The Summer I Loved You

by J. L. Lora

  "You're funny, Daddy." She snuggled closer to him and yawned.

  His heart jumped in his chest. Jesus, would he ever get used to hearing her call him that? Probably not, but he smiled. The word he had never wanted to hear, Daddy, wasn’t all that unpleasant at all.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  "I haven't heard from Jacob in ages. Last I heard, he’s in the Marines. Connie still keeps in touch with him."

  "Of course she does," Luciana replied. Two seconds passed before they burst out laughing.

  Adrianna tipped the bottle of wine into the glass and it was less than a mouthful. Had they really polished off the whole bottle? “We need more wine.”

  “I’ll get another bottle.” Lux stood up, leaving Adri to wonder how the hell they’d gotten here.

  It was almost shocking they drank a bottle that quick, but it explained the last two hours. She laughed, gossiped, and even shared photos of baby Bron. She was having a great time with Luciana Blake, the person she could barely be in the same room with ten years ago.

  When had Lux become so nice and fun to talk to? Their fights now seemed all sorts of ridiculous. Then again, they’d been teenagers, vying for the same cheerleading roles. Not to mention how cliquish they all were back then.

  Luciana walked back in, flashing her best wine-induced smile. “Thank God for Cam’s collection. I’ll have to blog about this. I would make it a list about choosing the right wine for your date. 1985 was a great year, don’t you think?”

  “First, neither of us were born back then. Second, won’t he miss that?”

  Lux shrugged and poured. “Who cares. Besides, I think my brother can more than afford another and my audience loves any fancy thing I post.”

  “It’s must be a fun way to make a living,” Adrianna shook her head.

  “Being Bougie Girl has its moments. I’ll have to show you my swag collection. You’ll drool and I’ll let you pick some things for yourself.” Lux slow-nodded.

  Adri couldn’t wait. Maybe she could snag some things for Lauren. "Thanks. This is nice. Who would’ve said we would be laughing at the fights Lauren and I had with you and Connie.”

  “Ugh. I bet Connie’s still a raging bitch.”

  “She’s worse now.” Adrianna said, flexing her tingling fingers. Connie was more than that. She was an adult bully who constantly manipulated and guilted Lauren into giving her money. Lux didn’t need to know that, though. “You and she got close for a while."

  "That's only because she was trying to stick it to her sister. She wanted to get back at you for being so close to Lauren," Luciana said with a smile. "That's when Cameron was going around moony-eyed over you. Connie liked him. She hated that."

  Adrianna's mouth dropped. "What? Your brother didn't like me. He used to make my life miserable. He used to make Tommy look like an idiot."

  "Duh, because of you. He was crazy over you. He tried to hide it but I know him too well. Whenever you were around, he watched you, and you didn't give him the time of day. You would antagonize him and he would take it. Cameron doesn't take shit from anyone." Luciana poured herself a drink. "He forbade me to come see you. Threatened to never speak to me again if I went to talk to you."

  Adrianna frowned. "When?"

  "That day dad said he saw you at Tommy's house. He said the two of you got back together. Cameron went upstairs and began to throw all his stuff in bags. I begged him not to go. He was so pissed." She stopped to have a drink from her glass, "He told me everything. I didn’t like you but I knew he was crazy about you. I wanted to go talk to you and explain that he's a hothead and says and does crazy shit when he's mad. He wouldn’t let me. He said he was getting the hell out of town. Chase and I left with him that day. There was nothing for me there."

  Adrianna let out a deep breath. Things could have been so different between her and Cam, if only… “I can't believe how everything changed after a stupid argument. We went through so much unnecessary shit."

  "But you're back together now…" Luciana began tentatively.

  "I don't know. We have this connection. We always did. He's always been in the back of my mind," Adrianna said looking at the other woman.

  "But?" Luciana asked.

  "Bronwyn. I'm afraid we'll hurt our daughter. We're volatile and crazy together. We're either all over each other or fighting like crazy. What if we try and fail? She'll end up paying the price."

  “It’s normal for you to be worried, Adri. You wouldn’t be a good mom if you weren’t.”

  Adrianna contemplated her wine glass. "Less than ten days ago I was an only parent that made all the decisions and counted only on me. Now everything's changed and it scares me. Cam wants to change her last name. She's been mine all her life, but now we won't even be sharing that."

  Adrianna didn't know why she was confiding all that in Luciana. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy Cam and Bron are getting to know each other and that he’s in her life. It’s just…”

  “You're scared and you have a very precious reason.” Luciana said. “I would be petrified too, but let's take things in parts. You and Cameron have feelings for each other and you owe it to yourselves to find out where that goes. Let's be honest, neither of you is going to be able to date other people unless you give each other the chance first. The two of you continuously get all gaga around each other and trust me, it's not cute to watch."

  Adrianna sighed. "But what if we try and it's a disaster? What if we go ape shit on each other again? I would die if I hurt my baby."

  "Adrianna, of course you are going to fight with Cameron. The man is impossible and he's my brother. But I think you both know what's at stake now. I don't think either of you would let it go too far. Especially because you both remember what happened the last time you did."

  That made a lot of sense.

  “And then there’s your parents.” Adrianna’s chest tightened. Walter and Marilyn Blake would not be happy about this. She was afraid of Walter, of the secret he held over her head.

  “Cam doesn’t give a fuck what Walter and Marilyn think. Neither do Chase and I. We are all tired of their bullshit. We won’t let them mess with you and Bron.”

  Adri smiled. “You’re offering me your protection? God, pigs must be flying all over Central Park.”

  Luciana laughed. “You’re my adorable niece’s mom. And you’re totally not the bitch you were in high school.”

  “Thanks.”

  They continued talking but Adrianna stopped drinking. Bronwyn woke up early and she would rather not have a headache in the morning, since they planned on doing things outside. Two hours later she was grateful for that decision.

  She helped Luciana to bed and it brought back horrible flashbacks of getting Bronwyn to sleep when she was three. Cam's sister was completely plastered. She finally fell asleep and Adrianna headed to her room. She went to the bathroom first, on her tiptoes and not turning on the lights, as not to wake up her daughter.

  She brushed her teeth and grabbed some pajama shorts and a tank top from the drawer. She put them on and went to the bed but when she got close, Bron wasn't there. She must be with Cam.

  She made her way to his bedroom, intending to usher Bron to bed quickly. It was way past her bedtime and she’d be cranky in the morning. She almost stumbled at the door.

  Cam lay on the bed, one arm on the pillow, his head nestled on his bicep. Bronwyn's face was tucked on the side of his ribs and one hand on his chest and a foot on top of his legs. It was her favorite sleeping position when she slept with Adrianna. Cam's left arm curved protectively around her. An enormous TV was still on, illuminating the room.

  Adrianna told herself she should go back to her room, but her feet were already walking towards the bed. She stood on the side on the bed for a bit, trying to convince herself to leave. Instead she climbed on the other side of Cam.

  •••

  A warm body slipped next to Cam, enveloping him in the sugar and berry notes
of

  a familiar perfume. “Adri?"

  "Do a lot of women crawl in bed with you while you cuddle with your daughter?" she giggled.

  "You're drunk?"

  "Nah. Luciana's drunk. I'm just happy." She lay on her stomach and scooched up closer to his face. Her face was on her hands as she leaned on her elbows. The minty notes of mouthwash washed over his face.

  "Is Lux in bed?" he asked, trying to distract himself from how close her face was to his.

  "Your sister is plastered. I put her to bed before she could drunk-dial and tell her ex to fuck off." The light from the TV illuminated her face. Adrianna smiled a little too hard, making Cam’s insides shift a little. She was drunk adorable.

  "How much did you two have to drink?"

  "We had a bottle of wine together, and I had a glass of another and she had the rest.”

  “She’ll be a pain in the morning,” Cam sighed. Lux never did well with hangovers.

  “I feel bad. She's still so into him," she sighed, her face morphing into a wistful, dreamy expression. "I know the feeling."

  It was late and they both needed to go to sleep but he couldn't help but ask, "You’re into Mateo?"

  She laughed, "No, you, dummy. I mean you." She jammed her finger into his chest and moved her head closer. "I'm still so into you."

  He gaped at her and his mouth dropped open just in time for hers to descend upon it. It took him a bit to recover from the shock but his hand automatically wrapped around the back of her head and he pressed her close. His tongue followed her lead. He began to turn towards her when the weight on his side reminded him that their daughter was in the bed. He pulled away and she frowned at him.

  "Bron," he said and she turned her head towards the sleeping child. She then looked back at him and smiled.

  She brought her face closer. "We'll finish this another time," she promised. "What did you and Bron do?"

  "We watched that awful show with the vampires. Just terrible," he yawned.

  "Vampire Chronicles?" she whined. "You guys watched it without me? Was the hybrid on?"

  "Yes, Bron told me how you love him," he said disgusted. "He's a mass murdering sociopath. What are you even thinking?"

  "He's a tortured soul. He kinda reminds me of you." Her wistful voice made him roll his eyes.

  "How?"

  "He's hot, with a bad temper, and very kissable lips." She gave him a quick peck, buried her face on his neck and went to sleep.

  It was a while before Cam could sleep. He gazed at both sides. On his left side, his daughter slept pressed to him. On the other side Adrianna lay her head on his arm. He never could have predicted this. He wasn’t going to dwell because tomorrow he intended to cash in on Adri’s promise.

  •••

  Adrianna groaned. A warm hand shook her from the most amazing dream. She lifted her head and all she saw was Cam's sleepy face. His mouth was slightly open.

  "He snores a lot."

  Adrianna turned her head towards the voice and saw her daughter hovering over Cam's body. "You do too."

  "How long have you been up?" Adrianna smiled and reached over the sleeping body to kiss Bronwyn. "Good morning, my baby."

  "I'm hungry. Can I have pancakes?"

  "Yes, you may." She stretched and poked Cam. "Are you having breakfast with us?"

  He barely moved. "I'm dying. She kicked me all night and you snore."

  Adrianna swatted him on the side. "You have some nerve, complaining about someone else snoring."

  "Go away, both of you. I need an extra hour." He struggled to get the words out.

  "Daddy's grouchy in the morning," Bronwyn said, giggling.

  Adrianna's eyes widened and she looked at her. "Daddy?"

  "She calls me that now." Cam smiled in his sleep. "Now, leave."

  Adrianna laughed. "Let's go Bron. The baby needs his sleep."

  As she was opening the door, she heard him say, "You made me a promise."

  What promise? Oh God.

  She needed to have a stern talk with herself. She couldn’t allow last night to repeat. She’d jumped into bed with him. Granted, nothing happened. Still, it couldn’t happen again.

  Once they bathed and got dressed, Bronwyn ran downstairs ahead of her mother. She got a call on the house phone and rushed out.

  Adrianna was coming down the steps when she heard her daughter squeal. She stifled a groan. It was probably another gift from either Luciana or Chase. She should be mad, but Bronwyn's happy laugh never got old.

  She reached the bottom step, took one look at what caused her baby’s happiness, and was immediately ready to kill whoever got her the gift. Bronwyn held in her arms a tiny, white British Bulldog. It had a brindle patch that covered his right eye from the top of his nose over to his ear.

  By the look of absolute guilt when he saw her, Adrianna's best bet was on Chase.

  "Look at what Uncle Chase got me, mama! We can take him home, right?"

  "He's beautiful." Adrianna breathed out and it was true. It was the cutest puppy Adrianna had ever seen. As she bent to touch its head, she looked above her daughter's head to Chase and mouthed, "I'm going to kill you."

  For the past few months, Bron had been campaigning for a puppy. Adrianna stalled on getting one. They lived in an apartment above the bistro and not a house, which meant there was no yard for the dog. Now, she was going to have to figure it out because, as angry as she was at Chase, she couldn't take the joy out of her daughter's face.

  "We can take him home, but he is your responsibility from now on. You will look after him and make sure he doesn't do anything bad around the house. He better not chew on my shoes or leave any sort of puddle. You will feed him and bathe him. Do you understand?"

  "Yes, I promise!" Bronwyn said, smiling as she hurled herself at Adrianna.

  "I mean it, Bron." She tried to be stern but the way her daughter smiled made it impossible. Instead, she directed her annoyance at the offender. "Does he have all his shots?"

  "Um, yes, but he does need a few things I didn't get a chance to get. I was thinking I could take Bronwyn shopping for them."

  Adrianna didn't say anything.

  He continued, "I meant both of you, of course. Maybe I can get you…a Ferrari? Would that erase that Hannibal Lecter look from your eyes?"

  "You and Bronwyn go. I have to talk to Cam about our arrangements for next week, and we have some decisions to make. You take care of her and do not buy her another thing."

  Luciana finally took mercy on Adrianna and spoke. "I'll go with them."

  Adrianna smiled at her, "Thank you, Luciana. Now, Chase, come give me a hug."

  Chase walked over and when he hugged her, she whispered in his ear, "I'm going to murder you and eat your liver for dinner."

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Cam reached downstairs to find Adrianna talking on the phone and leaning on the kitchen counter. She had pulled her hair into a ponytail that swung away while she talked. She had a notepad in front of her with a list of entries almost the length of the page. He noted she’d crossed out several completed items.

  The fourth one, “speak to Dr. Perkins,” caught his attention.

  "Lo, I know you got everything covered but you know how I am. I’ll worry anyway. I can't thank you enough. You are doing a great job and it's not easy." She paused and laughed. "Cam's exhibit is Saturday night and we'll be there Monday. I'll see you then."

  When she turned around, he was waiting for her and pulled her to him by the waist of her jeans. He pressed his lips to hers for a moment.

  "Good morning," he whispered, breaking away from her mouth for a second, only to go back.

  When he finally let go she was smiling, "It's afternoon."

  "Where is everybody?

  "They all went out.”

  He raised an eyebrow and came closer to her. "Perfect time to fulfill promises made last night."

  She smiled coy, unlike hersel
f, and put her hands on his chest. "About that… we need to talk first."

  He sobered up, biting back an oath at the words no man wants to hear.

  "Your brother gave Bron another gift." The tightness in her voice told him to tread carefully.

  "So, that's what has you all freaked out." He rubbed her arm and pointed at her list.

  She shook her head emphatically. "Not freaked out. Well, maybe a little. Normally, I de-stress by cleaning, but your maids take care of it. Speaking of, how come we rarely see your housekeeper or anyone that works on the house or the yard? It's like elves do the job and no one ever sees them?"

  Cam cleared his throat. "They like to do things out of our way…they don't want to bother us." He walked to the refrigerator hoping she wouldn't ask any more questions.

  Adrianna moved to the other side of the counter. "Why do I get the feeling there is more to this story?"

  He pulled out the sparkling water and sighed, "There was…a small incident…"

  She served some of the salad she made for lunch on a plate and added the grilled chicken. She grabbed his hand and took him to the dining area, passing through the archway dividing both rooms. Cam and his siblings rarely ate in the dining room. It was too big, done by a decorator and all of them preferred the large kitchen island or the family room.

  But Adri was apparently a stickler for eating in the dining room and they ate there now.

  Cam didn’t mind anymore. She and Bron made the room less big. He sat at the head of the dark wood dining table and she took the chair to his left, facing the wall full of photos of different places he had visited.

  The center image was of the lake behind his family’s property in Acacia Falls. It was the last place they’d been together. Every time he looked at it, he remembered pressing her against the rock and the way she’d arched for him when his fingers slipped through her folds.

  "Tell me everything," she said.

  He didn't want to, but she was leaning on the table with her elbows, her chin on her closed fists. She looked so much like their daughter, he couldn't resist.