Chapter Seven #2
“You wouldn’t be the first.”
Asher took a moment to consider what he wanted to say.
He hadn’t told anyone about the new project.
Of course, he’d told Cameron he had started something new, but that had been about the extent of it.
Since he hadn’t been sure he would finish the manuscript, he definitely hadn’t brought it up to Becca.
With new possibilities opening up to him, he figured it was probably time to change that.
“I’ve been working on something new.”
“Oh?”
“I don’t want to say too much about it right now, but it’s…different.”
There was a long pause before Becca asked, “Different how?”
“Just different,” he hedged. “Probably not what people will expect from me.”
“Is it good?”
Asher blinked at the question. “Yeah,” he answered after a moment. “It’s really good. I think it might be the best thing I’ve ever written.”
“Okay,” Becca said without a hint of hesitation. “We’ll find a market for it, then.”
He could fucking kiss her.
Though, honestly, he didn’t know why he was so surprised. Not once in twelve years had she ever given him a reason to doubt her. She’d always had his back, had always acted in his best interests. With his entire life turned upside down, it was comforting to know that some things hadn’t changed .
“You’re the best.”
“I know,” she quipped. “Now, I need to make some phone calls. I’m glad you’re excited about the new project, but if you don’t finish that Marshall Kane book, your readers are going to riot.”
She wasn’t exaggerating. “I’ll finish it,” he promised. “Just get me out of that contract.”
“That’s the plan.”
Once they’d said their goodbyes, Asher left his phone on the desk and headed down the stairs to find coffee. The aroma of freshly brewed dark roast greeted him at the bottom of the staircase, but it was the voice he heard coming from the kitchen that had him hurrying his footsteps.
“Yes, I promise.” Cameron sat on a barstool at the island, his phone pressed to his ear and a disgruntled frown on his lips.
He looked up when Asher entered the room and shook his head.
“No, mom, that’s not what I said.” He sighed.
“Yes, fine, I’ll ask him. Yes, I promise.
Okay, I love you, too.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “ Goodbye , mother.”
Disconnecting the call, he dropped his phone to the countertop and slid off the barstool. “I’m supposed to invite you to Thanksgiving dinner at my parents’ house. I’m also supposed to tell you that you are in no way obligated to come, but my mother would be very pleased if you did. ”
Hooking his index fingers in Cameron’s belt loops, Asher tugged him forward by the hips and bent to press a kiss to his frowning mouth. “Do you want me to come?”
“I do.” He didn’t sound happy about it, though. “I don’t want to pressure you. We haven’t been together that long, and I get that this is a big step, but—”
“I’ll go.”
Cameron stopped talking, and his eyebrows drew together. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” After all, he’d already met Cameron’s immediate family. They seemed to like him, so that was really all that mattered. “How bad could it be?”
“You don’t know my aunts and uncles.”
Asher chuckled. “It’ll be fine. Do I need to bring anything?”
“Mom said no, but if you feel like you need to, desserts are always appreciated.” Cameron sighed and arched up to press their lips together again. “Did Becca call?”
“She did.” Part of him wanted to launch into their plans for the Marshall Kane book right away, but where was the fun in that? Besides, it was probably better to get the bad news out of the way first. “My publisher wants me to rewrite the chapters I submitted.”
“No.” Cameron jerked backward and shook his head. “Why? ”
“They feel that since I’m out and proud now, having the titular character go undercover as a drag queen might be construed as me ‘pushing an agenda’ to my readership.”
Cameron let out a humorless laugh. “You have got to be kidding me. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” He stared up at Asher with narrowed eyes. “You’re not going to do it, right? Please tell me you’re not going to rewrite those chapters.”
“If I don’t, they’re threatening to terminate my contract.” It was kind of mean to keep stringing the conversation along, but he was enjoying Cameron’s reactions too much to give up the game just yet. “Plus, the studio might be postponing filming for Injustice. ”
“Oh, my god! Why? What the hell?”
“Well, apparently, the lead actors are possibly in the middle of a divorce.”
Cameron gasped. “No! Really?”
The entire world had been enthralled with their romance for years, so it was no surprise that Cameron was distressed by the news.
Asher imagined it was going to come as quite a blow to a lot of their fans.
Drew and Carleigh Wade were the darlings of Hollywood, and by all accounts, they’d had a picture-perfect marriage.
With accusations of infidelity now in the mix, Asher had no doubt that things were going to turn ugly fast.
Cameron stared somewhere near the vicinity of Asher’s sternum for several seconds, his gaze unfocused, before he finally shook his head. “I’m sorry. I guess that’s not really important. I am sorry about the movie, though.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine. They’re just postponing it, not canceling production altogether.” At least, he hoped they wouldn’t. On the flip side of that, he wasn’t too keen on the idea of recasting the part of Detective Marshall Kane, either.
“Back to your book. Can your publisher really terminate your contract just because you won’t make the changes they want?”
“They can.” Cameron sounded so sad Asher couldn’t keep up the pretense any longer. “Which means I’m free to do whatever I want with it. If I want to sign with a new publisher, I can. If I want to self-publish, I’m free to do that. If I decide to give it away when it’s finished, no one can stop me.”
Cameron’s eyes widened, his breath caught on a little hiccup, and he swung his hand out to smack Asher square in the chest. “You are such an asshole.” He was smiling ear-to-ear when he said it, though, and his tone lacked any heat. “You could have just told me that in the beginning.”
Asher smirked. “Where’s the fun in that?”
“Such an asshole,” Cameron grumbled under his breath. Then, at a normal volume, “So, what are you going to do? ”
Still laughing at Cameron’s exasperation, Asher shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. Since it’s the last book in the series, I’m leaning toward publishing it myself.”
“You’d definitely have more control over it.”
“Exactly.” He’d been thinking the same thing, but it felt validating to hear Cameron agree with him. “Becca’s working on getting me out of the contract. She doesn’t think it will be an issue since my publisher is so adamant about the changes.”
“When will she know something?”
“Next week.”
His lips parted in a wide grin. “Well, whatever you decide, I think it’s great that you’re going to be able to tell the story the way it deserves.”
That damn flickering started in Asher’s chest again, and there must have been something in the air because his eyes stung like hell. His stomach did a funny little roll, and his throat tightened so that he had to clear it twice before he could speak again.
“Thank you. That means a lot.”
Cameron’s smile faded, and a creased formed between his eyes. Clearly, Asher’s reaction hadn’t gone unnoticed, but Cameron didn’t mention it.
“Do you want some coffee?”
Asher exhaled in a rush. “Yeah, coffee sounds good.” When Cameron stepped back, Asher let him go and dropped his hands to his sides. “Thanks, Cam. ”
“No problem.” He went to the cabinet and pulled down two matching mugs. “So, we still need to order books for the signing at the library,” he called over his shoulder. “Do you know who I should talk to about that?”
It was kind of eerie how well Cameron could read him. His almost supernatural ability to know what Asher needed—even when Asher wasn’t sure himself—never failed to amaze him.
“I can ask Becca. She’ll probably know.”
Cameron nodded. “That’s what I figured. If you give me the number, I’ll call her tomorrow.”
He kept up his chatter about the event while he poured coffee and doctored it with cream and sugar.
Asher answered questions when asked, but his mind was only partly on the conversation.
The majority of his higher thinking was concentrated on trying to figure out what the hell was going on with him.
While he was grateful for Cameron’s support, it hadn’t been so unexpected to cause that level of emotional upheaval.
Maybe it was just stress or a lack of sleep. Maybe he should get someone out to check the air filters, because his eyes really shouldn’t water like that. God, he was fucking losing his mind.
“Here you go.” Cameron rounded the island and handed him one of the steaming mugs.
“Thanks, sweetheart.”
Cameron smiled.
And Asher’s heart fluttered.