Love, Scars, & Shooting Stars

Chapter Fifty-Four

Having finally cried herself out, Julie dragged herself up from her apartment floor and stumbled into the bathroom, still numb from the shock of it all. She blew her nose and brushed her teeth, then repeatedly splashed cold water on her face in an attempt to temper the swollen ruddiness that her complexion always suffered after a particularly hearty crying jag. God, she was just so sick of crying—for one reason or another, she'd been doing it her whole damned life! With one final splash, she raised her head and studied her reflection in the mirror, wondering when—or, if—the tears would ever end.

The faint click of a door closing brought her back to the present situation, followed closely by the sound of a second door closing. Easing the bathroom door open, she crept over to Finn's room and pressed her ear to the door. The muted strains of a pop song warbled from the small radio that was almost always on these days, and she heard the bedsprings groan beneath his weight and then fall silent. Julie reached for the doorknob, and then stopped. She knew her son, and if he'd been ready to talk, he'd have said so. The memory of her hand striking his cheek came rushing back, and she eased silently away from the door. Truth be told, she wasn't ready to face him yet either, not after what she'd done. Yes, they both just needed a little more time.

He's home, and he's safe, she consoled herself, her silver-lining nature struggling to the surface as the numbness began to fade. Belatedly aware of the dimness of the room and the lack of sunlight outside, Julie was mortified when the clock on the wall told her it was nearly eight o'clock at night. Her son had been gone for over three hours, and she hadn't even gone to look for him! Had Finn come home on his own, or had Cameron—

Cameron!

Julie raced to the window and, sure enough, there was his truck backing out of the drive. While she'd been lying on the floor in a state of near-catatonia, Cameron had apparently been searching the streets for her son. Because that's the kind of man that he was, always willing to jump in and do whatever needed to be done at a moment's notice, always the first to offer a helping han—

A true hero, Julie thought, cringing as the words she'd said earlier swam to the forefront of her mind, along with the image of his face after she'd said them. Julie closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to the window as her tears began to trickle anew.

Oh, God! What have I done?