And Charlie said there could be no Christmas music in June. Ho ho ho, Santa Claus is coming to town, baby. It’s a holly, jolly…
No.
No, no, no.
“Why did they do this?” I muttered, staring down at my beautiful book.
“Is something wrong?” Cole wondered behind me as he shoved his spatula around in the eggs.
“Just look at it!” I ordered, holding it in the air. Staring at me, he inspected the cover as I silently waited, and I watched his eyes so that I could try to read his thoughts. (I said try…I’m not Miss Cleo. Miss Cleo isn’t even Miss Cleo, but that’s another story.)
Well, the picture is really gorgeous, with her walking through that field with the dust blowing up, headed toward the horizon, hair blowing in the wind. The title looks great – Crossing Heartbreak. My picture on the back looks pretty sweet – not that he can see that, so of course he wouldn’t be thinking that. A novel by C.W. Oliver – and there it is. Slash – Camdyn Taylor.
“I don’t…” he began, twisting his mouth as he met my eyes. “Sorry, I think it looks pretty good.”
“Camdyn Taylor?” I practically barked at him. “I shouldn’t have to keep reminding you that my name is not Camdyn Taylor.” He rubbed his palm against his forehead and guiltily smiled.
“Trust me, I know,” he assured me.
“Do you? You seem to keep forgetting, so I think maybe I need to find some way to drill it into your head.” Laughing, he crossed over to where I stood by the table and put his hands on either side of my waist, looking into my eyes.
“There’s no need to be so dramatic, Mrs. Parker, although I’m dying to know how exactly you are going to drill it into my head.” He pulled me a few inches closer and raised one of those eyebrows, giving me that rip-your-heart-out smile, and I shook my head at him.
“Not everything is an excuse for you to use your subconscious mind games, Mr. Parker,” I huffed. “You’re hard to resist and all…” He put pressure on his hand at my back, pressing me even closer as he kept up that smile. “Okay, very hard to resist, but this is a full-blown catastrophe.”
“You’re being a little theatrical,” he protested.
“No!” I immediately snapped. “No, I am not being theatrical at all. This is a disaster.”
“Really?” he asked, trying to look innocent. “I kind of like Camdyn Taylor. In fact, I seem to remember a time when I was absolutely crazy about Camdyn Taylor.” Holding his hand against my cheek, he kept my gaze steady on him.
“Yeah?” I whispered, feeling my resolve melt into those dark chocolate eyes.
“Don’t get me wrong,” he added, settling his forehead on mine. “Camdyn Parker – there’s not even anything I can say there. I wake up and there she is, those blonde curls fanned out across my pillow, and I know it’s one more day that I am going to lay down after the sun disappears and stare into those blue eyes and realize that I couldn’t imagine being happy anywhere else. Trust me, sweetheart, I know your name.”
Sigh. You had me at hello.
Oh my word.
Laughter was probably not the reaction Cole expected, so as I stood there giggling as he rested his forehead against me, he pulled back and stared at me quizzically.
“Was that funny?” he wondered.
“No, not at all,” I assured him. “That was really nice, but… You know how you’re always spouting those stupid movie lines all the time?”
“I didn’t do that,” he stated emphatically.
“I know, it wasn’t you. It was me. ‘You had me at hello.’ I thought it in my head.”
“Really?” That smile made my heart skip a beat. “Hello, huh? I don’t know why I even bother talking. Next time I’ll just flash a grin, say hello, and leave it at that.” He leaned his head down to kiss me, and I wrapped my free arm around him, the book in my other hand sandwiched between our chests. As he released me, I smiled up at him.
“Well, that’s a first,” I muttered.
“What?”
“You’re burning something on the stove.” He turned and glanced at the eggs then, letting a look of disgust cross his face, and then he returned his gaze to me with a shrug of his shoulders.
“Totally worth it,” he whispered with a grin, kissing me again. Caught up in the moment, neither of us seemed to be aware of our surroundings until that book landed with a thud on the floor, startling both of us. He jerked back, mentioned something about checking the stove, and I reluctantly let my hand slide away from him. Unable to put the book out of my mind, I stepped over to grab the phone, punching in numbers and tapping my foot on the floor impatiently. As soon as I heard a voice on the other end of the line, my hand instinctively went to my hip as I started pacing the floor.
“Lex Luther,” I hissed into the phone.
“What? Camdyn, is that you? Why do I get the feeling that you’re angry with me?”
“My name is Camdyn Parker, Lex. Camdyn Parker. You were at my wedding, remember?”
“It would be hard to forget your kooky wedding,” Lex let me know.
“Then why do I have a lovely copy of Crossing Heartbreak that says it was written by Camdyn Taylor?”
Crickets. Darn that Lex – I never should have trusted him.
“I…I don’t know. You looked at the copy when you were here, didn’t you? What did it say then?”
“It said Camdyn Taylor, but I asked Edith to change it,” I insisted. “’Change my name to Camdyn Parker,’ I said, and she told me it was done.” Turning around, I caught a glimpse of Cole scraping his eggs into the trash, and he gave me an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Camdyn. I wish there was something I could do, but it’s too late.”
“Oh, I know it’s too late,” I complained. “I am not happy about this, Lex. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”
Hanging up the phone, I stood there staring out the window to the front yard, clenching my fists and trying to calm down. Giving up my pen name was a monumentally gigantic step for me, and to know that it was already screwed up before it even began was a bit defeating. Stepping up to the window, I placed my forehead against it carefully, watching as Pop darted across the yard.
“It’s okay, you know,” Cole stated, sliding his arms around my waist from behind. Straightening up, I leaned against him, resting my head against his shoulder.
“Sure, what difference does it make?” I asked in a defeated way, causing him to press a kiss against my temple.
“Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise,” he offered. “This way, people know who you are, but it will still offer you a hint of anonymity, and you can hang on to your private life.”
“And no one will know you’re married to me, so you won’t have to be embarrassed,” I stated wryly.
“Did I say that?” he argued. “I’m not ashamed of you, and you know it. And… Wait a second.” Without another word, he turned me to face him and raised his eyebrows, shooting me a smile. “Hello.”
“You’re ridiculous,” I laughed, throwing my arms around him and forgetting about the book.
For the time being, anyway.
-§-
Leaving home again that afternoon felt wrong somehow, because we had just arrived late the night before when Charlie dropped us off. We hadn’t enjoyed our usual Sunday visit with Cole’s family, either, so I was feeling slightly off. Add to that the disappointment of my name being incorrect on the book and the trepidation I felt about my visit to The Tilly Show the next day, and it was enough to make me begin to feel sick.
I hesitated to mention it to Cole, though. Even though he was being fairly understanding and kind to me about the whole ordeal, I couldn’t help but think that he believed I was overreacting. In a way, I felt that a bit myself, but I simply wasn’t able to shake free of it at that point. Once I had finished my visit with Tilly, then I would be able to relax, I told myself.
Arriving at the airport in Memphis, Cole retrieved the suitcases from the trunk of my c
ar and slung one over his shoulder, pulling the other behind him, the wheels rattling against the asphalt. For a second I thought about offering to take one of them off his hands, but one look at the muscle that was exposed under the sleeve of his t-shirt reminded me that he was more than capable of handling it on his own. Of course, I let my eyes linger on his muscle a little too long, and he accused me of gawking at him.
“We should have stopped by your parents’ house and reminded them to watch Pop,” I blurted, averting my eyes.
“They know,” he answered simply.
They probably did – I was just trying to force some sense of normalcy. Not that I had fully adjusted to my new life yet, but being Mrs. Parker and eating dinner with my in-laws on Sundays after church was a lot easier to comprehend than walking through the airport so I could make an appearance on national television. Not that I hadn’t been on national television before, but this was the first time I would be televised of my own free will. Not that it was really my free will…
Oh, just shut up, already.
“Are you alright?” Cole wanted to know, looking at me tenderly. Offering a tremulous smile, I wrapped my fingers around the arm that was pulling the suitcase.
“Of course,” I assured him, not even sounding convincing to my own ears.
He let me stew in my thoughts as we continued our trek across the airport terminal, only asking a minimal amount of questions and not engaging me in any lengthy conversations. Cole mentioned to me that the security line seemed abnormally long, but I was so lost in my thoughts that I wasn’t really paying attention to anything at all. In fact, I nearly walked right by the entire party and didn’t notice them.
There, just in front of the security checkpoint, was the most beautiful group of people I had ever seen assembled. Ted and Liz and Rosalie were the closest to me, with Jeff, Rachel, and Charlotte standing just behind. Charlie, Trina, and Cooper were to their side, right next to Tony, Sara, Jake, and Lily. I didn’t even try to keep the tears at bay – I just let them flow freely.
“What are you all doing here?” I asked hoarsely, feeling Cole’s arm slide around my waist.
“Cheering you on, sweetie,” Liz told me with a smile, tilting her head to the side slightly.
“Yeah, we’re your biggest fans,” Rachel added, giving me a big toothy smile that made it impossible not to laugh.
“You all are absolutely incredible,” I breathed out, right before Charlotte had me around the leg. Lifting her up, I pulled her into a bear hug as her little arms wrapped around my neck, and I settled my hand over her thick brown braid.
“Have fun on TV, Aunt Cammie,” she stated brightly. “Unca Cole, will you bring me a present?”
“You bet,” he said. I shifted Charlotte to his arms as Rachel practically leapt forward, jumping a little as she hugged me.
“I am so unbelievably excited,” she blurted. “Tell me everything, okay? Better yet, send me pictures.”
“I will,” I promised, “and get you autographs, too.”
“We are so proud of you, Camdyn,” Liz informed me as she stepped up to press her cheek against mine, and I hugged her tight.
“Thank you, so much.”
“You’re going to knock them dead, sweetie,” Rosalie said. “Don’t let that Tilly run over you. You just be yourself, and everyone will love you.” Nodding, I smiled as she pinched my cheek playfully. Charlie and Trina stepped up then, hugging me in unison.
“You are an amazing writer, sis,” Trina told me. “Don’t forget that.”
“Yes, and you’re an amazing sister, too,” Charlie added. “Thank you for this week, even if you did give me a Bublé overdose.”
“Gosh, what a great way to go, huh?” I teased Charlie, who pulled away from me and rolled his eyes.
I continued hugging every single one of those people one by one, telling them thank you through teary eyes. I even threw my arms around Jake after he called me heartbreaker in his usual, obnoxious way. When the only one who hadn’t felt themselves in the clutches of my embrace was Ted, I stepped up to him, smiling shyly at my father-in-law.
“I think I’ve got this,” I informed him, nodding as I looked into his kind eyes.
“Of course you’ve got it,” he stated, placing his hands on my shoulders. “You’re going to be talking. I don’t think I’ve been with you yet that you haven’t talked my ear off. You’ll be right at home.” With a mischievous wink, he pressed a kiss to my forehead, and I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed him tight. A tear slid down my cheek, and I did nothing to stop it.
“Thank you, Dad,” I whispered, pulling away from him. Returning to Cole’s side, I looked at that little group once more, taking in the sight of them and letting their presence fill my heart.
I have a family – a beautiful, wonderful, loving family. Watch out, Tilly. Here comes Camdyn Parker.
Er, Camdyn Taylor.
“I love you all,” I choked out. “You are perfectly wonderful.”
“Come on,” Cole requested, taking me by the hand. “We don’t want to miss our flight.” He practically drug me to that security lady, because I could not take my eyes off those incredible people.
“You have quite the sendoff,” she told me with a smile, unable to miss the tears on my cheeks.
“Those are my people,” I answered quietly.
“She’s going to be on The Tilly Show tomorrow!” Rachel announced to everyone around us. “That’s my sister.”
Slightly embarrassed, I placed my hand over my eyes as I laughed. Before I could fully wrap my mind around what was happening, we were through the security check and headed to our gate. Turning to face them once more, I blew a giant kiss and waved at all those people who took time out of their day to support me. Truly, I loved them – each and every one.
Moments later, as we stood in line to board our flight, Cole turned me to face him and wrapped his arms around my waist, ignoring the people who stood around us. Feeling much more at ease, I sighed as I smiled up into his eyes. His grin told me everything I needed to know, but I cocked my head to the side and stared at him, waiting for him to speak.
“You know everything they just said back there?” he asked, and I nodded calmly. “Well, everything they said times ten, that’s how I feel.”
“You do?” I questioned him sweetly, continuing to smile.
“I think you know I do,” he stated, kissing me quickly. “I’m proud of you, and I love you so much, and I am absolutely, one-hundred percent your biggest fan.”
“Hmm, I doubt that,” I told him mischievously. “My biggest fan is this woman named Tracy who has a blog devoted to me. Seriously, she posts every other day.”
“Because she thinks you’re some guy named Ted,” he informed me with a laugh. “So I might not be C.W. Oliver’s biggest fan, if that is the case, but I think you know I’m your biggest fan. Cam, I can’t even begin to tell you how much you mean to me.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” I assured him. “You’ve done so much for me this week.”
“Whatever,” he replied rather sheepishly. “I panicked without you like a half-crazy person.”
“Because you worry about me, and you couldn’t protect me,” I insisted. He pushed me backwards gently as the line moved forward.
“Thank you for giving me that excuse,” he joked, kissing me again. “On to the next adventure, right?” I turned to move ahead in the line, holding my ticket out for inspection. It wasn’t until we were walking toward the plane itself that Cole reached out and took my hand, interlocking his fingers with mine.
“I did warn you, when you asked me to marry you, that I would turn your life upside down,” I laughed, staring at that handsome face as I matched his pace stride for stride.
“Yes, you did,” he told me, returning my gaze. “Nothing you could have said would have prepared me, though.”
“For the chaos that surrounds me?” I offered as a joke. Stopping just short of the door to the plane, he took a deep breath
as he faced me once more. I no longer needed to study his face, because I knew every inch of it by heart. Still, I couldn’t help but feel in awe of how attractive he was to me.
“No,” he shook his head with another one of his mind-melting smiles. “For falling so much deeper in love with you.”
“Honeymoon?” a slightly tubby gentleman wearing a black t-shirt with a peace sign on the front questioned us as he brushed by, widening his eyes as though he was slightly disgusted.
“Nah, we’ve been married for years,” Cole answered, giving me a huge wink. Sliding his arm around me, we took a couple of steps – closer to California and the beginning of a brand new chapter.
Chapter Twenty
My dressing room at The Tilly Show was fairly small, and although there was a bouquet of white roses in one corner, I had a feeling that an actual celebrity would have gotten a nicer reception. Nobody was rude to me, and I couldn’t complain, but in actuality I was still just a nobody, wasn’t I?
Tilly wouldn’t be around to meet me, either, an assistant informed us when we arrived. She didn’t like to talk to the guests before the show, because the great thing about her program was the fact that it was so unscripted and spontaneous. In my mind, I added the fact that she liked her beauty sleep and refused to get out of bed before noon, so she couldn’t be bothered with talking to the little people.
When Cole asked me how I was doing, I resisted the urge to tell him that I felt a little sick again. All this worry about the television appearances was really doing a number on my digestive system, but I was pretty certain I could keep it together. Lex popped his head in for a few moments to give me a quick pep talk, and I was rather surprised at his presence of mind. A lot was riding on my performance for Lex, too, because I was basically the only chance his father had given him to prove himself. We were equally vulnerable in this venture, but he was the one who was remaining calm while I was a flutter of butterflies and nerves.
A Reason to Forget (The Camdyn Series Book 3) Page 26
