Redeeming You(53)

Cam pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Jax had sent him a text asking to meet at the concert venue early this morning to go over some last minute logistics for their performance tonight. Although he’d rather spend every moment of their hotel time in bed with Taylor, he promised himself that he’d be there for the band and that meant showing up every fucking time. This was the new Cam.

When he finished dressing, he looked at Taylor one more time making sure she still slept. Over the past twenty-five days, everything in his life had shifted on its axis. His life had taken some crazy and unexpected turns over the last year, but if he had known all the pain, loss and guilt would lead him to Taylor, he would gladly do it all over again.

Bending, he kissed her forehead and walked out the door of their shared hotel room. They didn’t get two separate rooms when they checked in last night. Probably not his smartest move, but he was so ready to get her alone again that he didn’t bother with the pretense.

He stopped short when he saw Alec leaning against the wall just outside his hotel room door.

“Hey, Alec.” Cam shoved his hands in the worn pockets of his jeans. “Are you heading over for the meeting?”

“Yep,” Alec said, rubbing his hands together, the thick metal rings on his fingers making a clanging noise.

“Do you want to ride together?”

“I’m not sure yet.” Alec rolled back onto his heels.

“Is something wrong?”

A muscle near his jaw line twitched. “I don’t know, is there?”

And just like that, Cam knew Alec wasn’t there to share a ride or to have a friendly chat before the band meeting. He’d known Alec long enough to realize that the small twitch indicated that shit was about to explode.

“Alec…” Cam lifted his hands in the air, his voice low and conciliatory.

“What’s wrong with you? Why couldn’t you leave her alone?”

“I didn’t mean for this to happen. I didn’t plan it. You know me better than that.”

Alec scoffed shaking his head. “Seriously, man, that’s all you have to say? You didn’t mean for it to happen. This is either black or white. There’s no gray area here. If you didn’t want it to happen, then it wouldn’t have happened.”

Cam glanced over his shoulder. “Can we have this discussion somewhere other than the hallway? Taylor is still sleeping.”

“So it’s true.” Alec pushed away from the wall and started walking toward the elevator. “You’re screwing around with my sister and not even bothering to hide it. That’s low, even for you.”

Cam froze. “That’s fucked up. I’m not screwing around with Taylor. Taylor isn’t that kind of girl. You know that.”

“But you are exactly that kind of guy.”

“Maybe in the past.” Cam pressed the elevator button repeatedly. “But not anymore. I’m done with the groupies and the partying. It only made everything worse.”

Alec turned to Cam, his eyebrows climbing his forehead and his mouth slightly ajar. “So this thing with Taylor…is it serious?”

He didn’t know how to answer that question and he suspected that any answer he gave Alec wouldn’t be the right answer for one reason or another. Alec loved his sister and in his mind, Cam could never be good enough for her. Hell, Cam didn’t even know if he was good enough for Taylor. “She’s important to me.”

“What kind of answer is that?” Alec asked, shaking his head.

“The only one you’re going to get.” Cam didn’t want to have this conversation in the hallway of some stupid hotel. He had planned to wait until the end of the tour, so he really hadn’t thought through all the details and now with Alec breathing down his neck, ready to pummel his face, he couldn’t find the right words. He should have realized Alec would confront him if he found out about him and Taylor, and at least had a few planned sentences to toss at Alec.

“Why her? You have your pick hundreds of women? Why my sister?” Alec rubbed his temples with the palms of his hands. “I don’t get it.”

“Why not her?”

“Because she's fucking fragile and she’s can’t handle any more shit in her life, not from you or anyone else.”

Cam looked at the floor suddenly feeling like a complete worthless prick. “I’m not going to hurt her.”

“Just like you didn’t hurt Bre.”

Cam winced. “No, this is different. I wouldn’t do anything like that to her.”

“Her ex-boyfriend said the exact same words to me. Has she told you about him? About what he did to her?”