From Darkness into Love

Chapter 2

Chapter 2December

Eleven Years Ago

Most fifteen-year-old girls spent their Christmas break hanging with friends, talking on the phone and dreaming about boys. Except Jessie no longer felt like a normal teenager. Her parents and brother, James had been killed in a fiery car crash on a snowy February night. Since then, neither her birthday nor Christmas had been the same. And even though the holidays were spent with people they considered family, everything was different. Memories, both good and bad, bombarded her and dreams she’d thought were behind her had returned.

She was a princess. At least that’s what they called her for as long as she remembered.

You’re our little princess, her mother and father teased.

You’re behaving like a princess, her big brothers cried when she followed them around.

Stop acting like you’re a princess, some kids at school yelled when she wanted her way.

Thanks to help from her grief counselor, she didn’t dream often. If lonely, or it had been a highly emotional time…she dreamed. And since Christmas, they appeared nightly, a mash up of happy times before morphing into that final moment with her parents.

Jessie stood on the porch dressed in old sweats, while her mother gave her last minute instructions. The longer she stood there, the more the wind whipped through her thin clothing, causing a chill up her spine.

“Hurry, Ruth,” her father honked the car horn. “We’ll be late picking up James.”

Her mother smiled and rolled her eyes, “Men,” she retorted. “I better go. Remember, we’ll be home late.”

“Okay, Mom,” Jessie shivered, impatient to get inside where it was warm. “Have a good trip.”

As her father backed the car out of the driveway, he rolled down his window, “We love you, Princess.”

Jessie slowly fought her way up through the grief, the memory of just waving at her parents and running inside weighing heavy on her mind. It was the same as every other time she had the dream. She was angry she hadn’t taken the few seconds to return the words.

But when the dream appeared, it set the tone for the rest of the day and the darkness swirled around her, only staying away when she skated. Which was the reason she’d ended up on the frozen pond earlier than most days.

Dylan was standing on the porch watching her and she loved him for it…but when she was alone, there was no pressure to behave a certain way. She could listen to the feeling inside and just skate; fast, slow, no expectations. She could just be…

~~~SH~~~

The Hunters had been friends with the Prince family for as long as Cameron could remember. For most of his life, he’d grown up thinking of Jessie, two years younger, as just Jessie. But that changed the summer she turned fourteen, when he saw her in a bikini top. Gone was the skinny tom-boy he’d always known, replaced with a girl who filled out her bikini, in all the right places.

Suddenly, he saw Jessie as a girl, and she starred in his dreams in a much different capacity. He’d even spent much of the summer and fall before her parents’ death trying to win her heart.

But no matter how much he flirted; she didn’t see him as anything more than a friend. The boy she came to when she wanted to complain about school, her brothers, her friends, or even other boys. And once in the friend zone, he didn’t know how to get out.

In February, when her parents and brother James were killed, Jessie had stayed with his family for a few months. He’d gotten close to her, but not in the way he’d wanted nor expected. Several nights he’d been the one to hear her crying and offered his shoulder for her to lean on. It was then, he decided it was up to her to choose what capacity he would hold in her life. If they were destined to just be friends, he’d honor her wishes.

Jessie and Dylan had spent Christmas with his family, and even though his parents had worked to make it a happy time, there was still a feeling of loss in the air. Without their fathers, Clint and Robert arguing over sports and their mothers, Mary and Ruth’s pie competition, the day had been quiet.

And he knew if he’d felt the differences, they had to be more so for his princess. Which was why he’d offered to spend time with Jessie when he learned Dylan was worried about her. He loved watching her move, both on the ice and off, but when she was skating, her beauty took his breath away. The way she glided across the ice mesmerized him, reminding him of a swan in motion. She was a joy to watch, and if they didn’t talk much…he was okay with that. He just wanted her happy.

Once he arrived at the Prince home, he should have stopped to talk to Dylan, but Jessie completely captured his attention. He grabbed his skates and traipsed through the snow to the frozen pond where she was skating.

“Hey, Princess,” he called teasingly when he was close enough. “May I join you?” She nodded her head and waited while he removed his boots. As he stepped onto the ice, he couldn’t help but think, Now, the fun begins.

~~~SH~~~

Jessie knew the minute Cameron turned onto their drive, but she couldn’t say how. Was it the hum of the engine in his old pickup, or was there some invisible connection between them?

Since their families had been friends forever, the four boys always treated her like a kid, never knowing she secretly harbored a crush on Cameron. But the possibility of losing him as her rock and best friend had kept her safe from acting on the crush…so far, anyway.

Cam had always been that boy she’d watched from afar, never assuming they were destined to be anything more than what they were. Because of the history between their families, he always treated her the same as her brothers, like a sister.

As they aged, he’d been the boy who always had a girl or two hanging around. When the girls disappeared, as they’d inevitably done, it was easy to make up her mind. As his friend, she wouldn’t have to worry about losing him. Once she’d made that decision, her crush became easier to manage.

Until the summer she turned fourteen, and he’d looked her way with those green eyes and dimples. Every time he’d tilted his blond head, quirked his mouth just so, or winked at her, making her feel like the only female around, her traitorous heart had beat a rapid pitter-pat.

It took several stern lectures before she’d convinced herself he only wanted what he couldn’t have. Once that happened, she resisted, mostly, anyway. It hadn’t stopped her heart from flipping in her chest every time he flirted with her, nor had it stopped her from wanting to squeal when he called her princess. There was something about the way his tongue caressed the sounds that caused a little thrill to run up and down her spine.

It hadn’t been easy, but she saved her excitement for when she was alone in her room. There she spent hours filling pages in her diary, where she practiced combining her name with his. She loved the combination of Jessie and Hunter and decided one day, that would be her.

But the accident had changed everything in her life, and while there was so much she was unsure of, Cameron’s place wasn’t one of them. He was what she needed him to be…a true friend. She found it eerie he read her moods, as he seemed to show up when she least expected him. But after it happened several times in a row, she stopped questioning his arrival.

“Tired of reading?” she teased, knowing he’d been procrastinating about schoolwork.

“Something like that,” he replied, a cocky grin crossing his face. “Let’s race!”

He took off before she formulated a response, but again he’d anticipated her needs. With a hard push, she skated after him, the surge of speed triggering something inside she hadn’t felt in a while.

~~~SH~~~

Cameron mindlessly followed Jessie around the frozen pond, a part of him focused on her, the other on maintaining his dignity on the unfamiliar ice. She was skating as if the very hounds of hell were on her tail, which made him want to stick close so he could catch her if she fell.

Their conversation was minimal, only a word here or there, but when her expression softened, and she grinned at him, the tension in his shoulders relaxed. It seemed like a new beginning. He lost track of how long they’d been skating, but the combination of his legs turning to jelly and the lengthening shadows said it had been several hours.

The next time around, he pushed in front of her, and turned around to skate backwards, “Want to rest?”

The twinkle in her eye said she was onto him. “What’s the matter, Hunter? You a wuss?” She flipped her long hair over her shoulder and took off, “If you can catch me, we can rest.” The laughter in her voice had his heart doing several mini flips.

“Not a problem, Princess,” he taunted. Cameron dug into his waning energy and skated past Jessie. He set up and executed a perfect hockey stop, throwing snow up around them.

Jessie rolled her eyes, “Not bad.”

“Not bad?” Cameron huffed. “Did you see how high that snow flew?”

She shrugged and skated past, patting him gently on the cheek, “Let me show you how it’s done.”

Her hockey stop, as expected, was done with perfection, but Cameron wasn’t ready to admit defeat. He winked as he sped by and the glint in her eye distracted him for a split second.

Unfortunately, it happened in the spot on the ice that had threatened to trip him multiple times, and before he could catch himself, he face planted.

Jessie shrieked, “Watch out!” as he slid several feet before coming to a stop at the base of a mound of snow, knocking much of it loose.

The thought he should bounce to his feet as if nothing was wrong floated through his mind. But then his muddled brain registered the sound of her concerned voice, “Cameron, are you okay?” as she dropped beside him.

Roll over, he kept telling himself, but then her warm hand landed on his head and gently began pushing his hair back from his forehead.

“Please wake up,” she pleaded, “please wake up.”

Her voice sounded different, more worried than when she had initially called his name, and Cameron wasn’t willing to cause her any more pain. He groaned and rolled over, sending her a cheeky smile.

“Don’t stop touching me, Princess. I like it,” he wiggled his eyebrows teasingly. Jessie squinted, scanning his face carefully, for injuries, he was sure.

“You’re okay? Really?”

“I’m fine, but you,” he rolled over freeing both hands, “appear to be just a little too...dry.”

She squealed when he took hold of her shoulders and tucked her underneath him in the middle of the wet snow.

“Cameron?” she whispered, her voice trailing off, her blue eyes locking with his.

“Jessie?” He tried to keep his eyes on hers, but as if he were powerless to resist, they dropped to her lips. Her eyes widened, and he wanted to close the distance between them, but the memory of why he was out here on the ice with her crept back into his mind.

The breath he’d been holding fled and before he could second guess his actions, Cameron grabbed a handful of snow and dropped it in the v of her jacket, just below her chin. “Gotcha,” he crowed scrambling to his feet, giving her space.

“Argh,” Jessie sputtered, getting up from the ice and brushing off, “better watch out Hunter. Paybacks can be a bitch.”

~~~SH~~~

Jessie skated away, her thoughts unsettled, but whether they were that way because of something Cameron hadn’t done...or because of something he had, she wasn’t sure. He flirted and there wasn’t a girl at Swan Harbor High that wasn’t affected by his glib tongue, sexy green eyes or dimpled smile.

With her though, he was different, and had been since her parents...

And with that one thought, the darkness that had been abated was back. It clawed at her, threatening to pull her down into its abyss, only letting her go when it covered her. Her knees began to buckle, and the darkness continued its climb up her legs. She was going down...until...strong arms wrapped around her, bringing her close to a warm male body.

He made her feel safe and secure as he held her, preventing the black hole from consuming her. She closed her eyes, burrowing her face into Cameron’s shoulder, and waited with bated breath for the darkness to overwhelm her.

When she didn’t immediately feel as if it had swallowed her, she peered through her lashes. But all she saw was the ice and snow changing colors as the sun began to set. Shyly, Jessie stepped backward a foot...and then another, giving Cameron a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry,” she began, lifting her mittened hand to wipe the dampness from her face.

Cameron’s cold hand beat her to it and he cupped her jaw, using his thumb to wipe her tears away, “Never apologize for missing your parents, Jess.”

His quiet support took her breath and caused her heart to stutter. She wanted to let him know how much she appreciated his help, but the words thank you seemed too small. If only she were braver, she’d kiss his lean cheek in a show of gratitude, but...what would he think?

Jessie took a deep breath as his green eyes darkened, pulling her closer to their fire.

“Think there’s an extra pair of gloves in the box in the gazebo?” Cameron asked, his lopsided grin, stopping her thought processes.

She looked down, just realizing he was still holding her mittened hand. “Where are your gloves?” she groused at him. “What would your mother say? Come on.” She skated off expecting him to follow. “Well?” She gave him an exasperated look as they stepped through the mounds of snow lining the pond.

“Geez, Jess,” Cameron mumbled. “They’re just gloves. I was in a hurry, okay?”

“Males!” Jessie pushed Cameron toward the bench seat, while she rifled through piles of colorful wool. It took several minutes before she located a pair near the bottom that had belonged to James, and handed them to Cameron.

He gave her a lopsided grin and slipped them on, spinning a tale about the last time he’d been on the ice with their brothers. While the story was funny and typical, that James would never again be a part of their escapades brought tears to her eyes.

“You all right?” Cameron asked, squeezing her fingers.

The confusion that was never far away when he didn’t behave as she expected washed over her. “Why are you here?” she asked the question she’d always been scared to ask before.

“Why are you?” he turned the tables on her, something she should have expected, but wasn’t sure she was ready to answer.

The reasons she skated hadn’t been something she’d discussed with many. Her counselor, Merlene, Sadie, and Cassie, but with the way Cameron had been supporting her, a part of her wanted to explain.

“Sometimes there’s a black hole,” she began, “that threatens to engulf me, and I disappear.” Jessie bit her bottom lip and swallowed the tears that wanted to erupt before continuing, “I keep thinking if I skate fast enough, I can outrun the darkness. For a little while, anyway.”

“Oh, Jessie,” he murmured. “Does it work?”

“Sometimes,” she sighed, “but not always. Now, it’s your turn. Why are you here, and not with Ben or Ryan? Or,” she smirked, “reading Persuasion?”

“You needed me.”

The combination of his simple answer and dimples almost had her missing the look in his eyes.

“There’s more,” she prodded, pleased when she saw the slight flare in his green depths. “How would you know if you hadn’t talked to Dylan?”

“I didn’t talk to Dylan,” he admitted. “But Gray made plans for your brother, so…”

“Why didn’t Dylan mention his plans?” Jessie wondered aloud, but then a light went off and the date blinked brightly in her head. “Ugh,” she groaned. “Today is Dylan...and would have been James’...twenty-first birthday. I’m such a selfish –bimmff.” Cameron’s hand muffled the derogatory word. “Where are they?”

“Dylan and Gray are at Swan’s Spirits,” he admitted.

“He’ll come home drunk, won’t he?” Jessie grumbled, still annoyed she didn’t remember Dylan’s big day.

“Maybe,” he paused a beat, his grin growing, “Okay, probably. But I’ll be here to help you get him into bed.”

Jessie studied him for several minutes, “That would be nice.” She frowned. “I wonder if we have stuff so I can make a birthday cake before he gets back.”

“Chocolate?”

“Of course,” she teased. “Is there any other choice?”

They exchanged skates for shoes before climbing the steps to the old house, “Can I lick the bowl?” Cameron pleaded as she walked past him.

Jessie laughed, “Only if you help.”

“I have to earn my keep?” he whined. “My mother doesn’t make me help.”

“Well, I’m not your mother, now am I?” she quipped.

She thought he said, ‘thank goodness for that’, but when she glanced his direction, he was washing his hands, ignoring her.

The little smile on her face threatened to bloom into a full-fledged grin. He did it again, she couldn’t help but think as she opened the cabinet and went searching for what she needed.