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“He’s not. He’s had years to do this and you’ve kept your end of the bargain. Shit, you mademekeep that promise when all I’ve wanted for years is to go slap him. Plus, Cam knows about Bron. There’s nothing Walter can do. Even if he could, Cam won’t let him.”
“Cam wouldn’t be able to do anything, Lo. Walter can still hurt us.”
“He won’t. What you need to do is tell Cam everything. Why didn’t you tell him today?”
Adrianna shoved a hand through her hair. “I don’t know. There were too many revelations and he kept saying he was going to kill Walter.”
“Listen, for the past ten years, that man has made you afraid. He’s threatened you and made you keep Bron away from her dad. What he feared so much has already happened. Now all he’s doing is talking shit. Don’t let him scare you anymore. When will you see Cam again?”
“Tomorrow. He’s going to come to talk about what will happen when he gets back from New York. I imagine he’ll want a paternity test.”
“Wait, what? Why? Does he have doubts?” Lauren started getting up.
Adri’s hand clamped over her wrist. “I don’t think he does but this is only normal. Athletes always have kids coming out of the woodwork. I’m sure his lawyers will advise him to get the test. We can’t blame him if he wants that.”
“I don’t like him or anyone having doubts about our girl.”
Adrianna smiled.Our girl. Yeah, Bron was Lauren’s girl too. “I know but I don’t want anyone to ever point fingers at her. I want it to be left all in the clear in case his parents decide to start something.”
“His fucking parents. Tomorrow you need to cut all that shit at the root. Walter has to stop being a pain in our ass.” Lauren leaned in. “How was everything? The bistro was so busy all day I didn’t get to call. What else happened with Cam?”
Adrianna remembered their afternoon and evening, his interactions with his daughter. She smiled. “He’s in awe of Bron.”
“Well, duh. She’s the most amazing girl in the world.”
“That’s what he said. You should have seen them. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. They talked paintings and baseball all afternoon. He taught her stuff and talked about his playing years. It was a bit off because it was like he didn’t really want to talk about that.”
“Why would he want to talk about baseball? He found Bron…” Lauren shot her a saucy smile. “…and her hot mama. I’m sure the only thing he wanted to reminisce about was that summer and afternoons by the falls—”
“Stop. Don’t put things in my head.” The last thing she wanted to think about was anything like that. Because she and Cam would never be like they were that summer. “Cam wasn’t thinking about that and neither was I. We just happen to have a kid together. He’s just…”
“Your baby daddy? He was totally checking you out when you headed up here. And I dare you to tell me you didn’t notice the way he fills out that shirt or, dearly lord, those arms.”
Adrianna’s mouth drifted open but her denial never came. Yes, she noticed how much bigger his shoulders were and how his pants clung low to his waist and those thighs against his trousers, or the pangs of raw need in her belly when he got closer…
Lauren threw her head back and laughed.
Adri shook the thoughts along with her head. “All he is to me is Bron’s dad. There’s too much bad blood between us. If he wants to be there for her, and he says he does, I’ll let him but there is no way in hell I’m jumping into anything with him. Things with Cam always get crazy and we’re stupid around each other. I’m a mom. Moms don’t get to be crazy or stupid.”
•••
Cameron returned to his hotel room too tired, too wired, and with the day’s events swirling around him. The call to Walter had taken the fight out of him.
He arrived in the city for one exhibition and in less than twelve hours, everything in his life had changed. He was a father to the most beautiful little girl he had ever seen. Her mother was the woman that’d broken his heart, sent him spiraling, and tainted him forever.
The last time he’d seen her, she’d been an angry girl damning him to hell. Now she was a mom and in true Adrianna form, she excelled at it. Just like she’d managed to always have good grades in high school, despite what was happening with her parents, she managed to have her own business while raise an amazing kid.
Bronwyn was beautiful, polite but outspoken, smart, dedicated, sweet and loving. Cam couldn't take his eyes off her. She was also a bubble in his chest that grew larger and larger. He looked out into Sixteenth Street. The quiet street should have helped him think but nothing could help him now. A child, Adrianna and everything he’d missed in the last ten years plagued him.
He needed to make sure he was there for Bron. He and Adrianna talked about the next steps. He would secure a house in the area and get to know Bronwyn and then they would tell her he is her father. He needed to travel to New York in two days, tie up some business ends and attend his next big exhibit. It was the last one on his schedule.
His cell phone flashed. Probably Walter begging again.Fuck Walter.
There were two people occupying every part of his mind right now, leaving no room for anything or anyone else.
The knock on the door yanked his mind off the little girl and her mother. He wasn’t expecting anyone, but his hotel was exclusive and discreet. It wouldn’t be some dumb reporter looking for an exclusive or anything like that. More than likely, it was someone knocking on the wrong door.
“Open the door. No one else wants to visit you but me.”
