

I stood there, frozen, waiting for Max to give some more details about what happened between him and Nick.

“I got into a small tussle,” Max said shrugging his shoulders. Camille spun around and looked me over from head to toe.

“With who?” she demanded.

“It doesn’t matter,” Max answered her.

Camille looked over to me determinedly and waited for me to snitch on Max.

Max noticed and shook his head. “Now listen, Camille, there’s no story here. I’m fine, Wilson’s fine, leave it at that.”

I could tell she held herself responsible for protecting her brother. Like she was the one he would tell everything to. She was uncomfortable accepting that fact that Max wasn’t going to give her any information about what happened.

“Well, when mom sees you she’s gonna flip-out. Don’t you think she’s been through enough without seeing you all torn up?”

“No worries, I’ll handle mom. How’s she doing, by the way?” Max asked.

“Doing okay, every now and then it hits her that dad is gone, but she’s glad everyone has left and it’s just us. She actually wants to cook tonight. I’ve tried to tell her she doesn’t have to, but she is insisting on making dinner.”

“Well, whatever makes her feel normal. Just let her do it. Where’s Cal?” Max asked.

“He’s upstairs in Dad’s office,” Camille said dryly.

“What’s Calvin doing in Dad’s office?” Max’s voice deepened.

“Looking for some papers the lawyers need,” she said, irritated.

“Right now? Couldn’t it wait?”

“It’s Calvin, who knows,” Camille answered flippantly.

When I heard them mention their brother’s name it made every muscle in my body constrict. Suddenly chunks of resentment for Calvin curdled in my gut. It was his fault we’d gotten into this mess in the first place. Max noticed the change in my body language. Okay, well, yeah, how could he not? Let’s just say my body was screaming.

“You know what, Camille? It doesn’t matter, really. Why don’t you go on in? Wilson and I will be right behind you.” Max opened the door to the kitchen and pushed on his sister’s shoulder. She resisted for a moment before it clicked for her that Max wanted to be alone with me.

Camille caught my gaze right before the door shut between us. I tried to smile, but I just couldn’t. Seconds later I felt Max wrap his arms around my body, his warmth consuming me as he pressed his chest against mine. It was like he was trying to reassure me that he wasn’t going to let me go ever again. Max’s breath tickled across my hair as he took a couple of deep breaths. His hands, firmly planted on the small of my back, loosened as he pressed and rubbed his palms up either side of my spine.