“All I need,” she said very gently, “is for you to promise not to tell my sister any of this. Not until I’m ready.”

Fuck. “Don’t ask that of me, Winnie.”

“Please,” she said softly, meeting his gaze. “It’s just all too much right now, okay? First, losing my best friend—”

“Seems like Rowan was a little more than that.”

Winnie swallowed hard and looked down. “Maybe. We didn’t know, we didn’t realize until after we sort of accidentally slept together one night. Things might’ve changed then, but right after, he went back East to visit with you for a few weeks, and he . . .”

“Never came home,” he finished quietly.

She nodded and bit her lower lip. “And then I was in school, realizing that nothing felt right anymore, not class, not being out on my own, nothing . . .”

“So you came home.”

She nodded again, looking very young and very unsure.

“Have you been continuing to see your doctor, the one you mentioned at the funeral?”

“Yes. I had my patience tested. I’m negative.”

He snorted. “Copy that.”

“Doc said mama and baby are fine.”

“Good. And I mean it, Winnie, when you need anything, just let me know. We can work out a way for me to cover your bills without any invasion of privacy. But . . .”

She looked into his eyes, her own incredibly vulnerable and young. “But . . . ?”

“You need to tell Piper.”

“I know. I will,” she promised. “When I’m ready.”

He drew in a long breath. “I’d do a lot for you, Winnie, but I’m not comfortable with lying to her.”

“Well, I don’t feel comfortable throwing up every morning, but sometimes we have to deal with our lot in life. Promise me, Cam. Or I’ll leave, no forwarding address.”

Shit.

“I’m sorry,” she said, sounding like she meant it. “But I can’t be pushed around on this. I’ll do it—when it’s right. Okay?”

What choice did he have? He gave a reluctant nod.

Winnie let out a shaky exhale. “Thank you. Now I’d better get back inside. I’m sure Piper has more she needs to gripe at me about.”

“She cares about you.”

Winnie cocked her head and studied him. “Huh.”

“What?”

“You like her.”

“I’ve known her for all of twelve hours.” They both knew that was a non-answer, but the truth was, it didn’t matter if he liked her or not. He was here to help his family. Other than Winnie and his dad, “the Bean,” as she’d called it, was all the family he had left.

Chapter 6

“My alone time is for your safety.”