by Rachel Hanna
“Wonderful. Are you guys tag teaming it today?” Camden asked as she leaned against the foot board of the bed with her arms crossed. She knew her mother would never give up, so she might as well face it head on.
“Camden, I cannot believe you talked to Preston that way. He was very upset!”
“Are you kidding me, mother? Don’t you even care about me as your daughter? Why don’t you just adopt Preston as the son you always wanted but never had?”
“You know I care about you, Camden. I also care about this family’s reputation. You are embarrassing all of us. Rumors are streaming through the club and our social circles that you have left Preston and taken up with a farm hand. It’s disgusting, Camden. You’ve always been one for high drama, but this really takes the cake. You need to think about others instead of just yourself,” her mother said angrily.
“Seriously? Think of others? When have you ever thought of others? It’s all about status for you, mom. I can’t take it anymore. I finally found someone who needs me and wants me. And I need him and want him. I don’t care if he is a county sewer worker! That doesn’t matter to me. I am a doctor. I want to help people. And I can help him.”
“Then go overseas and help the less fortunate. Don’t do it here in our backyard. It’s embarrassing!” Her mother was red faced and teary eyed. She looked like a three year old having a tantrum.
Camden almost felt sorry for her. Years of anger melted away as she looked at the pathetic woman in front of her. She was a shell that felt no real emotions. Had she ever felt the love of a real man? Had she ever wanted to be something else?
“Mother, I love you. I really do. And I love Dad. And, to some extent, I did love Preston. But, you aren’t going to live my life one more day. This is my life, and these are my choices. If you want to disown me or take away my trust fund, so be it.”
“What is so great about this man that you are willing to give up everything, Camden?” Her mother cocked her head in complete confusion.
“That’s not how I see it, Mother. I see it as getting everything. With Sam, I get the world. I get my freedom. I get a chance at true love. I win.” Camden’s own words shocked her. She had just basically admitted that she intended on building a life with him, yet she had no idea how that might happen.
With that, Camden went back to packing as her mother walked out. She knew she might never understand, but she was determined to live life on her own terms for the first time. Sliding off her five carat engagement ring, Camden put it on Preston’s pillow and rolled her bags out the door for the last time.
Chapter 17
Although Camden had intended to stay at her condo overnight, she knew that the distance between she and Preston was too uncomfortable. She decided that a little “girl time” with Natalie was in order, so she drove over to her apartment. Knocking on the door, Camden could hear what she thought were sniffles coming from inside.
“Nat? Are you in there?” she called out.
A few moments later, Natalie appeared at the door with a tear stained face. Camden dropped her bags and immediately embraced her friend who was still sobbing.
“What’s wrong, Natalie?” she asked.
“Men suck!” Natalie said as she stomped her foot.
“Uh oh… what happened? Is this about Bruce?” Camden asked as she walked into the apartment and shut the door behind her. Natalie slumped onto the ottoman in front of her favorite reading chair.
“Yes. You know I met his folks a couple of weeks back. They seemed to really like me, Cam. Turns out, they said I was too flighty for him. Apparently, I come off as an air head,” she said.
“So he broke up with you?” Camden could not believe it.
“He did. He said that his family was number one in his life, and he just couldn’t date someone that his mother and father didn’t approve of. What a wuss!” she yelled as she picked up her shoe from the floor and flung if across the room. It ricocheted off the wall and hit Camden right between the eyes leaving a small cut.
“Ouch!” Camden screeched as she grabbed her face.
“Oh, my God! Cam! I am so sorry!” Natalie said as she jumped up and ran across the room. By this point, Camden was laughing and crying at the same time. A little dribble of blood was running down her nose. Natalie ran to the kitchen and gave her a wet paper towel.
“Are you insane?” Camden asked, looking at her weepy friend.
“Apparently. Bruce’s parents were right!” Natalie said throwing her head into her hands as she started to cry again.
“No, they aren’t, Nat. You are just spirited, as my grandmother would have called it. You can’t be reigned in any better than I can. We both want what we want, and no one is going to ever tell us what to do. But, I will say, you should be a baseball pitcher with that arm of yours…” Camden said holding pressure between her eyes.
Natalie broke into a fit of hysterical laughter as she fell back on the plushly carpeted living room floor. Staring at the ceiling, she realized that Camden came over for a reason.
“I see you brought your bags. Are you sleeping over?”
“Well, as long as you promise to stop throwing things, I would love to,” Camden said with a giggle.
“I promise. How did things go with Preston?” Natalie asked sitting up.
“Well… It wasn’t just Preston. It was my mother too.”
“Yikes. I bet that went over like a lead balloon. Tell me all about it,” Natalie said.
For the next hour, the women talked. Camden explained what her mother and Preston said, and then told Natalie all of the details of her straddling Sam. Natalie’s mouth dropped open at that one.
“I bet he was freaking out!” Natalie said punching Camden in the leg. “That is so awesome… classic, Camden. Classic.”
“You know what is scary? I am missing Sam so bad right now,” Camden said. Her eyes were almost tearing up. She had only been away from him for the day, but she wanted to be with him.
“Why don’t you call him then?”
“Call him? No… I don’t want him to think I am desperate,” Camden said.
“Here. Call him!” Natalie said handing her the phone. Camden looked at it for a moment.
“Okay!” Camden said jumping up and dialing the number like a lovesick high schooler. The phone rang a couple of times before Rebecca answered.
“Hello?”
“Rebecca? This is Camden. How is Sam doing?”
“Hi, Camden… He is doing just great… Want to talk to him?” Camden could hear Rebecca smiling.
“Sure. If he’s available…” Camden said with a laugh.
“Well, he just got finished salsa dancing, but I think he has time for you,” Rebecca retorted. She could hear Sam chuckle in the background.
“Hey, you…” Sam said. Camden had him on speaker phone so that Natalie could hear him. Natalie crossed her arms over her chest like she was hugging an imaginary teddy bear.
“Hi, Sam. How are you this evening?” Camden asked trying to sound aloof.
“I am missing a pretty doctor something fierce…” he said.
Natalie covered her mouth. She was so excited for Camden.
“Doctor Rabun?” Camden said.
“Ha ha ha. Very funny. What are you doing?” he asked.
“Well, I couldn’t stay at my condo after the run-in I had with Preston and my mother, so I am staying at Natalie’s,” she said.
“Run-in? That doesn’t sound good. I’m sorry…”
“No need for you to be sorry. Remember I made my choice, right?” she reminded him of her straddle conversation.
“Oh, yes, I remember. How could I forget? You have a way with communication, Camden,” he said with a chuckle.
“I will be back tomorrow before lunch time. How about I bring you lunch from that burger place you like? We can eat outside…” she said.
“That sounds good. You could bring me broken glass, and I would be happy as long as I got to eat it with you,” he said.
> “Well, I don’t eat broken glass, so I will just get burgers if it’s all the same to you, Sam,” she said.
“Good. Hurry home,” Sam said. His words ran through her heart. Home? Was that home now? Norton’s Crossing? The hospital? She realized that home was wherever Sam was now.
“I will…”
“Tell Natalie I said hello and thank you,” he said.
“Thank you?” Camden asked confused.
“I want to thank her for bringing you to the falls that day. If she hadn’t, I shudder to think what would have happened.”
“Someone else would have helped you, Sam.”
“I’m not talking about the stroke, Camden. I mean I would have never met you.”
Camden sat there in shock, as did Natalie. This man had a way with words, for sure.
“I… I will tell her, Sam. See you tomorrow,” Camden stammered.
“I can’t wait. I won’t sleep well tonight, you know?”
“Why?” she asked.
“I am used to having you next to me, even if you are in a chair,” he said.
“Good night, Sam,” Camden whispered.
“Good night,” he said.
Camden hung up the phone and hugged it into her chest. Natalie fell back on the floor staring at the ceiling. The two women sat quietly for a moment before Natalie broke the silence.
“Oh my, Camden. You are one lucky girl. Wow…”
“I’m not dating him. We’re just very good friends…”
“You are kidding me, right? Wake up, Camden! You are madly, deeply in love with this man. You can’t fool me. Why are you fighting this so hard?” Natalie said sitting up.
“Because it seems too easy. Too perfect.”
“Easy? He had a freaking stroke. This won’t be easy for either of you, Camden. But, I am here to tell you, he loves you.”
“You think so?” Camden asked, unable to wipe the silly grin off her face.
“I know so.”
With that, Camden leaned back against the chair and started daydreaming about a possible future with Sam. She knew she wasn’t going to sleep well either.
Chapter 18
Camden drove back to the hospital bright and early the next morning. She stopped at Sam’s favorite burger place on the way up and got him his preferred meal. It was funny to her that she had only known him for a few weeks, yet she already knew what he liked to eat. She thought about how she knew more about Sam than she had ever known about Preston. Did he even like hamburgers? She couldn’t remember. As she looked down at her finger, now empty with the absence of her engagement ring, she felt a new freedom.
Driving into the hospital parking lot, Camden saw Drake about to get into his truck. She flagged him down.
“Hey there,” Drake said with a smile.
“Hi. Are you leaving already?”
“Yep. Gotta get the house ready for Sam to come home. They are releasing him later today. Rebecca is leaving on a late flight tonight, so she will be coming to the house to help me for awhile too. She just left,” he said.
“Gotcha. So, I will bring Sam home later then?”
“That will work fine. I can’t believe he is coming home. Thank God…” Drake said as he put his hands together in a prayer position and looked to the skies.
“Yes, thank you, God. It was a scary time, for sure.”
“You know he has strong feelings for you, right?”
“He hasn’t told me that, Drake.”
“Well, I know him. Rebecca and I talked about it this morning. He gives everything he has to those he loves. Please keep that in mind, okay?”
“Look, Sam is the nicest person I have ever met. I would never do anything to hurt him intentionally. Okay?” Camden said smiling as she touched Drake’s arm.
“Okay. I will see you later today…” he said as he climbed into the big truck. Camden walked toward the hospital.
When she came around the corner, she could see Sam sitting in his wheelchair looking out the window toward the mountains. She quietly walked in and put her hands on his shoulders from behind.
“Hi there…” she whispered leaning down into his right ear.
“Hello…” he said as he grabbed her head from behind him and swung her around to his lap. She was surprised at how much strength he had gotten back, and it made her quiver in places she wasn’t used to quivering.
With his hand still planted on the base of her head, he pulled her close to his mouth and kissed her. She ran her fingers through his wavy hair and returned his kiss with an energy that surprised her.
When they came up for air, he was smiling and looking into her eyes.
“Welcome back,” he said in a husky Southern voice.
“That was a great welcome back,” she said as she pressed her forehead to his.
“I’m going home.”
“Can I still come with you?” she asked.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said. Camden smiled. Here was a man who needed and wanted her, and it felt like she had won the lottery.
“Good,” she said.
“I remembered something last night,” he said as he leaned back.
“What?”
“Telling you good morning before the hike. I didn’t remember it before, but I do now.”
“That’s great.”
“Your friend, Natalie, has a loud laugh” he said with a grin.
“Yes, she does. That’s why you noticed us in the first place.”
“Nope.”
“What do you mean?” Camden asked.
“I noticed YOU as soon as I pulled into the parking lot,” he said.
“But you were on a date with Jenny.”
“So? I think I already pointed out that Jenny was not my type. I was just doing that for Drake. He kept bugging me about dating, so I agreed to go out with her. But, when I saw you from across the parking lot in that green sweater… Wow…”
Camden could feel the heat of embarrassment rising up to her face. No man had ever talked to her the way he did.
“You know what it was, Camden?” he asked as he pushed her hair behind her ear with his right hand.
“What?” she asked quietly.
“Fate.”
“Fate?”
“Yes, ma’m. Fate led me to you. And now I am taking you home with me for safe keeping,” he said as he brushed his nose and lips against her neck and up to her ear. She almost came undone when she felt his hot breath on her earlobe.
“Excuse me?” Camden stood up quickly to see a young nurse standing in the doorway. She turned Sam’s wheelchair around.
“Yes?” Sam said.
“Your discharge papers are ready, Mr. Steele,” the young woman said. Camden turned toward the window trying not to laugh at the uncomfortable situation. Sam signed everything, and the nurse told him the doctor would come by one more time to give him his instructions for continuing therapy.
“Wow, that was embarrassing,” Camden said once the nurse left.
“Embarrassing? Why?”
“I felt like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar,” she said laughing.
“Well, you can put you hand in my cookie jar any time you’d like, Miss Lane,” he said pulling her hand so that she was on his lap again.
“You really like putting me on your lap, don’t you?” she said.
“Hey, you started it!” he said poking her in the side with his fingers.
After the doctor checked him out one final time and explained his physical therapy schedule, Sam was released. Camden wheeled him to her SUV and helped him up into his seat. Within thirty minutes, they were pulling into the long driveway of Steele Farms. Sam pointed out his favorite parts of the large property which spanned over one hundred acres.
“How long has your family owned this land, Sam?” Camden asked as she drove slowly up the gravel driveway.
“Four generations. It’s in my blood,” he said smiling over at her. “Some women have hated that about me. I can
’t imagine ever leaving this place. It’s part of me…” he said looking out the window across the fields. As they got closer, a huge white Antebellum home appeared. Camden gasped at how large and ornate it was.