“I just want some more coffee.”
I love you, Mads. How many times have I dreamed of hearing those words in the last nine years? How many times have I fantasized about Cameron finding me, coming to Calgary, saying those words to me, whispering that he can’t live without me?
So many times. And now he’s said those words to me, and it’s not even remotely like the fantasies. Because it’s all fake. Ryder and Zoe were in the room, obviously in love with each other, and Cameron wants to buy the cottage.
Get a grip on yourself, I order. You knew what was involved this week. You agreed to play along.
I hear footsteps. I’m half-expecting Cam to follow me, but it’s Zoe that enters the room. Of course. Cameron doesn’t follow me when I run away. I should have learned that lesson nine years ago, when I waited for him to call, email me, anything to show me he cared.
Zoe must see some of my distress in my face. “Maddie?” she asks softly. “Is everything okay?”
I lift my shoulders in a shrug, aware that Mrs. Coleman is within earshot. “I just needed caffeine.”
“Sure.” Her expression says she doesn’t believe a word. “Let’s take a walk, shall we?”
I glance at the window. The rain’s softened into a drizzle, and the sun is shining from a gap in the clouds. “You’re going to get wet.”
She snorts. “I’m not made of sugar, Maddie. Despite what Ryder thinks, I won’t melt.” She makes her way to the cloakroom and I follow her. She puts on a raincoat and I pick up an umbrella, and we make our way outside.
“This place is crazy, isn’t it?” she continues conversationally as we walk down the tree-lined path toward the dock. “I mean, who has a housekeeper for a cottage?”
“You find it strange? I thought you’d be used to it.”
“Because of Ryder?” She shakes her head. “No, I didn’t grow up with this kind of wealth. We’re dirt poor.”
“Really?” I can’t hide the surprise from my voice. “You seem to fit in really well.” In a way I’ve never been able to.
“They’re just people, Maddie,” she replies with a roll of her eyes. “If you scratch them, they will bleed. If you hurt them, they will ache.”
“They eat fried chicken with a knife and fork,” I blurt out.
“Huh?” Zoe shoots me a puzzled look.
“The last time I was here,” I explain, “we had a picnic on the lawn. They had fried chicken, coleslaw, potato salad, all kinds of picnic food. I thought I knew how to behave at a picnic, so I flopped down on a blanket with a chicken leg.” I frown at the humiliating memory. “And Cameron’s dad looked down at me, and he asked me, loud enough for everyone to hear, ‘what on earth are you doing?’”
Even now, I can’t forget the sinking feeling in my stomach as I realized that the entire party had turned to look at me.
Zoe squeezes my hand in sympathy. “That’s awful. What did you do?”
What happened next is my favorite part of this memory. “I was too shocked to respond, but Cam heard his dad. He came and sat next to me with a leg of chicken in his hand, and he proceeded to eat it with his fingers, as if that’s what everyone was expected to do.”
At that time, I’d been too mortified to register Cameron’s support. Now, I think back and realize that Cameron had, without the slightest bit of hesitation, picked a side that day. He came and sat by me on the blanket, rather than sit with his family at the picnic table.
That day. Two days later, he’d changed his mind. When I’d left the cottage, he’d stayed behind, and let our relationship wither on the vine.
“He loves you very much,” Zoe says softly.
He wants the cottage, I think sadly, trying to ignore the leap in my heart at Zoe’s words. Cam doesn’t love me--he’s just pretending so his grandfather will sell him the cottage.
He took really good care of you last night, and there was no one there to watch.
“Ryder’s told me about the two of you,” she continues. “You used to date in high school, right? And ever since you left, Cameron’s never dated anyone for longer than a month?” She sighs. “And now you’re engaged. So romantic. It’s like the movies.”
I look discomfited and Zoe laughs awkwardly. “Sorry,” she apologizes. “I swear the pregnancy is making me more emotional. Hormones. I’m not usually this sentimental, really.”
I laugh at her earnest expression. I like Zoe. She’s friendly and down-to-earth. “I think your husband and my fiancé are looking for us,” I tell her, spotting the two men strolling along the path behind us.
“Of course they are.” Her lips turn up in a grin as Ryder and Cameron catch up with us. “Hi honey. Are you going to lecture me about catching a cold in the rain?”
“Someone has to be the sensible one.” Ryder laces his fingers in hers. “The third time I met Zoe, she was on the roof of her grandmother’s house, forty feet off the ground, replacing shingles. And she’s terrified of heights.”
Cameron’s blue eyes search my face. Are you okay? he seems to ask me.
My heart hammers in my chest. He followed me. I ran out of the living room, convinced he wouldn’t follow. I was wrong because here he is, looking at me with concerned eyes.
“Maddie isn’t much better,” Cameron says, not taking his eyes away from me. “You’re carrying an umbrella, but you didn’t think to open it? You need someone to take care of you, silly goose.”
I get the strangest sense that we’re not talking about the rain anymore. Underneath, we’re talking about something else.
My heart warms at the fondness in his voice. “It wasn’t raining that hard,” I point out, unable to meet his gaze. What is he saying? Does he want to be with me, or are his words for Ryder and Zoe’s benefit?
He came after you. This time around, can things be different?
I’m not sure. But I’m not the same person I was nine years ago. I recognize Joseph Drake’s attempts to intimidate me for what they are.
Cameron’s changed, too. He took me shopping and helped me find the right clothes to wear, something he wouldn’t have thought of before. He’s stuck by me, a solid, supportive presence at my side.
Maybe we’re both reaching out, imperfect and tentative from the hurt we’ve experienced in the past, yet unable to resist the pull we feel.
I put my arm around Cameron’s waist. If he stiffens, if he rejects me now…
He doesn’t. He takes the umbrella from my nerveless fingers with a crooked smile, opens it and holds it over my head. “Come on Maddie, let’s go in.”
Three days later, I have to admit I’m having a really good time. Yes, Cameron’s dad is still glowering at me, but he’s the only one. Cam’s grandfather has thawed and Aunt Emily is as warm as ever. Noah is still angry with his grandfather for some reason, but he’s friendly with Cam, Ryder, Zoe, and me.
Most importantly, things are pretty great with Cameron. During the days, we swim in the lake and drink beer on the dock. Our nights are spent rekindling the flame between us.
By unspoken mutual agreement, we don’t discuss the past, and we don’t look ahead to the future. We stay in the present and it’s good. Really good.
I should have known it wouldn’t last.
Wednesday morning, Misti calls me. “There’s a problem.”
She sounds distressed. My stomach sinks. “What’s the matter?”
“I just got a call from dad. He’s being released from prison at the end of the week. And Maddie?” Her voice breaks. “I’m so sorry. He wormed out of me that you were back with Cameron. I think he’s going to try to contact you.”
Of course he is. My father has always been very aware of exactly how much money Cameron is worth.
Nine years ago, the news that my dad was being released from prison prompted Cameron’s father to confront me about the unsuitability of our relationship.
“Cameron could be a senator. He could even be Prime Minister one day.” He pauses significantly. “Unless he’s hampered by his wife’
s family.”
He takes out his checkbook, his eyes hard. “How much money do I have to pay you to get you to walk out of my son’s life?”
“What?” I look at him, shocked. I know he doesn’t like me, but offering to pay me?
“Your mother’s a junkie, and your father is a two-bit crook who’s serving his second jail term,” he sneers. “It’s obvious you’re with my son for his money. So, what will it take?”
I can’t deal with this. I’m already freaking out about my dad leeching off Cameron’s wealth. I don’t have the stamina for a confrontation with Joseph Drake now.
The truth is, he’s probably right. I can’t allow my father to drag Cameron down; I can’t let my family tarnish his brightness. When Carl Morland was released from prison, it started a countdown to the end of the best relationship of my life.
I’d written Cameron a letter, tears streaming down my eyes. I’d left it in our bedroom and I’d packed my clothes and called for a cab to take me to the nearest bus stand, and I’d made my way back to Toronto.
All the way home, I’d hoped against hope that he’d call me and tell me we could make it work. But he’d never called.
Now, in a sick twist of fate, my dad is getting out of prison again. An urge to flee overwhelms me.
11
Cameron
“Want to do something different today?” I enter the bedroom, the question on my lips, then come to a halt when I take in Maddie’s expression. She’s clutching her phone in a death-grip, and her face is pale. “What’s wrong?”
She doesn’t meet my eyes. “I’ll call you back, Misti,” she says, and hangs up.
“What’s wrong?” I repeat. “Is your sister okay?”
She gives me a small nod and tries to change the subject. “What were you saying? You asked me if I wanted to do something today?”
Damn it, Maddie, talk to me.
She’s clearly upset. Her lips tremble as she struggles not to cry, but she’s losing the fight. I take one step into the room and fold her into my arms. Her hair smells like summer rain, and her body is soft and warm in my embrace.
I don’t talk; I just hold her as she sobs. I rock her back and forth, my hand rubbing her back, soothing her. “Maddie, honey. Please don’t cry. Tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it.”
She half-sobs, half-laughs. “You can’t fix everything, you know,” she says, her voice muffled into my shoulder. “Sometimes, there are problems even Cameron Drake can’t solve.”
“Let me be the judge of that.”
She laughs this time, a weak and watery laugh, but a laugh nonetheless. “Sorry to fall apart on you,” she murmurs, pulling away and reaching for a tissue. “Thanks for letting me cry on your shoulder.”
“Anytime, Mads,” I say, meaning it.
A fleeting wistful look crosses Maddie’s face. “What were you saying when you came in?”
“I thought we could take the boat and head out for the day? Mrs. Coleman can pack us a picnic.”
“Just you and me?” she asks hopefully.
I nod. I’ve enjoyed hanging out with Ryder, Zoe, and Noah, but I want some alone time with Maddie. Sleeping with her every night, spending time with her during the day, I’ve realized something important. I can’t let her go again. I love Maddie.
Nine years ago, I made the biggest mistake of my life. I was devastated that Maddie picked money over me, and I’d allowed bitterness to overtake me.
I was wrong. I should have gone to her, demanded answers. Tried to understand.
I’ve been given a second chance, and I’m not going to screw it up. Maddie and I are meant to be together.
I toss my phone on the bed. “You and me. No distractions, no interruptions.”
Her lips curl into a smile. She drops her phone next to mine. “Sounds amazing.”
We head south on Lake Rosseau and thread our way to Lake Joseph. It’s a perfect warm summer day. The water is calm and there’s a slight breeze in the air.
At my side, Maddie’s quiet, lost in thought. I put my arm around her. “What’s bothering you, Mads?”
She sighs. “Why did you want to date me, Cameron? You could have had any girl you wanted.”
“Seriously? I was crazy about you.”
“Yes, but why?”
“You’re really hot,” I joke. She digs an elbow in my side. “Okay, okay,” I hold up my hands and try to put into words why I’d felt at home with her. “The real reason? I never had to act with you.”
She gives me a puzzled look. “Act? Act how?”
“With everyone else, I was Cameron Drake, heir to the Drake billions. My grandfather gave my high school ten million dollars, and they named the library after him. My uncle, Ryder’s father, was hockey captain. Every single day, I had to deal with the weight of all those expectations.”
I pause to gather my thoughts. “Then I met you. You had no idea who I was, and when you found out, you didn’t care. I didn’t have to pretend with you.” My grip on her hand tightens. “The week I met you, a woman who worked for my father accused him of sexual assault. My grandfather pulled the family together, all of us, and coached us on what to say to the press if we were interviewed.” My lips twist into a bitter smile. “Noah was only fourteen. His brothers Zachary and Declan were thirteen. And we were being taught that people only wanted us for our money. When I was with you, I was free of all that bullshit.”
She rests her head on my shoulder. “That’s horrible,” she says quietly. She pauses for a long time. “My father’s getting out of prison. That’s why I was upset earlier.”
Maddie rarely mentions her father. I’m embarrassed to admit I didn’t even know he was in jail. I blink in confusion. “Because he’s being released?”
Her mouth curls into a frown. “My father would sell his soul for twenty bucks,” she replies. “He’s got a drinking problem. He’s angry. He’s violent. He keeps getting into bar brawls, and he keeps getting arrested for it.”
“You weren’t close?”
She snorts. “I met him for the first time when I was ten. His kids were never a priority. I was never important. Until I met you. Then, suddenly, he was interested in me. It didn’t take me long to realize that you were the real target.”
I put two and two together. “That’s why you’re upset? Because your father might extort me?”
She nods. “It’s always been the reason,” she replies. “Both now and nine years ago. Your dad was concerned that having a father in prison might impact your political career. Me, I was just afraid he’d want money from you.”
“What political career?” I absorb the rest of her words and freeze. When did Maddie and my father have this conversation? “Say that again.”
“I thought we weren’t going to rehash the past.” She shrugs. “It’s okay. You made your choice that day. It’s old news now. Water under the bridge.”
A cold shiver trickles down my spine. “Humor me,” I tell her, my voice clipped. “Tell me exactly what happened.”
She gives me a concerned look. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Tell me,” I insist again.
“Fine.” She gathers her thoughts. “I was already uncomfortable at the cottage. I didn’t fit in and I knew it. My clothes were wrong; I didn’t know what fork to use for what food. I stuck out like a sore thumb.”
I flinch as I hear her stark assessment. I’d been oblivious to most of her discomfort. I’d just been delighted she’d been there at my side.
“Then your dad cornered me. He’d found out my father was getting out of jail. He accused me of not giving a damn about your future. If I cared about you, he said, I’d leave you. He even offered me money to disappear.”
She’s staring into the distance. “I always knew that my time with you was temporary. I couldn’t allow my father to sink his claws in you. So I wrote you a note and left.”
“What note?” I ask sharply.
She frowns at me. “The note,” she says, as I should know exactl
y what she’s talking about. “You know, where I told you why I was leaving.” Her lips twist into a wry smile. “I was young and foolish,” she confesses. “I thought you would come after me.”
“I never got a note.” Waves of pure, cold rage cascade over me. “My father told me he’d offered you fifty thousand dollars to leave me, and you’d accepted.”
She stiffens in my embrace. “I didn’t take his money.”
For nine years, I thought Maddie had picked money over me. My father had played me expertly. Already conditioned to assume that most women were gold-diggers, I’d fallen for his lies and I’d allowed him to ruin the relationship I had with Maddie.
And I might have never known differently. I might have gone to my grave thinking that Maddie had betrayed me.
“I believe you.” I swallow. I’ve been such a fool. I should have known that Maddie would never, ever betray me. “Maddie, I’m so sorry. I listened to my father’s lies, and I shouldn’t have.”
Her eyes sparkle with tears as she squeezes my shoulder. “I’m sorry, too.” I start to tell her that this situation isn’t her fault, and she holds up her hand. “No, wait, Cam. Let me say this. In the time we dated, you never once made me feel like I didn’t belong. You always stood up for me. I should have had more faith in us. I was insecure about being poor, about my dysfunctional family, about my father getting out of jail. I didn’t trust what we had between us.”
“There’s going to be consequences,” I vow. “He’s never been much of a parent. But,” my voice turns to ice, “this time he went too far.”
We both fall into silence. I’m simmering in rage. I’ve tolerated my father’s presence in my life, but no longer. If he thinks I’m going to pick my family over Maddie, he’s miscalculated. Badly.
It’s starting to get dark when we approach the dock. “Not exactly how I’d planned the day,” I say wryly to Maddie.
It’s the understatement of the year. Today was a fucking disaster. I’d planned on telling her I loved her. I wanted to ask her to stay in Toronto with me.
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