Chapter Fourteen #2
“The comforter is in the laundry room,” Natalie tattled.
Cameron was going to murder her.
“Cameron Michael Stone.” His mother barked as his aunts shrieked with laughter.
“God, mom, chill. I’ll wash it, okay?”
She pointed a long, slender finger at his face and glared. “Yes, you will, and you watch your tone with me.”
Cameron hung his head. “Yes, ma’am. Sorry.”
Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, Asher strolled into the kitchen.
The catcalls and wolf whistles that greeted him were deafening.
If he found anything strange about that, however, he didn’t show it.
He just grinned, gave the family matriarchs a little wave, then pulled Natalie into a crushing hug.
“Are you causing trouble again? ”
Natalie snorted. “Of course, not. I merely mentioned that you and Cameron had a very…enthusiastic talk earlier.”
Asher didn’t blush. He didn’t look the least bit uncomfortable. Releasing Natalie, he moved back to Cameron’s side and wrapped an arm securely around his shoulders, pulling him close to place a kiss on his forehead.
“It was a good talk,” he allowed, his lips curving into a crooked grin. “One of the best I’ve ever had.”
Cameron groaned.
“I do hope you two are using protection,” Sarah Stone said over her shoulder as she inserted a pan of yeast rolls into the oven. “Did you find the condoms I left in your room?”
At that point, Cameron prayed for death. He actively hoped for a bolt of lightning to strike him down right there in the kitchen. It would probably be less painful.
“I hate you all,” he grumbled.
Everyone laughed, even Asher. Traitor .
“Cameron, breathe.” Natalie kissed his cheek as she passed on her way across the room. “We’re all adults, and no one cares.”
Standing next to the sideboard that stretched under the window, she went to drop her phone into her open purse, missed, and sent the bag toppling to the floor.
The contents spilled out across the tiles, scattering in every direction.
Despite what a pain in the ass she’d been, Cameron extracted himself from Asher’s embrace and hurried over to help her pick up the mess.
“That’s okay,” she said quickly when he crouched down beside her. She snatched the tube of lip gloss from his hand and shoved it into her purse. “Really. Thank you. I’ve got it.”
Cameron rolled his eyes but otherwise ignored her.
Duck walking over to the table, he stretched out to retrieve a small pink bottle that had rolled beneath it.
The rattling when he picked it up said it was a pill bottle, and he guessed it was probably for menstrual cramps or some other girl thing.
Honestly, he didn’t give it much thought until he turned to pass the bottle to Natalie and noticed the picture on the label of an obviously pregnant woman.
“Natalie?”
Her eyes went wide, and she made a grab for the bottle, but Cameron stood and held it out of her reach.
“Give it to me.”
Furrowing his brow, he stared down at the label with a mixture of confusion and disbelief. “Prenatal vitamins?”
“It’s nothing.” She tried to smile as she got to her feet, but her bottom lip trembled. “They’re good for your hair and nails. That’s all.”
She might have been more convincing if she wasn’t shaking from head to toe. Tears welled in her eyes when the silence stretched between them, and she kept shuffling her feet like she might bolt out of the room at any second .
“Natalie?” Rounding the island, their mother came to join them, her brow furrowed in concern as she glanced back and forth between them. “What’s wrong?”
“I…I…”
When words failed her, Cameron handed his mother the pill bottle and pulled his sister into his arms. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t offer reassurances or ask any of the million questions racing through his mind. He just held her as she sobbed against his shoulder.
“Oh,” his mother gasped, but she nodded resolutely when Cameron met her gaze and wrapped her arms around both her children.
A moment later, his aunts joined them. He wasn’t sure if they had cottoned on to what was happening, but it didn’t matter. They had sensed something was wrong, and they had come to lend their strength and support, to surround Natalie with love and acceptance.
Cameron couldn’t even begin to imagine how scared she was, how alone she must have been feeling lately.
It did explain some of her strange behavior, though.
The illness that had kept her from Asher’s book signing.
Not returning Cameron’s calls for days at a time.
Locking herself in her bedroom and hiding from the rest of the family. It all made a lot more sense now.
If he hadn’t been so focused on himself, maybe he would have figured it out sooner. At the very least, maybe she would have felt more comfortable sharing such a life- changing secret with him. He didn’t feel guilty exactly. Just…disheartened.
He didn’t know how long they stood there, but eventually, Natalie’s sobs quieted, and she lifted her head from his shoulder. “Thank you.”
There wasn’t anything he could say to make this better for her, so he just kissed her forehead and whispered, “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” their mother added. “Nothing you can do will ever change that, but I do have some questions.”
Sighing, Natalie moved out of Cameron’s arms and took a step back so that she stood facing everyone gathered around the table. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I just didn’t know how.”
“Is it Aiden’s?” their mother asked. Her tone wasn’t necessarily disapproving, but there was definitely an edge to her voice.
“Yes.” Natalie bit her bottom lip and nodded. “It’s Aiden’s baby.” Moisture shined in her eyes again. “He doesn’t want it.”
Given what he knew about her idiot ex, Cameron wasn’t surprised.
Still, it felt insensitive to say so aloud.
His mother and aunts apparently didn’t have the same qualms about niceties, because they all launched into emotionally charged rants about everything from Aiden’s character to his ridiculous tribal tattoo.
Cameron couldn’t really see how that was helpful, but he had to smile at their show of solidarity.
Yet, in spite of all their descriptive threats toward Aiden’s person, no one managed to sum up the general sense of loathing more succinctly than Asher.
“Fuck him,” he said, speaking for the first time since the subject had been broached. Sliding into the circle of teary-eyed females, he pulled Natalie to him and held her hard against his chest as he stroked her hair. “You don’t need him, Nat. You’re not alone.”
“No, you’re not,” Aunt Nora promised. “We’re all here for you.”
“You’ve got this,” Asher murmured against the top of Natalie’s head. “You are going to be a badass mom.”
If Cameron hadn’t already been head-over-ass in love with the guy, seeing his sister’s face light up at Asher’s words would have sealed the deal.
“How far along are you?” Aunt Kelly asked, her usual briskness absent.
Natalie shook her head. “I’m not sure.” Her eyebrows drew together, and she lifted one shoulder in a tiny shrug. “I just found out last week, and I haven’t been to a doctor yet. Probably not more than six weeks or so.”
“Don’t worry,” their mother said, patting Natalie on the shoulder. “We’ll find you an excellent doctor. Everything will be fine. ”
“Don’t tell dad yet,” Natalie said in a small voice. “I want to tell him myself.”
“Of course, but don’t wait too long.”
Natalie smiled at their mother and bobbed her head. “I’ll tell him tonight. I promise.”
Then, they were off discussing all things baby again. There were a lot of words Cameron didn’t understand, but he occasionally caught things like “ultrasound,” “nursery,” and “preschool.” At the rate they were going, they would have the kid’s entire future planned out before dessert.
Since he didn’t have anything to add to the conversation, he took Asher’s hand and led him out of the kitchen and into the front hallway where they could have a moment of privacy.
Once he was sure no one had followed them, he rose up on his toes, arching into a soft, gentle kiss that had nothing to do with desire.
“Not that I’m complaining,” Asher said around a smile when Cameron pulled away, “but what was that for?”
Cameron hesitated. For loving his sister?
For giving her hope? For having the right words when Cameron hadn’t?
Just for being there at all? There were so many things he wanted to say, yet words didn’t seem to be enough.
So, after some thought, he settled on the simplest answer, the one that didn’t require much explanation.
“Because I love you.”
Asher’s eyes widened, and he actually took half a step back before catching himself. “Shit,” he swore when he realized his reaction hadn’t gone unnoticed. “I’m sorry. I love you, too. I do. I just—”
“It’s okay.” Cameron laughed, completely unoffended.
“It’s new and a little scary right now.” Closing the distance, he kissed Asher’s lips again, just as chaste and sweet as the first time.
“It’ll get easier.” He wasn’t above using the situation to his advantage, however.
“If you want to make it up to me, you can tell me what kind of cake you brought.”
Asher tilted his head. “It’s chocolate.”
Cameron didn’t roll his eyes, but it was a near thing. “Yes, but you drove all the way to McKinney to get it. There has to be a reason.” The pink stain that crept into Asher’s cheeks only fueled his curiosity. “What did you do?”
“It’s not a big deal.”
Now, he really wanted to know. “Asher…”
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “At the Halloween party, your mom mentioned that the pecan brownies reminded her of this cake your dad used to get her for her birthday.”
Cameron remembered it well. It was a delicious cross between a triple fudge cake and a gooey pecan pie. “That place closed down years ago.”
Asher nodded, his face turning even redder. “Yeah, but I managed to track down the former owner. She’s working at this bakery in McKinney now.” He shoved his hands deep into his pockets and shrugged. “That cake isn’t on their menu, but she still had the recipe.”
Not only had he remembered an off-handed comment his mother had made weeks ago, but he’d actually found the damn cake. His mother was going to be over the freaking moon about it. Cameron wouldn’t be surprised if she claimed it for herself and didn’t share a single slice with anyone.
“You got my mom a cake?” He coughed to clear the roughness from his voice. “That’s really sweet.”
“It’s not a big deal,” Asher repeated.
But it was. He hadn’t done it to score points with Cameron’s mom. He hadn’t tracked down that owner and insisted she make the cake because he wanted praise or recognition. He’d done it for no other reason than to make Sarah happy.
Just when Cameron didn’t think he could love him any more, the guy did something so damn incredible it actually made his heart ache.
“Thank you, Asher.”
“It’s just a cake.”
It was so much more than that, but Cameron let it go. Asher didn’t see himself clearly. He still didn’t accept that he had anything more to offer the world than a pretty face and a handful of bestselling books. He truly didn’t seem to realize his worth at all, but that was okay. They’d work on it .
In the meantime, Cameron would be right there, every day, every time he faltered, to remind him how amazing he was.