“Oh, honey, I have so many more. We should exchange numbers.” Grace laughs.
“All right, you two.” Cameron steps up and wraps his mom in a hug. “Thanks for coming tonight.”
“Nowhere else I’d rather be.”
“You want to follow us home?” he asks her. She raises her eyebrows in a silent question. I’m guessing it was the “us” that is raising her suspicions. “Paisley lives in the same complex as I do.”
“Wow. That’s… well, fate is the only thing I can think of to describe it.”
“See.” Cameron leans his shoulder into mine. “Come on, ladies, let’s go home.” With one arm around my shoulders and one around his mother’s, he leads us to the parking lot.
“She’s nice,” I say, once we’re in his truck and on the way home.
“Told you so.” He reaches over and laces his fingers with mine. His hand is warm and calloused.
The rest of the drive is quiet. The radio plays softly in the background, and it appears that Cameron and I are both okay with just being together. There’s no need for chatter to fill the silence. It’s comfortable and just another thing to add to the list of things I like about him. He puts me at ease, even when he’s being his bossy self.
We pull into the parking lot, and he shuts off his truck but makes no move to get out. “Stay with me tonight.”
“You need this time with your mom before she drives home tomorrow.”
“She just lives an hour away. I can see her anytime.”
“Really, with the Blaze schedule?” I challenge.
“Fine. I know I can’t, and I want to spend time with her, but I want to spend time with you too.”
“You’ve been with me for over twenty-four hours. You need this time with her.”
“Can you come back later and sleep in my bed with me?” He sounds like a little boy asking, and it makes me smile.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Cameron. Spend time with your mom. Take her to breakfast before you have to be at the field tomorrow, and we can catch up tomorrow night.”
“I don’t like this plan.”
“I think some time away will do us both some good. It will give us time to think about this.” I point between the two of us.
“I don’t need to think about you any more than I already do.”
“I mean, what this means. What we are. You’ve made some big claims, and you know maybe once you get some time away and a little perspective, you may change your mind.”
“I’m not changing my mind.” He turns to face me. “Every minute that I spend with you, I fall harder. You heard my mom tonight, right?”
“I did, but this is all so new, and you’ve had a lot of change in your life. You got called up to the big leagues. That’s huge, Cameron, and you can’t lose focus. Not now.”
“I won’t. The only thing that could make me lose focus on that field is losing you.”
“You don’t really have me to lose.” We both know that’s a lie.
“Don’t I?” He leans in close and presses his lips to mine. “We can’t keep doing this, Paisley. Can you just admit that we’re dating? We can’t be just friends. It’s not possible for me. I’m willing to slow down and let you catch up, but I just need you to admit that we’re dating. That neither of us is seeing anyone else. We’re a couple. You’re my girlfriend, my steady girl, whatever you want to call it. However you want to say it, I just need that.”
“You really want to label this?”
“Yes.” There is no hesitation in his answer.
“What if it hurts your chances of staying with the Blaze?”
He slides his hand behind my neck and pulls me close, pressing his forehead to mine. “That’s a risk I’m willing to take. I’ve never met anyone like you. I’ve never met anyone who could make me think of something besides the game. That’s worth everything.”
How do I say no to that?
It’s simple. I don’t.
I don’t want to. I can’t resist him. I have a list a mile long of reasons we should just be friends, but none of them seem to matter. He’s in this. I trust that. I can see the conviction in his eyes and hear it in his voice. I’m who he wants, and to be honest, I’m tired of fighting him on this when he’s who I want as well.
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
I nod. “Yeah. But I want to slow us down just a little. That means you sleep at your place tonight.”
“Say it.”
“Say what?” I’m being coy, and we both know it.
“Paisley,” he warns.
“I’m your girlfriend.” Saying the words makes me feel like I’m back in high school, but the way his eyes light up under the glow of the streetlamp makes that childish feeling worth it.
“Fuck yes, you are,” he says, as his lips crash with mine. He rests his palms against my cheeks as he kisses me breathless.
I don’t know how long we kiss, but when I remember that his mom is waiting for him to let her into his condo, it’s like a bucket of cold water is tossed over my head. “Cam, your mom,” I say against his lips.
“More kissing. Less talking.”
“Cameron.” I laugh, pushing at his chest, effectively breaking our kiss. “Your mom is waiting on you.”
“Oh, shit,” he mutters.
“Yeah. Oh, shit.”
“This is real, right, Paisley?” he asks softly. “I’m not going to wake up tomorrow and realize this was all just a dream?”
“It’s real. But you need to go.”
“Come on. I’ll walk you to your door.” He climbs out of the truck, and that’s when I see his mom climb out of her SUV that’s parked beside us. My face heats with embarrassment. Not the best first impression of his girlfriend.
Knowing I need to face this head-on and I have no other choice, I reach for the handle and climb out of the truck. I take my time walking to the front and meeting them on the sidewalk. As soon as I’m within arm’s reach, Cameron slides his arm around my waist.
“Mom, I have someone for you to meet,” he says. His voice is chipper and filled with wonder.
“You feeling okay, son?” Grace asks him.
He laughs. “I’m perfect. Mom, this is my girlfriend, Paisley Monroe.”
“Well, that’s a new development. A welcome one.” Grace steps forward and wraps her arms around both of us in a motherly embrace. When she pulls away, she’s smiling wide, and it may just be the lighting, but I’m pretty sure she has tears in her eyes.
“Where’s your bag?” Cameron asks.
“Oh, I just have this small one.” She points at a small suitcase at her feet.
“I’ll take that.” Cameron reaches for the bag and begins to wheel it toward his condo.
“You make him happy,” Grace says, keeping her voice low and just between us.
“He makes me happy.” It’s the first time I’ve admitted that. It’s the truth. I don’t know him all that well, but from what I do know, Cameron is one of the good guys. I know that people can change, but I’m pretty sure with Cameron Taylor, what you see is what you get.