Chapter 18 #2
“Fucking right we are.” Emmy reaches across and takes my other hand. “No one fucks around with our girl. With any of our girls,” she says, looking around at everyone.
“God, I feel like I could run through a wall right now.” Maya reaches for the bag of popcorn on my nightstand and digs in.
“Right?” Sarah grins, stealing the popcorn away from Maya. “Maybe we should just say fuck it and go join a coven or something. Why even are there men anyway? We do just fine on our own.”
Sophie slides a glance in my direction. “I mean, I’m pretty sure Maddy would disagree. What with all the love and fabulous fucking and everything.”
“I’m not in love with him,” I say quickly. Too quickly, probably.
“Okay.” Sophie pats my leg as if to say Sure, sweetie. “You might not be in love with him, but that man is head over heels for you. I saw the way he looked at you.”
“Looked at me when?” I think back, trying to remember when Sophie might have seen Cam and me together.
“I was at the game, remember? You walked up to him on the field after his touchdown and handed him your phone for some reason. The cameras were on him, so it was on the jumbotron. He looked at you like you were the only woman in the entire world. It was so hot I may have had a tiny orgasm. Wait!” She reaches back and grabs her phone from the other side of my bed.
“I took a picture of the jumbotron because the game was already over so I figured that shot wouldn’t have made it to TV. ”
“You did what?” I ask sharply, dread curling in my stomach at the thought of what everyone might have seen on that jumbotron.
Sophie just gives me an unabashed grin and hands the phone to Maya, whose eyes widen as she looks between the screen and me before silently giving the phone to Emmy.
And it goes like that. Each of my friends look at the phone and then stare at me until I’m ten seconds away from shrieking and stomping my foot like a toddler having a tantrum.
By the time Caitlin takes the phone and lets out a low whistle, I lose my cool completely.
“Give me the fucking phone!” I order, holding a hand out to Caitlin.
She hands it over without a word, and when I look down, my heart catapults into my throat, because on the screen is a picture of me standing in front of Cam, who is holding my phone.
It’s grainy since Sophie took it from the jumbotron, but the look in Cam’s eyes is as clear to me as if he was standing in front of me right now.
He’s looking at me like I’m his reason for everything, and I’m starting to believe that he might be mine, too.
“Oh, holy shit,” I mumble, my eyes glued to the screen.
“You called his kids for him, didn’t you?” Sarah asks.
I nod, looking up from the phone. “He told me they weren’t coming to the game.
When he scored, I knew it was a huge moment for him, and I thought he might want to talk to them.
I have Riley’s number. She texts me sometimes.
It’s just…” I pause, collecting my thoughts.
“He’s lost a lot. His wife. His kids’ mom.
A lifetime of memories they aren’t going to get to make with her.
And despite that, he’s an amazing dad, and they are such good kids.
I didn’t want them to miss out on making this memory together. All three of them deserve that.”
Caitlin squeezes my hand, and when I look over at her, I know she understands. They all do. “You know what it’s like to miss out on making memories,” she says carefully. “You didn’t want that for them.”
I take a deep breath, willing my emotions down, if for no other reason than I already did my makeup and my smoky eye is on point.
“I understand what it’s like to be lost, and I also know what it feels like to be found.
He’s this amazing guy, you know? He loves his kids so much, and he’s so worried about being enough for them when he’s actually everything.
I guess I just wanted to make sure that all three of them had that moment.
” I shake my head, trying to get my thoughts in order. “It’s complicated.”
“It’s not,” Maya says. “I swear I’m not minimizing the potential publicity or how you feel about making sure no one thinks you didn’t earn this job on your own merits.
Those are really important things, and we’ll handle them.
But your feelings about Cam? About his kids?
That’s not complicated at all. I can see it all over your face, Mads. You care about all three of them.”
I take a minute to let Maya’s words sink in.
Then I think about Cam. The way he looks at me.
The way he makes me feel. The way I’m drawn to him.
How I have been since the very first night.
The way his kids have worked their way into my heart.
And I realize Maya is right. That part isn’t complicated at all.
“I do. They’re all important to me.” I look at each of my friends. “He’s important to me.”
“What do you want to do, Mads?” Caitlin asks again.
“I want to do him,” I say with a grin, feeling some of the weight I’ve been carrying lift with the knowledge that I can give us tonight, and we can figure out the rest later. “I mean, I want him, too. In every way. But god, I think if I don’t end up back in his bed tonight, I’ll throw a fit.”
“The sex was really that good?” Sarah asks.
“Sar, there literally are no words. Like, words do not exist in the English language to describe how good it was. I think I landed in another dimension.”
“Fuck yes!” Sophie jumps up from the bed. “Let’s go get you that man.”
“More lip gloss,” Maya orders, standing too. “Eyeliner touchup. And you better be wearing your good underwear under that dress. If you’re going to fuck the football player, you do it wearing the good underwear.”
“I’m no amateur,” I say with a sly smile and a little thrill, because there may be a shit ton of stuff to figure out, but tonight, I’m going to tuck all of that away and do exactly what Sophie says. I’m going to get that man. “I’m wearing no underwear at all.”
“Sarah was right. Absolute queen behavior.” Emmy grins at me and stands, pulling me up from the couch. “And I wasn’t lying earlier when I said you look amazing. Cam is going to swallow his fucking tongue.”
“He better not.” I grin back at her. “He’ll be needing his tongue later for…things.”
“Icon,” Sarah says, shaking her head. “You are an icon, and I want to be you when I grow up.”
I chuckle, tugging down the hateful dress again. “You guys are good for the soul. Are you sure you don’t want to come with Soph and me? Open invitation to party with football players.”
“Ew, no.” Caitlin scrunches up her nose. “Hanging out with Ty and Oliver on a regular basis is more than enough athlete for me. Besides, Jack and I are having a movie night at his house. You know how he is about regular twin time.”
I smile, because Caitlin and Jack’s relationship has always been something special, and then turn to Emmy, Maya, and Sarah. “Any takers?”
“I wish,” Sarah says with a sigh. “I have an anatomy test to study for. Med school is really fucking with my vibe.”
“I have to finish drafting a brief.” Emmy grabs her shoes and starts to tug them on. “I got caught up reading Aunt Hannah’s new book and couldn’t put it down.” Her, Caitlin, and Sarah’s aunt, Hannah Evans, is a famous romance writer.
Caitlin narrows her eyes at Emmy. “You didn’t finish the brief yet?”
Emmy waives her away. “You know I do my best writing when I’m under pressure. I’ll get it done.”
Caitlin, who is allergic to procrastination and has the unfortunate luck of working with Emmy, who thrives on it, rolls her eyes, and I’m one hundred percent sure she’s going to be at Emmy’s house tonight micromanaging her to within an inch of her life.
Maya shakes her head. “I have a date. Late drinks in Shadyside.”
“Is this the architect or the journalist?” Sophie asks.
“Neither,” Maya says. “The architect sent a dick pic, so he was an immediate block. The journalist, it turns out, was married, which I found out in the most delightful way possible when his wife started answering his messages on the dating app. This one is a pediatrician who runs marathons. He seems promising, so he most likely keeps his toenail clippings in a mason jar in his closet or is one of those guys who thinks Hillary lost because The country just wasn’t ready for a female president.
” She rolls her eyes and drops back down to the bed, looking up at me.
“I’ll be needing every detail of your night tonight because it’s dark out there. ”
“You’ll have them.” I lay a hand on her shoulder because her tone is flippant, but I can hear the frustration under it. “Assuming I don’t freak out and run.”
“No way in hell.” Sophie links her arm though mine. “I’m your ride or die, Mads. I would never let that happen. We are getting you laid, come hell or high water.”
“Hear, hear!” Maya says, lifting her Coke can.
I laugh. “Only the bestest of friends would cheer for your impending night of dirty, dirty sex.”
“Bet your ass,” Sarah says with a grin, linking her arm through mine on the other side.
“Best friends forever.” Emmy twirls my hair so the waves fall perfectly and gives me a discerning look before smiling and nodding. “Perfection.”
“Always,” Caitlin says.
Their confidence gives me a boost, and I feel a little frisson of excitement, an image of Cam flashing through my brain and making my stomach swoop as I finish getting ready for whatever the night has in store.