Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 95676 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95676 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
"I know." He presses his forehead to mine, his breath blowing hot across my face. "Ride back to San Francisco with me," he says. "I'll send someone to get your car, but I need to be with you right now. Please."
"Yes." I don't even hesitate. Facing a seven-hour drive alone is the last thing I want to do right now. And it's not like I'm going to need my car anytime soon, anyway. It won't be of any use to me where I'm going.
He kisses me and then pulls away to toss our bags into the back of his Rover. Once done, he walks me around to the passenger side and helps me in. When my hands shake, he latches the seatbelt for me and then kisses me again.
"I've got you, baby," he murmurs, pressing his lips to my cheek.
Baby.
He's never called me that before.
I start crying all over again.
Chapter Sixteen
Ivy
I spend the first half of the drive back to San Francisco staring blankly out the windshield while Cam talks on the phone. His jaw stays locked tight, as if whatever he's being told pisses him off. That only serves to make me even more anxious, but I don't ask him how bad things are. If these are my last hours as a free woman, I don't want to spend them in a constant state of terror.
I want to be strong and brave and believe everything is going to work out, but the truth is…that's never been my life. In my life, things don't always work out. When the worst can happen, it usually does. I know because I've lived it. First with my mom and sister, and then again with my dad. I'm terrified the same is going to happen now, that I'm going to end up in prison regardless of whatever evidence Cam finds to prove me innocent. Fake Ivy is going to get away with murder, and I'm going to pay for it.
Who wouldn't be a little terrified of that possibility?
Cam checks on me frequently, asking if I need anything or if I want to stop.
I don't. My stomach is in knots, making it impossible to eat anything. And spending my time wandering around gas stations doesn't appeal to me, especially not with my name and face now splashed across the news. I'd rather be right here beside him for as long as possible. He touches me frequently, as if he needs the contact as much as I do. His hand never strays far from mine, so I cling to him, allowing him to keep me grounded.
I fall asleep somewhere outside of San Simeon and sleep hard. If I dream, I don't remember what they're about. I wake up as the last rays of the sun sink below the horizon, turning the San Francisco Bay into a kaleidoscope of blinding color. Sailboats bob in the water like toy ships. My breath catches in my throat at the brilliant sight. I drink it in with greedy eyes, trying to memorize it.
"Convince them," Cam snaps into the phone. "I don't care what you have to do, Jacoby, get me one more day." He pauses to listen to the voice murmuring on the other end of the line. "First thing in the morning? Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure." He listens for another minute and then curses and drops the phone into his lap.
"Hey," I whisper when he puts his hand to his forehead, massaging above his eyes.
He drops his hand and looks over at me. "Hey. I thought you were sleeping."
I shrug and then glance out at the Bay again. "We're almost home."
"Yeah."
"They're giving me until morning to turn myself in?" I ask when he doesn't say anything else.
He shifts his gaze to me and nods almost imperceptibly.
I take a deep breath and then let it out slowly. "Okay."
He reaches for my hand, bringing it to his lips. "I want you to stay with me tonight."
"Why?"
"Because I want you with me for as long as possible," he says, and maybe that's true, but that's not his only reason. I can tell by the way he avoids making direct eye contact with me.
"You've never lied to me before," I whisper, watching him. "Please don't start now."
"I'm―" He stops and then tips his head back and curses. "There are a few reporters lurking around your building."
"Oh." That's not what I expected him to say. "I thought you were going to tell me they only agreed to give me until morning because you promised to keep me in sight at all times."
He squeezes my hand, not saying anything.
"This really sucks, you know?" I don't know how else to sum up the situation. "I've never done anything wrong my entire life, and now I can't even go home because reporters are camped on my doorstep and your coworkers think I need a babysitter in order to be trusted."