Only You (8 page)

"Isn't that your car?" Stella tapped Eric on the shoulder and gestured with her arm toward the trailhead. Eric's head snapped upright, as his gaze confirmed Stella's statement. He saw Camden in the driver's seat, and he quickened his pace toward his vehicle. Stella was just a few steps behind him, and Brody and Tiffany were only moments behind her.

As he drew nearer to the car, Eric could see the tension on Camden's face. "Everything okay, baby?"

"Not really, honey," Camden stated sadly. "
I got a call from your sister. Your mom had an accident and is in the hospital. It sounds pretty serious, and we need to leave immediately."

Eric could see the car was fully packed, so he turned to the group behind him. "Guess we need to head out. Family emergency. My mom's in the ER." Everyone nodded their heads and offered words of encouragement. In less than two minutes, Eric was in the passenger seat, and Camden was pulling out of the campground.

Eric and Camden rode in silence for thirty minutes, tension thick in the vehicle. Eric knew something was bothering Camden, as she was driving at speeds significantly over the legal limit. Not to mention, she wasn't her usual, chipper self. He knew the tension was not caused by concern over his mother. Finally, when Eric couldn't take the silence any longer, he broke it.

"Wanna tell me what's going on?"

When Camden burst into tears, Eric realized whatever was bothering her was more serious than he had originally believed. He reached over and grabbed her hand, stroking the backside with his thumb. "Think you can make it to the next exit?" he encouraged. Camden only nodded, and the tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

Within fifteen minutes, Camden had parked the car on the back side of a populated truck stop. She put the car in park, and dropped her head into her hands. Eric slipped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his comforting embrace.

"What's going on, baby?" he whispered.

"I slept with him!" Camden sobbed.

Eric froze. "You what?" he asked.

"I slept with Shane," Camden cried. "We talked about three years ago. Both of us explained our sides." Camden continued weeping. "I told him about Rob. He told me how he got his orders to go to Afghanistan two hours before my party and didn't want to ask me to wait for him in case he didn't make it back home."

Eric nodded and moved his hand to Camden's back. He rubbed it in soothing circles, while he continued to pepper her with gentle questions.

"So why the big freak out?" he prompted.

"He told me he loves me. He wants to be with me, and I can't be with him!" she yelled. "This weekend was to say goodbye...to get closure," she whimpered.

Eric had feared that was the case. Camden had been hiding something from him in the weeks leading up to their trip. He didn't know what, but it was the first time she had ever done so, and he was afraid that deep down he knew the reason.

"Damn it, Camden. You don't need closure with your family! You need them to be part of your life!" he barked. Seeing Camden flinch in response, he schooled his expression and asked again more smoothly.

"So why the big freak out?"

"He thinks that we're together. You and me," she gestured her hands between the two of them.

"Of course, he does, baby. We didn't tell anyone this weekend otherwise."

"He asked me to talk to you. He wants me to "let you down easy" so that he and I can be together."

Eric chuckled, but stopped abruptly when Camden glared at him. "Oh come on!" Eric defended. "Don't you find it funny that he doesn't realize he is more my type than you are
?" At that, Camden's lips finally tipped upward into the shadow of a smile.

"I love you, Eric."

"I love you, too, Cami. You're my best friend." Eric kissed her forehead. "Even though you use my non-existent mother as an excuse to get out of hairy situations…" he playfully grumbled. "B-T-dubs, my dads asked if we can come over next week. They have some sort of announcement, and they want us both there."

Camden's small smile showed how much she loved Eric and his "dads". They had become her family over the last three years, and she didn't know how she would have survived without them. Eric loved them because they took him in as a seventeen year old foster kid, and even though they never officially adopted him, they didn't turn him loose on his eighteenth birthday. They had offered him love and support every day since the day they laid eyes on him. They had truly become the family Eric had never had.

Eric's birth mom had disappeared from the hospital while he was in the nursery being bathed. She didn't even bother checking out of the hospital. She just grabbed her stuff and ran. It was no surprise that she had checked into the hospital with a fake name. Eric had never found her, and he never knew who she or his biological father was. He had spent years moving from home to home in foster care. Some of the stories he had confessed to Camden, when the two were insanely drunk, had broken her heart for him.

She was so thankful to have met Eric. He had shown her that even if life deals you a terrible hand, you can choose to be happy and make the best of it. You can build your own family and surround yourself with love. After Camden left home, Eric was truly the best thing that ever happened to her. His dads Marvin and Tim were a close second. Those two had taken one look at her when she was a lost, miserable, eighteen year old kid and pulled her right into their family dynamic. She wondered what their announcement would be. Hopefully, her own announcement wouldn't overshadow theirs.

Eric snapped his fingers in front of Camden's face, and she realized she must have completely tuned him out while her thoughts wandered. "Huh? Sorry," she muttered, shaking her head to dislodge the fog that had settled in her mind. "What did you say?" she asked Eric.

"I said, 'Now, back to issue at hand.' Why can't you and Shane be together? If you have both wanted each other all this time, and you've both finally confessed it, what is stopping you?"

Camden just stared at him with tears in her eyes.

"It's back," she whispered, and Eric felt his chest tighten in fear.

***

Chapter 10

Shane couldn’t force the grin that was stretching across his face to go away. The people working at the burger joint must have thought he was either crazy or an aspiring clown. Who was he kidding? Anyone who was an aspiring clown would definitely be considered crazy. But the fact of the matter was that this was the best day of his entire life. The trip to get lunch took him longer than expected, since the kitchen had to cook a fresh batch of onion rings for Camden’s order, but Shane never stopped smiling. He couldn’t wait to get back to camp and pull Camden into his arms again. He knew she was nervous about breaking things off with Eric, but Shane would be there to support her the whole time.

Shane was drawn from his thoughts by the ringing of his cell phone. The reception in town must be better than the reception at the campground, he thought. Shane glanced at the screen, and realized the call was from Javier, his bar manager. Mentally cursing the distraction, Shane pulled the Jeep to the side of the road and flipped open the phone.

“Shane Hunt,” he grunted into the receiver.

“Shane, my man. I need to talk to you about Melia.” Shane groaned. Melia had been a waitress at the bar since opening day. She was a phenomenal waitress, but the girl brought so much baggage and drama to the place, Shane almost wished he’d never hired her.

“What now, Javi?” he whined. “She couldn’t let me have a single, problem free weekend?”

Javier chuckled. “You should know better than that, chico. I think she’s got it in her head that you took off for a weekend with another woman.” Javier’s laughter continued.

“Another woman?” Shane growled. “You make it sound like something is going on between me and Melia.”

“She only wishes, partner,” Javier grinned. “I know your only wife is the bar, even if Melia doesn’t. Although I’m still trying to figure out when you find time to get your
pole waxed.”

Shane wasn’t in the mood for Javi’s crude humor. “So what did she do now?” He cut to the chase. Camden’s food was getting cold, and Shane didn’t want Melia (of all people) to keep him away from her.

“Her baby daddy showed up causing a ruckus last night. It seems that to piss him off, she told him that he might not be Junior’s papi.” Javi paused for dramatic effect. “It seems that honor belongs to you.”

If Shane had been drinking anything at that moment, it would have spewed across the console of the Jeep. Javier broke into riotous laughter at Shane’s reaction. “Seriously, man!” he laughed. “I knew she was full of shit.”

Javier’s laughter calmed, and his tone became more serious. “Truly, dude. Her man is pissed. It might be a good thing you ARE gone this weekend. Guy looks like he eats hubcaps for breakfast. He’s huge...a tank.”

Shane shook his head in frustration. “Tell Melia she better have this shit sorted before I get back, or she can find herself a new job.”

Javier whistled. “Whoa, man. Didn’t know you’d take it so seriously. Glad to see something’s gotten you to wake up and pay attention. Maybe this weekend away was good for you.”

The frown on Shane’s face was immediately replaced by the most radiant of grins. “Javi, man, you have no idea. This has been the best freaking weekend of my life.”

His curiosity piqued, Javier couldn’t resist pushing for more information. “So, there WAS another woman involved in this weekend. Can I be the one to tell Melia?” he laughed. “I can’t wait to see her get knocked down a peg.” He paused. “Or ten.”

Shane smiled. “Javi, there was not originally a woman planned as part of this weekend. But THE woman came back into my life, and I can’t wait to bring her home to meet you.”

Shane may not have been able to talk to Brody about his borderline obsession with Camden, but he had confided in Javier several times over the last couple of years. Even when he was stupid drunk, though, he’d never told Javier her name. Looking back, Shane figured it was self-preservation. Javi may have been one of his closest friends, but Javi’s tongue became extremely loose when it touched hard liquor. The last thing Shane needed was a full-blown fight with his best friend. Brody meant too much to him to ruin their friendship when he had no hope of being with Camden.

Now, though, he was willing to jump in with both feet and take the risk. He hoped that when Brody realized how much Shane cherished Camden, he would give his blessing.

“For real, man. Your lady is back? That is awesome!” Javier cheered. “Now I REALLY want to be the one to tell Melia. That would make my night.”

“Hold off on telling Melia anything,” Shane warned. “I don’t want her to have time to launch an attack on Camden. It’ll be easier to protect
her from Melia’s assault if Melia is the one taken off-guard.”

“Camden?” Javier queried. Shane cursed at his stupidity before realizing it didn’t matter now if Javier knew her name. Brody would know how Shane felt before the day was over anyway. “Isn’t that Brody’s sister?” Javier continued.

“Yeah, man. I’m telling him later today.”

Javier guffawed. “No shit,” he laughed. “Brody is gonna string you up by your balls! You won’t even have to worry about Melia’s baby daddy. You won’t be alive to meet him.”

Shane frowned. “Brody will come around. Me and Camden, we’re the real deal.”

Javier smiled. He could hear Shane’s happiness in his voice. He’d known the guy for years, but he’d never sounded so content and peaceful. Shane deserved it, too. He was one of the best guys Javi knew.

“Well, good luck man. I hope you and the missus make it back in one piece.”

Shane froze at the word “missus”. He immediately pictured Camden in a long white dress, a veil hiding her beautiful face. His grin intensified once more.

“Speaking of the missus.” His smiled widened even further. “I need to head back to her now.  You got everything under control at the bar?”

“Of course, dude,” Javier replied. “I told you I could handle it for a couple of days. My only drama was and always will be the bitch who thinks she is entitled to your last name.”

Shane groaned again at the thought of Melia. “Sucks to be her, then, because I know who is getting my last name.” Shane laughed again. “Seriously, man, I gotta go.”

"Never thought I’d see the day when you were whipped, Shane Hunt.”

"Javier, my friend, I’ve been whipped since I was twelve years old.” Shane laughed and disconnected the call. Eager to return to the campsite, he put the Jeep in gear and pulled back into traffic.

***

“How can you read all the time? It looks so boring!” Tiffany’s voice carried through the camp a la Fran Drescher from The Nanny. While anyone else would have glared at her, or said something rude in response, Stella just proceeded to ignore her.

Brody rolled his eyes when Tiffany wasn’t looking. It wouldn’t hurt her to crack a book once in a while. It might make her IQ seem a little higher. He paused suddenly as he put away the inner-tubes from the trip. Why was he feeling so negatively toward Tiffany? Brody allowed his gaze to slowly take in her appearance. Her hair was as glossy as ever, her curves just a
s voluptuous, her skin just as soft. So what was his deal? He’d actually kept her around longer than most girls, but ever since last night, the spark seemed to be missing. He didn’t want to analyze that too deeply, though.