I was just glad to see that everything with his brother seemed to be behind him. I wanted us to enjoy our time with my family and our first Christmas together. It was a heady feeling to think about the fact that I hadn’t even known him five weeks earlier, back when I’d been depressed over David. But David had never made me feel like Cam did.
I was myself with Cam, a hundred percent of the time. With David I’d constantly second-guessed what I said, what I wore, if I was good enough for him. Maybe it was his age, or maybe it was just that we weren’t as compatible as I thought, and I was trying to force things that weren’t going to fit. But I hadn’t seen it at the time. Hindsight was always, painfully, twenty-twenty, but it was even clearer than that for me when I considered how I felt about Cam.
He was exactly the guy I’d never known I’d been looking for – even if being with him came with a side of being in the public eye. It was the only downfall. Well, that and the fact that he lived in L.A. and traveled half the year. But I didn’t want to think about those things now. We were going to be together for the next few days, and that was all that mattered.
“So, we’re meeting Gabe for lunch?” Cam asked as he took my hand in his and we walked toward the SUV that was waiting for us.
I nodded. “We are. He’s excited to meet you.”
Cam kissed my cheek as he opened the door for me. “And I’m excited to meet him – the man who was more interesting than me that you couldn’t stop texting him to pay attention to my amazing singing.”
I rolled my eyes. “I told you I was sorry about that. You’re really not going to let it go, are you?”
Cam turned my face toward his and shook his head. “Nope. Now kiss me before I go insane.”
“That’s a line from a Westside song,” I said, feigning shock. “Plagiarizer.”
It was from their new single, Swept Away, that I actually liked. Hearing Cam’s voice and picturing him singing had turned me into a fan of the song. His voice was beautiful, just like him.
Cam grinned. “I wrote that line, so it’s not technically plagiarizing. I’m allowed to quote myself.”
“But Van sings the lyric in the song,” I reminded him, pretty sure I was right.
He looked even more impressed that I knew that. “You know our voices.”
“I watched the video, and I watched you perform it, so yeah. I figured it out. By now I can pretty much tell who sings what in every song, but your voice is always the most distinctive.”
“Because it’s raspy,” he said, not sounding like he loved the sound of his voice that much.
“It’s also sexy, and it sucks you into the song.”
Cam grinned, unable to help himself. “Seriously?”
“Yes,” I said as I kissed him, knowing it was what he wanted. “So if you wrote it, how come Van gets to sing it?”
Cam shrugged as he pulled back from the kiss, but he didn’t go far. “The harmony worked out better with him singing that part. It’s not like I called dibs. There are lines that he or Dillon or Phillip have written that I sing. It’s a collaborative effort whenever we contribute to a song. There are even times when I’ve come up with a lyric that we’ve ended up changing or tweaking to make it fit better. It’s about making the song great, and egos can get in the way of that.”
I nodded. “Makes sense.”
Twenty minutes later, Chris pulled in front of the valet at the restaurant in Buckhead where we were meeting Gabe, and I started to get excited about the two most important men in my life meeting. My stomach was churning a bit since Gabe had never liked one of my boyfriends. He protected me more than was necessary, and he never felt like anyone was good enough for me. In fact, his indifference toward most guys I’d been with had led to more fights since each guy thought Gabe was jealous because he was in love with me. Since I’d never told his secret to anyone, it had always been a thing between me and my boyfriends.
But Cam knew. I’d slipped up and told him, so I knew that wouldn’t be an issue with him. It was odd. I’d kept that secret for ten years. Hannah and Tory didn’t even know, and of course my parents were oblivious to it, but I’d told Cam when I’d barely known him. For some reason that weighed heavily on my chest in a way that excited me as much as it made me wonder if there was a reason why I’d opened up to him.
Of course I knew that was why I’d done it – subconscious or not, the connection between Cam and me had been there from the start. And it only seemed to be getting stronger.
Cam climbed out of the SUV and took my hand to help me out. It was infinitely warmer in Atlanta than it had been in Detroit, and I was glad to shed my heavy coat. The sun was shining, and the boy holding my hand had a huge smile on his face when he looked at me. Life was good.
“Gabe!” I squealed when I saw Gabe standing with his back to us when we entered the restaurant.
He turned around, and I was already throwing myself into his arms for a hug. His strong arms wrapped around me, holding me tight as he told me how much he’d missed me. I pulled back and looked up at him with a smirky smile on my face.
“This new,” I said, stroking the almost beard on his face. It was enough scruff to constitute a beard, but it wasn’t bushy in the least. In fact, it made him look older, sexier somehow.
Gabe chuckled. “It’s something I’m trying out for someone who likes facial hair.”
I grinned. “Dane,” I whispered and saw Gabe’s cheeks flush. “I wish he could have come with us today.”
“Me too,” Gabe said around a sigh. “But we’ve already hung out in public twice this week, which is the quota we decided on, so it doesn’t look like we’re only hanging out with each other.” He shrugged. “You’ll meet him tonight though. He’s coming over to my place for cocktails after we do the dinner thing with our parents.”
I saw him fighting the eye roll that he so badly wanted to express. We loved our parents, but there were certain expectations that came with spending time with them. All the manners and charms we were taught as kids would be demanded, and the conversations would center around only topics that were acceptable for dinner. I knew it would be completely different than the dinners we’d had with Cam’s family.
“Our parents are going to be disappointed that another guy scooped me up before you had a chance to ask me out,” I said, shaking my head.
It was a running joke between Gabe and me that our parents would have paid good money for us to fall in love with each other. Our poor, hopeful parents. They’d never get their wish.
“So, are they going to hate me because I’m not the guy they picked out for you?” Cam jokingly asked as he came up behind me, his arms threading around my waist.
I smiled up at Gabe. “Gabe, this is Camden Baylor, my boyfriend,” I said, the word making happiness bubble up inside me. “Cam, this is my best friend in the whole world, Gabe Lightner.”
Cam’s left arm squeezed me tighter and his right arm extended to shake Gabe’s hand.
“Anyone who makes Andi smile like this is a good guy in my book,” Gabe said. “It’s nice to meet you, Cam.”
Cam leaned over and looked at me, his arms still firmly around my middle. “What smile are you giving him?”
I looked up and smiled at him. “This one.”
He pressed his lips to mine, making my smile grow wider.
“Okay, enough. You’re making me jealous,” Gabe commented, shaking his head.
“Why? You had your chance with me, and you turned me down.”
“Because kissing you felt like kissing my sister. Sorry,” he said around a shiver.
I laughed.
“So you two have hooked up,” Cam said, pulling me back against him. “I wondered about that.”
Gabe shrugged as the hostess approached us to let us know our table was ready. She was college-aged, and I noticed she looked at Cam with interest, but she didn’t say anything.
“Hi, how are you?” he asked her as she led us to our table, her cheeks flushing as she swallowed h
ard.
“I’m fine,” she said softly as she laid our menus on the table. “Um, here’s your table. Enjoy your lunch.”
Then she hurried away, leaving Gabe to shake his head in bewilderment.
“Have a seat,” he said as he slid into one side of the booth and gestured to the space across from him.
As we sat, I picked up my menu to see what I wanted to eat. I’d never eaten there before. It was a newer trendy restaurant that Gabe said was awesome.
“So you’re legitimately famous,” Gabe said to Cam.
“I guess so,” Cam said, playing it off.
“Stuff like that happens to you a lot, doesn’t it?”
“The hostess?” Cam questioned, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.
“Yeah, she was a little flustered,” Gabe said with enough sarcasm lacing his tone that I could tell this conversation might be going somewhere that wasn’t going to make me happy.
Cam laughed, unaware of what Gabe was doing. “Yeah, it happens,” he said, shrugging. “Occupational hazard, I suppose.”
“Hi folks,” our waitress said as she approached our table. I’d never been so glad to see her. “How are we today?”
“Fine thanks,” Gabe said cheerfully as I watched him carefully.
I had half a mind to kick him under the table if he started anything. He knew how much Cam meant to me. We’d had enough conversations about how Cam was different from the guys I usually dated. Hopefully he’d just let whatever he was thinking go.
The waitress took our drink orders with little fanfare, since she was too old to know who Cam was, and when she left, Gabe’s gaze focused back on Cam who was eyeing his menu with curiosity. Gabe wasn’t going to let anything go.
“So, what’s good here?” Cam asked, looking up at Gabe who had his arms folded on the table. His body language said things were about to get ugly.
“Gabe, don’t,” I warned him.
He shot a look at me that told me he wasn’t going to listen.
“Okay,” Cam said, closing his menu as he looked back and forth from Gabe to me, our eyes locked in a steely gaze. “I’m guessing this is when the best friend inquisition starts. Let’s do it.”
“No, let’s not do it,” I said through gritted teeth.
“I’m fine with it,” he assured me as he put an arm around me, causing Gabe to narrow his eyes.
“Gabe, stop it,” I growled at him. “What is your problem?”
The waitress returned with our drinks and took our food order, giving us a small reprieve before we were alone again.
“Ask me anything you want to know,” Cam said confidently as he took a sip of his sweet tea.
Gabe just stared at him as I rolled my eyes. He could be such a child. “Fine. Tell me how you met Andi.”
“You know this story,” I reminded Gabe. “I told you it in detail.”
“I want to hear it from him,” Gabe said sharply.
“Gabe, this was supposed to be a fun lunch. I wanted to introduce you guys. You were not supposed to act like this.”
“Andi, it’s fine,” Cam said, that same confidence in his tone. “I plan on doing the same thing to my sister’s boyfriends when she’s old enough to date. It’s a guy thing.”
“It is,” Gabe agreed. “And because he’s famous, it adds a whole extra layer of concern for me.”
“Agreed,” Cam said, before I could get a word in.
I sat there with my mouth open in shock as Gabe said, “See, he gets it. And at the risk of saying I like him too soon, let’s just say I kind of like him.”
I threw my hands up in frustration. “Well, I told you you’d like him. He’s a great guy.”
“I’ll be the judge of that,” Gabe said, making Cam laugh.
“Give me your worst,” Cam said jovially.
I rolled my eyes, not understanding them in the least.
“Okay, tell me how you met Andi.”
Cam smiled. “Funny story actually. She was in the front row at our last show in New York, and there’s this part of the show where they turn on the house lights, so we can see the crowd. I was looking around, and I saw Andi. She wasn’t paying attention at all, and to make matters worse, she spent most of the song on her phone. She wasn’t paying any attention to the concert going on right in front of her.”
“She was telling me that she was irritated that she was at a Westside concert,” Gabe told him.
“I know that now, and I respect her opinion about my band, but at the time it was irritating. So after the show, I ran into her and her friend, Tory. They were trying to get backstage, so I talked to Andi, learned her name and found out she was more than just a pretty face. She was cool and fun and incredibly sexy, but she wanted nothing to do with me because I was in a boy band and I’m only twenty-one.”
“That’s because she dates old farts,” Gabe commented.
“Hey!” I said, offended that he’d say that.
Gabe waved me off. “Oh, it’s true. This is the first guy you’ve been with in the last few years who I feel is age appropriate for you. He’s not forty!”
“Whatever,” I said looking away in irritation.
“Don’t bring up my age,” Cam said softly as he pulled me back against him. “It’s a thing with her.” He pressed his lips to my temple.
“Not anymore,” I grumbled.
“I figured it would be,” Gabe said, ignoring me. “Please continue with your story.”
“Right, so we talked, and I’m pretty sure I did something to win her over because she agreed to see me again. The next day we went sightseeing, and we hung out for three more days after that. She finally admitted that she liked me, even though I sort of already knew, and then she kissed me. It was amazing, and five weeks later, here we are.”
“Five weeks? Are you counting?” Gabe asked, and even I could see that he was impressed.
“I am,” Cam confirmed.
“So how often do you get hit on? How often are you propositioned?”
“A lot,” Cam said honestly. “But I have a great girlfriend. I’m not interested in anyone else.”
I leaned up and kissed his cheek. Hearing him speak the words with such assurance made me feel better about our impending separation. I trusted him.
“And that won’t change once you go on tour?” Gabe clarified.
“No, it won’t. I can exercise restraint.”
“Even if you haven’t seen Andi for months and you haven’t gotten laid in that long.”
“That’s not going to happen, because I’m planning on flying her out to see me at least once a month,” Cam said, surprising me.
“You are?”
He looked down at me. “Yup. How else do you expect me to survive? And it’s not just the sex. It’s you.” A smiled crept up on my face as he turned and met my gaze. “Besides, I’ve never really seen a lot of the cities we’re going to, and I want to see them with you. How do you feel about Prague for a weekend?”
My stomach fluttered in excitement. “Prague? Are you serious?”
He nodded. “The tour schedule has us staying there for a day in May, so you can fly in for the concert, and we can explore the city the next day.”
He thought we were still going to be together in May. I was floating.
“I think that sounds amazing.”
“Okay, you pass!” Gabe said, throwing his hands up in surrender. “You’re the best boyfriend ever. I’m thoroughly jealous.”
Cam grinned. “Great. In that case, I’m going to go to the restroom.” He turned and kissed my cheek. “Be back soon.”
As soon as he was gone, I looked up at Gabe. “Do you really like him?”
“Uh, yeah. He’s completely hot, and he’s so sweet. I’m seriously jealous as hell. I want to go to Prague with my boyfriend.”
“Okay, so do it. You can take a weekend in Prague if you want one.”
Gabe looked like he was going to refute my statement, but then his look changed to one of intrigue. “Actua
lly, I could. No one knows who I am over there, and no one will know who Dane is. His dad’s just in local politics. That might actually work.”
“I think it sounds amazing,” I told him. “You should do it.”
“Maybe we will.” Then he sighed as he leaned against the back of the booth. “Being in the closet sucks, Andi. I thought I was cool with it, but that was before Dane. When I was just hooking up, it was preferable, but now I’m at a point where I want to show him off. I want to go on dates and hold his hand and kiss him. I want what you two were doing a few seconds ago.”
I was shocked to hear him say that. “Gabe, are you thinking of coming out?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. I say that now, but when the season starts again and I’m surrounded by egos and prejudice and intolerant fans who could turn on me in an instant, I know I’ll feel different. It sucks.”
“Have you talked to Dane about it?”
He shook his head. “No. His dad’s talking about running for a senate seat, so the last thing he’ll want is a scandal involving his son. Dane isn’t going to be cool with me coming out. And it’s fine. What we have now is good. We just can’t be affectionate in public, but when we’re alone, it’s so good. You’ll see tonight. He’s the best.”
“Well, I can’t wait to meet him.”
“Meet who?” Cam asked as he slid back into the booth.
“My boyfriend, Dane,” Gabe said, surprising me when he said it out loud.
“Oh,” Cam said, playing it off like he didn’t know.
Gabe waved him off. “Oh, it’s not like you don’t already know. Andi told me she spilled the beans. It’s fine. Just don’t tell anyone.”
“I won’t,” Cam assured him. “I know what it’s like to have your life on display, and I know what it’s like to have people hate you for being a certain way. I probably know that better than you think. It’s not a secret I’m going to tell.”
Westside Series Box Set Page 29
