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That got his attention. He didn’t let go of me, but he definitely stiffened. “A baby?” He shook his head. “They mentioned wanting to try things unprotected,” he looked down at me, “but so did you.”
“Girl,” Shay huffed out. “Have you lost your damn mind?”
I coughed and took a step back out of Cam’s arms. He followed me, taking a step forward like he was unsure that letting me go was the right choice. But I needed to collect my thoughts. With a sigh, I turned to Shay. “Don’t tell me you’ve never been so into the moment that you talk without thinking.” I waved both hands. “It was the moment.”
Cameron relaxed immediately, leaning against my shoulder. “It’s not something you want?”
“A baby? Now? Have you seen the mess that I am?” I asked him. “That’d be a hell of a way for me to prove my parents right.”
“How are you proving your parents right?” he asked.
“They expect me to do the worst. So randomly getting pregnant without a boyfriend just shows them they were right,” Iexplained uneasily. I grimaced and leaned against him. “I guess all of this was something that they should’ve expected.”
“Probably not with multiple men,” Shay said, “but that’s not something that will matter too much. Especially if you’re smart and you don’t do anything that’ll run that risk.” She patted a hand on the couch. “Don’t dwell on that. Let’s get comfortable, and if Cam wants to stay for dinner, he can.”
I took the offered seat, and Cam sat heavily beside me. “I’m on birth control, so that limits the risk of me getting pregnant,” I announced, hoping to brush off that idea. “And the last time I saw Mom, she demanded grandchildren. So on the off chance that I went forward with that bad idea and that happened, it would give her something she wanted.” I leaned back on the couch. “Though I doubt I could handle the whole single-mother shtick.”
“You wouldn’t be a single mother,” Cam whispered. “If it was mine or not.” He picked up my hand and held it. “I wouldn’t let you do it alone.”
“Cameron, I had no idea you were this kind of man,” Shay said as she turned to look at him. “I was gonna make you pay for dinner, but I think that right there has made it so I can’t do that.” She got up and went back to her bedroom to fetch her purse. “Now, if you can just convince her that Adam wouldn’t do something stupid like that, it’ll help.”
“Adam’s been shitty to women before,” Cam admitted, “but I don’t think he would do that to you,” he said to me. He pulled my hand up to his lips and kissed my knuckles. “Not with the way he reacted when I brought you home.”
“But you don’t know about Darius?” Shay asked.
Cam shook his head. “We didn’t keep track of one another. I didn’t even realize how upset he’d been at her until we showed up at the bar to celebrate Adam getting a new job.” He frowned.“And that’s more my fault than yours.” He looked at me. “I don’t know why he would take it out on you.”
Cam was being oblivious, or he wasn’t looking at the bigger picture. “The only way I know for sure to find out is to just . . . ” I stopped and sighed. I shrugged and looked at Shay. “See how it plays out.”
“It would be pretty dumb if my brother were to knock you up,” Shay said. There was a knock at the door. “Mama wouldn’t let him shirk on being a father. Plus, he knows how it is to have a deadbeat for a dad. So if that’s in anyone’s scheme, it’s Adam’s. I think you should do some one-on-one research on each of them.” She went to the door with her wallet, opening the door to pay for pizza. After she closed the door, she led the way to the kitchen. “Be careful, and don’t trust any of them until you know for sure.”
“That doesn’t seem fair,” Cameron said as he stood. “That, and someone is bound to get suspicious if you hold them at arm’s length.”
“Be suspicious,” Shay said, turning to him. “But it’s either she lets you boys tear her heart out, something she didn’t do to you, or lets you use her until you’re done. Neither will do her any favors.” She paused as she put the pizza box on the counter. “Maybe the sex will do her favors. I’m not gonna make assumptions about that.”
“Either way,” I said, staying on the couch, “I’d be getting what I deserve.”
Chapter 30
Grace
Ididn’t know what to do from here. It was pretty obvious that Cameron was adamant that the fears my brother had instilled in me were just bullshit. But after he went home, I didn’t get a call from Adam to reassure me. Darius didn’t say a word either.
Cam was so sure his friends weren’t capable of being those kinds of assholes—or he was just gonna let them give me my just desserts. I didn’t want to dwell on that because I’d taken advantage of just how unobservant Cameron could be.
Another tick in the box of shitty things I have done.
After I got off work, I decided there was only one option. I’d have to call out the bullshit. But I didn’t think I could face all of them together.
But given that I could trust Cam on some level, it felt like a good idea to start with Adam. So I showed up at their apartment unannounced. I came with food—a party pack of tacos that wouldn’t be the best, but it wasn’t far from their apartment.
I knocked on the door and waited impatiently for Cam to answer. Adam opened the door instead. I hadn’t called. I hadn’t let Cam know I was coming over.
He leaned against the door frame, still dressed from work. Slacks with a light blue button-down, the arms rolled up. “Look who it is.” From the way he grinned, I questioned whether I should’ve trusted Cameron. “I wasn’t expecting to see you until the weekend. It’s just Tuesday.”
“I brought tacos,” I said as I showed him my haul. “Am I too late for dinner?”
He chuckled and stepped back so I could come in. “I’m all for eating tacos. But we have already got dinner.”
