Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
CAMERON
After spending that first night at Tally's, I swung by Elliot's place.
I'd already grabbed my clothes from home and wanted to drop by and see my friend before heading back to her.
We'd worked out an arrangement—I'd move in, but I had to be home by ten every night.
That's her bedtime, non-negotiable. The woman needs her eight hours or she turns into a sleep-deprived demon at the tattoo studio.
Her words, not mine. Something about "wanting to stab the next person who asks for a butterfly tramp stamp. "
I swirl the wine in my glass, watching the ripples across Elliot's pool mirror the amber liquid. The evening sun casts long shadows as I finally break the silence.
"So, what's your take on this whole Tally situation?
" I ask, though I can practically hear his response already.
Elliot's going to think I've lost my mind—moving in with a woman who's keeping me at arm's length, all to be near a child she tried to claim isn't mine.
He'll see right through me, know that I'm hoping proximity will spark something more than co-parenting.
That beneath all my doctor's logic, I'm betting everything on the foolish notion that sharing a roof might somehow build us into the family I can't stop imagining.
Elliot snorts. "You' re delusional if you think that setup will last between you two. Not with all those unresolved feelings hanging in the air."
"My feelings, anyway. I doubt she feels the same."
"Oh, come off it." Elliot rolls his eyes.
"Every woman I've ever met wants to put a ring on your finger yesterday—Sarah included.
" His mouth quirks up at the corner, and I shake my head.
His wife definitely does not have designs on me.
"You're like catnip to the female population.
The GQ looks, the humanitarian hero complex, that bleeding heart of yours.
Throw in the trust fund and the MD after your name, and you're basically irresistible.
So yeah, I'm betting Tally's plotting to rope you in as we speak. "
I can't help but smile. If anyone's the one being pursued here, it's her. She's like some wild, beautiful creature that won't be tamed, while I'm just the guy standing at the fence with an apple, hoping she might come closer. Sad, but true.
I grip my coffee mug tighter. "Look, I want to be in my daughter's life. Tally's calling the shots right now. A custody battle would be hell for everyone, especially Brinley. Besides, I'm between jobs—sabbatical until my sports medicine fellowship starts. Perfect timing to step up."
"And when the fellowship begins?"
I shrug, trying to look more confident than I feel. "We'll cross that bridge later. By then, hopefully we'll be together. Maybe a bigger place in Echo Park, hire a nanny."
"Your Brentwood house isn't an option?"
"She'd have to commute to her studio. It's a non-starter."
“And your fellowship is at UCLA, right?”
“Right.”
“And UCLA's what—five miles from Brentwood? Fifteen from Echo Park?" He tilts his head, eyebrows raised. "You're bending over backwards while she gives nothing."
“Then maybe I can go ahead and talk her into moving into my Brentwood home,” I say. “Again, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”
I don't mention the commute she'd hate, or how ridiculous it would be suggesting she relocate her Arts District tattoo studio to Beverly Hills, which is the closest retail area to my house.
Those pristine, spa-like tattoo places in Beverly Hills?
Tally would sooner set herself on fire than work somewhere with cucumber water and ambient music.
Eliot leans forward. "So what's your plan to convince her this isn't just some temporary thing?"
I shrug.
"Right. You'll figure it out as you go." He rubs his temples. "Christ, Cameron. You're putting an awful lot of faith in future-you to solve this mess."
I just nod. "What's wild is how Tally keeps pushing me to see other people. Like she's giving me permission to date around while we co-parent. I'm all in for raising our child together, but bringing another relationship into this situation? That feels like asking for trouble."
Elliot shoots me a knowing look. "But I can tell you're considering it—thinking maybe dating someone else would make her jealous enough to finally claim you.
Tale as old as time. Fair warning though—even if that works to get her attention, it won't address why she's keeping you at arm's length in the first place.
Have you figured out what's behind all those walls she's built?
Why she runs from anything resembling commitment? "
I let out a sigh. "Tally was bounced around foster homes like a pinball.
Every time she thought she'd go back to her mom for good, something fell apart.
Turns out her mother was battling bi-polar disorder without even knowing it until recently.
She's on meds now, doing okay." I rub my neck.
"But the damage is done. Tally doesn't believe anything lasts.
She's learned to count on exactly one person—herself.
Makes her stubborn as hell and allergic to letting anyone in.
I'm basically trying to scale a fortress with nothing but my bare hands. "
Elliot leans forward, his eyes narrowing. "So, if there weren't a kid involved, would you keep pursuing Tally? Just curious if your interest in this woman who keeps you at arm's length is because there's a kid between you two or whether there's something real there for you."
My answer erupts before he finishes the question.
"Hell yes," I say, slamming my palm against the table.
"I'd crawl through broken glass to be with her.
And don't ask me why because I can't—I just—" I drag my hands through my hair, my chest burning.
"She shattered me awake. After Alecia and Stephanie, I was a ghost. But those 38 days with Tally?
I felt blood pumping through my veins again.
Every morning I woke up starving for her.
So yes. I'd still fight for her even if Brinley had never taken a single breath on this earth. "
I meant every syllable, but hearing those words come out of my mouth shocked even me.
Christ, this is the second time I've let my guard down.
Just yesterday, I called her "the woman I love" right to her face.
Did she notice? The flash in her eyes tells me she did.
And now she's going to bolt like a startled deer.
Way to go, genius.