Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Rylee
I smiled when my phone pinged and I rolled over in bed to see a text from Eden.
Do you hate me?
I called her and she picked up on the first ring.
Before I could get a word in, she said, “I’m so sorry for telling Cam about the baby.
I know I promised I wouldn’t, but I didn’t want you to feel scared and alone.
And I knew you were stressing about what he’d think.
But I know my brother and there was no doubt in my mind he’d be happy about this. And—”
“Honey, take a breath. It’s okay. I’m actually glad you told him. Knowing that he knows actually puts my mind at ease. It’s one less thing to worry about. And you’re right. He was great about it.”
“I’m so glad,” she whispered. “I mean, I knew he would be. But I’m glad you’re relieved that he knows.”
She was cute when she was nervous. “I get why you told him, Auntie Eden. He’s your brother. You didn’t want to risk your relationship with him. Keeping a secret like that was a pretty huge ask and I’m sorry I put you in that position.”
She squealed. “I’m so excited to be an auntie. Ohmigosh, I can’t even imagine how Cam feels! He’s wanted this forever. So, you guys had a good talk?”
“Yeah, we did.”
I was surprised how calm and reasonable he’d been. A lot of guys would have gone on a tangent when they found out their ex was pregnant with a baby they didn’t plan and had kept him in the dark. But Cam took it all in stride, never making me feel guilty.
Maybe Easton was right about him.
“We’re meeting for lunch later.” And I may be counting down the hours. No doubt, he still had my heart, but trust didn’t come easily for me, and his faithlessness still dug deep.
“Ohhh, does that mean—”
“It doesn’t mean we’re getting back together.” Though I couldn’t deny it had been hard to watch him leave last night. I wrestled with the urge to invite him back into my bed, forget about our break-up, and celebrate the fact he was going to be my baby-daddy.
“Oh.”
Eden sounded so dejected I had to laugh. “But we are going to spend time together, figure out how to do this co-parenting thing, and I’m not going to lie… I’m still kind of obsessed with him. So, would I be mad at myself if we gave into temptation? Probably not.”
She laughed. “You know you still want him, Ry. Why fight it? Especially now.”
I’d been asking myself that same question since he left. “Trust is huge for me. The fact that Cam hadn’t been able to trust me hurt. A lot.”
“He reacted without thinking. Only because of what that Kelly-bitch did to him. It wasn’t even about you. It was about his unresolved trust issues.”
I chuckled. “Thanks for your professional opinion, Doc.”
She laughed. “I’m definitely not a professional, but I’ve known my brother all my life. And he wasn’t like that before. He had an open heart and gave people the benefit of the doubt, which wasn’t always easy or smart, in his line of work.”
“I hate that she ruined him for me.”
Yes, I was being a little selfish. I wish I’d met the Cam who’d never had his heart broken. But that would be like him wishing to meet the version of me who’d never been wounded as a little girl. Impossible.
“I hate that she did too,” Eden admitted.
“You’re exactly what I’ve always wanted for him.
Someone fun and spontaneous and a little crazy to offset his serious, responsible, disciplined nature.
I get why he is that way, but—” My phone beeped and I saw an incoming call from Cam.
“That’s your brother calling me. We’re going to make plans for lunch. ”
“Go, go. Give him my love. And let me know how it goes.”
“Will do.”
I took a deep breath before accepting the call.
Trying to sound casual, though my heart was racing like a pre-teen getting a call from a boy she was crushing on, I said, “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself.”
His deep, rich voice gave me chill bumps. “Sleep well?”
He chuckled. “You’re kidding, right? My mind was racing, thinking about… becoming a dad. Ry, my mind is blown. In the best possible way.”
He would be easier to resist if he didn’t say things that made me all gushy. Damn him.
“It is pretty exciting, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is. So, are we still on for lunch today?” Before I could answer, he asked, “Hey, are you dealing with morning sickness or anything? If you are, we don’t have to go out. I can bring lunch to your place? If you feel like eating? If not—”
“It’s fine.” I had a feeling his caretaking instincts were going to kick in from now on… and I wasn’t about to complain. “It’s actually worse for me first thing in the morning. But if I eat a little something and my blood sugar stabilizes, it’s usually passed by noon. I’m lucky, I guess.”
“I hate that I can’t be with you,” he said, softly. “Just to bring you breakfast in bed, rub your back, indulge your favorite craving…”
He was my favorite craving. And not talking to him for awhile helped me forget how easy it was to love him.
“You’re sweet, but I got this.”
“I meant what I said last night. You’re not going through this alone. I know you pride yourself on being independent, because you’ve always had to be. But this is different. This is my baby too, and I won’t let you feel alone. Ever.”
It was so easy for him to undo me completely.
“I appreciate that.” The faint rolling in my stomach was my cue to get off the phone. “Um, I should go. Where do you want to meet?”
“Mind if I pick you up? Say around noon?”
It sounded a lot like a date, but I wasn’t going to argue about details. I really did want to spend time with him.
“Sure, I’ll see you then.”
By the time Cam picked me up I was feeling like a new woman. Showered, wearing a cute boho dress with a denim jacket and cowboy boots. And feeling surprisingly well, after a brief bout of nausea that passed quickly.
“You look great,” he said, sizing me up from head to toe as he passed me a beautiful bouquet of multicoloured roses tied with a chiffon ribbon. “I know this isn’t a date, but I figured bringing my baby-mama flowers would be allowed.”
I laughed. “Thanks, they’re beautiful.” I hadn’t dated many guys who brought me flowers, but I had a feeling Cam would be the type to make it a habit if we were a couple. “Come in while I put these in water.”
He followed me into the kitchen and when I couldn’t reach a vase on a high shelf, he did the honours. With his front pressed to my back, and his spicy cologne making me swoon, I was fighting the urge to beg for a baby-making-encore.
“Thanks,” I said, when he reached around me and turned the water on to fill the vase.
He was literally encircling me and I wasn’t even mad about it. Damn. How was I supposed to resist this man for the next eighteen years if I felt a rush every time he was around?
Ugh. I just had a thought that turned my stomach. What if he met someone else? What if he married her, and gave our baby a step-mama I hated? And of course I would hate her, because every time I saw her satisfied smile, I’d know who put it there. And exactly how he did it.
I couldn’t have that.
I surprised him by turning into his arms. “We need to have some ground rules.”
He looked confused when he said, “Uh, okay.” He took a step back. “I didn’t mean to crowd you. I was just—”
“It’s not that.” If anything, I was tempted to grab his shirt, haul him closer and lay one on him. “You can’t— uh, we can’t—”
God, I was stammering like an idiot.
“You’re not allowed to bring other women around our baby.” My hand instinctively covered my stomach. “I mean, when they’re born, you can’t, we can’t, expose our child to other people… other partners, unless the other one knows about it and approves.”
I wasn’t even sure that was fair or reasonable, but I didn’t care.
He frowned. “What are you talking about?”
My mouth was suddenly dry, but I forced the words out. “I’m talking about dating. You can’t date other women.”
Great, I’d officially entered the glow-and-go-crazy-stage, apparently.
“I mean, obviously you can date other women, if you want to. But you can’t bring them around our baby. Unless, it gets serious.”
Which would suck.
“And I approve.” When I realized how neurotic that sounded, I added, “That doesn’t mean you need my permission to date, just to bring other women around our—”
He pressed his fingertip against my lips as an amused smile tugged at his lips. “I know what you mean. And I’m good with that.”
He was good with that? With what? Dating other women?
I didn’t want him to date other women, which made me a little loopy, since I’d broken up with him.
“Any more ground rules?” he asked, folding his arms.
He was wearing a black chambray shirt with the sleeves rolled back to reveal his tattoos and I had to fight the urge to release all those little buttons and bare that magnificent chest.
I was so turned on all of a sudden.
Thankfully, I could blame it on pregnancy hormones, without admitting the truth.
I was still obsessed with my ex.
“You okay?” he asked, when I didn’t answer his question, but chose to ogle him instead.
“No, I’m not okay!” I pushed against his chest with a huff. “Give a girl some space. You’re making me all hot and bothered, and getting all up in my head.”
He had the nerve to smirk when he said, “Sorry.”
My eyes narrowed. “No, you’re not.”
“No, I’m not.”
“You’ll have to stop this,” I said, gesturing wildly at his body.
“Stop what?”
“Invading my space, looking like this… making me crazy.”
I really had to stop talking now, but couldn’t find the off switch.
“If we’re going to do this co-parenting thing, as responsible, platonic exes, then you have to turn this…”
I was gesturing wildly again, making him laugh, which only made me blush harder.
“Off. I mean it, you have to turn this sexy vibe you’ve got going on, off.”
“God, you’re cute.”
“This isn’t funny!”
“I think it’s hilarious.”
Judging by the fact he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face, that was obvious.
“You think it’s hilarious that you’re getting under my skin?”
Oh, no. Now he was biting his lip while his eyes lazily perused my body. I wanted to cry foul, but I was enjoying it too much.
“It’s only fair. You’ve been under my skin since the second I laid eyes on you.”
Yup, I was coming totally undone.
“You can’t say stuff like that,” I warned, holding up a finger. “I think we need to have a rule about that too.”
“You started it.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“And now I’m finishing it.”
This couldn’t even be considered flirting.
We’d passed that stage at hello.
“Let me put these in some water so we can get out of here.”