That task proved impossible, because I kept revisiting the thought that Hannah could possibly be Rita’s daughter, too. If Rita had dropped her off at St. Peter’s, and Grandpa said Hannah had been directed to them by St. Peters – well, that was a little too strange to be a coincidence (if I believed in coincidence anyway, which I liked to think I didn’t). Considering that and the fact that Meg said Hannah came to live with them right after everything happened with Darlene – Hannah actually might turn out to be my sister. There was definitely a possibility, anyway.
Either way, now that I knew for sure that Rita had been Darlene at one time, I could be absolutely certain that Charlie Camden was my grandpa. If that was true, it meant that Isabel was without a doubt my grandma, which meant the subject of the journal I was holding was absolutely, without question, my great-grandmother. So, I found myself pondering the crazy turn of events that left me once again researching my own family history, which was pretty remarkable.
“I guess the lasagna is proof that you went to Aunt Rosalie’s today,” Cole interrupted my thoughts, walking into the room wearing a pair of black jogging shorts and holding his green t-shirt in his fist. With me gazing at him like a lovesick girl, he stretched his arms above his head and pulled the t-shirt across his chest before he gave me a dazzling smile.
“Sometimes I think you do that on purpose,” I told him, shaking my head.
“Do what?” he wondered, sitting next to me and putting both his arms around me.
“You know, the whole, ‘look how handsome I am’ routine you have, flashing your muscles and such.”
“It’s not hard to be irresistible to someone who clearly can’t resist you,” he whispered, kissing my cheek. “That’s how I feel when you make your pouty little faces or can’t stop staring at me.”
“I’ll have to start pouting more often then,” I said with a laugh. “Anyway, to answer your question, I was at Aunt Rosalie’s today. You were too, weren’t you?”
“I might have stopped by there this morning,” he admitted guiltily. “All I managed to do was leave feeling like a bit of a jerk, but Aunt Rosalie can put me in my place faster than almost anyone I know.”
“Well, she was singing your praises when I was there, so her aggravation must have been short-lived,” I informed him. “Me, on the other hand… Rita really got the better of me, I’m afraid. I need to learn to control my temper around her.”
“You talked to her, then?” he confirmed. “I wish you would have let me come with you.”
“That probably wouldn’t have been a good idea,” I laughed. “Trust me, I thought about tossing her in the river a couple of times, so I can’t imagine what you would have done. Considering the fact that you threw me halfway through the woods this morning…”
“Please don’t tease me about that,” he begged. “I still feel terrible about pushing you so hard.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I insisted. “So what if I’m married to the Incredible Hulk? I’m not sure who you’re trying to impress, though, with all that brute strength you’re exhibiting lately. Are you practicing to be a gladiator or something?”
“A gladiator,” he chuckled, leaning his side against the couch and staring at me. “No, but if I tell you, I don’t want you to be too disappointed when it doesn’t work out.”
“What, you’re keeping a secret from me?” I asked, feigning astonishment. “When what doesn’t work out?”
“There’s a pretty big chance it won’t. I mean, the chances of it working out are slim to none.”
“Will you just tell me already?” I pleaded, making a little pouty face for effect. Instead of saying something, he moved in to kiss me, pulling me against him. It wasn’t clear if he thought that would distract me, but as soon as his lips left mine, he laughed because he knew I wasn’t going to let it drop.
“Okay, here goes,” he breathed out, taking my hands. “I’ve been talking to a few of my contacts from when I played ball, and a couple of them think maybe they might be able to get me an invitation in the spring. They’re trying to help me, and I just want to be in the best shape I can.”
“An invitation, like to spring training?” I clarified with wide eyes. “You want to play baseball again?”
“Yes,” he whispered animatedly. “I know it’s completely crazy, but… Cam, you make me feel like I can do crazy things. It’s such a long shot, but I don’t want to regret not trying.”
“You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?” I said, laughing at his giddiness.
“I really am,” he chuckled. “Listen to me, I’m like a kid, excited about a dream that has almost zero chance of becoming a reality. I would have never had the courage to even attempt this if you hadn’t come along.”
“Well, that’s just silly,” I told him, smiling into his dark eyes, “but I am excited for you to follow your dream, and I’m beyond happy to be sharing this journey with you.”
“Me, too,” he stated, taking a deep breath. “Now, to get back to the original subject, what did you manage to find out from Rita?”
“That she is Darlene. She had a baby, and I suspect that could be Hannah. She has never cared about anyone, and still doesn’t.”
“Wait a minute – you think Hannah is Rita’s daughter?” he asked, brow furrowed.
“Circumstantially, maybe,” I agreed. “She told me that she had her baby in Philadelphia, and that she took her daughter to St. Peter’s. Well, Grandpa told me the other day that Hannah came from St. Peter’s. It just seems rather suspect, that they happened so close to one another, that’s all.”
“Wow,” he muttered, widening his eyes a bit. “That is rather odd, but I don’t suppose you could prove it without tests or something.”
“No, I suppose not.”
“But Charlie is definitely your grandpa,” he added, smiling. “That’s almost unbelievable, isn’t it?”
“Definitely, but when I was thinking about that today with Rita, it just infuriated me. I’ve been reading those journals, and when I think of all the questions I would have liked to ask, and the time that has been stolen from me because of her… Well, it doesn’t matter, I suppose, because it’s too late.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he told me. “Just be grateful for what you’ve found, instead of being upset over what you’ve missed.”
“I fully intend to, and I’m going to start with you.” I leaned over to kiss him, and then he simply smiled. “By the way, your oven timer went off when you were in the middle of your baseball excitement a bit ago. If dinner is burnt tonight, it’s all you.” Muttering under his breath, he jumped up and headed into the kitchen, grabbing an oven mitt and pulling down the door. When he breathed a sigh of relief that everything looked fine, I felt a little jealous. No, I didn’t want our dinner ruined, but it would have been nice if something went wrong in the culinary department for someone other than me for a change.
We ate our dinner slowly, since Cole suddenly wanted to regale me with tales of his college baseball exploits. The thought in his mind that he might actually get to play ball again one day had apparently broken the floodgates, because he seriously couldn’t stop. When he was about four stories in, I asked if he wanted me to go get the video tapes from his mom’s attic, at which point he only laughed.
Rather than change the subject to something other than baseball, he began detailing all the facets of the game that he needed to work on, and the more he rattled on, the more fascinating I found his enthusiasm. It felt like I went at least thirty minutes without saying a word, which was definitely unusual. When he got up from the table to retrieve a couple of spice bottles to help show me where the players stood on a difficult play he was trying to describe, I finally started giggling at him. He seemed to realize what he was doing then, because he sheepishly grinned at me and laughed a little at himself.
He didn’t have long to feel silly about his actions, because the phone started ringing, and instinctively I knew it was Charlie. If he was half
as curious as I was about whether or not Rita was actually Darlene, it was a surprise that it took him that long to call again. Instead of taking the call privately, Cole just put it on speaker from the beginning.
“Hey, brother,” he said in that familiar way he talked to Charlie now, which I sort of loved.
“Hey, what’s up?” Charlie answered in a very guy-like manner, causing me to chuckle as I rose from the table and put my dishes in the sink.
“Oh, Cole’s just setting up a baseball diamond on the dinner table,” I teased, causing my husband to narrow his eyes at me a little.
“That sounds odd,” Charlie stated, clearing his throat. “Sorry guys, I don’t think I can small talk until I hear the details about Rita. This thing with a possible grandpa named Charlie is driving me insane.”
“Finally, someone insane besides me!” I exclaimed, while Cole walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“Yeah, yeah, you caught me,” Charlie chuckled. “Did you talk to her today?”
“More than I’ve ever talked to her in my life,” I admitted, as Cole rested his chin on my shoulder.
“And?” Charlie asked hesitantly.
“And, it’s all true. She was Darlene Camden, once upon a time. Charlie is her father. She had a daughter, so we have a sister out there, somewhere.” I stopped short of telling Charlie about Hannah, because it felt funny repeating it when I wasn’t sure if it was true. “She didn’t care about them. For a split second when she mentioned her dad, I thought she might actually have honest human feelings, but she quickly proved me wrong. She’s just this totally heartless…ugh. I need to stop before my blood pressure goes through the roof.”
“I’d love to meet him,” Charlie stated quietly. It was hard for me to imagine how much this meant to Charlie, finding out that he had a grandpa he was named after.
“You will, Charlie,” I assured him.
“No, I’m serious, Cammie,” he said more forcefully. “Trina’s mother’s here this week, and I’ve got vacation time I can use. You’ll go with me, won’t you, since he already knows you?”
“Back to Philadelphia?” I clarified, slightly taken aback. Cole removed his arms from my waist and took a few steps from me, linking his fingers together behind his head and emitting a loud sigh.
“I can’t,” Cole informed us, shaking his head. “I’ve got way too much work to do, since we’re going to be gone next week.”
“Well, what about you, Cam?” Charlie wondered. “It would be just like our old-time road trips we used to take.”
“That’s one massive road trip,” I muttered, not relishing the thought of leaving Cole alone, or being away from him.
“Please,” Charlie sadly added. “I know you don’t want to leave, and I get that, and I also know I’m being selfish, but will you do this one thing for me, sis? You’re the heart that sort of held everything together growing up with Grandma, and I need you there with me to make this feel real.”
Tears filled my eyes as I looked over at Cole, who had leaned back against the kitchen counter and had his fist held against his mouth, not showing any visible reaction. Smiling sadly at him, I shook my head and turned to look out the window as a solitary tear found its way down my cheek. Reaching out to catch my hand, he pulled me toward him until I was close enough that he could fold me in his arms.
“She’ll go with you, Charlie,” Cole told my brother. “You deserve to know your grandpa, and Camdyn will stand there with you.”
“Thanks,” Charlie whispered, pausing to clear his throat. “I can be there in the morning.” When he added that, I couldn’t help but laugh in surprise against Cole’s chest.
“Jeez, you’re a little overeager,” Cole chuckled. “I’m not sure if I should be happy for you finding out about your family, or if I want to be mad at you. I’ve barely been married two weeks, and you want to take my wife on a road trip.”
“I’ll make it up to you somehow,” Charlie insisted with a laugh.
“It better be something good,” Cole informed him. “She’ll be ready in the morning, and I hope for your sake that I’m in a good mood when you get here.”
“Thank you, seriously,” Charlie said. “I’ll see you in the morning.” With that, he was gone, and Cole let his shoulders sag as I pulled back to look up at his face. The look passed between us revealed that neither one of us wanted me to go to Philadelphia, but it was too late. He had made the promise to Charlie, and it was settled. He was definitely regretting it, though – I could see it in his eyes.
“So, dishes,” I suggested with a weary smile, throwing a glance at the sink. Instead of moving, though, he placed his hand along my neck and pushed my chin up until I was looking at him.
“Those dishes will be there tomorrow. If I’ve only got a few hours until you disappear, I’m not wasting them.”
-§-
When I woke up Wednesday morning to the sight of Cole propped up on one elbow staring at me, I immediately wished I had done something to convince Charlie that a road trip was not necessary. Not only would I miss the opportunity to wake up to his beautiful smile, but he wouldn’t sing to me at the end of the day, either, pretending that we were slow-dancing to the imaginary music. Instead, I was going to be stuck in a car all day and waking up in a hotel room with my brother’s smelly socks thrown around the floor.
Yuck.
“Do I disgust you?” Cole whispered, wrinkling up his nose.
“Quite the opposite,” I assured him. “I was just thinking about staying in a hotel with Charlie. Shouldn’t you be out of bed already?” He leaned toward me a bit, and I backed away from him.
“Just can’t seem to make that happen today,” he informed me, raising one eyebrow. Chuckling, I tried to move further from him.
“You’re going to be late for work.”
“Do not care,” he insisted. “Why are you running from me?”
“I need to brush my teeth!” I stated, right before he rolled for me. I jerked myself over about a foot, but didn’t judge my position correctly, and I slid off the side of the bed, landing with a thud on the floor with the sheet wrapped around me like a cocoon. Demanding that he stop laughing, I instructed him to hold that thought while I closed myself in the bathroom.
Why does he have to be so darn adorable?
Scratch that, I’m not complaining. I love it that he makes me feel this way, but…
Ugh, Charlie Taylor, you kill joy!
“What are you doing in there?” Cole wanted to know.
“Um, brushing my teeth, and maybe having a mental argument with myself about my stupid brother.”
“Well, hurry up and finish your argument, or I’m coming in after you.” Smiling around my toothbrush, I took a moment to try to smooth my hair in the front, giving myself the once-over in the mirror. I quickly dug my teeth into my bottom lip to give it a little color, and then I swung the door open, leaning against the frame.
“Is there something you needed, Mr. Parker?” I was trying my hardest to look cute propped against that door, but when my hand slipped and I managed to slide halfway down the wall, it kind of ruined the effect.
“Cam, you are so irresistible,” he laughed, giving me that smile.
“Oh, you like that, do you?” I teased him. “Maybe for an encore I could crack my head on the dresser.”
“No, just get over here already,” he ordered, but the moment I reached him, there was a loud knock downstairs.
“Someone’s here,” I whispered as he leaned in to kiss me. Resting his forehead against my cheek, he let out a sigh.
“You’re hearing things. It’s just Pop.” Another knock rang through the house, and he sat back and muttered something under his breath.
“You’re hearing things,” I mocked him as he climbed out of bed.
“If that’s your brother already, I’m going to…”
Leaving his sentence unfinished, he huffed angrily and started walking toward the stairs. Picking up the sheet from wher
e it had moments ago encircled me on the floor, I fussed about the bed for a minute, trying to get it back in order. By the time I finished, I could hear Cole’s faint voice conversing with someone, and I figured he had been right in guessing it was Charlie. After a feeble attempt at making myself presentable, I moved toward the stairs to join them.
“Charlie’s here,” Cole said without emotion when I emerged into the room, rubbing his hand across his forehead. Charlie stood in the doorway, one arm at his side and the other at the top of Pop’s head, who was sitting by his feet expectantly.
“Seven o’clock, really, Charlie?” I asked, shaking my head as I walked over to him.
“We’re going to be in the car all day, Cammie,” he told me very seriously. “All day. It’s over fourteen hours, one way.”
“Why didn’t you just fly there?” Cole wanted to know.
“Charlie hates planes,” I informed him. “He thinks they’re gigantic germ-filled tubes, and he doesn’t like the bathrooms.”
“Hey, it’s a very confined breathing area, alright? Besides, I want to be able to use the restroom when I feel like it. Every time I need to go, suddenly they’re all on me to fasten my seatbelt.”
“See that, Cole?” I smiled up at my husband. “Charlie has weird quirks just like me – you just haven’t been privy to them yet.”
“Did you pack extra clothes?” Charlie interrupted. “Every time we’re in the car together, you have some kind of accident.”
“That was before,” I assured him. “I am a responsible, married woman now, and I will not be ingesting any guacamole from a taco cart today.”
“Sheesh, Cam, you’re disgusting,” Charlie laughed. “What do you say? Are you ready?”
“No, she’s not ready,” Cole told him, pretending to shut the door in his face. “We need at least an hour.”
“Oh, come on!” Charlie exclaimed, pushing the door back open. “We’re burning daylight.” I had to laugh at Cole then, because he seriously looked like Charlie had stolen his lunch money or something. If I had to choose one word to describe him at that moment, it would have been deflated. When I smiled to try to cheer him up, he wouldn’t even smile back at me – just gave me this little smirk, and even that was halfhearted.
A Reason to Forget (The Camdyn Series Book 3) Page 15