“You have nothing to apologize for,” Camden assured her. “All I want is for you to have a good time tonight. I have no expectations of you whatsoever.”
At that, Flora looked genuinely grateful, and Camden saw her shoulders visibly relax. He had never wanted her to put on an act for him. He wanted her exactly as she was: beautiful, kind, strong, and flawed.
“Table for two?” the hostess asked.
Camden nodded, and she led them to an intimate booth settled near the back of the restaurant.
“Can I start you with something to drink?”
“Flora?” Camden said, indicating that she should choose.
“May I have a glass of your house red, please?” she said.
“Make that two,” Camden agreed. “And the bruschetta for an appetizer.”
Flora smiled, and Camden breathed a sigh of relief. Her smile relaxed him like nothing else in the world had the ability to do. Seeing her at peace let him know he was doing something right, and that was all he wanted at the moment: to do right by her.
“Hughes! We thought that was you!”
To Flora’s horror, Camden’s old friends—Aidan, Scott, and Thatcher—sauntered over to the table.
“Boys! It’s been a long time,” Camden said. “What are you guys up to?”
“Just grabbing something to eat,” Scott said, clapping his friend on the back. “And what about you? I see you’re out on a date with—oh!”He made a sound that was half exclamation and half laugh.
“Camden, what are you doing with a human?” Aidan asked in mock horror.
“Don’t you know they carry diseases?” Thatcher added, barely able to contain his own laughter.
“Oh, that’s not fair, Thatch,” Scott said, shaking his head. “They can only pass them on if we let them come too close to us. You really should be more careful, Hughes. This one will get you into trouble.”
The back-and-forth teasing was familiar between the four of them. It was how they had always treated Flora over the years, making jokes at her expense and only rarely speaking directly to her. It was as though she was there for their own amusement, not really a living, breathing person at all.
For the first time in his life, Camden felt the effects of it in real time. For years, he had tolerated and even encouraged the abuse that Flora had suffered. He had been stupid and weak then, not wanting to rock the boat or go against the grain of what was considered normal. But he had grown up since then. Clearly, his old friends had not.
“I’m more worried about your bitterness than anything else right now,” Camden retorted. “Why are you so threatenedby my date, Scott? Are you jealous? I didn’t realize you felt that way about me. You should have said something.”
The men laughed at his joke, clearly charmed by him even while being disarmed by his statement.
“But seriously, Hughes. Why are you here with her?” Aidan asked. “There are plenty of she-wolves that would spend time with you if you asked. You don’t have to resort to slumming it with this one.” He nodded his head at Flora.
“I don’t consider a date with a beautiful woman to be ‘slumming it’ at all,” Camden argued. “And I highly suggest you not offend my mate any more than you’ve already done.”
The shock of his revelation about Flora being his mate was evident on their faces, and Scott took a step backwards.
“We’re only teasing, bro,” Thatcher said. “Flora doesn’t care, do you, doll?”
But Flora had gone completely silent, staring at her hands in her lap and ignoring the interaction. Her shoulders were slumped forward, as if to protect herself from the onslaught of abuse.
“Whether she cares or not isn’t your concern,” Camden said evenly. “I said to stop, and that’s what you’ll do.”
“Sure thing,” Scott said uncomfortably. “We’re gonna let you guys finish your dinner.”
They disappeared without another word, leaving Flora and Camden silent in their wake. A moment later, the waitress appeared with their food.
“Enjoy!” she said with a bubbling energy that didn’t match their mood.
“Are you okay?” Camden asked when she left. “I’m sorry about that. If I had known that was going to happen, I would have taken you somewhere else.”
