Page 12 of Among the Stars

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Cameron Rhodes thinks I’m beautiful.

Veronica could still feel the heat in her cheeks—and other places—from the unexpected flattery more than five minutes later. So much for bringing spontaneity to his life. More like the other way around. He’d tossed one compliment her way, and she was damn near ready to spontaneously combust.

Attempting to play it cool, she cast furtive glances his way while attempting not to turn her head. The effort was making her eyes hurt. Maybe she was taking this believe it’s real thing a little too far, because watching his hands on the wheel was putting images in her brain. Images of those hands touching her in intimate places.

“What should I know?” Cam asked, breaking the silence and making her fear he’d read her dirty mind.

“Excuse me?”

“If we’ve been on enough dates for you to take me home for Christmas, I should know something about these people.”

He had a point. All he really needed to know was that her family was crazy and overbearing, but that confession might send him running.

“My dad is a lawyer, and my mom runs the family.”

“You mean a family business?”

“No,” Veronica replied. “She runs the family. Birthday parties, school plays, soccer games. She keeps everyone’s schedules, and makes sure we all know where to be and when to be there.”

“What if you don’t want to be there?”

This she had an answer for. “If you have a really good reason, you’re excused, but only so many times.”

“She sounds like a tyrant.”

He didn’t know the half of it. “Just an engaged mother who likes to keep her family close.”

This was how Ash had described Marsha Hamilton once, when Veronica had declared her a pearl-clutching dictator. By their first anniversary, she’d become convinced that her mother liked Ash more than her own daughter. He’d agreed and took full advantage of his favorite son-in-law position.

“What about your siblings?”

“Olivia is the oldest. A schoolteacher married to Chet, a physics professor at Vanderbilt. They have Braden and Briley, fourteen and twelve respectively.”

“Braden and Briley?”

“Yes. They’re popular names these days.”

“I’m sure they are.” Cam said nothing more, and Veronica felt secure in assuming he wouldn’t insist on giving their children such trendy names.

Not that they would be having children. What a ridiculous thought.

“On to Emma,” she said, ignoring the crazy lady in her head. “She’s the youngest, married to Nick, and they have Penelope, who’s four and adores her Uncle Ash. Don’t be offended if she doesn’t take to you right away.”

“Kids tend to like me,” he said, as if making a general statement of fact. Like the sky is blue or water is wet.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Okay, then. His confidence was about to take a hit, but he couldn’t say she hadn’t warned him.

“Emma might be a little. . .excited when she sees you. She’s a fan.”

“A fan of what?”

“Of you.”