Chapter 19 Cam
CAM
The house was quiet when I walked back in. My head was absolutely reeling. I had too much on my mind, and my dick ached. It was practically begging me to touch it.
I think I surprised myself when I kissed him. This all felt weird. I didn’t want him to leave, but I was kind of relieved to have just Harper here with me as I sorted out what was going on in my head.
I stood in the foyer for a minute and rested my palms against the small table that was placed beneath a mirror. I looked up at myself, dark circles forming under my blue eyes. My hair was tousled, and my beard was starting to come in. I rubbed at the stubble that ran along my jawline.
Fuck.
What the fuck happened tonight? Could the three of us end up being more than just a hookup?
Is that what I truly wanted? I mean, I haven’t been at peace with myself in so long that tonight felt like I was floating.
Being with them even for a short amount of time made me happy.
Honestly, it was the happiest I had been in basically forever. I smiled to myself.
I’ll sort through my thoughts later; trouble was waiting for me.
I kicked off my shoes and headed for the living room.
Harper was curled up on the couch in those adorable mushroom print pajamas. This was probably my favorite set she had worn here.
Her skin caught the soft light from the lamp, all warm golden tones against the fuzzy pink, pale blanket she clutched.
I remember when Wren bought her that blanket.
It was specifically so Harper would stop stealing hers.
They were like twins, constantly buying the same item but in a different color.
She sat there mindlessly scrolling on her phone. As I walked further into the living room, she turned to face me. And that's when I saw it.
Her eyes were a lighter brown than usual, rimmed red from crying, like the color had been washed out by everything she’d been holding in all day. They found mine for a second and then dropped. It was obvious to me that she didn’t want me to see her like this.
I stepped out of the living room and jogged down the hall. I ran right into the room she was staying in and grabbed her glasses and contact case off the dresser. I wanted to help in any way that I could, and getting her comfortable was the first step.
I walked back into the living room, and she looked at me, one eyebrow cocked in confusion.
I stepped closer, slow and careful. I handed Harper her glasses and case for her contacts.
She took them wordlessly. The look on her face was shock or utter disbelief.
She looked from me to the items in her hand and sighed.
Harper took out her contacts and set the container on the table.
She put on her glasses and looked at me with a small smile.
“Thank you.”
I nodded. I sat next to her on the couch, stealing some of her blanket.
“So, what’s up? You didn’t look like that before I walked out. What’s going on, Shortcake?”
She gave a small smile before blowing out a breath. “Honestly, I think tonight was a little too good; that reality hit hard when you guys walked out.”
I rested a hand on her thigh and motioned for her to continue talking. She gave a weak laugh and lay her head on my shoulder.
“It’s late, Cam. Sometimes I get sad when it's late. There's so much going on in my life, and I feel like instead of finding solutions, I’m adding to the problems.” She lifted her glasses and wiped the heel of her palm over her eye, smearing what was left of her makeup.
“It was nice to see you and Tucker together. I don’t think I have ever seen you so happy. ”
I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her closer.
“I’m sorry you’re sad. We can figure everything out together, Harp.
You aren’t alone in this.” I gave her a small squeeze.
“I don’t think adding to your life is a bad idea.
As long as what you’re adding is making you happy.
I honestly don’t know if I have ever felt the way I do right now.
I’m confused and horny, but so happy. Tonight was a lot for me to process, but not in a bad way. ”
She lifted her head to look into my eyes. “And we can figure that out together, too.”
She exhaled a little shakily, then leaned her head back on my shoulder.
I didn’t move. I just held her there. And in the stillness between us, something shifted. I didn’t know what we were becoming, but I knew this much: I’d burn the world down before I let her lose everything she worked for.
I kissed the top of Harper’s head. Just a soft press of my mouth against her, right where her forehead met her hairline.
We sat quietly like this for a while. The silence gave me time to figure out what I could do to help her.
I hadn’t touched the trust fund my grandfather left me ages ago. It’d been sitting there for years, untouched, collecting dust and interest. I always figured I’d save it for something that mattered—a business expansion, a down payment on land, maybe. Not someone else’s emergency.
But now Harper wasn’t just someone else to me.
Still… Did it make sense to pull from that? Or would it be smarter to take out a loan, stretch it into payments, and treat it like a mortgage? Hell, I didn’t have one. My house was paid off. My bills were light. I could handle it. I could always make bigger or extra payments when I could.
Or I could just pay the twenty-five thousand upfront.
Earlier, while Harper was in the bathroom, Tucker explained the price and what needed to be done to the house.
I definitely had more than enough in my account.
Between working so many jobs in my lifetime and now owning my own business, twenty-five thousand wouldn’t break me.
I could do this. But should I?
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I rubbed my hand up and down her arm as a silent comfort.
And then—like a goddamn betrayal of everything I was trying to think through—I thought about her.
Even now, while I was supposed to be focused on trust funds and bank statements, all I could think about was how soft she felt tucked against me. How warm her skin was. How fucking good she smelled.
And suddenly, I was hard again. Like, painfully hard.
I needed to get myself together.
But it was too late. That ache was already there, low and hungry, made worse by the fact that she was pressed against me in nothing but shorts and a thin tank top.