Chapter 54 Cameron
fifty-four
Cameron
I’m so goddamn nervous right now.
I might pace a hole in my kitchen floor.
Zhuri giggles as she watches me before coming over to hold me close. “Cameron, it’s going to be fine.”
“You’re saying that because you know my mom and stepdad are going to love you,” I retort. “Meanwhile, you’re my first girlfriend, so I’ve never had a meet the parents scenario to worry about.”
She gives me a calming kiss, and my nerves start to settle. “They’re going to love you because I love you. Nia and Nova already like you. Ty isn’t hard to please. My parents just want to see me happy. You have nothing to worry about. I promise.”
“Thank you, Z.” I rub my thumb over her cheekbone and get lost in her eyes. “You look beautiful today.”
“Just today?” she teases.
“Brat,” I huff, and she just smiles at me. “You know I always think you’re beautiful, but I love this outfit.”
A tight black turtleneck, reddish-brown suede skirt, and thigh-high black boots, making her already long legs look sexier than usual.
My look is more casual—dark jeans with a short-sleeve white Henley—but I think it still works for today.
“Thank you, baby. Gotta impress my future in-laws.”
I cock my eyebrow questioningly. “Future in-laws, huh?”
“Is that not where this is heading?” Zhuri says in faux-shock. “Maybe I have this relationship all wrong.”
I silence her with a deep kiss. “We haven’t talked about marriage, so I didn’t know what you wanted, but yeah, I definitely want to marry you. Hell, I could probably go find a ring tonight.”
She throws her head back and laughs, the sound filling the room with warmth. “You are not proposing anytime soon, Cam. We’ve been together for a month.”
“Fine, but just know that as soon as you’re ready, I’m asking. I love the thought of making you my wife one day.”
Zhuri presses her forehead to mine with the most loving look I’ve ever seen. “I love you, Cameron. So damn much.”
“I love you, too, Zhuri.” I tease my thumb over her full, bottom lip before kissing her one more time, as there’s a knock at my door. “Looks like your family just got here.”
She takes my hand in hers as we walk over toward the door. “What makes you think it’s my family?”
“You’ve met my brother, right?” I chuckle. “If Bodhi is invited over, he doesn’t bother knocking. They’d already be inside.”
I squeeze Zhuri’s hand as I swing the door open and see five people staring back at us.
I know Nia and Nova already. The man with his hand on Nova’s shoulder must be Ty, Z’s brother-in-law. And the other two must be her parents.
It seems that Zhuri gets her height from her dad and her looks from her mom, because aside from being at least seven inches taller and thirty years younger, she and her mother could be twins.
“I’m so glad you guys came!” Zhuri says excitedly, throwing her arms around her parents before bringing them all inside.
When the door falls shut behind us, she runs through the introductions.
“Cameron, these are my parents, Harriet and Andre. You’ve already met Nia and Nova. The man beside them is Ty.”
“It’s really nice to meet everyone,” I say, nervously shoving my hands in my pockets.
Nia steps in front of me, trying to look intimidating.
“What are your intentions with my baby sister, Kovacic?”
“Nia…” Zhuri groans, throwing her head back in exasperation.
I have to try hard to not let my smile slip. I’ve met Nia before, so I know how unserious she is. It’s impossible to take her as a hard ass.
But I do at least answer her question.
“I plan on loving your sister as long as she’ll let me.” My eyes meet Zhuri’s, and her deep brown eyes are endless pools of affection right now. “Forever hopefully.”
Nia stares me down but nods her head. “You pass.”
Harriet sighs. “I’m sorry about her. We’re excited to finally meet you, Cameron.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” I smile.
Ty smirks at me. “It’s nice to meet the man my sister-in-law complained about for a decade.”
“Ty!” Zhuri yells while I laugh.
“Z, I think everyone in both of our families knows we didn’t get along before. It’s not like it was a secret.”
“But you treat her well now, right?” Andre asks.
I fight my smirk because Zhuri’s dad doesn’t need to hear about all the ways I treat her well.
Zhuri sighs before walking back over to me and taking my hand. “He treats me very well, Dad. I’m very happy.”
“That’s all we want for you, Z,” Harriet smiles, and Andre squeezes her shoulder.
“Are you my uncle now?” Nova blurts as everyone around us laughs.
“Nova Star,” Zhuri chuckles, “we just started dating.”
I bend down a bit to whisper to Nova. “That’s true, but you can call me your uncle if you want. I’m going to marry your aunt one day, and that will make me your uncle.”
When I stand back up, Zhuri looks at me with the brightest, sweetest smile.
My whispering may have been louder than I intended, but I won’t complain about my girlfriend hearing all of my intentions with her.
She already knows I want forever with her; I might as well make sure she knows exactly what that means.
“Your son is great, Evelyn,” Zhuri smiles as the night winds down. She takes a sip of her wine as my mom beams at her.
“Well, aren’t you just a sweetheart!”
My stepdad leans closer to Zhuri and jokes, “Blink twice if you’re only saying that because Cameron is next to you.”
“Thanks, Forrest,” I chuckle, “but I promise she’s with me of her own free will.”
“I am.” Z rests her head on my shoulder, and I wrap my arm around hers.
My mom rests her hand on top of Zhuri’s. “Cameron has seemed so much happier lately, and I know you have something to do with that.”
“I won’t take credit for his happiness,” she says. “I think I just helped him see how Ivor’s control was making him feel. Once he realized that, he started taking steps on his own to get through it. I’m proud of him for doing that.”
I rest my head on top of hers, smiling like the lovesick fool that I am. “Your encouragement helped more than you know with that, Z.”
“Thank you, Zhuri.” My mom’s voice is choked, and knowing her, she’s only a few seconds away from shedding tears.
“You don’t have to cry about it, Mom,” Bodhi groans.
“Bodhi James, I know you are not telling your mother that she shouldn’t show her emotions.”
“Of course not,” he mutters, saved by his dad steering our mom away.
“Come on, Evelyn. It’s getting late. Zhuri and Cameron need rest before the season starts this week.”
Ty overhears that and says, “I don’t think resting is what they’ll— ouch.”
Nia shrugs like she didn’t just elbow him in the ribs. “We need to get Nova home, too. Tonight’s a school night.”
“I’m almost thirteen, Mom!”
“But you’re not thirteen yet. Grab your things, baby. You need to get some sleep before school tomorrow.”
Nova begrudgingly gathers her things as I say goodbye to Zhuri’s family. “I’m really glad you all made it tonight. It was nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Hart.”
“Please,” her dad replies, “call us Andre and Harriet. Ty does. You don’t have to be so formal.”
“Okay,” I smile. “Andre and Harriet, it is.”
Harriet leans up and attempts to throw her arms around my shoulders. I have to lean down so she can. “You seem like a good man, Cameron. And Zhuri is so happy.”
“I hope I make her as happy as she makes me.”
Ty claps a hand to my shoulder. “You do. I’ve known Zhuri since she was sixteen, and she’s never been this happy in a relationship.” He removes his hand from my shoulder and instead shakes mine. “Good luck this season, man. You and Z play well together.”
“She’s the best on the team,” I say honestly. “She could totally kick my ass.”
“That she could,” Nia laughs. “It was good to see you again, Cameron. I’m sure we’ll see a lot of you going forward.”
Once Zhuri and I finish saying goodbye to each other’s families, we say goodbye to our own.
My mom wraps me up in a tight hug. “Cameron, I just love her.”
“I love her, too, Mom,” I grin.
“She seems really great,” Forrest adds.
“I’m still not sure how she ended up with you,” Bodhi smirks, “but I guess that’s pretty cool. It’s good to see you happy.”
“You’re such a little shit,” I chuckle.
“Cameron Allen.” My mom stares me down with her hands on her hips.
“Love you, Mom.”
I give her a kiss on the cheek before we wrap up, and our families walk out together, laughing at whatever joke Andre is telling them.
Zhuri steps up in front of me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders with a dazzling smile on her face. “They loved you, Cameron.”
“Yeah?” I ask while grinning. “They did?”
“Mhmm.” She leans up and gives me a kiss. “They can see just how happy you make me, how much you love me.”
I rest my hands on her lower back and pull her closer. “They can’t see how much I love you, baby, because I couldn’t quantify that if I tried. It’s never-ending.”
Zhuri fists my shirt and ghosts her lips over mine. “They also heard you say things like that. My dad asked if they should go ahead and reserve a wedding chapel.”
“I don’t think either of us could step foot in a chapel, Zhuri baby.”
She buries her face in my chest and laughs. “No, we couldn’t, but I told him not to get ahead of himself.”
“That’s fine. As long as he knows how serious I am about you, I don’t care about anything else. As long as I have you, I have everything I want and need for the rest of my life.”
Zhuri presses her lips to mine again, kissing me tenderly as we lose ourselves in each other.
In June, I was dreading this upcoming season. It was a new team that I was supposed to co-captain with a woman I supposedly hated.
I didn’t know, though, that that woman was actually the love of my life, and us being forced to work together is the best thing that could have ever happened to me.
She’s given me everything I’ve wanted—love, comfort, happiness.
We may not have been together long yet, but there’s one thing I’m certain of—I’m going to love her for the rest of my life.
Zhuri Hart is my forever.