26. Cameron
26
CAMERON
I strode into the restaurant a few minutes late. It was better than I expected, with the typical industrial-meets-farmhouse vibe common in these types of pubs. Not that it mattered, though, since I had zero appetite.
“Hey,” Aiden said as I slid into the booth opposite him.
“Hi,” I said quickly. “What’s wrong? Why did you want to meet?”
“Wow, you never change.” He smirked and shook his head slowly, staring at me. “Hi, brother, nice to see you too,” he said in an exaggerated voice.
“Sorry. Just got a lot on my mind.”
His expression softened. “Yeah, Megan told me about the video. I haven’t had a chance to watch it. You okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I snapped at him.
He threw his hands up in front of him. “Whoa, whoa, hold on. I’m just trying to be supportive. After seeing you together, I assumed you and Felicity were real. Guess I was wrong.”
“Exactly,” I said in the voice that signaled we weren’t going to be talking about it.
It was one of those places that made you scan a QR code to get the menu, which pissed me off even more. But I was glad to have something to focus on for a few minutes other than talk about Felicity.
“Deep fried Cajun pickles? Seriously, Aiden?”
“It’s called eating local, instead of having rare meats shipped from across the globe.”
I glowered at him. “Now’s not the time for a climate change talk.”
He scanned the QR code without answering me.
We were off to a fantastic start.
I studied the menu for way too long and finally settled on a burger. Orders placed, all we could do was sit in silence.
“You look like shit,” he finally said. “Not sleeping?”
I shook my head. “Not much. And thanks for that. You’re looking well.”
It pained me to admit that my brother seemed happier and healthier than ever.
“How’s Boris?”
I finally managed a smile. “Best boy ever.”
I wished my dog was all we needed to talk about. A long time ago, when life was simpler, Aiden and I were tight. But time, circumstances, and choices had turned us into little more than strangers.
“So, I have news,” Aiden said.
This was what I’d been waiting for. I tipped my head at him, waiting for the bomb to drop.
“I bought a ring.”
I paused a beat as the news settled into my bones.
“Aiden… no .”
He burst out laughing. “Megan wins the bet! I said that you were going to explode, but she swore you’d be quietly disapproving. Smart girl.”
I didn’t appreciate that they were making me the butt of a private joke.
“It’s too fast,” I retorted.
“Cameron, I love her.”
There was something in his expression that slowed me down.
“We’re good for each other,” he continued. “Just because it’s fast doesn’t mean it’s rushed . There’s a difference.”
I shook my head, barely able to believe my ears. I held on to one thing—he said he’d bought the ring, not that he’d popped the question. Maybe there was still time to save him from himself. “I just don’t get it. Since I know next to nothing about her, other than the fact that she’s a business rival, give me one example of how you two are good together.”
His eyes took on a devilish gleam.
“ Other than sex.”
He chuckled and took a swig of beer. “Okay, sure. We look out for each other. Put the other person first. You know how I fractured my wrist? The roller skates she wanted?”
I kicked myself for not even asking about his wrist. I nodded.
“The first thing she did when we got home from the hospital was put our skates out on the street with a ‘free’ sign on them. She gave them up because she knew I wouldn’t want to try skating again. And she’s the one who researched the best physical therapy facilities so I wouldn’t have lingering issues.”
Kind of her. Okay, it was a start.
“That’s something she did for you,” I eyed him. “What about vice versa?”
Aiden smiled. “How about a million little things? I make sure her heated blanket is on before she gets into bed. I know how she likes her coffee, and which mugs are her favorites, so I fix it for her every morning. I give her the best side of the couch. I hug her every chance I get. I pay attention to the little stuff she mentions, like a lotion she likes, or new restaurants she wants to try, and I surprise her with them. All I want to do is delight her. It makes me happy to make her happy.”
He smiled, almost woozy with whatever he was feeling.
“But it’s more than just stuff . We’re each other’s biggest cheerleaders. We truly listen to what the other person is saying. We give advice when it’s asked for, or provide an ear when that’s what’s needed. She’s got my back, and I’ve got hers. I’m the best version of me when I’m with her.”
Aiden now seemed sheepish, like he was afraid he’d said too much.
“I don’t know how to respond to that,” I offered. “Things might be good now, but that could change. No, fuck that, it always changes. So what’s going to happen when the shit hits the fan between the two of you and her daddy comes after Veritique in retaliation?”
He slammed his hands on the table in frustration. “Damn it, Cam! Can’t you get past your own fucked-up history and realize that just because you had a rough go doesn’t mean the rest of the world will? True love exists . You can deny it all you want, but I’m living it. Every day. And I’m marrying Megan whether you like it or not.”
I’d never seen easygoing, affable Aiden so pissed off.
“Did you at least buy the ring at Veritique?”
He glowered at me. “No, I didn’t.”
I started to protest, but he cut me off.
“I sourced the diamond myself and had Clara design a ring based on my specs. I wanted it to be a representation of my love for Megan without any outside influence. One-of-a-kind.”
My stomach twisted. It was anger at my brother. Or possibly hunger. Or maybe something else?
“Sort of crazy that I hoped you’d come around.” Aiden continued. “But I should’ve known better. You never change, Cameron.”
I struggled to find a way to respond to him, but I was too tired to fight.
“You know what? I just lost my appetite.” He stood up abruptly. “I’m going to cancel my order and pay for your lunch. Enjoy your time alone, Cameron. You’re probably used to it by now.”
He stormed off before I could say anything. I was tempted to leave as well, but I hadn’t eaten anything since dinner the night before.
Solo lunch was fine.
I sighed and checked my email. Nothing pressing, but I had to blink hard when a new message popped up as I was sorting through them.
The subject line read, “Letter of resignation.”
From Felicity.
“ Damn it ,” I muttered to myself.
It didn’t matter how much bullshit had gone down between us, she was incredible at her job. And she loved it.
Veritique needed her.
I scanned the cursed message. Typical bullshit about how her time at the company had been a valuable work experience with her stating how much she appreciated the opportunity and promising a smooth transition for her successor.
What successor? No one could come close to her.
I fired off a quick reply, taking HR off the chain. A short, direct message.
“Please don’t let what happened between us impact your career. You need to reconsider this choice.”
I sent it off and waited, refreshing my inbox a few times.
Nothing.
An uncomfortable thought crept into my head. I’d done this to her. It was my fault she was quitting. Maybe if I’d handled her heart with a little more care, we could’ve come to some sort of understanding?
Or maybe, just maybe, I’d been a little too quick to jump out of our relationship?
Seeing Aiden so happy did something to me. If I put my thoughts about Megan aside and just looked at how happy he was, I could admit I’d been lucky enough to feel that way for a short time. Or at least close to it, because I wasn’t in love with Felicity.
Right?
I practically swallowed my lunch whole and called for Jimmy to come pick me up. I was in no mood to go back to the office. Maybe Tyler could get me out of my funk? He’d seemed more stable the few times I’d reached out to him since the Jerry nightmare, so I hoped he’d be in a good headspace when I showed up unannounced.
His door was cracked open when I arrived. I assumed the worst.
“Ty?” I knocked and walked in at the same time.
“In here.”
The voice that echoed out of his bedroom was surprisingly strong and coherent. I’d assumed he’d be napping the day away, but when I walked into his tiny bedroom, I found him packing. Suddenly, everything I was dealing with evaporated, because this wasn’t normal Tyler behavior.
“Hey. What’s up?” I asked. “You going on tour or something?”
He snorted out a laugh at me. “Sort of. I’m calling it ‘the great rehab experiment.’”
I froze.
“No, I’m not kidding,” Tyler said. He knew what I was thinking.
“I’m…I’m blown away. Seriously?”
Tyler placed a couple pairs of jeans in his duffle bag. “Yup. It’s time.”
I’d been dropping hints about rehab for years now—looking up programs I thought would be good for him, researching what methods seemed to be the most effective. But every time I brought it up, he’d always shut the idea down. He’d claim he could handle himself, even though we both knew it was a lie.
He grabbed his guitar case and threw it on the bed.
“They allow you to bring that?”
He nodded. “It’s part of the therapy.”
“How’d you find this place?”
“I didn’t. Nina did.”
I was now shocked in a totally different way. The last time I’d seen Nina, I’d called Tyler a lost cause. I figured she’d get scared off and never try to contact him again, but she’d apparently done the opposite.
“So you two have been in touch?”
Tyler smirked at me because it was a stupid question.
“Yeah, Nina’s been coming around, checking up on me. It all started with some soup.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“She showed up here with this giant container of barley soup, because she said she’d heard I was going through a rough patch. I wonder who could’ve given her that idea?”
“I might’ve mentioned something to her,” I admitted sheepishly.
“She wanted to drop it off and run, but I insisted she come in and share it with me. As a friend. So she did, and we talked. And then we…”
“Tyler, seriously?”
“Oh, come on. We wrote some lyrics together. Did you think I was going to say we had sex?”
“I mean…maybe?”
He shook his head. “I like her. I really like her. She’s an incredible person. But I’m not in a place where I can be a good partner to her right now. I’m still fighting some demons, and to start a relationship with my current state of mind would be a recipe for disaster. She helped me see that.”
Any reservations about Nina evaporated. She’d done the impossible.
“I’ve spent too long feeling like shit. No, scratch that. I made myself feel like shit,” Tyler admitted. “I did this to myself, and I need to acknowledge that.
“So what’s the plan?”
The corner of his mouth kicked up. “Well, I’m going to go to rehab where I’ll talk about my baggage, then I’ll get clean and sort out my life. After that, I’ll come back and make that girl mine.”
Huh . Tyler had his life all figured out, and I was the one spiraling for a change.
He stopped packing. “What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy to hear the news.”
“Ty, I am. You can’t even imagine how happy it makes me.”
“I don’t believe you. You look like shit.”
“You’re the second person to tell me that today, thanks.”
“Sit down,” he pointed to a chair-shaped mound of clothing in the corner of the room. “Just throw all that stuff on the ground.”
Normally I’d beg off getting into a deep discussion about my life. Tyler was usually the one in need of counseling. But this time?
Yeah, I needed his help.
I placed the clothing on the ground and eased myself onto the chair.
“Talk to me,” he said.
I was exhausted, and I didn’t feel like going into my mess, but there was something about Tyler’s face that struck me. He wanted to help me for a change.
“Well, you know about the whole CamLicity fiasco,” I began slowly.
He perched on the edge of his bed, studying me. “Yeah, I know that turned into a mess, but you’ve been through tough Veritique stuff before. It’s not just that.”
“Well, there are memes calling me ‘Boss Baby,’ so I’d say this one hits a little closer to home than most.”
He tried to stifle a laugh and wound up snorting. “ Boss baby ? Are you serious? That’s pretty fucking funny.”
I frowned at him.
“Sorry. Anyway, I’m not going to beg you to tell me what’s wrong, but I am going to sit here and stare at you until you do.”
I opened my mouth to start talking but couldn’t figure out how to piece my racing thoughts together.
“It’s Felicity, right?”
I let out a long exhale. “Yeah. She’s quitting.”
“Oh, come on , dude. Man up and admit what’s really bothering you. Yeah, it sucks that she’s quitting, but the way you’re moping has nothing to do with work. You’re pissed at yourself for what went down with her. At how you handled everything.”
I nodded.
“Cam, you’ve given me enough pep talks to last a lifetime. Now it’s my turn.”
“Okay.” I gave him a wry smile. “I’m all ears.”
“Here’s my summary: you’re being stupid. Just fucking admit you still care about her.”
I struggled with the thought. I’d tried to deny it for too long, and look where it’d gotten me. I needed to try being honest, starting with myself.
“…I do.”
“Okay, now we’re rolling,” Tyler said eagerly. “Time to go deep, brother. Is it more than care?”
I frowned harder at him. I wasn’t ready to go there, with him or myself.
“I don’t think I can answer that question right now,” I said, starting to feel defensive. “Besides, she wants nothing to do with me. She won’t even respond to a work email.”
I quickly checked my email on my phone and saw that I was right. No response.
“Oh, please,” Tyler said. “If anyone knows about second chances it’s me. You have to at least shoot your shot.”
I didn’t respond.
“So you’d really be okay with letting her go? Not fighting for her? Try picturing her with another man. See how that feels.”
My hands clenched into fists.
“Pretty shitty, right?”
“Yeah,” I finally admitted.
“Cam, look at what the hell I’m doing in the pursuit of a happy ending. The one thing I swore I’d never do. Rehab. Me !” He grinned. “And it’s not even because she pressured me into it—it’s because I’m finally ready to take this step for myself. I think you need to do some work of your own. Figure your shit out. Deal with your ghosts. And remember, your past is not your future. Again, use me as your example. Because I’m about to win a blue ribbon for best rehab-er, and then I’m going get out and start my new life with Nina at my side.” He paused. “You can win like that too. All you have to do is try.”
I leaned back in the rickety chair and crossed my arms. Damn it, he was right.
I’d hate myself if I didn’t try. I had to.
“So?” he asked. “Did my pep talk work? Are you feeling inspired?”
I laughed at him. “Yeah, yeah, it worked. I’m going to see what I can do.”
He punched the air. “Go me! Maybe I’ll give up this rock and roll shit and become a motivational speaker.”
“Don’t you dare,” I growled at him.
“You’re right, I’m pretty good at music.” He leaned over and grabbed his guitar. “Check this out. It’s the beginning of the song Nina and I worked on.”
He strummed what was undoubtedly his next hit and started singing about finding strength in the one you loved.
Yeah, I knew what I had to do.