Free Aftermath by Tracy Brown Page B

just don’t know, girl.”
    Dominique frowned. “I remember seeing him at that barbecue you had last year. He was hanging around the pool where all the kids were and I recall being concerned about that. Octavia had been there with that tiny bikini she had on that day and I was worried that the grown men were checking her out. Steven was one of the few adults hanging around over by the pool and I was worried that he was trying to get close to Octavia. But now I’m wondering if it was because all the little kids were playing over there.”
    Camille nodded. She remembered that as well. In fact, Steven always wanted to be around her nephew. Whenever Shane spent the night with Camille—a constant occurrence since Misa was always out partying or running behind some man—Steven would play with Shane, watch TV with him, and babysit him while Camille slept. “I feel a little guilty about leaving Shane alone with Steven,” she admitted.
    Both Toya and Dominique frowned. “Don’t start blaming yourself, Camille,” Toya said. “If that muthafucka was a pedophile, you had no way of knowing it. And besides, you took care of Shane as often as you did out of the kindness of your heart. Misa was the one who chose to spend so much time away from her child.” Toya hated to sound as if she were blaming Misa for abandoning Shane, but the truth was the truth.
    Camille shrugged. “I know you’re right. But I still feel … responsible in a way.” She sighed. “Ever since Frankie moved out, I’ve been drinking like crazy.” Camille knew her drinking had gotten out of control long before Frankie left her, but she wasn’t ready to admit that to her friends just yet. “I was sitting up all night downing drink after drink. In the mornings, I would be so hungover that I couldn’t get out of bed some days. Shane was always with me and always so full of energy, and Steven would volunteer to take care of him while I slept.” Camille closed her eyes, wondering if her brother-in-law had been using those opportunities to get close to Shane so that he could prey on him. “I never thought that he was capable of doing something so sick. Shane is just a baby…”
    â€œNobody could have imagined something like that, Camille,” Dominique said. “Whether you were drinking or not, Steven was Shane’s uncle through marriage. It was inevitable that they would interact on some level. Yes, Misa left Shane behind a lot. And, okay, you may have been drunk a time or two while Shane was with you, but no one gave Steven a reason or a right to touch that child. And if he really did that to Shane, I say good for Misa. I’m glad she killed the freak.”
    Toya nodded. That was the smartest thing Dominique had said in a long time. “Amen.”
    Camille managed a weak smile. She was happy to have the two of them as friends at a time like this. She would have felt so alone had it not been for them. “I have to tell you both something.”
    Toya sucked her teeth and threw her head back in anguish. “Come on now, bitch. It’s been too much bullshit tonight already. Don’t tell me you got some terminal illness or something! No more bad news, ’cuz I can’t take it.”
    Camille had to laugh and it felt good to do so after all they’d been through lately. Dominique, too, chuckled and waited to hear Camille’s announcement.
    â€œWell, it’s not necessarily bad news,” she said. “I’m pregnant.”
    Dominique’s pretty face spread into a broad smile and she sat forward in her chair. “Camille! Really?”
    Camille nodded and smiled back at her friend. She glanced at Toya to see her reaction. Toya wasn’t smiling. She looked at Camille and the severity of the situation in her family became painfully clear to Toya. Not only had Camille’s husband left her for his beautiful best