Nadia took a breath and began their twisty tale. “You were already gone. Brytani called and told me about this party. It was a last-minute thing and sounded like a nice opportunity for them to hang out, so I let her go.”

Her version of the story relieved him but not completely. “Why not just say that? Why did everyone have to lie about it?”

She sucked her teeth. “Kameron … You really believe that if Brytani called you and said she was taking Mel to a party in Windenburg of all places, you would’ve been ok with that? You barely let her hang with her little girlfriends without asking a thousand questions! We didn’t tell you because of you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You keep her on a short leash for no reason! She does her homework and practices on her own. We never have to tell her to do anything! She never waits until the last minute to do her science project. She gets herself up in time for school and is never late. And, we’re now leaving our son with her on a semi-regular basis. If that doesn’t spell responsible, I don’t know what does!”

She was right. Kameron always thought Melany was the most responsible person on the planet. That’s why it hurt so much when he thought she lied.

“Before all of this happened, she never gave you a reason not to trust her yet you treat her like she’s on probation or something. Let the girl live a little! She’s earned it.”