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He steps into my bedroom as Penelope steps out of the bathroom. Her hair was wet, and she’s only wearing a towel.
Fuck.
Chapter 7: Penelope
As soon as I get out of the shower, I hear people talking in the other room. I immediately know it’s Bryce and Cameron.
Shit.
“Oh, come on, Dad. I know where it is. Why won’t you let me get it?” I hear Cameron say, and it’s too late to hide.
He enters the bedroom, and we freeze. Standing in front of each other. Me in a towel and him in his usual jeans and T-shirt.
I consider apologizing. I consider cowering in the corner in the hope he goes away. Then I smell perfume coming off him, and I remember why I’m here in the first place.
So instead of shrinking like a wilting daisy, I stick my chin out and put my hands on my hips.
“Hey, Cameron,” I say casually. Like it’s a totally normal thing to be half naked in his dad’s home.
He looks between Bryce and me, his eyes widening.
“Jesus, Pen, did you fuck my dad?” he gasped.
I couldn’t determine if he was hurt or shocked.
If he was just shocked, that was fine. But if he was hurt, I might feel bad. I thought I had it in me to hurt him because I was mad, but now that I have actual feelings toward Bryce and want to stay with him, I’m not sure anymore.
“Cameron,” Bryce says, and he turns to his dad.
“Oh, that’s just fine, Dad! The second we break up, you pounce on her. What kind of fucking father are you?”
Bryce was calm, but I could see the heat in his eyes. Cameron seems to have hit a nerve.
“Don’t you take the moral high ground with me, boy!” He points a finger at his son, and I suddenly feel bad.
I didn’t want to become a rift between father and son, even though that ‘s inevitable since we want to be together. But doing it this way sucks.
“Cameron,” I say, trying to get his attention.
He turns to me. His face is red with fury, and all that anger comes rushing back. Why the hell is he mad? We broke up after he cheated on me. As far as he’s concerned, I should be able to fuck whoever I want. I don’t need his permission.
“Listen, Cameron.” I breathe, “We broke up. Yes, I was emotional but your father being the responsible one, told me to take a breather and to see if I really wanted to… you know… do him. And I wanted to. Our relationship failed because of us, sure. But let’s be honest, you took a freaking sledgehammer to it. Instead of just breaking up with me like a rational adult, you went behind my back!”
I take another deep breath and grip the towel.
“I like him, Cameron. I like Bryce. You don’t have to like it, but I’m not sure you get a say. Your dad deserves to be happy, and so do I. So you can either take a breath and get on board, or you can just fuck off.”
Cameron’s eyes widen even more after I finish my speech. I’ve never raised my voice. Ever. Never at him. I’ve never sworn. I’ve never acted mad. I’ve been the cheerful blonde Pollypocket girlfriend.
And now I’ve become the adult woman I’m supposed to be. The one with the confidence to take what she wants and to tell her cheating ex-boyfriend to fuck off.
I look over at Bryce. He’s still a stone, but I see the tick in his jaw.
He liked that.
“Cameron,” Bryce starts. Cameron faces his father, and Bryce takes a step forward. “I know you’re mad. I know this looks like I took advantage of her, which doesn’t feel entirely untrue. You can be mad. But I love her, Cameron. And I want to be with her. We’ve had this weekend together, and I can confidently say that I don’t want it to end. So before you blow your top and say something that can’t be taken back, do what Penelope says and take a breath. Okay?”
Holy shit! He said the L word.
