The Summer I Loved You
Page 22
“I missed you.”
“I know, Mom,” Bron said, making Cam chuckle.
“She’s not lacking for confidence, that’s for sure.”
Her gaze landed on him and on the flowers in his arms. “I always miss her when she’s gone.”
He searched for bitterness or anger in her tone but found none. “These are for you.”
“We picked them out together,” their little girl said.
“They’re beautiful. Thank you.” Adrianna’s lips curved into a shy smile and then she kissed Bron’s forehead. “And thank you, Cam.”
He handed her the flowers and she buried her nose in them. No kiss for him but what was he expecting?
He opened the door and they went inside. “I can take those upstairs for you.” He pointed to the flowers.
She shook her head. “I’m going to put them on the mantle behind the counter. They’re so beautiful, they need to be seen.”
Or you don’t want them in your space as much as you don’t want me there. The thought came fast and cutting.
Bron sat on a table by the window, the same one they’d been sitting at on the day everything changed. Adrianna sat closer to her this time. Her hand was on their daughter’s shoulder as she listened. Bron was animated and smiling, telling her mom about her day and how they started working on their Artscape project.
“That sounds amazing,” Adri said.
Cam watched them, only half-listening, and feeling fully ignored. He wasn’t wrong about sending Bron to school but maybe he’d been heavy handed. He should have sat with Adri and explained things better, but she didn’t seem to want to talk to him for the past week.
“I’ll work on it some more when I go upstairs,” Bron said.
“Good. I’m getting things ready here for the dinner crowd, so maybe—”
“Can I help? I can fix the arrangements and put out the dinner candles. I promise I won’t go anywhere.” The little girl’s voice trailed off and she looked down at her shoes.
Adrianna’s shoulders tensed and her smile wavered. The waves of memories washing over her face. But she squared her shoulders back and blew a mouthful of air. “I need your help. Badly.”
Bron’s smile was big and devastating. “We can do it together.”
Adri smiled back. “Yeah, but go on to the back and start collecting the candles and chocolates for the tables. I need to talk to your dad first.”
Cam’s pulse quickened. She needed to talk to him? That didn’t sound good.
“Okay, Mom. Daddy wants to talk to you about something too.” She leaned in to whisper in Cam’s ear. “Remember what we talked about.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
Adri turned a narrow-eyed look on him. “What’s that all about?”
This was going to suck no matter what. She was probably going to tell him to move to the house he’d purchased or go to a hotel. What’s another thing to piss her off?
“Bron wants to go to that Thrills & Spine Chillz park for her birthday. She wants Ayla there, some of her other school friends, Miss Winter, and the whole family. In that order.”
Her mouth fell open and she shook her head. “Um. The amusement park?” she squeaked, then stopped, pressed her hands to the table, and closed her eyes.
His chest hurt for her, for how hard she was struggling. But she was about to dump him and he needed to brace himself.
After a few breaths, she opened her eyes and said, “Okay.”
“Okay?”
She nodded way too hard. “Yeah. It’s her birthday. It’s about her and her wishes. I haven’t planned anything. I’ve been off my game so it’s good she knows what she wants.”
Cam could only stare at her.
Adrianna gave him a tiny smile. “I know you’re probably thinking I’m crazy. At times I do too. I had some time to clean, and do the books, and organize my office, and go through inventory.” She pressed her hand to her head. “It helps me think.”
Cam resisted the urge to smile. “I know.”
Her lips curved again into a bigger smile. “Anyway, I had time to think and with the help of my mom, I realized that I’m overprotecting Bron. I’m so afraid of losing her…” She sighed. “I can’t keep her locked up in here, no matter how much I want to. So, thank you.”
He could only blink.
“Thank you, Cam, for doing what needed to be done. I’m not going to say I liked it this morning or that I didn’t curse you for the first couple of hours, but you did what was right. What her neurotic mom couldn’t seem to do in that moment. You put her first. That’s what a good father does.”
Cam’s throat swelled. He was so taken aback by her words. He’d been preparing all day for her to tell him it was definitely over. He didn’t expect this… “Adri…”
He couldn’t think of anything to say.
“I’m happy you’re in her life.”
Her life. Bron’s life. Fuck his life.
“And mine.”
His heart slammed against his ribs and he coughed out a breath. Huh? “I thought you blamed me for everything that happened.”
She shook her head. “I never blamed you, Cam. I blamed the way we affect each other when we fight. I mostly blamed myself. I’m the more experienced parent. I should have known better.”
“I thought that was bullshit you were saying to let me off the hook.”
“Seriously?” She rolled her eyes. She moved to the chair Bron left vacant.
“I was wrong. We shouldn’t go our own way. Thank you for showing me we can handle things better and we can be pissed off without going nuclear.”
She touched her palms to his face. “I love you, Cam. I need you.”
She touched her lips to his, a little tentative, her taste exploding in his mouth. He’d missed her mouth, her body, her smiles, her touch for so many days. Yet, he couldn’t do a thing. He was dumbfounded. She’d frozen him in place.
“I thought you were going to tell me to leave.”
She smiled. “And let you take the other half of my heart? I don’t think so. Bron’s the left side and you’re the right. I can’t live without either of you.”
This time he smiled so hard his face hurt and pulled her into his lap. His lips crushed hers but he made sure his hands stayed on her upper back. She hmmmed into his mouth and pressed herself closer.
“Not again.”
They broke away laughing.
She pressed another brief kiss to his mouth and moved across the room to help their daughter, her hips swaying away.
“We’ll continue this later,” she shot above her shoulder.
He wasn’t sure what tightened more, his groin or his heart. Yeah, they would continue that late into the night. “You got yourself a deal, better yet, a promise.”
She turned her head over her shoulder, her lashes lowered and her lips parted and held his gaze for a second. The little smirk before she turned away said it all. She was going to hold him to that promise.
The End
ACKNOWLEGEMENTS
Thanks to Deranged Doctor Designs for the amazing cover. You found Adri and Cam! Thank you to my lovely editor Nina S. Gooden and my proofreader Katie Testa. Also, thank you to my pot coach Kimberly Kessler.
My critique partners Shadow Leitner, and Laralyn Doran, Robin Lynn and a very special thank you to Audrey Couloumbis and Cate Tayler for being my rocks through this book. My Alpha reader Angil for being the cheerleader I always need.
Thank you to my group of supportive friends John, Vivian, Crystal, Maria, Felia, Marisol, Kakazi, Vera, Nancy, The Lake House Writers, The Domingo crowd, and my LPHIDs.
Thank you to, my amazing family. Papi, Mami, my stepmom, my brothers and sister, uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews, and my sweet Trinity. I wouldn’t be here without any of them.
Thank you to everyone who supports me, reads my books, and indulges my muse.
About the Author
J. L. Lora
is a Dominican-American author. Her stories explore the dark side of good characters, people living in the gray areas of life while playing the cards life has dealt them. She loves strong heroines and their equally powerful Men. She currently lives in Maryland, pursuing her dream of writing compelling, sexy, can’t-put-down stories about empowered, badass alpha heroines and take-your-breath-away alpha heroes. You can find her and or chat her up on Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJLLora
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jtothelove
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jllora
Sign up for my newsletter and learn more about new releases, events, news, freebies and much more at www.JLLora.com.
BOOKS BY J. L. LORA
The Trinity Series
BOSS
MADE
DAMNED — a short companion book
STEEL
A Love for All Seasons Series
THE SUMMER I LOVED YOU
THE WINTER OF MY LOVE (November 2018)
THE RITE OF SPRING (Spring 2019)
THE AUTUMN YOU BECAME MINE (Autumn 2019)
Standalone Books
SOME NIGHTS (coming soon)