7. Cameron
7
CAMERON
I’m sitting at the kitchen table watching the girls finish dinner while I let my brain decompress from the day. I need a break. Like, really bad. Thank God for my younger sister coming over in a little while to watch them so I can go out with the guys to grab a beer and catch up.
My phone chirps in my pocket, and I watch as our group chat lights up.
Reid: Still coming, right, Cam?
Me: Try and stop me.
Liam: First round’s on you.
“Dad, no phones at the table,” Mackenzie says with a serious look. This girl is six going on sixteen.
“You’re right. Putting it away,” I say as I stuff it back into the pocket of my jeans with a smile.
This may not be the life I imagined, but this is a great life. And it’s getting better every day.
Nine months ago, my now ex-wife told me she didn’t love me anymore and was leaving me for a rich Wall Street guy she met online. But she wasn’t only leaving me—she was leaving our girls, too. She stated, very nonchalantly, that they didn’t fit into the new chapter of her life. She said having two young daughters wasn’t conducive to the lifestyle she wanted to live.
That’s it. Cold and calculated. No sadness or regret. Nothing. It was the most bizarre thing I had ever witnessed in my life. She talks to them maybe once a month over the phone and acts as if she didn’t turn her back on her daughters—her own flesh and blood. Luckily, the girls aren’t taking it as hard as I thought they would, but her barely being present at home probably lent to that.
For a while, I blamed myself for marrying her and having kids. I don’t think she ever really wanted them—she had them to placate me.
When I met Renee, I was young and stupid. It was my rookie year in the NFL, and I was at a party thrown by one of my teammates. She was beautiful and career-driven, focused on her modeling, while I devoted all my time to football, making sure I was going to live up to my performance in college. For the most part, we fit. Being with her…made sense, I guess.
It went sour when I broke my leg on the practice field two years ago while I was playing for Chicago. My retiring at the ripe old age of thirty-two wasn’t what she signed up for, even though money wasn’t an issue—I had saved more than enough from my contracts and had enough endorsements for us to live more than comfortably. The issue was that I was now home twenty-four seven, so I didn’t want a nanny or a full-time housekeeper. I wanted us to be more hands-on with the girls and live a more normal life. Overnight, I became Mr. Mom while she barely wanted to be Mom.
She started going out more, and we grew apart. It didn’t surprise me as much as it should have when she finally came clean and told me she had been seeing someone else and that she wanted a divorce. It honestly didn’t even hurt.
All I wanted was to make sure my girls were safe. Anything else was secondary.
Mackenzie and Addy are the only reasons I continue scraping the shit off my shoes every day with a smile on my face, even when I feel like everything is falling apart.
My two girls make everything worth it, and they are the greatest things to ever happen to me. Which was why, after the last couple of visits back to my hometown of Brantley Falls to see my dad and sisters, I decided to come back. To give the girls a chance at a better life, surrounded by people who love them and who want the best for them—and for me. A simpler life with what matters most.
At the age of seventy, my dad was still going strong and working on the farm every day. Whenever I suggested he retire and that I would hire more farmhands, he scoffed and explained that he wanted to die doing what he loved, not spending his days sitting in a rocking chair on his porch.
I respected his wishes but knew he wouldn’t be able to deny my help if I were here with nothing to do. I would be able to take some of the burden off him and spend more time with him all at once. The stubborn old man would get his way, and so would I.
My girls and I were going to get the fresh start we deserved. It was all planned out. Once Mackenzie finished the school year in June, we were moving back to good old Brantley Falls, Iowa.
But life happens while you’re busy making plans. So, when my dad passed away unexpectedly, it was the final blow. I buried my dad, Mackenzie finished kindergarten, and we moved from Chicago to Iowa. All in a matter of weeks.
I’m honestly surprised that I’ve made it. I’m still standing, the girls are in one piece, and they seem happy. I have my friends and family close again. I’m going to turn this around for us, no matter what.
So, as exhausted as I am, going out tonight with Reid and Liam will be good for me. I’ve really missed my friends. I had people I was close with on the team, but once I retired, those friendships fizzled out. However, what I have with Reid, Liam, and Theo has been going strong for a quarter of a century, from kindergarten to high school together to now. Even after we all left for college or pursued careers, we kept in touch. And now, we’re all back home.
“All done, Daddy,” Mackenzie declares while showing me her empty plate.
“Me too.” Addy excitedly shows me her plate, but there’s still some food left on hers. I’m choosing to let it slip.
“Great job, girls. Let’s put our plates in the sink and go upstairs to take showers.”
Before I do, I text the guys again.
Me: Waiting for Morgan now. I’ll be there ASAP.
Me: And the first round’s on you, asshole. I’m new in town. You buy me drinks, not the other way around.
I put it away to go help my girls, and, once they’re showered and in their pajamas, I take a quick shower and dress in some dark wash jeans and a Henley. I’m heading downstairs when I hear my sister come through the front door.
“Hey, Morgan.”
“Hey, big brother. Long time, no see,” my sister says as she wraps me in a hug.
“We saw you this past weekend at Nikki’s.” Am I losing it here? We just saw each other, right?
“That was three days ago. When we live ten minutes apart, that’s too long.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I say with an exasperated laugh.
The girls tear around the corner and tackle their aunt in a hug. This is how I know I made the right decision in moving back home. Morgan visited often when we were in Chicago, but it wasn’t nearly enough for her or the girls. They need their aunt, and she needs her nieces. And, honestly, I need my sister, too.
I’m close with both my sisters, but Morgan and I have always had a special bond. She was a year old when our mom died, and even though I was only eight at the time, I took on a lot of responsibility and grew up fast. With Dad gone, I guess I’m going to be taking on the role of father and brother, which I know will drive her crazy.
Annoying a little sister is fun, and she’s very easy to annoy, which just makes it better. Another reason I’m glad to be back home.
“The girls already ate and showered, so just make sure they brush their teeth and are in bed by nine.”
“Nine, Daddy? That’s so early!” Mackenzie complains.
“Well, if you guys would sleep past seven in the morning, maybe I would let you stay up longer. You can’t stay up late and wake up early. Pick one or the other.” I’m trying to reason with them but am only met with looks of confusion and amusement from my sister. “So, bedtime is nine, and don’t even think about scheming your way into a later time with Auntie Morgan. She won’t fall for your tricks.” I look over to my sister and give her a stern look. “Right, Morgan?”
“Right, big brother, sir. You can count on me,” Morgan says sarcastically while hiding her fingers behind her back, and I already know that they’re crossed and she’s going to let them stay up longer. Mackenzie and Addy have her wrapped around their little fingers.
I grab my keys and wallet off the counter and head to the back door since I parked my truck out back. “Be good, girls.” I give them hugs and kisses and then level Morgan with another serious stare. “That includes you, too, Morgan.” She laughs, but I can tell it’s a little forced and that her mind went elsewhere for a second. I go over and give her a big hug. “I miss him too,” I whisper.
“I know,” she says with a sniffle. “Seeing you standing here in the kitchen…well, you just look so much like him that it took me back to our childhood for a second.” She swipes at her eyes, so I give her another big squeeze because I know I’ll start crying if I try to talk. “He would have loved you being back home with the girls. He talked about it non-stop. He was so excited.”
“I should have done it sooner, but I thought we had a lot more time.”
“We all did, Cam. Everyone takes time for granted. It’s human nature.” She squeezes my hand and then gives me another hug. “Sorry for bringing you down. Now, go have some beers and gossip with the guys. I’ve got things covered here.”
“Thanks again, Morgan, for doing this. I won’t be out late,” I say as I start to walk out the door.
“Have fun. You deserve time outside of being a dad.” My sister waves goodbye and closes the door as I jump in the truck and drive off.
I know Morgan is right. I deserve some me time where I’m not directly responsible for two little girls, but it’s still hard to leave them.
I shake my head. I’m taking advantage of tonight and having a good time. Not too good , because I’m driving and all, but blowing off some steam with Reid and Liam and just shooting the shit sounds exactly like what I need. Once Theo is back from his business trip, the whole gang will be together again.
As I bump down the dirt road leading me away from my and the Montgomery farms, I turn up the radio and blast some music. I drive to Rangers and focus on all the good things that are going to happen for me and my family by being back home. How having Renee out of our lives is going to facilitate our happiness, not hinder it. Tomorrow is a new day, and great things are going to happen because shit luck can’t last forever, right?
I have so much to be grateful for, and I need to remind myself of that. I have two daughters who are happy and healthy. I have my sisters, a brother-in-law, and nieces and nephews close now. I have my best friends and a support system here.
And I’ve got a hot neighbor that I can’t get off my mind.
That last one is definitely not one I should be thankful for, but I can’t seem to stop my thoughts from going to her.
The last time I saw her has been playing on a loop in my head, and all I can think about is flirting with her some more. Making her cheeks turn that bright shade of red or watching a confused look slide across her face like she can’t make sense of whether I’m flirting with her or not.
Maybe I should make it more obvious.
But I know Lizzie Montgomery will be my downfall if I let her get too close. She’s too good and too sweet and too fucking irresistible. Mouthwateringly sexy without even trying. My dream girl, if I’m being honest.
My ex notwithstanding, I prefer the natural, raw beauty Lizzie has. I couldn’t believe it was her when I saw her at the funeral—beautiful and caring, making sure to talk to my girls to see how they were holding up.
I knew she had a crush on me as a kid, and while I was never mean to her, I did my best to discourage that. But now…it’s like she’s under my skin.
But she’s also too young, and I have too much baggage to saddle her with.
So yeah, the best plan of action is to avoid her by all means necessary. I need to nip this in the bud, because the last thing I need is a relationship, and Lizzie deserves more than being the hot neighbor that I fuck.
As I park, I try to pretend it wasn’t images of her beneath me in my bed that kept me up last night. I’m choosing denial.
It’s time to make smart decisions for Addy and Mackenzie—and myself—and that definitely means keeping my dirty thoughts away from Lizzie Montgomery.