Chapter 23 Camden
Camden
“Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Williams. How’d you sleep?”
I look up from my plate of poached eggs, toast, and turkey bacon and see Xander and Sophie join our breakfast table.
Xander is rolling his eyes and smiling at Theo’s question. Sophie chuckles.
“Didn’t get much sleep in the honeymoon suite, did you?” Theo says.
Theo’s wife, Maya, elbows him. He just grins and kisses her.
We raise our glasses to the newlyweds, then continue with our breakfast at the restaurant of the hotel we’re all staying at.
“Where’s Ellie?” Sophie asks me.
“She went for a walk,” I say, relieved that my tone sounds so laidback despite how worked up I feel.
Sophie turns back to Xander, giggling at something he whispers into her ear.
I go back to pushing my food around my plate, my mind still fixated on last night.
When I woke up, Ellie was gone. She texted me that she was going for a long walk and would probably miss brunch.
I instantly felt like garbage. I made her so uncomfortable last night that she can’t be around me.
I think about how things unfolded, how things went from an insanely hot makeout to her being uncomfortable and upset.
And it all happened because of me.
I think about how, as soon as I told her that I was going to get a condom, her mood changed.
My stomach churns when I remember the shocked look on her face, how her shoulders slumped. How she moved away from me.
If I could, I’d go back in time and stop myself from doing that. I’d just keep kissing her. I’d follow her lead. I’d ask her what she felt like doing. I’d stop whenever she felt like it. Anything to make her feel comfortable.
But when she pulled me onto the bed with her, I thought she wanted more. She didn’t though.
I huff out a breath and take a sip of my coffee. A server sets a plate of red velvet cupcakes in the middle of our table.
“Leftover dessert from last night. Eat up,” Xander says.
I eye the cupcake and think about how I could taste the flavor of sugar on Ellie’s tongue.
I think about the softness of her lips…how sweet her skin tasted…how she tugged her hands through my hair as she whimpered and moaned into my mouth.
Those little noises she made. So damn cute and sexy.
My dick twitches in my pants. Goddamn it.
I shouldn’t be thinking about how much Ellie turned me on last night, especially with how things ended.
My phone buzzes with a text. When I see it’s my dad, I hold back a groan.
Hey, I saw your latest post on Instagram. You’re in Napa for your teammate’s wedding, right? Jenna and I are here too checking out wedding venues. Think you can swing lunch with us before you head out? We’d love to see you and meet our new daughter-in-law.
I exhale sharply, not in the mood to see my dad and his newest girlfriend. Or fiancée, I guess. I didn’t even know he was dating anyone.
But every time he’s with someone, it’s always the same thing: They’re touchy-feeling to the point that I want to gag, Dad swears this time he found the one, then the next time I see him, he’s going through some awful breakup.
He swears he’s never going to date again. But he always does. Rinse and repeat.
He’s the exact opposite of my mom. Since they split, she hasn’t dated a single person. He seems like he’s trying to marry every available woman in his vicinity.
I text him back.
Sorry, I don’t think we’ll have time to do that. We have a flight to catch tonight. Maybe next time.
“Ellie! You made it!” Xander hollers
I look up and see Ellie walking over to our table. She hugs everyone.
“How was the walk?” Xander asks.
“Really nice. Napa is so beautiful.”
She sits down next to me, but doesn’t look at me. That sinking feeling in my stomach digs deeper.
Sophie pulls Ellie into a conversation about her favorite scenic parts of Napa while I try to force down a few more bites of my breakfast. I can hardly stomach it though.
I hate thinking that I upset her. I hate knowing that I made her so uncomfortable that she can’t even look at me.
I need to talk to her. I need to apologize and do whatever it takes to make her feel better.
“Hey, when we go back to our room, can we talk about last night?” Ellie asks in a quiet voice so only I can hear her.
“Yeah, of course.”
We finish breakfast, and everyone says goodbye to Sophie and Xander.
“Where are you going for your honeymoon?” Ellie asks them.
“We’re staying another night in Napa, then we’re going to Big Sur,” Xander says. “We’re hitting up Carmel and Monterey, and then Half Moon Bay. Then we’ll head to Paris for Abby and Coach’s wedding.”
Coach Porter walks over to give Sophie a hug and shake Xander’s hand.
He tilts his head at Xander. “Take care of my little girl,” he says.
Sophie rolls her eyes good-naturedly. “Dad, come on.”
Xander just nods like he understands completely where his new father-in-law is coming from.
“Promise I will,” Xander says.
Coach Porter nods once. His fiancée, Abby, walks up to him and pats his shoulder, then gives him a knowing look. His serious expression eases. Abby hugs Xander and Sophie and wishes them a safe and fun honeymoon.
Emma, Abby’s seven-year-old daughter, holds up a piece of red construction paper. “I made you guys a card to take with you on your honeymoon,” she says.
Both Abby and Xander smile warmly as they look at it.
“Emma, this is so sweet. Thank you.” Sophie hugs her.
Xander hugs her too. “We’ll keep this on the dashboard of our rental car so we can see it during our whole trip.”
He high-fives her, and she smiles proudly.
Coach Porter, Abby, and Emma leave to catch the shuttle to the airport.
“When are everyone’s flights leaving today?” Theo asks.
After talking, we all realize that most of us are leaving in the evening.
“Who’s down for a wine tasting at that vineyard next door?” Theo asks. Everyone says they’re up for it.
“Camden and Ellie, you wanna come too?” Theo asks.
“We’re gonna hang out here for a bit,” I say. “I’ll text you to see where you are so we can meet up.”
Theo flashes a thumbs-up. When the rest of the crew heads to the winery, Ellie and I make our way back to our room.
We’re both quiet as we walk. Discomfort gnaws at the center of my chest. We’ve never gone this long in awkward silence.
The second we’re in the room, I close the door behind me and turn to Ellie. I take in the shy look in her eyes, the way she fidgets with the hem of her tank top.
I let out a breath. “Ellie, I’m so sorry for—”
My phone rings, cutting me off. When I see it’s my dad calling, I roll my eyes and silence it.
“Should you answer that?” Ellie asks.
I shake my head. The ringing ends, and I open my mouth to speak, but it rings again. I exhale sharply, annoyed.
“Hang on, let me get rid of this,” I mutter, then answer the call. “Hey, Dad. I’m a little busy right now. I’ll call you back.”
He just laughs. “No can do, son. I’m here at your hotel.”
“What?”
“Surprise! Jenna and I are here at the lobby of your hotel. You’re staying at the Onda Valley Inn, right?”
I bite back a groan, regretting that I told him the name of my hotel when we were texting the other day.
“Yeah. I am.”
He chuckles again, completely oblivious to the irritation in my tone.
“Well, come on down and have a drink with Jenna and me. We just got a table outside with a gorgeous view of the mountains. And bring your wife too. I haven’t seen Ellie since she was a little kid, and I’m dying to see her.”
“Dad, this isn’t really a good time.”
“Come on, Cam. One drink with your old dad won’t kill you.”
I exhale sharply. “Fine. Give me a minute, and I’ll come down there.”
I hang up and clench my jaw.
“Your dad’s in town?” Ellie asks.
“Yeah,” I say through an annoyed breath. “He’s in the hotel lobby with his girlfriend. Er, fiancée, I guess. They’re checking out wedding venues.”
“Your dad’s getting married?”
I sigh. “Yeah. Not super surprising given his history. He’s been married, like, four times since he divorced my mom. And engaged, like, nine times.”
Ellie’s eyes go wide. “Wow.”
“He wants to have a drink. And he wants you to come too.”
“Okay, sure.”
“Really?”
She nods. “He’s my father-in-law now. I should probably say hello.”
She lets a small smile slip. So do I.
“Okay. Let’s go.”