Chapter 18
Cameron
C ameron had his reasons for confronting the cowboy at the chocolate shop.
The guy was clearly coming onto her. Cameron had clocked the guy and his friend the second he’d entered the shop.
He’d seen Sophia walk in with Cameron. He’d noticed that they were holding hands.
He’d blatantly disregarded everything and hit on Sophia like he could steal her away.
If Sophia hadn’t returned so quickly, Cameron wasn’t sure that things wouldn’t have escalated. What was it with people like his brother who thought they had the right to encroach on another’s relationship? He would have never dreamed of coming between a girl and the guy she went out with.
Unless it was Sophia .
He shook that truth from his mind. Sophia was different. They were made for each other. He could see that plain as day, and if someone wanted to claim he was crazy or obsessed, he couldn’t care less. Sophia’s heart belonged to him, and his heart was irrevocably hers.
They’d spent plenty of time perusing the shelves in the local bookstore and then they headed out to the hills away from the lights of town so they could get a good look at the stars.
When it was just the two of them here like this, he was at peace.
No one could make him feel so at ease. Sophia had a way about her that made him feel seen and cherished.
Her attention remained on him, and it didn’t matter if he stumbled over his words or made a fool of himself in other ways; she still looked at him like he was everything.
Currently, they were sprawled out on a blanket he’d pulled from the back of his truck and were staring up at the sky. Sophia rolled over and propped herself up on one elbow. “Tell me about your brother.”
He frowned, which spurred her laughter.
“I know you two didn’t have the best relationship in your later teenage years, but it couldn’t have been all bad, could it?”
Cameron worked his jaw and shifted his focus to the darkened sky. He laced his fingers behind his head and heaved a sigh. “No, it wasn’t all bad.”
“So, tell me about him. The good parts.”
He took in a deep breath before cutting a glance at Sophia out of the corner of his eye.
“He’s my older brother—just over a year older.
We were friends with all the same people which was both good and bad.
” He let out a mirthless chuckle. “As you can imagine, there were moments when we were very competitive with one another. Sports. Grades. That sort of stuff. Up until he’d…
intervened… in my relationship with my first girlfriend, he’d been there for me.
He was a protective older brother in every sense of the word.
” A smile fell to his lips unbidden. “We were actually very close.”
“But not anymore?”
He blew out a heavy breath. “No, not anymore. I hear from him on occasion, but we don’t really see each other except at big family events. I don’t even know if he realizes I’m so close.”
She shot up. “Close?”
He chuckled ruefully. “Yeah. He relocated to Colorado Springs about the time you and I met.”
Sophia was quiet for a long moment. She chewed on her lower lip. “I can’t imagine my siblings doing anything to betray me so thoroughly. I don’t blame you for your feelings toward him. But at the same time, he’s your only brother. And what happened… it’s been years.”
Cameron shrugged. “He’s got his life, and I’ve got mine. We’re cordial. That’s good enough.”
She scrunched up her face in the most adorable expression that he’d seen in ages. “Not really. There’s nothing more important than family. It’s not like he’s going to hurt you again. You’ve both changed.”
He couldn’t help the scoff that left his lips. “There’s no guarantee of that.” The mere suggestion that Samuel wouldn’t interfere with his current relationship put Cameron on edge. He would never risk letting that happen. Until Sophia had a ring on her finger, she wouldn’t be meeting his brother.
Cameron turned toward Sophia and forced a smile if only to distract her.
“I don’t think I was ever as close to my brother as you are with your siblings.
There’s been a good dose of rivalry between us even as kids.
While he wouldn’t let anyone pummel me or bully me, he didn’t seem to mind—” He cut himself off before he said what was really in his heart.
His brother hadn’t minded hurting him by flirting and ultimately stealing his girlfriend’s affections. They hadn’t even dated all that long.
Sophia reached out to his face and caressed him with her fingertips. “That’s too bad. Because I’m sure it would be better if you had each other to lean on.”
He grunted, but he wasn’t going to give her the response she seemed to want. He and his brother had gotten back to being cordial, but they were far from close. Cameron figured their strained relationship would stay that way, and he had accepted it.
She snuggled in closer to him and rested her cheek against his chest. “One day you might find that it’s worth mending the bridges that were torn apart between you. And when that time comes, I’ll be there to hold your hand.”
There was no fighting the smile that flooded his face. He would never tell her that he might consider doing just that if she swore to keep her end of the bargain. Something like that seemed to be too far into the future for him to worry about.
Cameron slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. As long as he had her by his side, anything was possible.
As the weeks passed, Cameron continued to get more attached to Sophia. He was protective of her. He wanted what was best for her, and he wanted to be the one person who could be everything for her.
They spent almost every evening together, and he couldn’t get enough of her.
On the weekends, they’d run errands and sometimes hang out with her friends.
Today was no different. They sat around a table at Sal’s getting lunch, and Sophia laughed at something Emma said.
It wasn’t so bad spending time with Emma and her husband—mostly because Caleb clearly only had eyes for his wife.
Cameron didn’t have to worry about Sophia being stolen away. As silly as that might sound to someone else, his fear was a tangible thing. Just the thought of her finding affection for someone else put his heart on edge.
“That’s why I’m coming with her on her next trip. Can you believe they wanted to do a full international tour?” Caleb shook his head, but mirth still danced in his eyes.
Emma swatted at him. “Is that so hard to believe? I haven’t been out of the country since the day we met.”
Caleb dragged his blonde beauty into his side and pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’m more surprised that they haven’t tried to do so sooner.”
“Well, if you end up having a concert in Colorado again, I want to come. I’m always up for a fun night with music and dancing in some guy’s arms.” Sophia glanced at Cameron and winked, sending his heart into a flurry of emotion.
He wanted to believe that wink meant she was talking about him. But the fact that she said “some guy’s arms” made his muscles tense. He wasn’t just some guy. He was the guy who had fallen for her hard and fast.
Cameron’s jaw set, but he managed to smile at her if only to ensure she didn’t think she’d said anything to upset him. She was very aware of his struggles with jealousy and fear of losing her. He was working on it, but there were still moments that dragged him down.
As if she sensed his mood, she leaned into him.
“Hey, guys. Long time no see.” Two men seemed to materialize at the table. Cameron didn’t recognize either of them. They were both tall and tanned. Based on their builds, they probably worked with their hands out at one of the ranches that the town was known for.
One was blond, and the other had dark hair with some scruff lining his jaw. They both had brown eyes. By the way they let their focus trail over Sophia, it was clear they not only knew her but also liked her.
Fire burst in his chest and that fierce protective nature he had seemed to rear its ugly head. Under no circumstances would he let either one of them sit beside Sophia and?—
“Hey, guys. Sit with us. We’re just waiting for our food.” Sophia patted the space beside her and scooted closer to Cameron. Caleb and Emma did the same. “Cameron, this is Trent and his brother Patrick. They work for Zeke Callahan. Guys, this is Cameron.”
The two gave Cameron a nod, and he gave them a sharp one in return.
He watched them with an intensity that even he wasn’t prepared for.
Trent was the blond one who sat next to Emma, and he was staring at Sophia like he wanted nothing more than to lean across the table and kiss the living daylights out of her.
Cameron’s hands clenched into fists. This was how the whole thing with his brother had started. He was getting flashbacks of the night he’d taken Kristy to a casual diner like this one and his brother had shown up.
Samuel invited himself and a couple of his friends into the booth Cameron had picked, and the way he’d flirted with Kristy should have been the first indication that things would go downhill.
Couldn’t Trent see that Sophia was here with someone? The way he was flashing his perfectly white smile seemed to indicate that even if he knew, he didn’t care.
Sam hadn’t cared either.
Sophia whirled to face him, her eyes widening slightly. “You okay?”
He stiffened. “What? Yeah, why?” All eyes were on him, and Sophia had started to blush somewhat.
She glanced around the table, then back to Cameron.
With everyone’s attention on them, she wasn’t going to tell him.
And he wasn’t willing to stick around and watch this Trent guy try to woo the girl Cameron loved so much. “Actually, we should go.”
“But the food?—”
“Now.”
Sophia’s blush intensified, and her eyes narrowed. “I want to stay, Cameron.”
“And I want to go,” he practically growled. Then he glanced around the table. “Sorry, guys, but we have something planned I forgot about.”
“Cameron—” she started indignantly, but he waved at Patrick to get him to slide out of the booth so he could give Sophia a gentle push to follow.
By the time they had the waitress put their food in to-go cartons and he was guiding her out of the diner, Sophia was livid.
She spun to face him when they reached the side of his truck. “What was that for?”
He gritted his teeth.
“ Cameron .” She folded her arms and stared daggers at him. “Please tell me that this wasn’t about your jealousy issues.”
His eyes flicked to meet hers, and his anger wavered.
“It was , wasn’t it?” Her hands fell to her sides, and she gaped at him. “You can’t do stuff like that. Those guys are my friends. They probably think you’re a total jerk now.”
He frowned and glanced back at the diner. He was a jerk. The smallest sliver of remorse pained his midsection. “Sorry,” he muttered.
“I mean it. You can’t let your jealousy get the better of you. I have a lot of friends. I might not be super close to them, but I know a lot of people in town and… surprise, surprise, a lot of them are guys.”
He let out a growl under his breath.
She whacked at him. “That. There it is again.”
Cameron’s brows lifted, and he stared at her with surprise. “What?”
“You made that sound when we were sitting in the booth. It was loud enough that everyone stopped and stared at you. I swear Trent thought you might shift into some kind of werewolf or something.”
A smile tugged at his lips.
She whacked at him again. “It’s not funny!”
In a flash of movement, he caught her hand and placed a kiss to the inside of her wrist. She heaved a sigh, and goosebumps trailed up her arms. “I need you to know that I’m not going anywhere.
You can’t keep living your life expecting that I’m going to just go traipsing off with the next guy who gives me a smile. ”
He shut his eyes and pulled her in closer. “I know ,” he groaned. “It’s just… hard .”
“Hey,” she whispered, causing him to open his eyes. “I’m not going anywhere. Okay?”
“Okay,” he said, though even as he said it, he knew she couldn’t guarantee it. Sophia was a free spirit. One day she might realize just what she’d be stuck with if she stayed with him. And when that day came, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to survive it.