The month that followed Ava’s call from Tucker was followed by more calls.  Ava never answered and always deleted any messages without listening to them.  So to say she was surprised by who was standing in front of her was a definite understatement.

“Cameron what…” She didn’t even get the words out before she was lifted off the ground and being crushed in the arms of her big brother.

Cameron sat her down and immediately asked “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Ava could see the hurt on his face.

“I didn’t…” Again her words were cut short by Cameron.

“How did you end up here?” he asked this time.

“Wait Cameron, who told you I was here?”

“Tucker,” Cameron said the name with hostility in his voice.

“What!” Ava’s heart was in her throat.  What else did that jerk tell him?  She thought.

“Cameron come in there is so much we need to talk abou,” Ava said as they walked in.

She had changed.  Gone was the giggly little girl.  She had grown up so much since he had last seen her.  Not in size; she was the same height.  A little weight had been added to her face and hips but it wasn’t in her outside appearance that he saw the change.  She carried herself differently.  She had matured and he hated it.  She should still be giggling a hanging out with a bunch of girls talking about a dance or some guy.  Tucker did this.  And now he hated him for it.  The person who had been his best friend since he was 3 years old was now the person he couldn’t stand to look at.  The person he had fought with three days ago.  They had squabbled before but this had been their first real fight.

Well if you could call it a fight.  Tucker didn’t fight back he just sat there and took it.  But that didn’t matter to Cameron.  He had beaten the shit out of Tucker anyway.  Because he deserved it and if felt good.  Cameron had no regrets.

Cameron followed Ava into the kitchen and stopped just inside the door staring at the girl drumming the table.  She didn’t even notice they had come in.

“El,” Ava said trying to keep from laughing.

Ellie looked up to see Ava and a guy.  Some really cute guy.

Ellie and Cameron just stared at each other.  Ava was just watching them with a smile.

Cameron finally spoke, “Hey I’m Cameron”

“Cameron, as in Ava’s brother Cameron?”  Ellie asked surprised.

“Yeah El, the one and only.\,” Ava said wrapping her arms around Cameron again.

“Well I’m going to let you two catch up.  I have practice in a while.”

“El I forgot I was going to give you a ride.”

“It’s okay I can walk,” Ellie said with a shrug.

“Ellie you can’t walk that far.”

“What are you talking about I have walked it a thousand times before.”

“Well you weren’t seven months pregnant before.”

Ellie exhaled hard and rolled her eyes. “Fine Mom I’ll call Marco for a ride.”

Ava was trying to avoid the conversation she had to have with her brother.  He must not know about Seth or surly he would want to see him.  What am I thinking Tucker doesn’t know about Seth so he couldn’t have told him. Ava thought as her stomach began to twist in knots.

Cameron was so shocked when Ellie stood to leave the room he didn’t even notice his mouth was hanging open.  When he first saw Ellie he was instantly attracted to her.  The way she sat there drumming on the table oblivious to both he and Ava.  Her red hair moved as though keeping time to what she played.  She really was beautiful.

But then Ava said pregnant.  He was still attracted to her and she was still beautiful but that rounded belly meant she was out of his reach.

“How did you get here?” Ava asked Cameron who was staring at the door Ellie had gone out.

“Uh I drove,”he answered giving his attention to her.

“God Cameron how long did it take?”

“Two days,” he answered.  He still couldn’t believe he drove all that way himself.

“Marco’s gonna pick me up in a little bit,” Ellie said putting her phone back in her bag.

“Oh okay El.  We’ll be right back Cameron,” Ava said pulling Ellie behind her.

“What are you doing?” Ellie asked.

Ava pulled Ellie to the bottom of the stairs.  “Will you go up and get Seth for me?”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to talk to Cameron and then you bring Seth in so Cam can see him.  I want to get this over quick.  I can’t keep Seth from him long and I don’t want to drag it out dreading the whole time.  He can either deal or not,” Ava said flatly. 

“Okay I’ll change him and be down in a few minutes.”

“Thanks Ellie.  It seems that you are always near when something like this happens.  It really helps to have a friend close when things go crazy.”

“Ava you’re welcome I’m glad I can help.  And you have returned the favor over and over so we’re even,” Ellie said with a smile. 

Ellie was never one for mushy feel-good chats.  But she was glad to have Ava for a friend.  Since Ava had found out about the baby she had done anything to help Ellie.  Ellie had friendships that had kind of come and gone with Ash and Alex.  But she really thought Ava was her female Marco.

******

Ava stood outside the kitchen door with shaking hands.  She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.  God please let him take this well.

Ava walked into the kitchen to find Cameron with his head in the refrigerator and smiled.  She felt like she was home.  Maybe Cameron was what made home home.  It wasn’t her parents.  She honestly couldn’t say she missed either of them. 

“Do you always snoop thorough the refrigerators in strange homes?”

Cameron looked around the door of the refrigerator with an apple clenched between his teeth and a can of Dr. Pepper in his hand.  “Do you always make company fend for themselves?”  He asked taking a bite of the apple.

“God I have missed you,” Ava said.

“I missed you too runt.  What are you doing here Ava?  I thought you were in some exchange program.  How did you end up at crazy Maggie’s?”

“Cameron don’t say that.  Aunt Maggie is a super person.  She is not crazy at all.  I think Daddy just wanted to hate her cuz she left.”

“Well how did you end up with her?  Did you leave the exchange thing?’  He asked around another bite of apple.

Ava exhaled a big breath and said “Cameron there was never any exchange.  Daddy sent me here to Aunt Maggie because I was pregnant and he didn’t want any embarrassments during the campaign.”

“Ava I know he is a jerk most of the time but I don’t think he would think of you as an embarrassment.”

“Well Cameron it doesn’t matter what you think because he said to me ‘have an abortion or leave’.  I just couldn’t do it so he sent me here and thank God Aunt Maggie is nothing like her brother.”

“Wait, you didn’t have the abortion?  But Tucker said he told you to have it and so did Dad.”

“I did the right thing for me Cameron and just stopped worrying about Daddy and Tucker.  They both let me down and now neither of them has any say in my life.”

“What about the baby Ava did you give it away?”

“It was a he and…good Ellie you have perfect timing.”

“Not really we were eavesdropping,” she admitted smiling.

Cameron felt like his feet were stuck to the tile floor beneath him.  He looked from Ava, his baby sister, to the baby in her arms.  The baby she carried alone, had alone and was now raising alone.  I should have been here to help her.  We always help each other.  No I should have kept her away from that son of a bitch Tucker.  I knew better than to let him go out with her. 

Cameron was pulled from his thoughts by a little hand patting his arm.

“Cameron, I said do you want to hold him.”

“Oh yeah I’m sorry.  I’m just a little freaked.”

“It’s okay Cam.  Well meet your nephew Seth,” Ava said as Cameron took the baby form her arms.”

“He is going to be a kick ass ball player,” Cameron said as though he could see something that no one else saw. 

“Is that a horn?”  Ava asked.

“Oh shit that’s Marco I gotta go.  It was nice meeting you Cameron.”

“You too Ellie.  I hope to see you again,” Cameron said and gave her a grin.  The kind of grin that makes you think the grinner has a secret.  The kind of grin that could give you a butterfly or two.

“Uh,” Ellie was shocked.  Is he flirting with me? She asked herself.  It’s been a while but I definitely think that he’s flirting.

Ellie smiled and finally said “Definitely.  You will have to bring him to the show Saturday Ava,” Ellie said as she walked out the door.