by Hadley Quinn
Teague stood and came around the bed. He sat on the edge next to her but didn’t make eye contact just yet. Leaning his elbows on his knees he said, “I have a problem trusting people, Camryn. It comes from living in the family I live in and being lied to so many times.” Staring at the carpet was much easier, so he continued to do so. “I never knew what was real when my dad told me one thing or another, and he used manipulative ways to get me to do work I didn’t want to do, or go to parties or events I didn’t want to be at, to date women I didn’t want to date. It took me a long time to even figure out my own family situation because news and tabloids make so many things up, and my dad was such a prick about telling me the truth. It wasn’t until I was twelve years old that I understood Max was only my half brother.” He sighed and rubbed a hand over his head as he finally looked at her. “I don’t know if that excuses my behavior or not, and yeah, maybe I’m looking for something to justify what I did, but I’m sorry, Camryn. I really am. If you feel like I’ve totally invaded your privacy, I understand, but please let me explain why I did it.”
She only stared at him for what seemed like minutes, but those few seconds were an immense amount of time. “Sorry about what?” she finally asked.
Teague faced her entirely as he examined the confused expression on her face. Jesus Christ, she really didn’t know what he did?
Fuck.
“Teague? What do you mean you invaded my privacy? What are you talking about?”
He released a sigh and shook his head. He was only going to tell her because he thought she knew. Otherwise it was better that she didn’t find out. Now he had majorly fucked himself over and he had to tell her.
“I…. Well, I told you why I don’t trust people,” he reiterated, hoping it would strengthen his case. “And because of that… I just wanted to be cautious before I… Hell. Camryn, I love you. That’s why I did what I did. And I didn’t want you to be hurt by it so I didn’t tell you.”
“Tell me anyways,” she answered softly.
He looked into her green eyes and could tell how vulnerable she felt. He put that fear there and it absolutely killed him inside. He took her hand in his and was glad she allowed him to. Camryn wasn’t one to play games or be unreasonable, and for that he was grateful. Maybe he needed to just show that he trusted her now and get it all out there.
“Falling in love with you surprised me. I wasn’t ready for it and I told myself to chill the fuck out. I couldn’t, though. The more I’m around you, the more I love you. It’s more than I’ve ever felt for someone before and… I just needed to make sure it was going to last. I was desperate to make sure it would last.”
Her forehead creased but she waited for him to continue.
Teague pressed her fingers to his lips and held them there for a moment. When he pulled them away and set them in his lap he finally admitted to what he’d done. “I hired a private investigator to look into you. He’s even followed you several times.”
She held in her surprise silently as she stared at him.
“My heart trusts you, Camryn,” he continued. “I swear to God. But my head told me to make sure. I didn’t even think about the effects of it down the road, but I honestly didn’t believe you’d find out.”
“I didn’t find out,” she finally replied evenly. “I never had a clue.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I really, truly am. I just had to make sure. I had to prove to myself that I could fall in love and be happy and not have to worry about being used or manipulated—”
“You thought I was using you?” she scoffed. “For what, Teague? Jesus, you people and your egos when it comes to money and status!”
“It’s not my ego I’m protecting, Camryn,” he said firmly. “And I don’t give a shit about status. I’m a faceless person in movies. I do it because I love it, not for recognition. Have you not heard a single thing I’ve said to you these last couple of months? I’m not my dad, I’m not Max, and I don’t fucking care about red carpet and shiny awards. That being said, I do care about you and a future with you, and even if I have nothing else in life, that is good enough for me. Can you understand that I was just taking care of the one thing that matters to me? You, Camryn. I wanted to assure that the one thing I love more than anything was real. Because if it turned out that it wasn’t, I would shatter into a million pieces and I wouldn’t be able to recover.”
Her expression was confusing; like she was either trying to catch up with everything he said or she didn’t believe him.
Camryn slid her legs past him and walked across the room. When she stepped into a pair of jeans, Teague shook his head and said, “Please don’t leave, Cam. Please.” In two steps he was right in front of her, hands on her shoulders as he looked deep into her eyes. “Please don’t leave,” he whispered.
She curled her fingers over his wrists as he leaned his forehead against hers. “I’m not. I just need some air.”
“You need to be away from me?”
“I just need some air.”
“Please don’t shut me out. Tell me how you feel.”
“I don’t really know, to be honest. I’m surprised, yes. Do I understand? Yes, I actually do. I realize how difficult your family must be to deal with. But there’s just… I just feel like there are other things you’re keeping from me.”
He leaned away, feeling disappointed. “Camryn, that’s all. I swear.”
Again she stared at him for several long seconds before she finally spoke. “I don’t know if I can believe you,” she said softly. “I’m sorry, Teague, but you only told me because you thought I knew. If you don’t have any faith in me now, how am I supposed to believe you’re not hiding other things?”
“I do have faith in you. I trust you, I really do. I know that you’re just friends with Brandon and he’s only—”
“Brandon?” she scoffed. “What does Brandon have to do with this?” He didn’t answer the question, but the look on her face told him she could figure it out on her own. “You had your investigator follow me to Fresno this morning, too?”
“I’m sorry, Camryn. It has to do with me, not you.”
“Well I’m pretty sure I was the one he was there to spy on,” she frowned. “Did he enjoy the scene at the graveyard? That’s really creepy knowing someone was watching me pay my respects to the dead.”
“He wasn’t close by.”
“Oh, but was he in the diner with us for breakfast? Did he see us cuddled up together in the booth? Playing footsies under the table?”
That disgusting feeling of fear was like acid in his chest. “That’s not funny.”
“No it’s not. Because cheating on someone is a serious thing. I have told you countless times that Brandon is like a brother to me. If I didn’t want to be with you Teague, then I wouldn’t be. I don’t have room in my life for any guy except you, nor do I want there to be anyone else but you.”
“But if you did, you would tell me, right?”
She opened her mouth and blinked her confusion. “What? Teague, we’ve had this conversation before—”
“And I know what you said, but I’m just saying… Things happen, things can change… If it does, you just need to tell me.”
Camryn paused as she searched his face for something. “If you don’t trust me, I don’t know what to say to you, Teague. I love you. So much. I can’t imagine my life without you. If you want the truth, I think that you’re the one keeping secrets. I’ve been honest with everything about my life but I don’t think that you have. I understand that you haven’t had the best relationships. You’ve told me as much and I’ve never pried. But it really sucks that you think that little of me and can’t open up about anything.”
“Open up? I share all kinds of stuff about my family. I don’t talk about that shit with anyone besides Jay. Honestly, Camryn. I’ve shared things with you that could be detrimental to my family if it ever got out.”
“Yet you don’t trust me and send a private investigator to catch me in a l
ie.”
“My natural instinct is to share things with you. History is what tells me not to and I start second-guessing myself. There are things about my family that I shouldn’t be sharing with people. All it takes is an accidental slip.”
“Are you talking about things you’ve already told me or things you’ve yet to tell me?”
He paused, trying to grasp for anything that would get him out of this fucking mess; how could he tell her the answer was ‘both’?
“I need some air,” she sighed, heading for the door.
Panic seized him and Teague finally jumped onto the road of desperate truths. “Camryn, I needed to make sure because…because eventually I wanted to ask you to marry me.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
“My unit is being sent overseas,” Zach said softly over the phone. “Camryn, I’m headed to Afghanistan.”
Her heart slammed into her stomach and she held back a strangled cry. “Zach, please don’t leave me,” she barely whispered.
“It’s gonna be okay, baby. I promise. I have you to come home to and I’ll do whatever I need to to make that happen. I love you so much. There’s nothing more important than you. In fact…I’m done after this tour, Cami girl. I need to be with you more than anything. I want to knock you up over and over and live until we’re old and gray.”
She laughed through her tears and said, “Was that your attempt at a proposal? Because the answer is yes, Zach. I want to marry you. I can’t wait until you’re home and I can spoil the hell out of you every day of our lives together.”
There was silence on the other end.
“Zach? Are you there?”
“Yeah, I’m here. I’m just marveling at the idea that I gave the most amazing girl in the world the worst proposal in the history of mankind and she still said yes.”
Camryn laughed. “I can think of worse proposals.”
“Really? Okay, but your answer it still yes, right? Please say you’ll marry me, Camryn.”
“Yes, of course I’ll marry you…”
“Camryn?” Teague’s deep voice zapped through her reverie. He stepped closer to her and placed his hand against her face. “I love you more than my own life and I want to be with you permanently.”
Camryn blinked back tears that had pooled because the past and the present had once again collided together. But Zach was more often becoming a distant memory, and even though she knew it was part of the healing process, it was still hard to understand sometimes.
When she looked into Teague’s deep blue-green eyes, her heart broke from the intensity in them. He was in love with her. She could feel it. So why was it so hard for him to be completely honest with her? He’d confessed a secret he thought she already knew, which really didn’t impress her much. Yes she did understand because of who his family was. But what about his life? What about other things that were bigger than just a stupid little P.I. checking up on her? All she wanted was for him to tell her about Chase and he wouldn’t do it. He was still keeping it from her, and then he was back on the whole cheating issue again.
The pressure in her chest was almost painful. She couldn’t breathe.
“Camryn?”
“I need some air,” she whispered, and she slipped on some shoes and left the room. She heard her name once more, but he didn’t come after her when she stepped out the front door. She was glad because a walk in the night air alone would clear her head so she could talk to him again.
She was a whirl of emotions. What he’d said to her about shattering into pieces if what they had wasn’t real had hit her hard. She believed him. She believed that he loved her that much. She would take what he said and treasure it her entire life because she felt the same way about him. But the fact that his confession was about a private investigator totally threw her off. What about Chase? When was he going to tell her about his son? Instead he confessed something completely unexpected, and if that wasn’t bad enough, the situation was so totally ironic. He couldn’t trust her? Camryn certainly didn’t have anything to hide. Her life was pretty cut and dry. Her dance career was public knowledge if anyone needed to find out, and she didn’t have any legal issues to hide or some sort of embarrassing secret to cover up.
Or a child to sweep under the rug.
Before she could analyze any further, she didn’t walk more than half a block when a sleek Maserati crept up along the street beside her. “Camryn? Hey, I thought that was you.”
She didn’t have to see the driver to recognize the voice and she kept walking.
“What are you doing out at night by yourself?” Max inquired.
“I’m walking.” Damn it, he pulled his car up ahead of her and parked at the curb. This was not what she wanted. To see Teague’s dad and his brother in the same freaking day? What the hell was wrong with these people?
Max climbed out of the car and stepped onto the sidewalk. She was now walking toward him and was tempted to turn around and head the other direction, but he said, “I was gonna visit my brother, but then I saw you. Maybe it’s better this way.”
She slowed as she approached him and narrowed her eyes. “What’s better this way?”
He barely shrugged. “Talking to you first. I hear my dad paid you a visit this afternoon. Did you tell Teague? Is that why you look upset? Did you guys have a fight?”
“You’re awfully nosy for someone I barely know,” she answered. She moved past him and kept walking, but Max was soon walking beside her. “I’m out here because I want to be alone, so if you don’t mind—”
“Can I at least apologize for my father?”
That caught Camryn by surprise and she gave him a side-glance as she walked. “Why do you need to apologize for someone else?”
“Because Teague probably flipped out when you told him, and I know that my dad’s intentions were a bit…misguided.”
“Oh?” she smiled sarcastically. “You know what? I don’t want anything to do with you people. Teague’s right. It’s just this big act for all of you. And for your information, I didn’t tell Teague about it because it would only make him upset. So if that’s what the hell you guys were going for, you can just kiss my—”
“You didn’t tell him?” Max asked, coming to a halt. “Oh, thank God.”
Camryn was so puzzled by his response that she stopped, too. “I’d ask you to explain this little game you’re playing, but I really don’t give a shit. I’m sure it will only be a waste of my time.”
“I respect your resistance to my family, Camryn. I really do. I can honestly tell that you don’t give a fuck about who I am or who my father is, or what kind of damage we could do to your life.”
“Damage?” she raised an eyebrow. With a slow smile she added, “Holy shit, Max. Are you threatening me?”
He honestly looked surprised. “What? Oh! No, I’m not threatening you. I’m just— Hell, that came out wrong, didn’t it? I just meant the stress we’d add to your life. Because of who we are. Just being around my dad or me makes Teague pissed, so I can only assume the headache would be passed along to you as well. Tainting by association I guess you could say. Not to mention the fact that your name will be thrown around by the media eventually. Actually it already—”
“What the hell do you want, Max,” Camryn exhaled. “I have other things to deal with right now.”
She felt a few sprinkles of rain on her skin but she began walking again, and to her displeasure, Max did too.
“Okay, I realize that my dad extended an olive branch that you didn’t want. But he also said he told you about Kate.”
She felt bitterness stir in her chest but kept walking.
“He showed you a picture? Of Teague with Kate and Chase?”
“Yes,” she answered.
“He shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry. That was a shitty move on his part. My dad doesn’t like to be told no.”
“So I’ve noticed.”
“So you already knew about Kate?”
She didn’t answer at f
irst. Maybe she should just lie and see what she could get out of him. She would never lie to Teague, but Max was a different story.
“Look, it doesn’t bother me that Teague has a son, okay?” she said. “Whatever the hell is going on is really pissing me off, but I’m not going to do anything about it right now. I love Teague, and whatever is going on with him will have to be shared with me when he’s ready.”
“Are you saying he doesn’t know that you know? You’re gonna let Teague handle his own family issues, right?”
“You mean am I going to blab his secrets to the media? Fuck off, Max.”
“Okay, I see that you’re loyal to him, I just… You can never tell, Camryn. I’m just looking out for my family.”
“I’m done with this conversation.”
She turned at the corner and Max continued with her. “Fine, then we won’t discuss it. You don’t know about it, I don’t know that you know, and nobody knows a fucking thing. See, you’re more like my family than you think.”
Just hearing that made Camryn’s blood boil. But Teague had been right in that aspect. She was beginning to understand his life growing up in Hollywood even if he didn’t tell her every little detail. She’d caught bits and pieces here and there, and of course Melanie always had gossip to share, whether it was true or not. Teague wasn’t as high profile like his father or brother, and Camryn was glad, but he was still an interesting part of the family that the media liked to go after. The McCallans were your typical Hollywood dynasty, right up there with the Coppolas and Fondas. Camryn compared Craig McCallan’s career to Kiefer Sutherland’s, but the only difference to Camryn was that she liked Kiefer Sutherland.
“I see that pisses you off,” Max said after she hadn’t responded. “Don’t like being sucked into the wrath of secrets, he said/she said, or what the facts really are? Well try having it publicized ten-fold. Your every move. Your reputation could be ruined before you even know it, all because of a lie, a photo, or even a tiny little fact being blown way out of proportion. You don’t know who believes what lie about you or who you’re supposed to explain yourself to. Surely you understand that secrets and privacy are necessary parts of the business sometimes.”
