Encore: A Reverse Harem Romance

by Lane Hart

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Nixon

  “I shouldn’t be here,” Kelsey says when she walks up to me, clutching her purse to her side nervously. I’ve been waiting for her just outside the door of the hospital’s pre-op area where Cameron recently went back to get prepped for surgery.

  Leaning down in my baseball cap so that I can whisper in her ear without anyone hearing, I say, “Yeah, I get it, Kel, someone could ask questions or whatever about why you’re here, but Cam really wanted to see you before he goes into surgery.”

  “How’s he doing? He’s gonna be okay, right?” she asks.

  “There are always risks with every surgery, but the team has flown in some of the best surgeons in the country to take care of him. They say he’ll be fine. The surgery will take about five or six hours, and then he’ll go to recovery for an hour. By then he’ll be so high from the anesthesia and pain pills that he won’t even know his own name, which is why he wants to see you now.”

  “I want to see him too,” she says while chewing on her bottom lip. “It’s just…I can’t end up on some tabloid. And I’ve been sneaking into his house the last few nights, worried a photographer will see me. Cameron is big news right now, Nix. So, no matter how much I want to be here, it’s risky!”

  “I know,” I reply. Despite her concerns, I’m unable to prevent the smile on my face hearing her using the shortened form of my name so familiarly for the first time. “We’ll figure something out if you want to hang around in the waiting room with me. Do you think Callie could help with a cover? Quinton and Lathan, along with probably half the team, will be here in a few hours.”

  “Good idea,” she says, perking up as she reaches into her purse. “Let me text Callie and see if she can tell Quinton she’s sending me over here to…I dunno, bring you guys food or whatever.”

  “Yeah, that should work,” I agree. “Now, let’s get back there before they take him to surgery.”

  I lean over the nurses' station and ask them to let me go back again. But when the automatic doors swing open for us to walk through, Kelsey grabs my arm to stop me.

  “I’m scared,” she says, looking up at me with big, brown puppy dog eyes.

  “Me too,” I admit. “But it’s just arm surgery, not open heart. He’s gonna be okay.” What I don’t tell her is that I’m more worried about what happens after his surgery, when he recovers and finds out whether or not the team is cutting him loose.

  “Come on,” I say as I grab Kelsey’s hand in mine and pull her into the pre-op unit before the doors shut on us. “He’s the third room down this hallway, and he should be alone. His asshole father is coming but had a meeting this morning…”

  “Oh,” Kelsey replies when we reach the room. Just before I walk inside, she drops my hand. I try not to dwell on the sting of rejection.

  “Look who I found,” I tell Cam, who is sitting up in the hospital bed wearing one of their blue and white cotton gowns with his IV already hooked up and ready to go.

  The worrisome frown on his face is quickly replaced with a face-splitting grin.

  “Hey, Kel! Thanks for coming by,” Cameron says to her as he holds out his good arm in invitation for her to hug him, which she does.

  “Hey, I know you’re ready to have all this over,” she says when she pulls back.

  “Yeah,” he answers. “Are you gonna be here when I wake up, or do you have to work today?”

  Kelsey glances over at me before turning back to Cam. “Well, um, I was planning to hang around and see how it goes, but…”

  “But?” Cam prompts when she stops in midsentence.

  “What will everyone think when Kelsey sticks around to see you?” I finish for her.

  “I don’t know, that we’re friends?” Cam responds.

  “You don’t have any female friends other than Roxy, so that will never fly and you know it,” I point out. “I’ll make sure Kel gets your room number so she can call and check in.”

  “Oh,” Cam says in understanding before he reaches for Kelsey’s hand that just rejected my own. “Will you at least come over and take care of me when I go home tomorrow?” he asks.

  “Absolutely,” she answers. “I’ll be thinking about you even if I’m not here, in the room.”

  “Thanks,” Cameron says right as a nurse in navy blue scrubs comes in, which causes Kelsey to subtly remove her hand from Cam’s grip. And that makes me feel a tad better since it’s not just me that she refuses to share public displays of affection with.

  “Sorry guys, but it’s time to go,” the nurse informs us. “I’ll give you a minute to say goodbye.”

  “Got it,” Cam says. And as soon as she leaves the room, he grabs Kelsey’s arm with his left hand again and pulls her close enough that he can lean forward and plant a kiss on her lips. Kelsey’s posture is rigid with surprise before she eventually relaxes and kisses him back, bracing her hands on his shoulders to keep from falling into the bed with him.

  Normally I would probably be jealous, but that’s nearly impossible today since my friend is in a hospital bed with an IV cord sticking out of his arm about to go to surgery. If it were up to me, I would prefer that the three of us were in his bed naked rather than be here.

  I do still find myself interrupting them when I tell Kelsey, “We better get going before the nurse comes back.”

  That has her coming up for air real quick.

  “Good luck,” she says to Cameron as she straightens beside the bed, a bit out of breath.

  Strolling up to the side of the bed, I slip my right arm around Kelsey’s waist and then hug my friend with my left.

  “See you in a few hours,” I tell him.

  “Convince her to stay,” he whispers before I pull away, giving my nod of agreement. Kelsey’s been helping Cam since Sunday night, and she’s gone above and beyond cooking and caring for him, so I know he’ll miss her if she bolts.

  At least I have a few hours to try and figure out how to talk her into sticking around without worrying who will see her or what people will think.

  …

  Kelsey

  “Oh, fuck,” Nix mutters under his breath as we eat our biscuits in the waiting room. As part of my plan to have a reason to stick around, Callie texted Quinton that I was going to bring food to the hospital for the guys, which I did in the form of several bags full of mini chicken biscuits, donuts, orange juice, and milk. Around lunchtime I’ll make another food run to try and be helpful and maintain my cover as nothing but a friend.

  Swallowing my bite, I ask “What is it?”

  When I glance over at Nixon, his face is pinched like he’s upset before he tosses his trash in the garbage can next to him.

  “There’s Cam’s dad,” he whispers, looking out toward the elevator bank.

  “Awesome,” I reply sarcastically as I wrap up my leftovers and set it aside. I’ve never met the man coming toward us but already I don’t like him after the conversation I overheard Cameron having with him on the phone.

  Nixon gets to his feet and then strolls over to a tall, thick man in a dark three-piece suit with brown hair trimmed short and the same strict posture as a military commander.

  “Mr. Hines. How’s it going?” I hear Nix ask as he offers his hand out for him to take.

  Cameron’s father shakes it before replying. “My son’s in surgery. How the fuck do you think I am?”

  Whoa.

  While I may have been expecting an asshole, I wasn’t prepared for him to be so blunt in a crowded hospital waiting room.

  Not appearing surprised by his behavior, Nixon simply says, “Cam’s been in surgery for two hours, so hopefully we’ll get an update soon.”

  “Right,” Mr. Hines replies.

  When Nix turns around to walk back toward his seat, he meets my eyes and then winces before making introductions. “Kelsey, this is Richard Hines, Cameron’s father. Mr. Hines, this is Kelsey…my, um, friend.”

  Getting to my feet, I offer the man my palm that he t
akes in his big mitt and squeezes a little too hard.

  “Hi, nice to meet you,” I say through gritted teeth. I hate lying, but I can't really say, hi, I think you’re an enormous asshole to your son.

  When he lets my hand go, I let out the breath I was holding and look up to find his narrowed eyes still on me. I try not to squirm or fidget under his suspicious inspection.

  “Your friend you say?” Mr. Hines asks, his disbelief obvious, but neither Nix or I comment. Instead, we retake our seats, hoping he’ll drop the subject.

  “We have some biscuits and donuts if you’re hungry,” I offer with a smile.

  “No thanks,” he huffs. Spinning around in his dress shoes, he tells us over his shoulder, “I’m going down to the cafeteria to get some coffee.”

  “Fucking asshole,” Nix says as we watch his retreating back until it disappears onto an elevator.

  “He’s awful to Cameron, isn’t he?” I ask.

  “That man is the bane of Cam’s existence.”

  “What about his mom?” I ask.

  Nix shakes his head. “She doesn’t come around much because she knows Mr. Hines is always lurking close by. Cameron went to live with his dad after they divorced and only visited her on some weekends and holidays. They’ve never really been close.”

  “Oh,” I say, feeling bad for Cameron. And then I realize that I don’t know anything about Nix’s parents. “So what about you? Why don’t you ever talk about your family?”

  Shifting in his seat, Nix finally responds with the last thing I was expecting. “There’s nothing to tell.”

  “Really? You don’t…you don’t have anyone…” I ask softly.

  “I guess you could say that Cam is the only family I have. Has been for the past six years, ever since I made it big.” Blowing out a breath, Nix adds, “If you mean biologically, well, I probably have a father out in the world somewhere who I’ve never met. And then I grew up with a mother, two brothers, and a sister in Florida, but now they’re nothing to me but people who share my name and live off the money it makes.”

  “Aww, Nix,” I say as I rub his arm, understanding for the first time how much he and Cam mean to each other. “That sounds terrible.”

  “None of them ever call me unless they need more money than what I deposit every month to my mom’s account. A few years ago, right after I realized they just wanted me to bankroll them, I told them to choose between having me in their life or the cash. They chose the cash.”

  “Wow.” It sounds like Cameron is the only family Nix has left, and Cam’s family doesn’t sound all that great either, which is probably why he’s so close to Nix. The two men are not just best friends, but they truly care about each other, love each other.

  “Do you miss living with Cameron?” I ask.

  Laughing, Nix shakes his head and leans it back against the chair. “Cam’s place was a helluva lot better than a hotel room.”

  Brows furrowed in confusion, I ask, “Wait, you mean, you’re living in a hotel, like right now?”

  “Yep,” he answers with a slow nod, looking straight ahead and avoiding my eyes. “Stupid, right? I had a huge house you could get lost in, and I sold it last year. Now I have a shitload of money and no place to call home.”

  “You sold your house when you moved in with Cameron?” I ask him in understanding. “And then he kicked you out…because of me?”

  “I was never home, so the house seemed like a waste of money. Cam had plenty of room, and the two of us were both lonely before I moved in, even if we wouldn’t admit it to ourselves or each other.”

  Nix obviously considered his home to be Cameron’s house, permanently so if he sold his own place. And then I came along and messed everything up. It’s my fault that Nix now lives in a sterile hotel room all alone.

  What if the three of us keep doing this and it all ends badly? Nixon could lose the one person he thinks of like a brother, and I’m not worth that sacrifice.

  I need to stop seeing both men, I know that. But right now isn’t the best time with Cameron having surgery and needing my help. Soon, he’ll recover, and then I need to cut ties with both guys so that they can go back to the life they had before I messed everything up.

  “You know…I think I’m gonna go get some air,” I tell Nix as I get to my feet and throw my purse over my shoulder. The waiting room is hot and suffocating as I try and process this new, incredibly sad information.

  “Want me to come with you?” Nix offers when he sits up on the edge of his seat.

  “No, that’s okay. You should stay here in case the doctor calls with an update on Cameron,” I tell him.

  “You sure? Is everything all right?” he asks.

  “Yeah, it’s fine,” I tell him. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Without another word, I walk over and press the button to take the elevator down to the lobby. I get on alone. And when the doors open, I start to take a step forward to get off when a big body suddenly appears in front of me, blocking my exit.

  “Excuse me,” I say as I look up at the face of the man in a suit and realize it’s Cameron’s dad. “Oh, hi, I was just going to, um, get some air.”

  He steps forward, and then the elevator doors behind him close us in alone together.

  “Are you fucking my son?” he growls into the silence.

  “Excuse me?” I ask as I take a step backward to put some space between us until my back is against the wall.

  Mr. Hines moves forward again, closing any room I made. “You heard me.”

  “Ah, I don’t know what you mean…” I say as I grip the straps of my purse to me tightly.

  “I mean, did you let your pussy distract him? Are you the reason he broke his fucking arm?” he yells in the small crowded space, making me cringe away into the corner.

  “It was an accident. Cameron…he was tackled and fell,” I say softly.

  “Only because his head wasn’t in the goddamn game!” he shouts at me, making me jump. “How long has it been going on? Huh? Don’t you dare lie to me!”

  “Just a few weeks,” I say in a rush, since I want to get off the elevator and he doesn’t seem to have any plans of moving unless I tell him what he wants to hear.

  “Well, those few weeks may have just destroyed his chance of getting a new contract! Stay away from my son before you ruin his career!”

  “I’m not trying to ruin anything,” I tell him through the blur of tears now filling my eyes. I have never been yelled at like this before, and Mr. Hines is so scary and intimidating as he crowds me. “I care about Cameron…” I start.

  “If you care about him, then you’ll stop coming around, messing with his fucking head! He was doing great until he met you.”

  “F-fine, if that’s what Cameron wants,” I say through gritted teeth.

  His big hand that nearly broke my fingers in a handshake shoots out and grabs my jaw, giving it the same harsh treatment. Then, narrowed blue eyes give me a full body once over before he says, “You know, I can’t even figure out what he ever wanted with you in the first place. Most of the women he fucks are much prettier. So what makes you so special, huh? Are you great in the sack? Do you give good head?”

  “I dunno. Nothing,” I say, feeling ashamed and embarrassed as he squeezes my chin harder. “There’s…there’s nothing special about me.”

  “You’ve got that right! Now get the fuck out of his life and don’t come back!” he warns. “Do you hear me? Huh?” he asks with a sneer on his face, and I swear his fingers are leaving permeant indentations in my chin.

  “Y-yes, sir,” I answer. He finally lets my face go and steps aside, so I move up to the control panel and start pressing the door open button over and over until it finally does what I want and allows me to escape.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Cameron

  Nixon’s blurry face appears above me, and then he asks, “Hey, how are you feeling?”

  My lips are chapped and my mouth is so dry that I can only rep
ly with one raspy word, “Thirsty.”

  “Let me ask the nurse if you can have some water or something,” he says before he disappears from sight.

  Replacing his face is my father’s. I’m too drowsy to deal with him, though, so I close my eyes and ignore whatever jumbled words come out of his mouth.

  A moment later, Nixon’s voice comes through the dark haze. “I’ve got your water. Sorry it took so damn long.”

  Did it take a long time? Felt like he just left.

  I blink my eyes open again and focus on getting my mouth to the straw coming out of the cup he’s holding out to me. When I finally wrap my lips around it, I take a few gulps.

  “Thanks,” I tell him, able to speak a little clearer now that my throat is wet again.

  “Your, um, dad left. Said he would be back tomorrow.”

  “Good,” I reply, meaning I’m glad he’s gone. I didn’t want him here and didn’t ask him to show up. I’d prefer it if he decided not to miss work tomorrow. “Where’s Kel?” I ask Nix since I would much rather see her beautiful smile than the face of the man who raised me as my eyelids try to lower again without my permission.

  “She, ah, she had to go watch Brady for Callie,” Nix says.

  I’m pretty damn exhausted and half asleep thanks to all the drugs, but I know a lie when I hear one. Too tired to argue with him about it, I just ask, “When…when is she coming back?”

  “I don’t know, but I’ll try to call her later and find out,” he tells me.

  “Yeah,” I say, hoping the fact that he mentioned calling her means that she won’t be coming over to his place later tonight.

  “You look like you need some sleep, so I’m going to head on out,” Nix says after my eyes drift closed again.

  “Okay.”

  “See ya tomorrow and try not to worry about shit,” I hear him say with a pat on my left arm.

  “I won’t,” I agree.

  Although for the life of me I can’t remember what I’m supposed to be worried about except why Kelsey isn’t here.