Shane never stopped talking. Not when Madden plopped down on my other side, or when Siarra planted a juicy kiss on my cheek, or even when Drex babbled unhappily because my bouncing knee had stopped.
During it all, Camilla observed the way I interacted with the kids, and it was hard to ignore her stunned expression.
I knew this was a good idea.
Leila had given Bev the night off, wanting the kids to eat with us. That made our dinner noisy, chaotic, and just what I wanted Camilla to witness. Although our jobs seemed glamorous and hard to imagine, our personal lives were extremely normal. And as we sat eating Leila’s delicious homemade lasagna, I knew there was another place that I wanted Camilla to experience. The Lairs’ beach house.
I could vividly envision our daughter playing with the kids on the beach or helping Siarra corral her massive doll collection along the pool’s edge. Maybe she’d even like to play baseball with all the boys or hold my hand as we jumped the waves… something I’ve never done in my whole damn life.
Camilla helped Leila clean up after dinner. We stayed while the kids were given baths, and while I read them bedtime stories. Afterward, on Jack’s suggestion, we had coffee on their rooftop terrace as Leila shared stories from the days when I barely spoke to her.
“I definitely wore him down,” she said to Camilla with an affirming nod. “Once I wiggled my way into his heart, his only line of defense was to tell horrible jokes and try to get me to blush.”
“It’s not hard to do,” I argued. “Lei… what’s better than roses on your piano?” Predictably, she dragged in a breath and released it. “Tulips on your organ.”
Jack and I laughed just as her cheeks tinged pink. While shaking her head, she raised a hand in my direction. “See?”
Camilla mimicked Leila’s initial response before saying, “That was awful.”
“No worries. If that one didn’t do it for you gals, I’ll just try harder,” I said on a wink.
“Please don’t subject her to that,” Leila begged.
Just then, Camilla’s cell began vibrating on the table, where she had placed it. “Oh, I’m sorry. It’s Alivia wanting to say good night.” She answered the call, saying, “Hi, my sweet girl,” and strolled away from us to the farthest corner of the balcony.
“She’s fantastic,” Leila whispered, even though Camilla wouldn’t be able to hear us.
“You’re getting the nice Camilla. I get the hostile, angry one.”
“You can’t blame her, Trey.” Before I could argue that point, Leila raised a hand and added, “She’s in mama bear mode.”
“I agree,” Jack interjected. “Lei will rip your damn head off if you mess with her babies.”
“Yeah, I know,” I grumbled, having experienced that firsthand. When fuck is every other word in your vocabulary, it tends to slip out at the most inopportune times. “I just hope she’ll finally see I’m not the man she thinks I am.”
“I think she already does see that.” Leila quickly glanced at where Camilla chatted with Alivia. “She asked some questions when we were upstairs… mainly how the kids handle the fame. I explained Jack and I are extremely private with our personal lives, but we also avoid situations that put our kids in danger of being exploited.”
“What did she say to that?”
She paused. “She said that kind of attention terrified her.” Camilla’s walking toward us halted the conversation from going further.
“Everything okay?” Leila asked.
“Yep. She’s staying over at my friend’s house and just wanted to say good night. This was really nice. Thank you.” She then turned her focus to me. “It’s getting late. I should get going.”
“Whatever you want.”
After Leila gave Camilla her cell number, reminding her to call whenever she needed to talk or had a question, we left with promises to get together again very soon.
I didn’t push her into talking as we rode the elevator down. I got that my fame was still her issue and confiding her fears to me would be counterproductive. But once we got outside and started the short walk to my place, I needed to make one point.
“Camilla, please take Leila up on her offer if you need to talk. She means it when she says she’s there for you.”
“I believe that,” Camilla easily replied. “And I understand why you took me there.”
Even though it was dark out, and not many were on the street, I cautiously watched a guy walking toward us. His eyes met mine and widened, but before I allowed time for recognition to hit, I took Camilla’s elbow and quickened our steps.
Despite that it was practically around the corner, Leila hated it when I walked home alone. But when Camilla glanced at me with so many unspoken questions in her eyes, I nodded confidently. “We’re fine. By the time they realize who I am, I’m usually long gone.”
“Okay.” She grew quiet, and I couldn’t help but feel like a “but” was coming. And as we approached the corner side by side, sure enough, she said, “But… that happens often? The crazed fan?”
“Usually they’re females. It’s all part of the territory.”
“And by territory you mean your career and all the dangers that come with it. Usually…” An intentional pause preceded her point. “Doesn’t necessarily mean that it can’t happen.”
“No, it doesn’t, but…” I emphasized the one word she used to prove my own point. “Having a lot of money makes it easier to dodge those dangers. I walk home only when it’s dark out, and only because it’s a short distance. Otherwise, I have Alec with me, or I’m with Jack and Leila, and their security is with us. We’re safe, Camilla.”
She stared up at me and responded with a slow nod, but I knew she had a lot more to say and wondered if she eventually would.
Chapter 14
Camilla
Since spending the evening with the Lairs two weeks ago, Trey had been a different person. He no longer just showed up without warning and instead had called each Sunday to discuss what days that week he’d be able to see Alivia.
Trying to be more accommodating to his requests, I, in turn, shared her dancing school and softball schedules so he knew the days that didn’t work for us. Although he said he would love to have seen her dance and play ball, before I voiced my concern, he quickly admitted that appearing at those activities was probably not the smartest thing to do. So instead I video called him so he could watch her pirouettes and at bats in real time.
On the days he did come by, Alec dropped him off just before Alivia got home from summer camp. He continued to bring her presents, but as I had suggested, they were much smaller tokens such as stickers or a book. He would then spend a few hours coloring, catching her favorite show, playing with dolls, or even coming to the park again to watch her play. With each sweet moment he shared with my daughter, he’d managed to chip away at the rock star monument I had erected in my mind.
One evening, after Alivia begged for Trey to stay and have pizza with us, he actually looked at me for approval. When I nodded, he gave me a breathtaking smile before responding to her with an animated “yes.”