Chapter 8
Simone
“Oh my God, you were not kidding,” Natasha says as soon as the men leave us alone.
It’s been six days since my attack. Natasha and Jameson got home late last night. Apparently, she nagged him all morning until he brought her over to see me.
Camden often surprises me with his culinary skills, but the lunch spread he made for us endears me to him on a new level. Little food. Chicken nuggets, pizza bagels, and french fries.
Natasha and I are at the kitchen table with our lunch, and she’s wincing hard as she examines my face. “Daddy told me not to say anything because it would hurt your feelings, but I know you better than that.” She leans forward to look out the windows. “That fucker really punched you hard.”
I find myself giggling, and it feels good. Not natural, but good. “It cracks me up that you can’t cuss in front of Jameson.”
“Are you saying Camden lets you cuss?” She lifts a brow.
I shrug. “I don’t know yet. I’ve cussed plenty in the past week, but it’s hard to say if he would let that fly under normal circumstances. He’s giving me a pass until I’m healed.”
“Have you been sleeping in his bed every night?” she asks before popping a nugget into her mouth.
“Yes. But he doesn’t touch me sexually. He’s afraid he’ll hurt me.”
“Maybe if he avoided your face,” she teases.
“The rest of my body isn’t much better. I mean, there are bruises all over me from that man tackling me to the ground and groping me as if he intended to rape me on the fucking sidewalk.”
“Asshole,” she mutters. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m a lot better now. The bruises are yellowing now. I don’t think he’ll touch me once every mark is gone, either. He’s worried about my mental health.”
“I am, too, Simone. Every time I’ve spoken to you, I could tell you were putting on a front. How are you feeling?”
I shrug and nibble on a tiny pizza. “I’m not sure. I’m okay when I’m distracted, but when I’m alone, I go into my head. I’m angry. I keep trying to figure out a way to go back and rewrite history. It’s silly, but I can’t stop it.”
“I’m sure it’s normal. Have you considered talking to Quinten?”
“I guess I could. I should talk to Camden about it.”
She reaches over and squeezes my hand. “You should. I think it’s a good idea. Also, can I say how weird it is to hear you calling him Camden after all these years of calling him Professor Arnalt?”
I giggle again. “Yeah, it’s very weird. It sounds awkward every time I say it. Sometimes, I have to concentrate to get the word to come out.”
“I’m sure it’ll be short-lived anyway.” Natasha winks at me.
I roll my eyes. “Because you think I’ll be calling him Daddy soon?”
“I know you will. He’s perfect for you. You’ve known that for years. He has, too. It was just a matter of time.”
“We’ll see.” This entire arrangement makes me nervous. Part of me doesn’t even want to move my relationship with Camden to another level because I’m scared that I’ll be devastated if the floor falls out from under us.
Realistically, I know I’d be devastated no matter what if this ended, but if I let him totally Daddy me… If I have sex with him… If I start calling him Daddy like I want more than anything in the world…
If we don’t work out? I’ll die ten deaths.
We’re living under the weirdest of circumstances. I wouldn’t even be here if I hadn’t been attacked. It’s possible he still wouldn’t have reached out to me. Even if he had, we might have gone on a date or two, and then he could have ghosted me when he got to know me better.
He insists that never would have happened, but how can he be sure?
And I’m not my normal self. I know it. We all know it. I can’t shake out of this funk. I’m not bubbly. I’m sad and tired. Pissed.
There’s something else I need to say. “Natasha, I want to tell you something.”
“Okay.” She leans her elbows on the table and looks at me.
“I don’t know if it’s because of what happened or just the passing of time or maybe because I told Camden this, but I need to tell you something about myself that I never shared.”
“Okay…” she repeats.
I draw in a deep breath. “I’m…really wealthy.”
She frowns. “What?”
“Yeah. I mean it. I am. I’m also estranged from my family. We didn’t see eye-to-eye. When I came into my inheritance, I left town and never looked back.”
“You’re serious…”
“Yes. Are you mad?”
“Why would I be mad? I’m just surprised. I mean, I thought it was strange that your parents didn’t come to graduation. But you said they couldn’t, and I didn’t want to hound you about it, so I left it alone.”
“I doubt they even know where I am or that I even went to college.”
“That must have been really hard. You left home all alone at eighteen.”
I smirk. “Girl, you did, too. You’ve been on your own just as long. You didn’t even have parents at all.”
“True, in a way, but it sounds like my foster parents loved and supported me more than your real parents. Plus, I didn’t have anything to lose. I always knew I would be on my own at eighteen.”
“You’re the most hardworking person I know,” I tell her. “I’ve always been in awe of your strength.”
“Thank you. I think you’re pretty badass, too.” She jumps to the floor and leans in to hug me. “If you tell Daddy I was cussing, I’ll tell him you had two sodas while they were outside.”
I gasp. “You rat. I didn’t have any soda.”
She giggles. “Well, I didn’t cuss, either, did I?”
“Nope. I never heard a thing.” I’ve missed Natasha. I’m glad she’s back from her vacation. I hate that I’m not the same person I was before she left, but hopefully, I can eventually shake out of this stupor and reclaim my life.