26. Cameron
CAMERON
Istrode into the restaurant a few minutes late. It was better than I expected, with the typical industrial-meets-farmhouse vibe common in these types of pubs. Not that it mattered, though, since I had zero appetite.
“Hey,” Aiden said as I slid into the booth opposite him.
“Hi,” I said quickly. “What’s wrong? Why did you want to meet?”
“Wow, you never change.” He smirked and shook his head slowly, staring at me. “Hi, brother, nice to see you too,” he said in an exaggerated voice.
“Sorry. Just got a lot on my mind.”
His expression softened. “Yeah, Megan told me about the video. I haven’t had a chance to watch it. You okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I snapped at him.
He threw his hands up in front of him. “Whoa, whoa, hold on. I’m just trying to be supportive. After seeing you together, I assumed you and Felicity were real. Guess I was wrong.”
“Exactly,” I said in the voice that signaled we weren’t going to be talking about it.
It was one of those places that made you scan a QR code to get the menu, which pissed me off even more. But I was glad to have something to focus on for a few minutes other than talk about Felicity.
“Deep fried Cajun pickles? Seriously, Aiden?”
“It’s called eating local, instead of having rare meats shipped from across the globe.”
I glowered at him. “Now’s not the time for a climate change talk.”
He scanned the QR code without answering me.
We were off to a fantastic start.
I studied the menu for way too long and finally settled on a burger. Orders placed, all we could do was sit in silence.
“You look like shit,” he finally said. “Not sleeping?”
I shook my head. “Not much. And thanks for that. You’re looking well.”
It pained me to admit that my brother seemed happier and healthier than ever.
“How’s Boris?”
I finally managed a smile. “Best boy ever.”
I wished my dog was all we needed to talk about. A long time ago, when life was simpler, Aiden and I were tight. But time, circumstances, and choices had turned us into little more than strangers.
“So, I have news,” Aiden said.
This was what I’d been waiting for. I tipped my head at him, waiting for the bomb to drop.
“I bought a ring.”
I paused a beat as the news settled into my bones.
“Aiden…no.”
He burst out laughing. “Megan wins the bet! I said that you were going to explode, but she swore you’d be quietly disapproving. Smart girl.”
I didn’t appreciate that they were making me the butt of a private joke.
“It’s too fast,” I retorted.
“Cameron, I love her.”
There was something in his expression that slowed me down.
“We’re good for each other,” he continued. “Just because it’s fast doesn’t mean it’s rushed. There’s a difference.”
I shook my head, barely able to believe my ears.
I held on to one thing—he said he’d bought the ring, not that he’d popped the question.
Maybe there was still time to save him from himself.
“I just don’t get it. Since I know next to nothing about her, other than the fact that she’s a business rival, give me one example of how you two are good together. ”
His eyes took on a devilish gleam.
“Other than sex.”
He chuckled and took a swig of beer. “Okay, sure. We look out for each other. Put the other person first. You know how I fractured my wrist? The roller skates she wanted?”
I kicked myself for not even asking about his wrist. I nodded.
“The first thing she did when we got home from the hospital was put our skates out on the street with a ‘free’ sign on them. She gave them up because she knew I wouldn’t want to try skating again.
And she’s the one who researched the best physical therapy facilities so I wouldn’t have lingering issues. ”
Kind of her. Okay, it was a start.
“That’s something she did for you,” I eyed him. “What about vice versa?”
Aiden smiled. “How about a million little things? I make sure her heated blanket is on before she gets into bed. I know how she likes her coffee, and which mugs are her favorites, so I fix it for her every morning. I give her the best side of the couch. I hug her every chance I get. I pay attention to the little stuff she mentions, like a lotion she likes, or new restaurants she wants to try, and I surprise her with them. All I want to do is delight her. It makes me happy to make her happy.”
He smiled, almost woozy with whatever he was feeling.
“But it’s more than just stuff. We’re each other’s biggest cheerleaders. We truly listen to what the other person is saying. We give advice when it’s asked for, or provide an ear when that’s what’s needed. She’s got my back, and I’ve got hers. I’m the best version of me when I’m with her.”
Aiden now seemed sheepish, like he was afraid he’d said too much.
“I don’t know how to respond to that,” I offered. “Things might be good now, but that could change. No, fuck that, it always changes. So what’s going to happen when the shit hits the fan between the two of you and her daddy comes after Veritique in retaliation?”
He slammed his hands on the table in frustration.
“Damn it, Cam! Can’t you get past your own fucked-up history and realize that just because you had a rough go doesn’t mean the rest of the world will?
True love exists. You can deny it all you want, but I’m living it.
Every day. And I’m marrying Megan whether you like it or not. ”
I’d never seen easygoing, affable Aiden so pissed off.
“Did you at least buy the ring at Veritique?”
He glowered at me. “No, I didn’t.”
I started to protest, but he cut me off.
“I sourced the diamond myself and had Clara design a ring based on my specs. I wanted it to be a representation of my love for Megan without any outside influence. One-of-a-kind.”
My stomach twisted. It was anger at my brother. Or possibly hunger. Or maybe something else?
“Sort of crazy that I hoped you’d come around.” Aiden continued. “But I should’ve known better. You never change, Cameron.”
I struggled to find a way to respond to him, but I was too tired to fight.
“You know what? I just lost my appetite.” He stood up abruptly. “I’m going to cancel my order and pay for your lunch. Enjoy your time alone, Cameron. You’re probably used to it by now.”
He stormed off before I could say anything. I was tempted to leave as well, but I hadn’t eaten anything since dinner the night before.
Solo lunch was fine.
I sighed and checked my email. Nothing pressing, but I had to blink hard when a new message popped up as I was sorting through them.
The subject line read, “Letter of resignation.”
From Felicity.
“Damn it,” I muttered to myself.
It didn’t matter how much bullshit had gone down between us, she was incredible at her job. And she loved it.
Veritique needed her.
I scanned the cursed message. Typical bullshit about how her time at the company had been a valuable work experience with her stating how much she appreciated the opportunity and promising a smooth transition for her successor.
What successor? No one could come close to her.
I fired off a quick reply, taking HR off the chain. A short, direct message.
“Please don’t let what happened between us impact your career. You need to reconsider this choice.”
I sent it off and waited, refreshing my inbox a few times.
Nothing.
An uncomfortable thought crept into my head. I’d done this to her. It was my fault she was quitting. Maybe if I’d handled her heart with a little more care, we could’ve come to some sort of understanding?
Or maybe, just maybe, I’d been a little too quick to jump out of our relationship?
Seeing Aiden so happy did something to me. If I put my thoughts about Megan aside and just looked at how happy he was, I could admit I’d been lucky enough to feel that way for a short time. Or at least close to it, because I wasn’t in love with Felicity.
Right?
I practically swallowed my lunch whole and called for Jimmy to come pick me up.
I was in no mood to go back to the office.
Maybe Tyler could get me out of my funk?
He’d seemed more stable the few times I’d reached out to him since the Jerry nightmare, so I hoped he’d be in a good headspace when I showed up unannounced.
His door was cracked open when I arrived. I assumed the worst.
“Ty?” I knocked and walked in at the same time.
“In here.”
The voice that echoed out of his bedroom was surprisingly strong and coherent. I’d assumed he’d be napping the day away, but when I walked into his tiny bedroom, I found him packing. Suddenly, everything I was dealing with evaporated, because this wasn’t normal Tyler behavior.
“Hey. What’s up?” I asked. “You going on tour or something?”
He snorted out a laugh at me. “Sort of. I’m calling it ‘the great rehab experiment.’”
I froze.
“No, I’m not kidding,” Tyler said. He knew what I was thinking.
“I’m…I’m blown away. Seriously?”
Tyler placed a couple pairs of jeans in his duffle bag. “Yup. It’s time.”
I’d been dropping hints about rehab for years now—looking up programs I thought would be good for him, researching what methods seemed to be the most effective.
I even asked a friend of mine, Declan Byrne, about the rehab facility that his sister went to.
Declan was the kind of guy who researched things to death, so if he’d sent his sister there, it had to be a top-notch program.
But every time I brought it up, Tyler had always shut the idea down.
He’d claim he could handle himself, even though we both knew it was a lie.
He grabbed his guitar case and threw it on the bed.
“They allow you to bring that?”
He nodded. “It’s part of the therapy.”
“How’d you find this place?”
“I didn’t. Nina did.”
I was now shocked in a totally different way. The last time I’d seen Nina, I’d called Tyler a lost cause. I figured she’d get scared off and never try to contact him again, but she’d apparently done the opposite.
“So, you two have been in touch?”
Tyler smirked at me because it was a stupid question.
“Yeah, Nina’s been coming around, checking up on me. It all started with some soup.”
I raised an eyebrow.