Chapter 28
Cam
Rafe’s little display last week was hot gossip. I couldn’t walk into Ugly’s or Harvey’s without someone bringing it up. Nearly everyone was overwhelmingly positive, but we didn’t escape the assholes completely.
I overheard someone saying Rafe and I had gotten together behind Laura’s back, and someone else saying Rafe was confused, and as soon as he came to his senses, he’d end up back with her.
Thankfully, she’s been fast to shut down those rumors and has been more supportive than I would have given her credit for.
I guess my opinion of Laura was the bitterness talking.
Seeing her get to be with Rafe all these years made it difficult for me to like her, but I’m trying. It’s lucky she works from home, so other than their group’s Sunday catch-ups, I don’t cross paths with her much.
I try not to let the negative comments get to me, even though it would be way too easy to go down that path.
Most days I can barely believe Rafe and I are together.
Then there are days like today where he woke me up obnoxiously early on my day off and teased me mercilessly about my hangover before he left.
My head throbs again, and again I regret my night out with Reynolds. When he called me for drinks, it was a fun idea at the time. Now, I want to punch Past Cam in the face.
I haven’t seen Rafe since this morning, and I could use his sympathy right now.
Between planning our date for tonight—something I was meant to do, but hey, I’m not fighting him on it—and getting close to a hundred forks out of his lawn—because apparently I thought it would be just as funny the second time—he’s probably run off his feet.
And cursing my name.
I chuckle as I drag my ass upstairs to get ready, trying to ignore the throbbing in my brain.
Rafe said to dress nice, so I pull on the suit I wore the night of the auction since it’s the only one I own, then smooth my hair back and secure most of it in a hair tie. A few chunks spring free, but there’s nothing I can do about those.
He should feel grateful that I’m not wearing a baseball cap.
It’s already dark before headlights appear outside and there’s a soft tap at my front door.
Rafe looks stunning as always—perfectly fitted suit, neat hair—and he gives me a brief kiss before taking my hand and leading me to the waiting limousine.
“Where are we going?” This is way too fancy for Sunbury, so my guess is Port Welling, but even as I search my memory, I can’t remember a place fancy enough for all this.
“Portland,” Rafe says.
“We’re going all the way there for some food?”
“And a show.”
I climb into the car after him. “Dinner and a show? We’re really gaying it up tonight, aren’t we?”
He pauses midway to grabbing a bottle of wine. “Should I cancel it all?”
“No way. I’m only clarifying.”
“Well, can you clarify with a little less amusement in your voice?”
“I could say yes, but we’d both know I was lying.”
He pours us some drinks. “Why do I bother with you?”
“Beats me. Yet here we are.”
“Here we are.” Rafe hands over my glass, and we chink them together. “Now, I let you show me your idea of a date with our time away. This time you’re going to shut up and let me spoil you.”
“The horror.”
Joke’s on Rafe though, because I’ll do anything with him. Need me to bungee jump? I’m there. Swimming with sharks? Cage me in.
Not sure why I’d need to do any of those things when Rafe is a bigger scaredy-cat than me, but I would.
This date will be a walk in the park.
And even though Rafe likes fancy, and I like chilled and laid-back, we manage to combine the two, cuddled up together in the back of the limo, sipping our wine and trading soft kisses.
The man still gives me flappy little butterflies.
The restaurant he takes me to is on the thirtieth floor and overlooks downtown Portland and the Cascade Mountains. The dim lighting inside showcases the city lights stretched out below us.
“Have you thought about what you’re going to do when you sell the house?
” I ask him once we’ve been seated. I know he and Laura have been back and forth on it a few times.
Our current arrangement is perfect with him right next door.
It means we have our own space but can see each other whenever we want.
And as much as I love seeing Rafe every day, we’re not at the stage of living together yet.
It’ll be weird not having him so close. I mean, sure, everywhere in Sunbury is close, but it’s not jump-the-fence close.
His handsome face breaks into a grin. “Yeah, actually. I’ve decided to buy her out.”
“What?”
“It’ll help fund her travels, especially since she isn’t sure how long she’ll be gone for.
Plus, it’s the first house I ever bought, and I love it there.
I thought I wouldn’t once she left, you know, because I was used to sharing it.
But …” He glances shyly up at me. “I can sort of see us there together. One day.”
I pretend to gasp. “Is Present You asking Future Me to move in with Future You?”
“All I’m saying is I see it as an option.” He gives an awkward laugh.
“I like having options.”
“Me too.”
We smile dumbly at each other.
“Can you imagine if Present Us went back to Fourteen-Year-Old-Us and told them one day we’d be crazy about each other?” I ask.
Rafe shrugs. “I would have said I already was.”
“Bitch, that’s my line.”
“Should have gotten in sooner, then.” He makes a show of picking up his menu, and I reach over to pluck it from his hands.
“Think you’re smart, don’t you?”
“Nope. Just in love.”
I blink at him. At the casual way he said it. “You are, are you?”
“Very. Have been for a while now.”
“Wait. You did say it during sex that time. Didn’t you?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Wow, Rafe. Little clichéd, don’t you think?”
He kicks me under the table. “You can’t just accept it and say it back, can you?”
“No chance.”
He pretends to sigh and shake his head like he’s sooo exasperated with me, but joke’s on him because he’s in love with this loser.
Rafe.
In love.
With me.
“I love you too,” I finally say.
He reaches over to take my hand. “You’re my thousand volts, Cam.”
“You realize I still have no fucking clue what that means, right?”
“You don’t need to.”
“Oh no …” I drop my head back. “The secrets are already starting.”
“And the dramatics, apparently? I thought we’d at least make it until after dessert.”
“I’m offended. I thought you knew me.”
He picks up the menu again. “I do. Better than you know yourself.”
“Oh really, smarty-pants. So what am I ordering?”
“The bruschetta, followed by the seafood pasta, then the citrus tart.”
I blink and glance over the options. That fucker. “Wrong,” I bluff. “Totally going for the steak.”
“We’ll see …” he mutters.
“Who says I was talking about dinner?”
He sighs. “Don’t even—”
“You’re my lil beef cake.”
Rafe shakes his head and is trying so hard not to laugh. Probably. “Are you always this playful when you’re hungover?”
“It’s the back-to-back drinking. My brain is confused.”
“Playful and whiney. Great combo, Campbell.”
“I’d stand up and bow, but I think that might embarrass you.”
“You would be correct.”
I prop my chin on my hand. “Hey, Rafe?”
“Nope.”
“You don’t even know what I was going to say.” I pout.
“I know enough to know I don’t want to hear it.”
“Say that five times fast.”
He shakes his head.
“Rafe …”
“Yes, Cam?”
“You’re my thousand volts.”
He chokes. “You don’t even know what that means!”
“Sounds sappy though.”
“Fuck off.”
“Wow. You’re angry when you’re hungry.” I tsk.
“No, I’m angry when you’re making fun of me.”
“You must be pissed off a lot, then.”
“Is this how our whole night is going to go?”
I laugh. “Okay, promise to stop if you give me a kiss.”
“A kiss?”
“Yeah, you know—it breaks the spell. Only in this case I’m not a sleeping princess, just an overexcited idiot.”
That makes him smile. “I thought it was your kisses that were magic?”
“Exactly.”
Rafe rolls his eyes—fair, to be honest—but leans over and pinches my chin, steering my face to his. His kiss is brief but hard, claiming, I love it.
We break apart, and it takes me a second to remember we’re in a restaurant surrounded by people.
The couple next to us clearly caught our kiss, judging by their matching smirks. I lean toward them and hook a thumb back at Rafe, before pitching my voice in an exaggerated whisper. “Poor bastard is in love with me.”
He kicks me under the table. Again. I preferred it when his foot was in my lap.
I blow him a kiss. “But I’ll allow him, because I’m in love with him too.”
Rafe covers his darkening face with his hands. “Okay, now you’ve told complete strangers about our undying love for each other, can we order?”
“‘Undying’? Rafael, please. You’re smothering me.”
“What am I going to do with you?”
“I dunno.” I pick up my menu. “But I’m your problem now.”
It’s late by the time we finally get home, and I’m sleepy and a little buzzed, but once we get to Rafe’s bedroom, he shuts the door in my face and tells me to wait outside.
A few minutes pass before I knock. “Can I come in yet?”
“Not yet,” comes his muffled reply. And … does he sound out of breath? I lean closer to see if I can hear anything because if he’s jerking off when I wanna sleep—and not letting me watch—I’m going to sulk.
“Okay, come in.”
I open the door, fully expecting him to be spread out either ready for bed or dick in hand, which is always fifty-fifty with him. I do not, at all, ever in a million years, expect him to be standing in the middle of his room …
Wearing a French maid outfit.
My eyes almost leap from my head.
“W-what is that?”
“I know I said never, but you were very insistent …” Rafe suddenly catches his bottom lip. “So I thought you were doing that thing where you joke but actually mean it, and now I’m worried you were actually jo—”