As he steps toward us, I feel Remi's hand squeeze mine as if trying to reassure me. I don't even know when she grabbed hold of it.
“I thought you could do with another friend.”
I don't look back at her but keep my narrowed gaze on the man in front of me.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
“It's good to see you, too.” His lips lift in a half-smirk before he drops it again.
“This isn't fucking funny.”
A flicker of guilt or something crosses his face at the harshness in my voice.
“I know.” He nods. “I'm here because when Remi turned up at my place last night, she tried to tell me something that I already knew.”
The most ridiculous feelings of jealousy hit me when I think about the fact that she was at his place last night and not mine.
Huffing out an irritated breath, I push away the thought for now so I can deal with one thing at a time, like why the fuck Campbell is here standing in front of me right now.
“And what exactly was that?”
“That you were innocent. I already knew you didn't do it.”
I let out a scoff and run a hand over my jaw. The irritation boiling up inside me turns to anger.
“Yeah? Then where the fuck were you for the last ten years, Campbell? Where the fuck were you when I was scared shitless about what was happening, and everyone was turning their backs on me? Wherewereyouat the lowest point of my life when I wished I was dead?” I turn away from him, my chest heaving in anger, mixed with deep feelings of hurt. “I didn't have a single fucking soul on my side.”
Taking a seat, I rub a hand aggressively through my hair and briefly look up at Remi to see a tear slide down one cheek. I have to look away before I see more fall. I can't handle that.
“Shit, you think I didn't wantto be there for you?” Campbell asks, pacing a few steps. “My parents bannedme from leaving the house. They took away my car and my allowance to make sure I couldn't make the forty-five-minute drive to the courthouse. And then when I found a way to get there anyway and sat in the back of the courtroom, they moved us to the other side of thefuckingcountry to keep me away from you.” He plonks down angrily onto the sand next to the fire, staring at the flames. “I cannot even begin to imagine what you've been through, Jake, or what it was like for you. But don't think for a fucking second that no one else's life was affected by what happened.
“I lost my best friend. All the other guys drifted apart almost immediately. I lost my freedom for a long time. My parents kept looking at me like I was capable of doing what you were accused of. Like I'd been influenced by you or something and they were just waiting for me to do it. Everything was shit.”
I sit quietly, looking at my old best friend for a long moment. Because it's true that I didn't think about how it might have affected anyone else's life, I thought they had simply turned on me.
“They told me that you said you thought I was capable of doing it,” I say with a lot less steam than before.
“I didn't say shit. Mase was the only one who said that you'd do anything to make her yours.”
I should have known that Mase would be the one to say that. He never did know when to shut up.
“I'm so sorry, Jake, about it all. But just know that I never believed it, not for a second. And I've felt like shit ever since because I couldn't do anything to help you.”
I take a moment to mull over everything in my head. It's hard just to switch off the anger and hurt I've felt for ten years, but looking over at Campbell now, I find that it's no longer directed at him.
“I'm sorry, too,” I finally mumble.
I can actually see the weight lift off his shoulders, and it makes me realize that this has been something that he's been carrying around for a long time. And knowing that he never doubted me, well, that has my shoulders feeling that tiny bit lighter, too.
Just like in the past, Campbell is quick to cool off after getting worked up and relaxes back into the sand.
“I just moved to the West Coast with my wife and kids about six months ago. I didn't know where you ended up, but I would have come sooner if I knew it was here. I'm really glad Remi showed up. It's good to see you.”
My eyes drift up to where Remi has been silently standing off to the side, watching us with tears in her eyes. A warmth fills my entire chest just from looking at her.
I didn't realize just how much I needed this, and she's the reason for it. She's the reason for every good thing in my life.
I hold out my hand, pulling her to sit on my lap when she takes hold of it, and whisper thank you into her hair. The overwhelming need to be close to her and wipe the tears from her face suddenly feels more important than my next breath.