28. Daphne

Chapter 28

Daphne

The Hastings Family Christmas has shot straight to the top of my favorite Yes Year experiences list.

For the past three hours, Cameron’s family, family friends, and I have been cozied up on a covered patio at a teak table big enough for his entire football team. The chorus of crickets and crisp, sixty-degree California winter air created a bubble of warmth, flushed cheeks, and full bellies.

I glance around, letting it all sink in. The Hastingses are just as striking and beautiful as Cameron.

Eight faces, eight stories, all with those strong brows, chiseled jaws, golden eyes, and dark brown hair—except for Ezra, the family’s delightful plot twist with his dirty blonde locks.

At the head of the table, Leo and Selene Hastings sit, radiating soulmate-level love. They’re like Mr. and Mrs. Smith, but with less assassinating and more swooning. No wonder every member of this family is such a knockout.

Cameron’s siblings are just as intense as he is—and now I see why. His eldest brother, Alec, is detailing plans to conquer a terrifying Icelandic mountain with his best friend Finn, who’s here for dinner too. Selene’s making a case for a tracking device, but Alec and Finn’s nods scream, We’re totally not doing that .

“I’m glad you’re here,” Cameron whispers, his breath warm in my ear. He’s wearing the red sweater I knit him, despite his siblings’ relentless teasing about it looking like a dry cleaner’s worst nightmare. He just grunted and brushed the jabs off.

There’s a very obvious pain behind his eyes, even as he’s trying his best to keep his spirits up for everyone’s sake. In the months we’ve spent together, I’ve learned to see all the small signs of his retreat.

The tension in his jaw. The cuticle picking. The crease between his brows. He deserves to feel at ease after what happened at the Overton game. Any kind of relief. I can’t imagine how much it’s hurting him, and he’s not letting it show.

I finish my bite of tiramisu and tilt toward him, nudging the top of my head against his jaw. “Merry Christmas, Goose.”

“Merry Christmas, Duck.” Under the table, he alternates between toying with the hem of my sweater dress and digging his nails into his fingers.

“I still can’t believe you made this,” Brooklyn says, admiring the glittering ice skate ornament I crocheted. Cameron’s oldest sister looks like she was birthed out of Aphrodite’s rock. When I first saw her, I had to do everything I possibly could to keep my jaw from hitting the floor.

“It was really nothing,” I say, trying to wave off the praise.

I made ornaments for each of his family members, tokens from their favorite sport. I feel a little bad for not accounting for the extras—Ezra’s fiancée Hazel, Finn, and Dante’s entire university entourage of six. But no one made me feel awkward about it.

“My girlfriend has this frustratingly charming habit of underestimating how amazing she is.” Cameron’s arm snugly wraps around me like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Wait, did he just say girlfriend? Did he mean me? My mind fizzes with questions.

“I can see that.” Brooklyn raises her wineglass in my direction with a knowing smile. “I’m definitely attaching this to my skate bag.”

The conversation flows on, but my brain is stuck on repeat, replaying the moment Cameron casually dropped the girlfriend bomb.

I shoot him a look that’s a mix of What did you just say and No, seriously, Cameron, what on earth did you just say , but he’s unaware, now fiddling with his tiny soccer ball instead of noticing my existential crisis.

It’s not until I catch Brooklyn’s eye that she says, “Thank you for helping our brother.”

“What do you mean?” I say, but everyone around the table shares a knowing glance.

“Now that you’re here, he’s finally softened up.”

“I’m not soft,” he grumbles in his typical way.

“It’s not a bad thing.” Dante rolls his eyes.

Leo nods along. “Being in touch with his vulnerable side is what makes a man strong.”

“All right.” Resigned, Cameron returns to a conversation with his youngest sister, Francesca. All day, I was sure he was starting to come around, but now he seems annoyed. Similar to how I got when my moms and Juni whipped out their protective shields on my behalf.

We really are alike.

Francesca grips her tiny crocheted steering wheel with a mischievous grin, pretending to drive a bread roll across the tablecloth. “Mine’s epic, way better than all of yours.”

“En garde!” Dante chortles from across the table, brandishing a diminutive knitted fencing sword. His entourage bursts into synchronized laughter. Honestly, Cameron’s brother looks so much like Cillian Murphy that my sister would be having a full-on meltdown right now. “Truly, this is a stroke of brilliance. Your creativity deserves nothing less than a crown!”

The rest of the Hastings crew nods in agreement, each clutching their own quirky ornaments. Alec shows off his tiny ice cube, Leo has a miniature laptop, Selene flaunts a basketball, and Ezra proudly displays a wave.

“So, Daphne, Cameron tells us you’re an entrepreneur with a heart of gold?” Leo says, making the entire table hush.

I feel my cheeks heat up but manage a confident smile. “You could say that.”

Cameron rolls his eyes and sighs. “Daphne’s too humble. She was featured in the Stone Times for donating to the UCSF hospital, and she’s organizing a knitting retreat for mental health.”

“Do you have a foundation set up? We always love to support a good cause,” Leo insists. “Carlyle, get whatever details you need from Daphne, and we’ll make a generous contribution.”

My eyes widen; I’m taken aback.

“Well, right now I’m a one-woman show. No foundations just yet.” I laugh, feeling a bubbly excitement at the thought of what a family like this could do for an important cause. “However, I plan to fundraise at my retreat and donate to organizations that provide anti-bullying services, education, and support for families and kids.”

“That is so kind!” Brooklyn coos. “Trust me, one thing this family knows about is bullies.” She frowns and glances at Cameron.

“Can we not bring that up?” he snaps.

“Of course, Cameron.” Selene looks at him sympathetically and turns to me. “We are genuinely sorry for what happened in the tabloids last month.” She gives me a warm smile. “When Leo and I were first getting to know each other, reporters would camp outside of our homes for a photograph.”

Her husband tsks with a smile, shaking his head. “My favorite headline from those years was: ‘Rejected! WNBA All-Star Dumps Tech Billionaire After He Buys Her Team and Pleads for a Date!’ Fucking bastards.” he laughs.

“You never really forget what they write about you,” Selene adds.

“How do you move past it then?”

“Fuck ’em,” Frankie chimes in. The heads around the table break into agreeable nods.

“Newspapers are a business. They want profit,” Leo explains. “The more chatter they can drum up, the bigger they can make something out of nothing, the more papers they sell. It’s as simple as that.”

“Don’t let yourself get commoditized,” Alec adds.

The advice is spot-on.

My life has expanded greatly, and, sure, the bad stuff got bigger too. But now I’m sitting around this table with a bunch of wonderful, supportive people and, most importantly, Cameron by my side.

If Selene and Leo Hastings can build a dreamy life and everyone here can find happiness despite the media circus, I’ve got a fighting chance too.

I’m going to crank up the volume on my life and embrace every quirky, vulnerable, too-much bit of myself.

“All of you are really inspiring.” I beam. “Honestly, I’ve been thinking about using my platform to take a stand against bullying when we get back to London.” After the chat with my moms and Juni, I stayed up all night putting together a list of ways I could integrate resilience into my retreat.

“That is marvelous, sweetheart!” Selene replies with a warm smile. “Whatever support you need from us, please do not hesitate. Carlyle can help set you up with a nonprofit, and we have all the connections under the sun to put you on the map.”

Dante slinks both elbows onto the table and tuts his parents. “You’re scaring her off. Take it easy, or she’ll vanish, and we’ll be waiting years before Cameron finds the courage to bring someone else home.” The table shakes slightly as Cameron kicks his brother underneath it. “Ouch, Cam, always with the violence!” Dante grins, not missing a beat.

A few seats down, Finn catches my eye and winks, his fingers keeping up a steady drumbeat on the table. “Don’t take them too seriously,” he says with an easy grin. “They’ve got a talent for being nosy, but it’s just their way of showing love.”

Laughter ripples around the table again.

Alec remains unfazed. “We’re not nosy, Finn.”

“No,” Dante chimes in, his smirk growing. “What he meant is we’re noisy .”

Brooklyn flashes me a wink. “We’re inquisitive, maybe a bit too much. But we could definitely use another sister around here.”

Sister .

I let myself believe that this won’t be my last night in this house.

“Am I not enough?” Frankie quips, her eyes twinkling mischievously. Brooklyn whirls around, and in the process, her wineglass topples off the table. “For someone with two gold medals, you’re surprisingly clumsy.”

“Why don’t we strap you into a pair of skates then?” Brooklyn snaps, rolling her eyes in that exaggerated way she does.

“I’ll stick to my wheels.”

“I promise, Frankie: you, Hazel, and Dante are all the feminine energy I need.” She turns to me, mouthing, Just kidding , and I can tell she’s just trying to rile up her youngest sister. Moments like this make me wish my sister were here to witness the chaos.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Dante says with a nonchalant shrug, a smirk tugging at his lips.

“You guys are such children.” Cameron rolls his eyes.

“Whatever,” Frankie says, tossing a truffle at Brooklyn’s forehead with terrifying precision—one, two, three times.

Brooklyn sucks her teeth before shouting, “You’re dead!” She shoves her chair back and lunges across the table.

Frankie cackles, leaping up and sprinting away, toward the karting track in the distance. “Race you!”

“I’m so sorry, Daphne; my kids are absolute animals,” Selene says with a laugh, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

“Trust me, my sister and I are no different. Although, she might not have the same deadly aim,” I reply.

Leo shoots me a warm smile. “Well, you’ll just have to invite her next year. Your parents, too.”

“Thank you, my moms would absolutely love that,” I say, feeling a flutter of excitement.

Cameron stands up, extending his hand to me. “I’ve got a pitch to show you.”

“Have fun,” Selene calls, winking at me. “But hurry back; I’ve got a whole album of baby photos.”

“Oh, I’d love to see baby Cameron with his little football.”

Dante smirks. “That’s all you’ll see. There aren’t many photos of him without one.”

“Shut up,” Cameron groans, grabbing my hand.

“Bet there are prom photos!” I tease and give him a nudge with my shoulder.

“Cameron never went to prom,” Alec says with a casual shrug, as if it’s the most ordinary thing in the world.

“Because there was a game the next day.” Cameron leans over to explain.

“That’s our Cameron,” Leo chimes in. “Always preferred the grassy pitch to childhood chaos.”

Selene grins. “And when friends came over, he’d plant himself in the goalie box—the loneliest spot on the field. A tiny fortress, guarding the net like it was Narnia.” I can almost see it—a pint-sized Cameron, every blocked shot a quiet victory. An introverted kid, just like me. Even now, there’s a part of him still connected to that solitary boy, and it tugs at my heartstrings. “We’ll tell you all about it when you’re back.”

“Mom, please don’t.” Cameron sighs.

“Please do.” I giggle.

“All right, that’s enough,” he says, but with him, it’ll never be enough.