by Eva Andrews
Cameron
Walking into my house at 4am to see the remnants of my birthday party-gone-wrong made me depressed. I had fucked up and not made it home as promised. Shit, the past few days had been a living nightmare from the moment I left New Orleans.
Once again I had let Lana influence me into thinking I needed to look into Shayne’s background before I went any further. Although I made sure to tell the woman to fuck off seeing how it wasn’t her job to say, it had seeded a hint of doubt.
I did wonder if the baby story was true, that stuff could be easily made up and no one would ask for proof. Because if you did, you were a dick. Not that I thought she was a liar, but I just felt there was more Shayne wasn’t telling me.
She had been cautious about what she shared about her upbringing and past. She rarely talked about her dad, she never talked about her mother. Chris was the only person she would openly talk about.
No matter how much time I gave her, she just wouldn’t let me in. It bothered the fuck out of me. I told her I loved her, hell, she even loves me back, but can’t tell me what the fuck happened? I knew that was the part that finally made me break down and reach out to Black Security.
They had done work for me in the past, and I knew I could trust them.
Looking around my kitchen, I knew I had missed the party because I made the decision to skip it. My jet landed in enough time for me to make it, but I had cried off.
That made me feel like the biggest piece of shit ever. Clearly my girlfriend had worked hard on the party, only to have me cancel like an ass. Hell, she hadn’t even been mad. She had just accepted it with a sad sigh.
Little did she know I had a million questions for her. All of them stemming from what that damn email said. That email had only made me even more desperate for answers. Answers I wanted from Shayne herself, not some underground intel group.
I didn’t know how to start that conversation with her without implicating myself, but shit, if that is what I had to do then fine. She’d be pissed, but if she loved me she’d listen to me long enough to understand I had my reasons.
Walking upstairs, I wondered where Max was when I saw the light inside my room. Walking in, my computer was facing the door with something on the screen. Hitting the lights, I looked around and it hit me.
Shayne had moved in with me.
Holy shit, walking back out of the bedroom I looked around the house quickly and I saw boxes of her stuff neatly tucked against walls. She had done it, she had finally agreed to move in with me.
Grinning, I went back to my room and noticed my bed looked like it hadn’t been slept in.
“Shay? Max?” I called out, wondering where they were. Walking over to my computer, my heart hit my ass when I saw the emailed pulled up on the screen.
Looking at the hand-written message next to my keyboard I closed my eyes and dropped into the chair.
It looks like I wasn’t the only one who made a bad decision. Your family will be over tomorrow to remove my belongings. Goodbye. S
“Fuck!”
She had seen it.
I wasn’t sure where she had gone but he knew she wasn’t here. Given that she mentioned my dad and brother, I figured she was at one of their houses for the night. I knew she had to have found the email between 2am and now, what I didn’t know is if I had just fucked up forever.
Pulling my phone out, I called dad first. I had a suspicion dad was the first person Shayne might call if she needed to escape. Running down to the garage, I noticed the Chevelle was gone just as my dad answered.
“Cameron.” He stated, his voice firm and very awake for 4am.
“Dad, shit. Um, have you heard from Shayne? Do you know where she is?” I hadn’t thought of what to say to him before I called.
“We spent all day with her. Last time I saw her, we were giving her a hug after you failed to show up at your own party. We went home, and left her in her new home- which I hear is changing again.”
My dad’s tone was frigid. He was taking Shayne’s side, which, he should. I was the one who fucked up, not her. I was a shitty, insecure boyfriend.
“Dad…”
“Cameron Jameson Carmichael, I will be at your house in three minutes,” and then he hung up on me.
Looking at my phone in shock, my parents’ home was an hour away.
Well shit, I was about to have a fight with my dad over my girlfriend. Never thought this day would happen, but then again, he and my mom had become overly protective of Shayne since she had moved to town.
Waiting in the kitchen, I wasn’t surprised when my dad walked right in and slammed the door behind him.
“Is she okay?” I asked, I didn’t even bother to wait until he sat down next to me.
Clearing his throat, his dark blue eyes drilled into mine, “Yes.”
Sighing, I ran my hand through my hair, “Where is she?”
“Safe.”
Pushing away from the counter, I had enough. Shouting, “One word answers Dad, really? Boy, I can tell you’re fucking livid with me right now…and I know, I fucking deserve it! How about instead of making me feel worse, you help me figure out how the fuck to fix this!”
“What were you thinking Cameron? I’ve raised you better than this, your mother has raised you better than this. You are a true gentleman, a southern gentleman and you hire someone to look into her past and finances?”
“I thought it was too good to be true. Lana hit nerve with me and sent me doubting everything I had built with Shayne. I just knew there was shit she wasn’t telling me, I was had been so patient with her over the past weeks. I just needed to know, now I finally get her to move in with me after weeks of asking her and then she finds that….”
Crossing his arms, “What are you going to do about it?”
“She won’t take me back, not after that, that is like cheating in her eyes. I didn’t trust her.”
Shrugging, my dad looked at me with a mix of disappointment and hope, “Time to go all in Cam, no other way. One wrong move and you’ll blow it, you don’t have any room for mistakes from here on out.”
Knowing he knew, I asked with a bit of force, “Where is she?”
“At the ship you bought her, but didn’t tell her about. Which really gets me Son, you bought her a multi-million dollar yacht. Then you got this crazy idea she might only want you for your money? Really? Do you realize how fucked up that is?”
“I know Dad, I realize how backwards I’m doing everything.” I admitted freely, “Did she tell you that her and I were trying to have a baby? A baby, Dad.”
I could see him instantly thaw.
“No Son, she did not. I suspect that is something she wanted to keep between you two. She doesn’t tell us everything Cam, we aren’t picking sides Son.”
“It kinda feels like it Dad.”
Grinning, he reached over and thumped my back, “You just don’t like anyone calling you out on your bullshit Cameron, you’ve been like that since you were a little boy. You are a straight shooter, you don’t hide things from people. Not everyone is like you.”
“I just want her to let me in.” I admit freely. I don’t even care how big of a pussy it makes me sound.
“Tell me what bothers you the most Cam, the thing that you think is the biggest issue for you.”
I didn’t even hesitate, “Her mother, she won’t talk about her. I know she’s alive, and something happened where both Shayne and Chris don’t talk to their only living relative. I thought with enough time she’d open up, let me in. I was praying she’d trust me enough with that final piece of her, but she won’t.”
“Is that the reason why you ordered the dive into her past? You hoped to get some piece of the puzzle worked out?”
“Yes. Okay, yes.”
“Then I would say you should lead with that,” pointing at him, his dad scowled, “don’t fuck this up, we love her!” Standing up, he patted his back again and then walked out the front door as quickly as he had come in.
Wow. A five-minute conversation with my dad shifted my entire world.
Running upstairs, I showered and changed as quickly as possible. Picking a different car, I left the house and headed for the harbor.
A very large part of me was happy she had fled to the marina. The yacht was meant to be an escape for her. When I finalized the paperwork, I paid in full and had it put into Shayne’s name as the owner. She was the official owner of our unnamed yacht. I had bought it for her as a future wedding gift.
Groaning to myself as I drove across town, I was doing everything so fucking backwards. I hadn’t gotten my way, so I went around her and tried to get the intel myself. I was a dick, but hopefully she’d forgive me.
Honestly there was worse I could have done, but I had invaded her privacy. If I put myself in her shoes, I would be fucking pissed off too. Speeding towards the marina, I tried to figure out what I was going to do.
A large part of me wanted to pull the yacht out of the marina and drive out into the ocean where she couldn’t get away from me. Then I thought how shitty of a person I would be if I did that.
Yes, I wanted to talk to her and work this shit out, but I didn’t want to isolate her and freak her out when she fled to a place that was meant to be her safe space. The best I could come up with was pull something together at the last minute that might equal things up, as best as I could for the time being.
Chapter 14
Shayne
Waking to the smell of strong coffee and bacon, my stomach growled and then I realized I was supposed to be alone on the yacht.
Sitting up in bed, in Cameron’s bed…I looked around and saw Max was missing.
Traitor.
Rubbing my eyes, I saw a folder sitting next to me on the pillow that belong to Cameron. There was a note on it that said ‘Read me’.
Grabbing the thick folder, I opened it and wondered what the hell that man was up to now. I should have known he’d find me quickly. It wasn’t like I took great lengths to hide from him. If I had been, there were plenty of other places I could have escaped.
Thumbing through the first few pages I didn’t realize what I was reading, but the third page I knew exactly what he had given me. It was a background check on him. His military records, his bank accounts, his holdings and liabilities. It had everything he owned cataloged as well as specifics and financial status of his company.
Reading for almost an hour, I didn’t feel ashamed one bit.
Slipping out of bed, I went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth. Not even bothering to change, I went in search of him. If we were going to fight, then fine, best to get it out of the way. I walked out of the bedroom in search of him. Since we were in the harbor I figured he’d be somewhere private for our talk.
Heading to his office, I found him sleeping in the leather recliner. Max was lying at his feet, sleeping as well. Taking a moment, I watched him sleep and wondered what he thought when he arrived home.
I would have assumed he would have woken me up when he got here late last night. Instead, he let me sleep and left the very informative packet on the bed. Taking a deep breath, I picked up the cup of now cold coffee and took a drink.
What was I going to do with him?
I loved him, I really fucking loved him.
Last night I was sure this had been a deal breaker, now, I wasn’t sure at all. He didn’t cheat, he didn’t hurt me physically. He had just bought information on me. Yeah, it was pretty shitty, but we both deserved to talk this shit out.
The last thing I was going to do, was assume.
Call me weak, but I wanted him to reassure me. I needed his strength, even if it was the end of us, I needed him to help me on whatever direction our journey was headed.
Slipping into his lap as gentle as I could, I snuggled up against his chest and felt him wake up and slowly wrap his arms around me.
Hugging me tightly he buried his face in my hair and just held me.
This is what I needed. In a world that seemed like a battlefield at times, I needed my man to pull me into him and shield me from everything. I didn’t need his money or his possessions, I needed him to want to protect me. I wanted to be loved, to be cherished and to know he would always take my side.
“I’m going to talk, and I hope I can help explain why you found what you did. Okay?” He whispered into my ear.
Nodding, it was the best I could give.
My heart was pounding, part of me began to worry if he was getting ready to pull the plug.
“For weeks I’ve been waiting for you to tell me about that part of your life you refuse to discuss. I was hoping you’d let me in, even a sliver of something to work with.”
Taking a moment, he ran his hand through my hair and pulled me closer.
“Last week Lana had gotten wind that I bought you a very large present, she lost her shit. She assumed you made me buy you it. She speculated you were a gold-digger, that you didn’t want me for any other reason but my deep pocketbooks.”
“That’s bullshit Cam, you know that.” I spoke up, unable to stay silent when it came to that.
“I just, I guess the military side of me wanted to know the details. In my head, everything is a puzzle. I was hoping I could find something that would help me figure you out.”
“You could have asked.”
“Shayne.” His tone told me he was calling me out. Rightfully.
Cringing, “Sorry. You asked, I pushed back.”
“It was wrong of me to do, I’m sorry that I invaded your privacy Shayne. That file didn’t help me at all, it only gave me more questions.”
“Ask me Cameron. We aren’t going to leave this boat until we lay it all out on the table.”
“Why is there a five-year span of your life that is blacked out like it doesn’t exist? Why did it happen right after I left for overseas?”
“I was in witness protection. My mother was drunk driving and killed my father, along with two mob affiliates. In order to protect me, the government stepped in.”
“Is that why you act like your mother doesn’t exist? Because she killed your father in a car accident?”
“That is part of the reason. She was drunk, refused to listen to reason and insisted upon driving home. She killed three fathers that night, and had the audacity to blame it on my dad. I will never forgive her for taking him away. He might have had some ties with the Chicago mob, but he was a good dad.”
“What about the money Shayne? Why didn’t you tell me you were a millionaire? Don’t you think that would have eased any fears I might have had?”
Looking at me, “When we first met, did you tell me that you were a millionaire?”
Shaking his head, “No, the first time I met you I was about to deploy to Afghanistan, so that would have been a lie. I was just a solider, I hadn’t started my company yet. The second time I met you, I was technically a billionaire, so that would be a lie too.”
Swatting him, “Very funny.”
“But really Shayne, tell me the story. I want to hear all of it.”
Settling in, “The story, up until the first time I met you is- I lost my dad when I was eighteen. I was about to go college, and the trouble hadn’t started with the mob yet. A few months later I met you at Cornell when you came to say goodbye to Jud before you deployed.”
“I remember that weekend well.”
“I don’t know if you remember me talking about an assignment I was given in my civil engineering class. It was a national contest with NASA, my design ended up winning. I hold the patent for it, and NASA has been using it for almost ten years.”
“Holy shit Shayne. You designed something and NASA bought it?”
Nodding, “Well, we designed something that Nasa bought.”
Confusion swept across his face, “Enlighten me.”
“That weekend you came to Cornell; we were talking about my assignment. You and I sat at that little Irish Pub while Jud played guitar, and we sketched a design together on a shitty cocktail
napkin.”
“I remember, but I didn’t help you design it at all Shayne. You had it all in your brain, we just worked it out on paper together.”
Smiling, “I knew you’d be like that. Anyway, when I filed for the patent I only put my name down. I knew if I listed you, I’d need you present to sign all the legal paperwork. With you in Afghanistan…”
“You would have lost the patent to a leech who would have copied your work and made millions.”
Nodding, “I went from drowning in college loans to a to a millionaire overnight. That is where shit got worse with my mother. She found out I had made a lot of money and demanded I pay her back for raising me.”
“Are you fucking kidding me right now?”
“I wish I was. She was serious. Whatever life insurance my dad had, she had blown through in less than a year, and owed some bad people money. She had found out about my windfall with NASA and demanded I give her money. When I refused, she threatened me.”
“Jesus Christ Shayne, I’m so sorry. She sounds like an awful bitch.”
“That isn’t even the worst Cam. She’s the reason I lost our baby.”
I could feel him stiffen underneath me. I felt bad, but he deserved to know, he deserved to know why I truly hated her and wrote her off forever.
“Tell me exactly what happened.” He wasn’t asking, and I didn’t blame him. The child I lost was just as much his, as it was mine. He deserved to know.
Clearing my throat, “When I refused to pay her off, she was so fucking high on heroin she hired someone in the mod to kidnap me. They were to keep me prisoner until my ransom was paid. The instructions were clear- by any means necessary, just keep me alive until I agreed to pay her.”
Cameron knew exactly what by any means necessary meant. It meant, they could do anything but kill me. That left a very wide range of options for my captors to dabble with.
Sinking his hands into my hair, he brought my face to his.
Looking into his eyes, I could see the pain I was causing. No matter the pain, he deserved to know. He would want to feel it, to shoulder the pain with me. I didn’t have to own all the pain any longer.