by Carrie Elks
Michael wrapped his arms around them both, his head resting on her shoulder, his hand cupping Josh’s back.
“It’s okay.” She stroked Josh’s head. “Nobody’s mad at you. We were just so scared. You can’t run away like that without telling anybody.”
“I know. I’m sorry. Brian told me you were all really sad.”
Lifting her head, she looked over Josh’s shoulder at the young man. His hair was looking worse for wear, the sleek ponytail of earlier all twisted and fuzzy. He was hanging around the car, twisting his hands. He swallowed hard when he realized Mia was staring at him.
“You must be tired,” she called out. “Would you like a drink?”
“Come on in,” Sam called out. “I’ll put some coffee on.”
“I could really do with a bathroom break,” Brian said, his cheeks reddening. “And then coffee would be great.”
As he passed Mia, she lifted her hand from Michael’s shoulders and grabbed Brian’s, squeezing it tight.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice low. “Thank you for bringing him back.”
“Am I in trouble?” Brian asked, glancing warily at the officer.
“No trouble,” the officer told him. “We can talk inside.”
Sam, Brian, and the officer walked into the house, leaving Mia and Michael on the porch with Josh. She hunkered down into a squat, checking Josh over with her eyes and her soft hands. “You sure you’re okay?” she asked him.
“Yeah. I’m tired, though.” He yawned. “And hungry. Brian wouldn’t stop for food. Told me Cam wouldn’t let him.”
Mia smiled with relief. She could deal with hunger and exhaustion. She had a little of that herself. “Let’s go in. I’ll make you both a burger.”
“Actually, I brought some food with me.”
She looked up to see Cam standing at the bottom step, his duffle slung over his shoulder and two brown takeout bags in his hands. Her heart seemed to freeze in her chest for a moment, her breath catching in her throat as she took him in.
It had been less than two weeks since she’d seen him, yet it felt like a lifetime. His eyes were soft as his gaze caught hers, and she felt dizzy, as though she was falling.
“Cam!” Josh shouted. “You’re here.” He pulled away from Mia and threw himself at the tall, muscled man. Cam put the takeout bags on the steps and caught him easily, lifting him into his arms. “Hey, pal. You okay?”
Josh nodded, as Michael walked over and stood in front of Cam. “Hi,” he said softly. “I’m glad you came.”
Cam swallowed, his neck undulating. “I am, too,” he said gruffly. “Thanks for calling me.” He held out his hand to Michael, but instead of shaking it, Michael hugged his side. Cam met Mia’s eyes over Michael’s shoulder, and curled his fingers to beckon her over.
Mia walked down the steps as Cam gently put Josh down on the ground. Her heart had started up again, hammering a fast rhythm against her chest.
“Hi,” she said. Her cheeks lifted in an attempt to smile.
His gaze didn’t waver from hers. “You doing all right?”
She tried to nod, but her body wouldn’t play ball. Instead, she swallowed a sob as she shook her head.
“Come here,” he told her, wrapping his warm, strong arms around her, cradling her against his body. “It’s okay.” He kissed the top of her head. “Everybody’s fine.”
The mixture of adrenaline and fear and relief made her body feel weak. Her legs shook as he held her tightly. “Guys, you want to go in and eat?” Cam asked, nodding at the brown bags in front of him.
“I’m starving,” Josh said. “What’s in there?”
“Burgers and fries from Logan’s place.” Cam was still holding her tight.
“Come on, Josh,” Michael said, sweeping the bags into his hands. “Let’s go in and eat.”
Mia heard the thump of their feet as they ran up the steps, then the click of the door as they walked inside. Cam didn’t loosen his hold on her for a moment. She was glad. Because right now she wasn’t sure her legs were strong enough to hold her up.
He tipped her chin up with his thumb, until her eyes connected with his. “What a fucking day.”
She laughed for the first time in what felt like forever. “Not exactly what I planned when I got up this morning.”
“I’m so sorry about Brian. I have no idea how he could’ve driven that far without realizing Josh was in the car.” He dropped his head until his brow touched hers. She could see herself reflected in his eyes. Could feel the warmth of his breath against her cheek.
“Becca says he plays his music loud.”
Cam chuckled. “Yeah, she knows him well. Where is he, anyway?”
“Sam took him inside. He needed the bathroom. I get the impression he was too scared to stop before he got here.”
“Damn right he was. He was on strict instructions to get here as quickly and as safely as possible.” Cam cupped her cheek with his rough hand. “When did you last eat?”
“I’ve no idea.” Mia frowned. “Yesterday maybe?”
“There’s a burger inside for you. You need to eat it now.”
“Can you just hold me for a moment?” she asked, closing her eyes. All day she’d been frantic. And even surrounded by police officers and friends and family, she’d felt so damn alone.
But right now she felt okay. Not perfect. Not yet. But pretty damn close.
“Thank you for coming,” she murmured.
“Wild horses couldn’t have kept me away. I’ve missed you, Mia.”
She exhaled softly. She could see the truth in his eyes, mixed with the pain of their separation. Had he felt it as much as she did?
“I’ve missed you, too, so much.”
“Now go eat.” He nodded at the door. “Before you faint.”
“Come in, too. You must be hungry.”
He glanced at the front door, then his gaze flickered back to hers. “I can’t. Not if I have to leave again.” The ghost of a smile passed his lips. “I don’t think my heart could take it.”
She knew all about hurt. About fear and pain. Not just from today, though that had been hard enough. But from life experiences. From losing and gaining and losing again.
But she couldn’t lose him this time.
“You won’t have to leave.” She traced her finger along his jaw. “Stay.”
“For how long?” Hope flickered in his eyes.
“For as long as you want.” She bit down a smile. “Or until Sam kicks you out.”
“And Michael?”
“We’ll talk to him. Together. That’s what I should have done from the start. I was too busy protecting him to think about how to deal with his reaction.”
“And I was too sure you’d be better off without me.”
Her fingertip brushed his bottom lip. “I’m so much better with you,” she admitted. “Not because I need you, but because I want you. I want you in our lives. I want to start living again, with you.”
“I want that, too. I want you. All of you. The boys, the craziness, all of it.” He brushed his lips against hers.
She wrapped her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss, his hands holding her steady as she melted against him.
When she pulled away, she was breathless. Sliding her hand into his, she nodded at the door. “Come on, let’s go get something to eat.”
“I’m all for that.”
He was here. He wanted them all in his life. That was all she needed to know.
“Can we talk, man to man?” Michael asked Cam later, as he put their dirty plates into Sam’s old dishwasher. Mia had taken an exhausted Josh to bed, and was sitting upstairs with him until he fell asleep. Sam had taken the opportunity to head for the bar. Cam got the impression that all this angst was too much for the guy.
And now Michael was standing in front of him, twisting his arms as his gaze barely met Cam’s.
“Sure.” Cam closed up the dishwasher. “You want to do it here?”
“Can we g
o outside? It’s more private.”
Cam nodded. “Lead the way.”
The night air was cool as they walked onto the deck. Beneath the light of a single outside lamp, Cam could see that the wooden boards were slippery with moss. The table and chairs at the far end looked like they’d seen better days. Maybe in the 1970s. Michael leaned against the rail – which thankfully looked solid – and swallowed hard.
“I’m sorry for hitting you,” he said, his voice small. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
“It’s okay. I understand.” Cam wanted to tell him it didn’t hurt, but thought better of it.
“And for asking you to leave. I was angry and upset, but I shouldn’t have done that either. I just…” Michael shook his head, as though he couldn’t find the right words. “I guess nobody wants to think of their mom like that.”
“You shouldn’t have to. What happened between your mom and me should have stayed between us until she was ready to tell you. I messed up, too.” Cam ran his palm through his hair. “Neither of us meant to hurt you. But especially not your mom. None of this is her fault. She doesn’t deserve to be shouted at.”
Michael looked down at the ground, his expression guilty. “I’ve been an idiot.”
“We’ve all been idiots at one time or another. The secret is in how we move on from that.” Cam leaned against the brick of the house, staring at the teenager in front of him. “It’s good that you want to protect your mom. But maybe sometimes she doesn’t need protecting.”
“She’s pretty kick ass.” Michael nodded.
Cam’s lips twitched. “Yeah, she is. Single moms usually are.”
Finally, Michael lifted his eyes to Cam’s. “She missed you. She cried a lot while you were gone. I hated it.”
Cam hated hearing it. All he wanted to do was hold her. “I’ve missed her, too.” He moistened his lips with his tongue. “I’ve missed all of you.”
“Do you think…” Michael trailed off, taking a deep breath. “Do you think you could try again with her?”
Cam eyed him steadily. “I want to,” he admitted. “But only if you’re okay with it. You’re her priority. You and Josh. You should know that. If you don’t want this to happen between us then it won’t.”
“I think I do.” Michael nodded. “Yeah, I really do.”
Relief flooded Cam’s chest. “I do too. But we need to see what your mom wants. If anything happens between us, we’d take it slow. We’d agreed on that. Maybe date for a while. Take you guys out to the movies or a theme park. Nothing scary.”
“But you’ll stay with her tonight, right?”
Cam’s eyes widened. “You want me to stay here?”
Michael shrugged. “I don’t want her crying all night again. It keeps me awake.”
The thought of it wasn’t doing much for Cam, either. “I guess it’s up to your mom,” he said, reaching for the handle of the back door. “Come on, let’s go in. It’s freezing out here.”
“He really said that?” Mia asked, her voice low, so as not to wake the boys up. Michael had gone upstairs shortly after she came down to announce that Josh was finally asleep. He’d muttered something about an assignment due by Friday as he hugged his mom tightly. Then he’d turned to Cam and held out his hand. Cam had shaken it, impressed by how tight Michael’s grip was.
“Yep.” Cam nodded. “He wants me to stay the night.”
She bit down a smile, glancing at him through her thick lashes. “You know the walls are paper thin, right?”
“I figured. He said he heard your crying every night.”
“So we won’t be able to…”
He walked forward, sliding his hands into her hair. “I’m not an animal, Mia. I think I can restrain my basic urges. And anyway, if we’re gonna do this, I figure there will be nights when you’re not in the mood.” He brushed his lips against her brow. “Or I’m not in the mood.”
“Whoa there, fella. I’m not sure I signed up for that.” She pushed him playfully away. She looked so much more relaxed now that she’d had something to eat and gotten Josh to sleep. “I kind of like you being in the mood.”
“Yeah, well tonight that’ll lead to blue balls. So I’m gonna try really hard to think of something unsexy.”
“Maybe think of Sam in bed in the room on the other side.”
Cam burst into laughter. “Yep, that’ll do it.”
She slid her hand into his, leading him upstairs. They took turns in the bathroom, brushing their teeth and changing into pajamas, before meeting back up in Mia’s bedroom.
Cam looked around, taking in the small double bed. That was going to be interesting. He hadn’t slept in anything other than a king in a long time. In his apartment, he had a California king. His body liked room to breathe.
He lifted up the comforter. “So if this is my bed, where are you planning on sleeping?”
She laughed. “This is my territory, Hartson. Play nice or you’ll be sleeping on the floor.”
Once they were under the covers, Cam’s body taking up more than his fair share of space, Mia snuggled into him, her cotton pajama top brushing against his bare chest. She splayed her fingers on his pectorals, smiling at him.
He smiled back. “You sure you’re okay with this?”
“You starfishing in my bed?” She arched an eyebrow. “I’ll put up with it for now, but you’re going to have to learn to share.”
“I’ll buy you a bigger bed,” he muttered. “And no, I didn’t mean the starfishing. I meant us. This.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb. “The last time I saw you it was to say goodbye.”
She pressed her lips to his chest, kissing him softly. It was a force of will to divert the blood from shooting straight to his groin. “I never stopped wanting you. Seeing you walk away was the hardest thing I did. So yeah, I’m good with you being here.” She lifted her head to look at him. “In fact, I’m great with it. But how do you feel? You had the full gamut today. A teenager with crazy mood swings. A little kid who makes the worst decisions. And their mom…” she trailed off, shaking her head. “Their mom who fell to pieces.”
“You didn’t fall to pieces,” he whispered, kissing her head. “You were strong as hell. I don’t know how you did it.”
“I did it because I had to.”
He traced a lazy line down her spine with his fingers, pushing them inside her pajama top until his palm met her skin. “You don’t have to do it on your own anymore,” he told her.
She inhaled sharply as he traced the waistband of her pants. “I like the sound of that.”
“And you three really need to move in with me. I have a dishwasher that works, a bed that can fit us all in it, and a yard that won’t make you wince. Hell, you can bring Sam if you want.”
“Where?” she asked.
“Where what?” He frowned, not understanding.
“Where will you be living?”
“Here in Hartson’s Creek, of course. Where else would I be?”
She traced the line of his stomach. Damn, she knew how to tease him. “You told me you were moving to L.A.”
“Yeah, well I’ll tell my agent to stop the negotiations in the morning. I’m not going anywhere.” He caught her hand before it could dip beneath his waistband, lifting it to kiss her palm. “You’re killing me, smalls.”
Caressing his jaw with her hand, she leaned up to brush her lips against his. “Sorry. My head says no, but my body says hell yes.”
“When they’re both in agreement, we’ll revisit,” he promised her.
“Won’t your agent be angry at you turning down the coaching job?” she asked him.
“Probably. But he’ll get over it.” Cam shrugged, pulling her closer to him. This time when their lips met, it was hot and hard. He slid his hands to her ass, pulling her against him, smiling when she let out a little moan.
“Not fair.”
“Hey, what comes around goes around.”
She shook her head. “I kind of miss Doctor Love,” she tea
sed.
Cam chuckled. “He’s still here. But his attending hours have changed.”
“Maybe I can book in with him.” She shook her head. “Anyway, what are you going to do if you don’t take the coaching job?”
He shrugged, her head lifting against his chest with the movement. “I guess I’ll concentrate on your rehab. Play games with the boys. Repair Sam’s dishwasher.”
“You’ll be bored to death.”
His eyes were soft. “I don’t think so.” It was strange, because his life had been mapped out for as long as he could remember. School, college, draft, then the NFL. For the first time in forever, his life stretched out before him with endless possibilities. “Maybe I’m not in a hurry to make my next move,” he told her. “And anyway, last I heard I’m gonna be an advertising superstar. Selling some crappy whiskey this girl I know represents.”
“Shut up.” She grinned up at him. “Our whiskey is the best.”
“I know.” He cupped the back of her neck, inclining his head to kiss her again. “Everything about you is the best.” Damn, she tasted good. Lying here with her in his arms felt like coming home. She fit against him perfectly, even if her bed creaked and groaned with their every move.
“When are the boys going back to school?” he asked her.
“I’ll keep them home tomorrow. Then we’ll be back to normal. I need to get back to work.”
“But you have a lunch break, right?”
She gave him a confused smile. “Yeah…”
“Good. In that case, Doctor Love can fit you in at twelve.”
She shook her head. “You’re an idiot, you know that?”
“That’s Doctor Idiot to you,” he said, kissing her again. “And by the way, this idiot is crazy in love with you.”
She slid her hands to his cheeks, a smile curling her lips. “The feeling is so very mutual.”
Epilogue
“You okay?” Cam asked, sliding his arms around Mia’s waist as he pulled her against his chest. The warmth of his breath tickled her ear as he brushed his lips against her.
“I will be when this is over.” She leaned her head on him, surveying the scene in front of them. Gray, Logan, and Tanner were sitting in arm chairs in Gray’s backyard, surrounded by lighting equipment and cameras. The three of them were goofing – as usual – even though the director had told them to save it for the cameras. They just couldn’t help themselves. This was how they always were.