14. Chapter 14
Mason
Sophia’s bed was soft, and her sheets were silky.
The lights were off, the world was quiet, and I was so tightly cocooned in the flat sheet that I could barely move.
And, for the first time in over a day, I could finally breathe.
There was no need to hide, force a smile, or even act like I was okay.
All I needed to do was pretend to not exist until tomorrow, and I’d be fine.
But, there was one thing standing in the way of me relaxing.
I owed Cameron an apology. That’s all there was to it. For the past few days, I had been a hormonal, overwhelmed mess, and my talk with Sebastian did nothing to help that fact.
Knowing you were the prime target for a serial killer was enough to have anyone on their toes.
But, after last night, I knew Cam would never hurt me. Ever. And I was probably a little dumb for thinking he ever would.
For a beat, I thought about the best way to unwind myself from the covers. The only thing that came to mind was thrashing back and forth until I loosened the silk walls I had built to confine me. I was pretty sure that’s how butterflies emerged from their chrysalises .
With a heavy sigh, I began the process of freeing myself from my self-imposed cocoon. Slowly, I began to shift back and forth. With each movement, I felt the embrace of the sheet loosen. After what felt like an eternity, I was finally free to wiggle out of the silk.
But, I didn’t emerge as a beautiful butterfly with technicolor wings and the desire to hunt for nectar. Unfortunately, I was still a heavily pregnant woman who needed to apologize to her baby daddy.
So, instead of flying away to pollinate plants and go somewhere warmer, I grabbed the birthday gift Sophia took me to get for Cam and trudged downstairs.
Sophia’s house always felt a little spooky when the lights were off. The pale walls and vintage furniture made the whole place feel haunted. The pale moonlight streaming through the windows did not help this. A rustle of leaves came from outside, and I swore I saw a shadow move across the window.
That fact made me walk a little faster, even though I knew I was safe.
Eventually, I reached Cameron’s bedroom door. A shadow once again streaked through the light, and I frantically knocked on the wood that separated me from my gentle giant.
My heart beat a little faster as a nervous squeak escaped my lips when he didn’t immediately answer.
My face started to tingle as my rapping grew louder. And just as I forgot how to breathe, I heard shifting from inside Cameron’s room.
“Just a sec.” His words slurred slightly.
Was he okay?
Eventually, the door creaked open, and Cameron peered down at me with red-rimmed eyes. He scrubbed his face with his hands as if something was in his eyes.
“You Ain’t—“ He held up a finger as a hiccup disrupted his sentence. “You don’t need anything, right?”
His breath carried the unmistakable scent of alcohol. My stomach flipped, and I started to pick at the tape I had used to wrap the gift before realizing it wasn’t mine to pick apart.
I held it up to Cameron just to prevent me from destroying the strawberry-covered wrapping paper. He probably would have liked another pattern better, but the red fruit reminded me of him in ways I couldn’t explain.
He blinked a few times before focusing on the gift in my hands. His expression softened, and he reached out to me. I assumed he’d take the gift and shut the door. Instead, his hands lingered on mine.
His warmth seeped into my skin, causing an involuntary shiver to rack my body.
“What’s this?” The slight slur remained.
I didn’t really like the way talking felt right now, which probably should have been a sign that I should have waited to do this until tomorrow.
Not that I couldn’t speak, but more that just the idea of speaking had me exhausted. Worse than that was the fact that I knew what I wanted to say. But, getting my mouth to cooperate was like working an already exhausted muscle. So, I’d just need to make it easier on myself.
So all I told him was that the box was a gift.
Cameron's eyes softened further as he took the gift from my hands, his gaze trained on mine for a moment longer than usual.
My heart skipped, and I had to break eye contact.
But, instead of looking away, I focused on his forehead.
It was something my agent taught me to do during social media training.
“Merci.” He seemed a little more comfortable speaking in French. “You, uh, you wanna come sit with me?”
My saliva went thick as an excited flutter filled my stomach.
I had known Cameron for months, which meant being around him was no longer a new feeling. But tonight felt different, like I was a schoolgirl who knocked on her professor’s door hoping for extra credit.
A smile tugged at my lips, and I nodded.
He motioned for me to follow him as he entered his room and placed the package on his bed.
I hoped he was just sitting it there before tearing into the paper I used to lovingly conceal his gift.
Instead, he sunk to the ground, rested his back on the bed frame and reached for the mostly empty handle of whisky and rocks glass.
He pressed the cup to his lips and drained the rest of its contents before placing it to the side and patting the ground.
“C’mere pretty girl.” He patted the floor beside him.
My breathing stilled as I realized he’d never called me that before. I was always Sweetpea , Darlin’, Mae, or, recently, little mama. I was probably reading too far into the situation. He was obviously drunk, so his new pet name was probably a result of that.
He reached up, holding his palm to the sky, and I took his hand in mine. He gingerly lowered me down, and I happily sat beside him, crossing my legs under me.
“Ain’t you–Ain’t you gonna ask me how my day went?” He leaned over to me as he spoke.
My face burned, and I nodded.
One corner of his mouth turned up as he leaned back into his bed and looked at the ceiling. The copper curls at the nape of his neck pressed into his skin, and I wondered if our daughter would have his hair. I hoped she did… his eyes too.
“My day started great, except for that slime-ball boyfriend of yours bein’ in our bed.” Cameron’s look of disgust was unfamiliar.
I wanted to tell him not to talk about Sebastian like that, but I also realized Seb had a habit of rubbing people the wrong way. For the longest time, that’s how I felt about him, too. I’d always been nice to Seb even if I didn’t like him, and that’s how Cam was too. That’s what was important.
“But I can look past him because he loves you. And anyone good to you is alright in my books,” he confessed as he slowly looked back down before grabbing his bottle of whisky. “Then I got to church.”
Cameron’s massive hands almost made his whisky cup look like a shot glass. He flicked the black cap off the bottle before pouring more of the dark liquor into his cup.
Other than the night he got me pregnant, I’d never seen Cameron drink more than a beer. And, to be completely honest, seeing him like this worried me.
Between my mom, my dad, and my job, I was used to drunks. But, that didn’t mean I liked them .
He pressed the glass to his lips but didn’t take a drink. I wondered if he could feel me staring. Slowly, he lowered the glass as his attention shifted to me.
“Shit, where are my manners?” he mumbled.
I thought he’d put the whisky down and focus on me instead, but he slowly passed me the glass. A little of the dark liquid sloshed out onto his hand as he gestured for me to take it.
“It’s good stuff, I promise,” he swore.
My body was rigid, and I took the glass out of obligation. Cameron seemed content as he sucked the spilled alcohol off his hands. He watched me expectantly for a moment, and my gaze flickered down to my stomach.
When I looked back, an expression of oh shit marred Cameron’s face.
“Don’t you dare drink that,” he lectured, as if he weren’t the one who gave it to me.
He clumsily snatched it from my hands before draining its contents in one go. He didn’t even flinch when he downed the whisky.
He placed the glass far away from me before leaning over, grabbing an opened cola from his nightstand, and passing it to me. I more readily accepted the can, but after his recent display, I brought the soda to my nose just to smell it.
“There ain’t nothin’ bad for the baby in there. I only drink my whisky neat.” He leaned down and kissed my stomach before whispering, “Sorry, baby girl.”
His hand soon replaced his lips, and Rosie kicked at him, almost like she accepted his apology for suggesting I drink.
“I know it ain’t time yet, and it’s better if she cooks for just a little longer–But God, I wish she’d just come already.” Cameron stopped speaking just to study me. “Is it alright if I lay on your lap?”
Another nervous squeak bubbled in my throat, but I kept it down. My heart raced like I had just run a mile, and my face went hot. I nodded, doing my best to contain my enthusiasm. The warmth in the way Cameron looked at me melted any lingering tension as I unfolded my legs.
He lowered his head onto my lap with slow, gentle movements. It always slipped my mind just how massive Cameron was. But, as I threaded my fingers into his hair, his colossal figure still dwarfed mine .
He grabbed me by the forearm and kissed my wrist before snuggling up to my belly. His hand spread across the small of my back as he held me in place.
For a moment, all I did was savor the way he felt against me. Cameron was heavy and warm, kind of like a heated blanket. He closed his eyes and a contented sigh escaped his lips.
“My day’s a lot better now,” he admitted.
I smiled at his words as warmth filled my chest. It was nice to know that I could comfort Cameron.
“You ain't gonna freak out if I lift up your shirt, right? I promise it won't be sexual.”
It could be sexual, and I wouldn't complain.
I shook my head.