Chapter 37 Cam
CAM
Every year, a week or so before thanksgiving I chose to work overtime, so here I was working on a car in my garage.
Now that I was in a relationship with two people, it was important to me to make sure they were spoiled for Christmas. I had the money to do so without the overtime, but this helped distract me while Tucker was at work and Harper was at school or working her new job.
I was so proud of her for following her dream. She worked at a small esthetician's office downtown and absolutely loved it. For now, the dream of working from home was on the back burner.
Tucker was working at Harper’s place in between his other houses he had. With her new schedule, we hadn’t gone to see what had been done, but since it's Saturday and her day off, I decided we would go over and see what was left to do.
The idea of it being close to finished filled me with a sense of dread.
I am happy she has the house, but this was becoming home for her.
I can’t imagine how empty it’s going to feel without her here.
I upgraded my bed to a California King because of the few nights a week they both end up sleeping in my room.
My queen mattress wasn't cutting it for the three of us.
I loved where life had taken us and had come to terms with the fact that I am in love with both a man and a woman.
I spent countless nights at the beginning of all this trying to understand my feelings, and now it all makes sense.
I was so lucky that they both allowed me time to process my thoughts and do things at my pace.
Although that pace was way faster than we thought it was going to be.
I had the hood popped, and my sleeves shoved up to my elbows when I heard the garage door creak open behind me.
I looked up and there stood trouble.
Last week, I mentioned having to work overtime, which meant working at the shop and then coming home and working on a car that was dropped off to me personally.
My garage wasn’t exactly as convenient as the shop, but I installed a car lift and had all the tools I needed here for simple jobs.
Harper hated the fact that I’d be working such long days.
“Well, if you’re going to be working so much, what am I supposed to do?” She had asked while putting on a very dramatic pout.
“Shortcake, use the time for yourself. Now you work and go to school, take a nap, or hang out with Wrennie. Do something for you.” She just stared at me, making her brown eyes the size of saucers. “Harp, what’s that face for?” I asked her, narrowing my eyes playfully.
She hesitated for a beat before spitting out the words. “Can I watch you work on the cars?”
My eyebrows shot up in surprise. She rushed to explain herself.
“I’ve always wanted to learn more about them.
I mean, I’m around cars all the time—being near you and Reed, I just…
never wanted to bother either of you with my questions.
I have this weird infatuation with the idea that I’ll be able to fix up an old car all by myself one day, but obviously can't do that if I don't know anything.” She let out an awkward laugh.
I knew I loved her, but hearing that changed everything. I agreed to show her the ropes, but not before I kissed her breathless and fucked her against the kitchen counter.
And that's how we ended up here.
She was standing in the doorway of the garage, like some kind of daydream in motion.
Her hair wasn’t straightened today. It was curly and thrown up into two buns on the top of her head.
I made a mental note to ask her why she didn’t wear her natural hair more often.
Her bangs were clipped back with those little butterfly clips that made her look too damn sweet.
The loose, thinned-out old Nirvana sweater hung off one shoulder, barely clinging to her frame, and the jeans were just…
not fair. They hugged her thick thighs perfectly.
I just wanted my head buried between them.
“You rang, loverboy,” she teased, stepping in with that lopsided smile that already had my blood heating.That silly nickname she had given to me always turned me on.
I totally forgot I had sent her a text this morning.
Me: Morning, pink. I couldn’t bring myself to wake you up. I picked up some groceries. I know how much you love tea, so I bought you more tea and a new kettle. You were still out cold, so when you see this, throw something on and meet me in the garage. We’ve got a car to work on… and I miss you.
I wiped my hands on a towel and crossed the space between us. I muttered, grinning. “You really are trouble, ya know that?”
Harper raised a brow in confusion. “You said to meet you in the garage.”
I shook my head, smirking. “Didn’t say to show up looking like that.”
She glanced down at her outfit. “This old thing?”
I stepped in close, close enough to see the different shades of brown in her eyes. “It’s officially my favorite,” I said, voice low as I leaned in and kissed the edge of her jaw. “It’s probably a good day to check up on the house, too, right?”
She blinked up at me, eyes wide and warm. “It probably is.”
That soft little smile played on Harper's lips again. God help me. I could spend the whole day kissing her senseless. But I forced myself to lean back, tossing her a clean rag.
“C’mon then,” I said, nodding toward the car. “Let’s see what you’ve got, Shortcake.”
She came to stand beside me, and I swear I could feel the heat coming off her skin even without touching her. But I kept my focus—mostly—on the task at hand.
“I was gonna just do a quick oil change,” I said, grabbing the rag and wiping my hands again on instinct, “but the second I got under the hood, I knew she needed more than that. Two of the belts were looking pretty worn. The fluids were dangerously low. Battery terminals corroded to hell.”
Harper nodded, trying to soak in every word. But I knew most of that was probably gibberish, which was okay. I would teach her more at a different time. For now, we will stick to the basics.
“So,” I continued, “I topped off the fluids, cleaned the battery, and I’ve got new belts coming in on Wednesday.”
To fit under the car, I had to use a car jack to raise it up. I made sure all the tools were where we both could see them, since I would have to talk her through this. I got down on my back and slid under the truck with practiced ease.
“You’ll wanna move the pan right under here,” I called out, reaching for it. “Then loosen this bolt—make sure you’ve got the towel ready. It’ll pour fast.”
She knelt nearby, pushing the oil pan under the truck, handing me the wrench, and watching my every move. She was eager to learn because the next thing I knew. Harper was lying next to me under the car. I pointed at the bolt and began to work.
I cracked the bolt, and thick, black oil streamed down like a waterfall into the pan. It was always so satisfying to watch. After the oil had drained, I asked Harper for the oil filter I had left on my workbench. She slipped from under the car and looked for the filter.
“Cam, is it this one?”
“Baby, I can’t see it. Can you show me?”
“Oh shit, yeah, sorry.” She knelt down next to the car and showed me the object.
“Good girl.” I praised, a smile plastered on my face. “You are a natural. Scoot back under here.”
She smiled and made her way back under the car. I replaced the filter, and then I let her tighten the drain plug. I checked her work to make sure it was tight enough. Of course, it was because my girl was made for this.
“Alright,” I said, following Harper and sliding out from underneath. “Now the fun part. New oil.”
I showed her how to lower the car jack, then I handed her the funnel and the fresh jug.
She looked at me, holding the large bottle. “All of it?”
“Every last drop,” I said, wiping my hands with a new rag. I pointed to where it needed to go.
She unscrewed the cap, set her shoulders, steadied the funnel, and started to pour. No hesitation. A little bite of her tongue between her teeth as she focused.
God. Kill me now.
When the jug was empty, she stepped back and wiped her hands on a rag I offered her. She was smiling so wide that I was expecting her to complain that her cheeks hurt.
“That was—actually so fun.” She bounced a little on the balls of her feet, her joy contagious. I couldn’t help but smile. “Can we do another one?”
I chuckled, reaching to tighten the cap and double-check all the levels.
“We can work on yours,” I said, shooting her a wink. “After we swing by your place to check on things.”
Her eyes lit up even more—like she was a kid, and I’d just offered to take her to Disneyland.
And I’ll be honest… I wasn’t sure if it was the car, the company, or the smile she was wearing—but at that moment, I’d have changed the oil in every single engine in town if it meant she would keep looking at me like that.
We were both scrubbing up at the old utility sink in the garage, hands stained and smelling like oil and citrus soap. She kept bumping into me, hips brushing mine.
“Be right back,” I told her, tossing my towel onto my workbench. “I have to grab my keys and wallet, and then we can head out.”
I jogged inside, grabbed my shit, and went back out to the garage.
I stopped dead in my tracks.
Harper was sitting on my workbench—shirtless. Just sitting there like she didn’t have a care in the world. Her sweater crumpled at her feet, the shadows of the garage dancing across her brown skin and the curve of her grin.
“Harper—what the hell are you thinking?” I asked, voice low and stunned.
“Anyone could see you. The garage door’s wide open.
And it’s not summer anymore, it’s cold out.
” I threw a hand up and gestured at the open area because she seemed to have forgotten where she was.
I couldn’t even be upset. Did my girl like the idea of getting caught? The thought had me instantly hard.