Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
“I remember thinking on the day of his funeral that if it had been me, there wouldn’t be anybody at my casket except Clay.” That was the day I decided to become someone different. Someone worthy of love. I dropped the extra weight, joined the local sports team, and shed my image as a nerd.
“I can’t imagine how that felt.” She presses a soft kiss to my chest, in the area right over my heart. “You’re a good man, Cam.”
I snort, the familiar self-loathing rising like bile in my throat. “Clay was good. He wanted to become a firefighter. It was always his dream. But he wanted it because he enjoyed helping people. I do it because I want people to like me. That doesn’t make me good or a hero or any of the other things they call us.”
She rakes her fingers through my hair, her touch gentle. “Regardless of why, you’re still showing up and helping those in need. That’s still worthy of praise when most people just turn a blind eye towards the suffering of those in their community.”
For a moment, I wonder if she could love me. Could she one day look at me and accept me, like Clay did? Could she see beneath the surface to a lonely teenage geek and still love him?
The questions are rattling around in my brain when the front door slams closed, and I hear Derek call out in the house.
I move to sit up, but Journey puts a hand on my shoulder, stilling my motions. Her eyes are round when she says, “You can’t tell him about us.”
9
CAMDEN
My jaw tightens. I hiss, “Are you ashamed of us?”
Her expression instantly softens, and she puts a hand on my jaw. “No, never. But I just met him, Cam. This is all new to me. I don’t want to lose the only bit of family I have left.”
I think of my brother and how I lost him. Even though my parents still live in town, they never see me anymore. In a lot of ways, Derek is my only family too.
“We could really hurt him if we’re not careful,” Journey says.
“Fine but I’m telling him soon,” I insist before pressing a kiss against her forehead. Derek is getting louder, moving closer toward my door. I doubt he’d open it but then again, I don’t usually have a woman in my bed.
I scramble to grab a pair of boxers and leave my room, careful to close the door behind me so he can’t see anything.
Derek frowns when he spots me. He’s standing in the hallway, knocking on her door. “Did you get Journey home? I haven’t heard her.”
“She said something about going to bed early.” I’m looking him in the eye and lying. Not just to a man that’s my boss or my best friend. But to the one person that’s become like a brother to me over the past few years.
“I’ll talk to her tomorrow.” He stops knocking then smirks at me. “Fuck, who did you take home from the wedding?”
I didn’t put on a shirt before coming out here and he can see the places where Journey scored my skin with her fingernails. “I’ll tell you later.”
He glances toward my door and looks like he’s about to question me. He’ll never forgive me if he knows she’s in there. He’s had her in his life less than twenty-four hours and I’ve already taken every bit of her innocence.
But Derek just shakes his head. “Go back to her then. We’re on shift tomorrow.”
I wait until he leaves the hallway to pad back to my bedroom. I’ve got to find a way to tell him soon.
Journey
“I don’t want to lie to him,” Cam whispers when he’s joined me on the bed again.
“I’m not asking you to lie. My mom walked out on him. She took me and left Derek behind to deal with our abusive father. I don’t want him thinking that this is the same situation. That I’m picking you and abandoning him.” Tears spring to my eyes and I have to blink. “I just lost my mom a year ago and now I’m finding out she wasn’t the person I thought she was. But at least, I have a brother who seems pretty happy to see me.”
He takes my hand in his and presses a kiss to my knuckles. “You have a boyfriend that’s pretty crazy about you too.”
I manage a watery smile even as my heart flips at the way he calls himself my boyfriend. “I know it’s not fair to ask this of you.”
“It’s OK,” he reassures me in a soft tone. “We’ll keep this quiet for a few weeks. Then I’ll talk to him man-to-man. Everything will be fine, I promise.”
I nod and square my shoulders. I just want to build a good life here. One where I get to work at the flower shop and hang out with my brother and kiss my sexy boyfriend. That’s not too much to ask. “I should get back to my room.”