Page 49 of Be Mine Forever
“Brandee said you were looking for me.” She leaned one rounded hip against the counter Cam had set their skates on. “I’m Lashaun, and you are?”
“You probably don’t remember me,” Cam said to the woman. “I was only like eleven years old the last time you saw me, but it’s—”
“Little Cameron?” The woman’s eyes rounded and widened. “Damn, you grew up fine.”
The low rumble of Cam’s laugh reached Jo’s ears.
“I haven’t been back here since I left years ago, but I wanted to thank you.”
“For what?” Lashaun raised penciled brows. “Sneaking you in all those times?”
“Yeah. There weren’t a lot of people doing me favors back then. It meant a lot.”
“I was only twenty-two years old.” Lashaun moved an inch closer. “Ten years ain’t nothing now. You ever wanna get up, just let me know.”
Okay. Enough memory lane. Jo didn’t care if the woman had slipped Cam food and water in solitary confinement, if she got any closer, Jo would shove those talon-like nails up her nose.
“Uh.” To say Cam looked unsure of how to respond would be to grossly underrate theWhat do I do now?that was all over his face.
“You ready, Cam?” Jo slipped her arm through his and microwaved her smile before serving it to Lashaun. “How are you?”
“Fine.” Lashaun started her inspection with Jo’s toes and made a slow journey up to the top of her head. “You Cam’s girl?”
“Yeah,” Cam said before Jo could respond. “This is my girlfriend, Jo.”
It would never get old. Hearing him claim her that way with that word, it might always feel like Christmas and the lottery all rolled up and tied into one Cam-shaped bow.
“My girl’s hungry, so we’re gonna get out of here.” Cam brushed a few strands of hair behind Jo’s ear before giving Lashaun one more smile. “Thanks again.”
A few minutes later, Jo glanced at Cam’s strong profile in the dimly lit car. Same high cheekbones. Same lips, sculpted and full. Same will-they-ever-end lashes. He looked like her Cam, but she couldn’t help but feel like she had lost a part of him over the last few hours in that skating rink. Or more accurately, realized that she’d never had him at all.
“Was itthatbad?” Cam spared her a glance, merging onto the interstate that would take them to the cottage. “I thought it’d be fun. Next time we can do something else. Your choice.”
“Itwasfun.” Jo turned her body toward him as much as the seat belt would allow.
“If this is how you respond to fun, I’d hate to see you after the dentist.”
“Sorry. I’m just thinking.”
“An occupational hazard of being brilliant, I hear. Wanna share?”
“It’s ironic that you’d say that since I wondered the same thing about you. Doyouwant to share?”
“Should I be following you? Like actually know what you’re talking about?”
“Tonight was…eye-opening.”
“Because I finally found something you suck at?”
“Cam, I’m serious. Tonight I realized just how much you’ve held back from us. From me.”
Cam puckered his brows until they almost touched in a grumpy kiss on his forehead.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s like you appeared at twelve years old, and I didn’t bother to ask where you’d been or what your life had been like before. I just took it all at face value and dragged you into our life.”
“We were twelve, Jo. I didn’t expect you to psychoanalyze me.”