Escape With Me (With Me in Seattle 16)

“She’s going to be fine,” Kane says. “Scared the hell out of us, but she’s fine.”

“Good.”

Our mother practically raised Cameron through his teenage years. His dad was barely around, and his mom left when he was small. We’re his family.

“What’s up, Cam?” Shawn inquires.

“Are you going to ask if you can marry Maggie?” Kane asks.

“Not today,” Cam replies and drags his hand down his face. The three of us narrow our eyes. “I want to run something by you. I’m ending my government contract, effective in thirty days. Which means, for the first time since I was eighteen, I won’t be tied to Uncle Sam.”

“What made you decide to do this?” I ask him.

“I want to come home. Maggie’s right. I’m in and out way too much. I’m on the downslope to forty. I want to set down roots and be here more. Shit, Ma had a heart attack, and I was in Tel Aviv. It’s a little hard to get home from the Middle East in an emergency. It fucking sucked.”

“You were in Israel?” Shawn asks. “What the hell?”

“You know I can’t tell you why,” Cam says quietly. “And that’s the other thing that’s getting old. I can’t even confide in you guys about the stuff that goes on. Everything about my life is a fucking secret. In the beginning, that was part of the fun of it. Now, it’s just…old.”

“What are you going to do?” I ask.

“I’m going to work as a contractor with some major corporations—and, yes, some big government agencies—on their IT security. So, while the government will still be paying me, they’re not my boss anymore. Also, there’s a lot more money in the private sector.”

Cam is a genius when it comes to computers. That’s all any of us knows about his job.

“Are you asking for help with the startup costs?” Kane asks.

“No, I have the money. I’m just asking for your thoughts on this. Is it the smart thing to do? Am I stupid to walk away from the seniority and stability I have with my current job, even if I’m growing to hate it with each passing day?”

“We don’t know anything about your job,” Shawn reminds him. “But if it’s making you miserable, and this is where you want to live full-time, it’s not the wrong thing to do.”

“I agree.”

“Are you doing this for Mary Margaret?” Kane asks as he watches his best friend thoughtfully.

“Partially,” Cam admits. “But even if she told me to fuck right off, which she does on the regular, I’d still want this. I’m too old to spend every night in a different country, worried it might be the day I’m assassinated.”

“Fucking Christ,” I mutter.

“Then do it,” Kane says. “Coming home is never the wrong answer. If you hate it, you can always go back.”

“No,” Cam says, shaking his head. “That’s not how it works.”

“Come home,” Shawn says.

“This is where you belong, mate” I agree. “Always has been, always will be. We have your back.”

He nods and then grins. “I’m going to need a place to live.”

“We have Maeve for that,” Kane says. “If you need a place to crash in the meantime, you can stay here.”

“With the screaming baby?” Cam asks, just as we hear the baby crying upstairs. “I’m sure I can find a place.”

“There’s always the cabin,” Shawn says. “I know it’s far away, but it’s there if you want it.”

“I’ll grab a rental here on the island,” Cam replies. “It won’t be a problem. I’m not going to stay with my dad, that’s for sure. And the hotel I usually use is fucking expensive. Anyway, thank you. I needed to talk it out. To make sure I wasn’t out of my mind.”

“I don’t think you are. Well, not over this.” I pat him on the shoulder.

“I have to catch a flight to D.C.,” Cam says and stands up.

“I have some writing to do while the story is fresh in my head,” Shawn adds.

“I’m going to stay behind and talk with Kane.”

We say our goodbyes to the other two, and then Kane and I take our coffee out to the sunporch.

“Izzy starts her new job tomorrow,” I say as we stare out at the ocean beyond.

“And we’re ready,” Kane replies. “It’s going to be a hell of a party.”

“Izzy has no idea. It’s perfect. Thanks for hosting.”

“It’s our pleasure. Stasia isn’t feeling up to going out too much yet, so it works out well for us. What’s on your mind, Keegan?”

I set my coffee aside and run my hand through my hair. “Have you given any more thought to selling the property we looked at?”

“I have. Have you decided that you want it, then?”

“I do.” I turn to my brother now, the person I trust most in the world. “I want to build a house on it. I’m going to ask her to marry me.”