Chapter 14 Ellie
Ellie
Ihold a treat in front of me. Gus pops his head up, his nose in the air.
“Sit,” I say in a sweet voice.
He plops down, his tail wagging against the hardwood floor.
“Good boy!” I toss the treat up, and he catches it in his mouth.
I check the time. I’ve got an hour until I have to leave to do my Uber Eats deliveries for the afternoon and evening. That means I’ll be able to take Gus on a nice long walk before I bring him in the car with me so he doesn’t get too restless.
It’s been a busy day so far for me. I spent three hours walking dogs this morning for my pet-sitting clients and gave two of them baths. Then I dropped off some of my old clothes to sell at a second-hand shop. Then I picked up Gus for an overnight stay.
I’m honestly grateful to be busy right now. It’s been a nice distraction from running into Camden yesterday morning and seeing his…erect penis underneath his boxers.
Just thinking about that moment has me bursting into invisible flames of embarrassment. I was so awkward. Like I always am whenever it comes to seeing a guy’s body.
I fight off a cringe when I think about the only other time I’ve been around a half-naked guy, what a disaster it was.
I push the memory to the back of my brain, back where it belongs.
A cool, confident girl would have handled things way, way differently. A cool, confident girl would have just smiled and shrugged, and said it was no big deal. Or she would have given a flirty look or comment that would have led to sexy times…
My cheeks flush even more just thinking about doing that with Camden. No way would I ever be bold enough to pull that off…no matter how much I want to.
Because honestly? I liked what I saw. And I was impressed. Really impressed.
He looked so big. I shouldn’t be surprised. Camden’s tall and huge. Of course he’d have something that big between his legs.
But to see it in person, just inches from my face, is a totally different experience.
That faint pulse lands between my legs when I think about how sexy Camden looked in his t-shirt and boxer briefs.
If I weren’t so awkward, shy, and inexperienced, I would have said something cute and irresistible…
I cut off the thought as soon as it forms.
Stop thinking about him like that. He’s your friend. Your friend who was selfless enough to marry you to help you. And you’re mentally defiling him.
My phone buzzes with a text, yanking me out of my thoughts.
When I see Damien’s name flash on the screen, I instantly tense.
I saw that you married a hockey player. That was a fast rebound, slut.
My stomach falls to my feet.
Now that you’re rich, you shouldn’t have any problem paying me my money. And I want interest. You owe me five grand now.
Anger rockets through my entire body. The nerve of Damien to demand money that he doesn’t deserve. I type a reply.
My name wasn’t on the lease or any of the bills. I don’t owe you anything. Leave me alone.
Heart pounding, I block his number. I take a deep breath, feeling on edge. I should have done that months ago, but I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. I told myself he was upset and would forget about eventually. But I was wrong. Damien is a jerk, and I’m done dealing with him.
I crouch down on the floor and cuddle with Gus to calm myself. He licks my face, and I can’t help but smile and feel calmer. Dogs are an instant mood lifter.
A few minutes later, the kitchen door to the garage opens, and Camden walks in.
His smile is shy when he looks at me. “Hey.”
“Hi.”
For a second, we just stare at each other, the air between us sparking with tension.
We haven’t seen each other since that awkward run-in yesterday morning.
Camden was gone all day for his training session, then he helped with some kids hockey camp the rest of the day and evening.
I spent the whole day driving around to all of my dog walking appointments.
By the time I got home, I was exhausted and went straight to bed before he even came home.
Gus runs over to him and jumps up to lick him. Camden chuckles. I do too. I let out a breath, thankful that that tension is starting to fade. I’ll have to give Gus an extra treat for that.
“Hey, big guy. Good to see you again,” Camden coos as he pets him.
Gus flops on the floor, and Camden crouches down to give him belly rubs.
“He loves you,” I say when I walk up to them.
“I’m surprised he remembers me.”
“Of course he does. You’re the guy who gives epic belly rubs.”
Camden chuckles. When he looks up at me, shyness flashes in his eyes. He stands up and rubs the back of his neck.
“Listen. I’m really sorry about yesterday morning.”
I shake my head. “It’s okay. It wasn’t a big deal.”
His brow lifts like he doesn’t believe me. “You sure?”
“Yeah. It was bound to happen. We’re living in the same house.” I’m proud of how easy-going I sound. I’m doing a pretty good cool girl impression right now.
A relaxed smile tugs at his mouth. “Thanks for being so cool about this.”
“No problem.”
“Promise it won’t happen again.” His cheeks are still flushed. It’s really cute.
I grab an extra treat for Gus and toss it to him. “I told you I’m watching Gus during an overnight stay, right?”
“Yeah. I’m excited to hang out with him.”
“You’re really okay with me doing overnights stays here at your house for my pet-sitting job?” I ask.
“Of course I am. I love dogs. I’ve wanted to adopt one for awhile, but I never have because I’m gone during so much of the season traveling for away games.” He smiles at me. “So this is perfect. I get to hang out with a bunch cool pups now.”
I smile at how sweet Camden is. “I’m taking him with me tonight on my Uber Eats shift so we’ll be gone for a bit.”
“Wait, you’re working tonight?”
“Yeah, but just for a few hours.”
Camden frowns. “Ellie, I don’t want you to do that.”
“Do what?”
“Drive around to strangers’ houses on your own. It’s dangerous.”
I wave a hand. “It’s no big deal. I do it all the time. It’s helped me earn money to pay off my medical debt.”
“You don’t have debt anymore.”
I frown, confused. “What?”
He just looks at me. Oh. He must be kidding. I laugh out of sheer disbelief. “Very funny.”
“I’m serious, Ellie.”
“What?”
“After we set you up to join my health insurance plan before the wedding, I opened a joint bank account for us and put money in there. That’s for you to pay off the medical debt. You can set up the payment to go through whenever you want.”
I shake my head, feeling dizzy all of a sudden. “Camden, no. I owe almost two hundred thousand dollars.”
He doesn’t even blink. “I know. I put that amount in the joint account. A little extra too, in case any other expenses come through.”
“But I was going to pay it off.”
A small smile pulls at his mouth. “I know. But I wanted to surprise you with a little wedding gift.”
My jaw unhinges. I can’t speak for a solid ten seconds, I’m so stunned. “Camden, a little wedding gift would be a bouquet of flowers or dinner out. Not clearing six figures of medical debt.”
He takes a step toward me, that playful smile on his face. “I know. But this is the kind of gift I want to get my wife.”
My wife.
Just hearing him say that sends a sheet of goosebumps across my skin.
“I know you wanted to pay it off, Ellie. And I have no doubt that you would have been able to. But I have the money. It’s really no problem for me to take care of it.
And now you can put your money into your savings,” he says.
“You can focus on building your pet-sitting business instead of working side jobs to pay off debt.”
Warmth swoops through my chest. This is so sweet and thoughtful.
“This is so generous of you, Camden,” I say. “And so one-sided. I haven’t done anything like this for you.”
“You’ve already done plenty for me, Ellie. Just think of all those times you let me copy off your homework in school. I would have flunked out of every grade if it hadn’t been for you.”
I burst out laughing.
“And already people are taking me more seriously because I’m married to you. The guys on the team are calling me wife guy.”
I fight a smile and look at him. “You’re sure this is okay?”
“More than okay. You’re my wife, Ellie. I’m gonna take care of you.”
My skin tingles at his words. Yeah, our marriage isn’t real. We’re just friends. But something about the way he talks about me—something about the way he says my wife—makes me ache.
I like it. A lot.
I step over to him and wrap my arms around him. He slinks his massive arms around me, holding me tight.
“Thank you,” I whisper in his ear.
Gus walks over and pushes his face between our legs. We both laugh.
“Looks like Gus wants in on this hug.” Camden leans down and pats the side of his belly.
Just then, the doorbell rings. Camden heads to the front door to answer it.
“Surprise!” a chorus of voices shouts.
I look over and see all of Camden’s teammates from the group bachelor party walking inside, along with a group of women I don’t recognize.
“What are you guys doing here?” Camden says.
“We’re throwing you and your missus a bachelor-bachelorette party.”