“This wasn’t the first place he looked,” he confirmed. “The whole town is pretty pissed. I had lunch plans here anyway.”

“That explains your Genevieve snub,” Charity noted, smacking Gid’s hand when he reached for one of her fries. “Order your own.”

“I will. Just waiting on— There he is.” He nodded toward the door.

Camden scanned the room, finding Gideon and then me. His baseball hat rode low on his brow, as did those jeans on his hips. Hips I’d had my thighs wrapped around last week.

And now my face felt like it was on fire.

“Frosty reception,” Charity murmured.

That’s when I noticed that not a single soul was speaking at any of the twenty tables. They were all watching Cam. “Glaring” was probably the better term.

Cam noticed, too, because his chin rose as he strode across the floor.

Dad moved into his path, and my heart stopped with Cam’s steps as his fist flexed, but he tucked his thumbs into his back pockets. This could go so very wrong, and if Cam’s temper got the best of him, he’d never win his suit.

“If you do this, Dad won’t forgive you,” Charity whispered.

I looked down at her and realized I’d stood. “You’re sure about what you said earlier?”

She glanced at Dad and Cam. “Yeah. I am.”

“Then I can live with it.” Dad raised me to side with what was right, no matter the cost. He just didn’t realize he wasn’t right this time.

She swallowed, then nodded quickly.

Their words were still muffled as I crossed the checkered diner floor, but the tone was unmistakable. Dad was pissed. Cam was in that scary calm that usually came before he destroyed something.

“Hey, we were waiting for you,” I said to Cam as I faced them both. “We’re in the back.”

Cam’s eyes found mine, and if I were anyone else, I would have flinched at what I found there. This wasn’t the guy who carried me home on the Cat or the one who kissed me in the kitchen. This was the Cam who killed people, and it finally hit me just how close to the surface that part of him lived, barely leashed. There was a part of him that I wasn’t sure cared about anyone or anything—even me.

He expected me to retreat; that’s what that little glare meant.

“Saved you a seat right next to me.” I held out my hand, palm up, and waited.