by Lisa Shelby
The only thing that worries me is, I don’t remember getting home, and let’s face it, Cami is pretty fucking hot.
In the past, I’ve noticed how cute and petite she is. It would be impossible not to. She’s short, but she’s got perfect curves. I wouldn’t describe her as curvy, but there are curves there in a very subtle and sexy way. Her freckles and long auburn curls have always made me see her as more cute than sexy, but last night, with her long hair straightened, those tall heels, tight jeans, and seeing her moves on that dance floor, she practically put me under a spell. That’s why I had to start with the shots. She’s Cami and she doesn’t see me that way. I needed a drink to calm myself and keep it in my pants. That ass of hers was just too damn tempting.
Our little bump and grind session on the dance floor was hot and had me at half-mast, but having her on my lap during the show was something else altogether. Holding her in my arms all night felt too good. Not only did I need to drink to calm myself, but I also needed to take away the shit feeling that it gave me. I know a woman like that feisty little redhead would never be interested in me. Never. There is no way I am good enough for a woman like her.
My thoughts of Cami remind me I don’t remember how I got home or into bed for that matter. Shit! I hope I didn’t embarrass her in front of her friends. And I really hope I didn’t cross any lines. I can’t help but lift the sheet and look at my dick to see if I can tell if anything happened last night. Everything seems to be in order down there. I roll onto my side and check the waste basket next to the bed, and I don’t see any evidence there either.
Thank Christ!
My stomach drops, and I curse myself when I see there’s a note waiting for me on my bedside table. Next to it is a glass of water and two ibuprofen. I pick up the note and let out a sigh of relief when I read it.
Liam,
Hope you had fun tonight and that you aren’t feeling too horrible in the morning. Take these and drink lots of water. You can’t get that drunk again if it’s me that has to get you home and into bed. You’re a big dude and getting you into bed was work. Next time…you drive!
Sleep good and enjoy your Sunday.
Cami
P.S. Nothing happened! Get your mind out of the gutter, Fanua!
Ha! Yep, she’s a cool chick.
Little does she know that drinking like this isn’t anything out of the norm for me, and I feel right as rain this morning. I’m a pro at this lifestyle. I feel fine, but I have nothing to do and nobody to do anything with.
I roll back over in bed and do the math that brings me to the conclusion…I haven’t been laid since I got to Portland three weeks ago. I really need to work on finding a remedy to that situation. That’s not going to happen lying here all day, so I throw my legs out of bed and head to the bathroom. I need to wake up and get out.
I pick up my phone to check the time, and it’s only 6:30 a.m. on a Sunday. Too early to do much but burn some calories. I’ll have to have my morning coffee after I get done with my workout.
Normally, after a night of abusing my body like I did last night, I would make myself go on a penance run and put a few miles in. But it’s December and it’s cold and rainy out there. So, it’s off to The Gym, where I’ll put a few miles on the treadmill and sweat out all the toxins. Devon’s gym has become my new home away from home. Since I got to Portland, I go to work, workout, and see Jonathan and Emily a couple times a week. That’s it.
No dates.
No hook ups.
No sex.
I really need to make some changes.
I spend a good two hours at the gym and feel like a new man. Once I’m home, I take a quick shower, get dressed, and take the elevator down to the lobby of my building. The cool air feels good once I’m out on the streets, and I follow my new morning routine, making my way to the little coffee shop around the corner.
After I order, I see my favorite leather chair is open in the corner, and I take my designated spot. I get my phone out to start my day, but I don’t have anybody to call or text to try to meet up with. It’s Sunday and I know Jonathan is spending the day with his family. Besides, I just saw him last night. I don’t want to wear out my welcome already. I do text Carter back home to check in, but this time of day, on a Sunday, I know he’s on the basketball court or hanging out with the crew back home.
Last night when J and Emily announced they were expecting…it was such killer news but also a damn punch to the gut.
I know most wouldn’t believe it, but I can’t wait to have a family, and most of all, to be a dad. It’s what I want—always have. Even when I was younger and I acted like all I wanted was a one-night stand and to play the field…in the back of my mind, I knew that I wanted more.
I thought that dream was coming true for a little while. I thought I had the love of my life in my arms and my future mapped out with Hannah, but that wasn’t meant to be.
That ever-so-familiar and always-present friend of mine, loneliness, rears his ugly little head and that ball of anguish that I tried to drink away last night is back to taking residence in the pit my stomach.
It never really leaves for too long.
It’s been two years now, and I’ve moved on, but I also know that part of my moving on comes in the form of alcohol. I know I drink too much, and nights like last night happen all too often. I had really hoped moving to Portland would be the fresh start I’ve needed to get my shit together. I know it’s only been three weeks, but I really need to get laid and get this whole fresh start thing kicked into high gear.
I don’t see that happening today, though. I mean Candace, the barista behind the counter, is cute but my morning coffee means too much to me. I could hit it and quit it, but that could have detrimental effects to my caffeine intake, and it’s just not worth it.
Nope, I think I’ll be going through another cold Portland day without remedying my problem. I guess I’ll go to the office. There’s always something to do there.
I sure hope I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew by starting my own branch of my family’s company here in a new city. I mean I know what I’m doing. I grew up in construction, and I know my dad’s plan has always been for me to take over Uso Construction when he retires. I love my dad and he’s my biggest supporter right now, but the Uso name doesn’t mean much out here on the West coast.
It’s all up to me to make the company something here. My dad is taking a huge risk on me, and I don’t want to let him down.
It’s time to grow up and make shit happen for myself, for my dad, and for the company.
This is not just any family business, this business is also my uncle’s legacy. Uso means brother in Samoan, and even after tragedy struck and my Uncle Liam passed away, my dad kept the name. I was young and don’t really remember much about my name sake, but I know that I want to make both my dad and my uncle proud. They started this company doing small odd jobs and my dad has continued to put his heart and soul into it to make it what it is today, the top construction company in Savannah.
My dad had always talked about expanding the business, but I always assumed that meant in the South. I never would have imagined we would expand all the way out here in Oregon, but fate works in mysterious ways.
One of the investors of the last high-rise we worked on told my dad about an idea he had for a similar project in Portland. He said that he would love to hire Uso Construction if only we were in Oregon too. My dad asked more questions, there were meetings held, and the next thing I knew my dad had investors and was asking me how I felt about moving west and starting up Uso Construction Portland.
To say I was shocked, is putting it mildly. I never would have dreamed that he would put that much faith in me, or that I would be given the opportunity to live in the same town as my brother from another mother again. I also needed to get away from home and all of the reminders of Hannah and her family.
After many heart-to-hearts with my dad and meetings with the investors, we worked out a plan a
nd lined up our first job. We’re building three high-rise condos on the river, and it’s a job that will take a few years to complete. There will be shops and restaurants on the first few floors of each building and floor after floor of condos will fill the rest.
So, here I am on a Sunday headed in to the office. We break ground tomorrow, and it wouldn’t hurt for me to have things squared away and ready to go. Besides, there’s nothing else for me to do. If I sit at home, I’ll think about how lonely I am and how lonely Hannah isn’t. That will lead to drinking and drinking always leads to no good.
Nope, work it is.
At least I don’t have to worry about running into constant reminders of how shitty my life turned out here in Portland.
Chapter 3
Liam
“So, how bad were you feeling the morning after Embers?” Cami asks me from the seat to my left.
“Not too bad. Wasn’t anything a strong cup of coffee didn’t cure.”
“Well, that’s good to hear. I was a little worried about you.” She chuckles under her breath.
I feel like an immature teenager that was caught making a bad decision. Cami’s too cool to purposely make me feel that way, but I still feel it.
For some reason, I really care what she thinks. I know I’m thirty-two and too old to be getting so drunk that I have to be poured into my bed by my DD, but it happens. It happens more than I’m proud to admit these last couple of years.
“About that night…I’m really sorry about all of that. Thanks for the ride home and getting me into bed. I hope I didn’t embarrass you too much in front of your friends.”
“Nah, no problem. Gabe and Joel loved you and wanted me to remind you that you are on the monthly happy hour list, and Gabe expects to see you there in January.”
Thank God I didn’t do anything too revolting, and she’s still willing to let me hang with her friends.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” I say, thinking that more time with her is just fine by me.
“Good, just try to take it easy on the shots. You’re a big guy and getting you home and into bed was quite the work out.”
Of course, my smart ass can think of about a million different comebacks about working out and my bed. Jonathan saves me just as I’m about to open my mouth and say something stupid and immature.
“Okay, does everyone have a drink?” he says, standing at the head of his dining room table. He raises his glass, and the rest of us follow suit. “We’re so glad to have you all here. It’s one thing to spend Christmas with the family you’re born into but another to be able to include the family you choose as your own! We love all of you idiots and wouldn’t want to spend this day any other way. Cheers!”
A resounding, “Cheers!” bounces off the walls of the Kelly’s home, and without wasting any time, our hungry brood begins to pass the food from person to person, and dinner begins. It’s a full table with all the usual suspects that were there a few short weeks ago when Emily and Jonathan announced they were pregnant. In addition, Emily’s mom, Cheryl, and her boyfriend, Mac, are here, as well as all of the kids.
Everywhere I look I see domestic bliss. It’s all around me. Husbands and wives. Babies bouncing on knees while parents try to eat. Family. Friends. Nieces and nephews. Even Mick has found his happily ever after.
I remember the first time I met Mick. He was a blond version of me only he was in the midst of falling head over heels in love with Alex. In fact, come to think of it, that trip to San Clemente for Emily and J’s wedding was where he professed his love to her.
Watching Mick with his perfect little family makes me want a stiffer drink. I don’t think this wine is gonna cut it tonight. All I want is what he has, but I don’t know that I’ll have it. I don’t know that I deserve it.
I really need to get my shit together and stop sulking. I’m starting to bore myself.
It’s been two years, and I still feel like a complete piece of shit. Why would I ever want to love someone again? All it does is hurt in the end.
I shake off my mood and fill my glass with another strong pour of wine and eat to my heart’s content. After dinner, there is more drinking and gifts are exchanged.
I only got gifts for the kids, as instructed, so to say that it’s surprising when Cami slides a box in my direction, would be an understatement. I stare at it for a moment, and when I look up at her like I’m not sure what to do with it, she gives me that Cami smile of hers and whispers, “Don’t be scared, it’s no big deal. Just open it.”
Shit, her soft smile and the adorable wink that came with it is all the gift I need. Knowing she thought about me warms me almost as much as the last glass of red wine I swallowed down in three short gulps.
I untie the ribbon on top of the box, peel the paper back, and remove the lid, all the while I’m a bit unnerved that Cami and the rest of the group are watching me. When I peel back the tissue paper, I’m not really sure what to think. Cami, is well…she’s different, that’s for sure.
She must see my confusion, so she explains the contents of the box for me. “The other night, you said that you had the tattoos and flannels and you just needed the beard and to recycle some shit and you would have a complete Portland starter kit, so I thought I would help you out with your kit.”
Taking another look in the box, I throw my head back and laugh out loud at this woman and her gift. Inside is a big fake beard and a reusable shopping bag that says, Groceries & Shit on it.
“Let’s see, Uncle Liam,” Ireland asks. When I hold up my gifts, she giggles and gives Cami a high-five. She then proceeds to hold her hand out. Cami shakes her head, takes a dollar out of her pocket and hands it to Ireland.
“Thanks, Aunt Cami. I have a feeling I’m going to be adding a lot of money to my swear jar tonight!”
“Why do you think I had that dollar in my pocket, chica. I’m learning that I can’t get anything past you, sweet girl!”
Yep, Cami is a pretty cool chic. This is the thought that never stops bouncing around my mind every time I’m near her. Just the fact that she was listening to what I said the other night, and she would take the time to get me a gift, even if it is a gag gift, is still pretty sweet.
I leave my spot on the couch and cross the room with my arms open wide, signaling to her that I’m coming in for a hug. She gets up and meets me in the middle of the room and lets me take her in my arms.
“Thank you, Cami. I love it. It was really nice of you to think of me. Wish I had something to give you in return.”
She takes a step back. “Nah, you’re new to town. Got to make sure your starter kit is complete. It’s the least I could do. Just let me know if you need anything else.” She sits back down next to Ireland in front of the fireplace, and I take my seat on the couch.
She may be small, but man does she give a good hug. She’s thoughtful, funny, cute as hell, and damn does she smell delicious. It’s a good thing she’s Cami and part of our little family unit and not somebody available to me to try to get with. It’s nice to have a woman who’s a friend and cool as hell. It’s not something that I’ve experienced a lot in life.
I think I like it.
I just need to remind myself that she is a part of my Portland family unit and to not try to hit that. I have a feeling I would live to regret the mess a night with Cami would surely leave behind.
“Okay, let’s go lay the kids down in Ireland’s room, ladies. You men can clean up this mess and then it’s game time!” Emily kisses Jonathan’s cheek and gives him a smack to his ass on her way out of the room.
Cheryl says her goodbyes and kisses all of the kids goodnight. Mick, Jonathan, Devon, Riley, and I clean up all the wrapping paper and bows and get the next round of drinks prepped and ready for the rest of the evening.
The next couple of hours consists of the funniest game of Cards Against Humanity I have ever played.
The company and the drinks certainly are nice, but it’s the captivating redhead that keeps my attention most of the ni
ght.
I know I’m a little drunk, but I can’t help but feel her eyes on me throughout the night. But every time I look in her direction, her gaze is nowhere near mine. I must be crazy to think she would be as interested in me as I am in her. I think I need another drink to keep my wild imagination at bay.
I think the drinks part of the night is why I find myself covered in a blanket on the couch in the morning.
Looks like I’ve done it again.
I pick up my phone to check the time and am surprised to see a text from Cami.
Cami: I forgot to say CONGRATULATIONS! I heard you broke ground on the high–rise, and Uso Construction is officially in business here in Portland! I’m so happy for you, Liam! Good luck with everything.
Damn, I really think she may be the coolest woman I’ve ever met. She’s kind of everything wrapped up in one petite package. She’s gonna make some man very happy one day.
I really need to get my hands on a strong cup of coffee, and did I mention I need to get my shit together?
Chapter 4
Cami
I shiver my way into The Independent and shake off the cold rain that chased me through the front doors of the bar. I look around the main part of the bar and don’t see anyone I recognize. I know I’m forty-five minutes late, but I thought they would all still be here.
“You looking for a group under the name of Gabe?” the bartender asks.
“Sure am. They still here?”
“Yep, they’re back around the corner.”
I follow his directions and sure enough in the back of the bar, around the corner, there is a little sports cave that is full of classic sports paraphernalia and over-stuffed chairs and couches. Sitting on the edge of one of those couches and leaning over a low coffee table covered in nachos, fried pickles, pretzels, and wings are Gabe and Liam. They’re watching a game on one of the TVs and stuffing their faces like they had known each other all of their lives.
