“No, it's not going to happen. She can leave me if she wants, but I’m not going to walk away from her.”
Alec’s mouth dropped. “Fuck. You’re in love with her.”
Cam’s eyes widened momentarily. “No fucking way. I’m not talking to you about this.” This conversation wasn’t happening regardless of what Alec wanted. He hadn’t said anything to Taylor about the depth of his feelings and he sure as hell wouldn’t confess anything to her brother before he shared it with her. She deserved that and so much more.
“Fine.” Alec laughed. “You don’t have to say anything. I get it.”
“You don’t get anything.”
Alec snorted. “Whatever…it’s about time you got over Bre.”
“I’ll always love Bre.” Cam stepped into the elevator with Alec, pressed the button for the lobby and watched the door close as he mulled over his next words. “As a friend, as the closest thing I’ll ever have to a sister, but it was never the kind of love to build a lifetime on. I understand that now. We were just two people who had known each other their entire lives. We have a shared history and we were comfortable with each other, but it wasn’t crazy love. You know what I mean?”
“Yeah. Don’t you wish you figured that out months ago?” Alec shoved him lightly against the elevator wall. “I was getting sick of your martyr performance. This tour couldn’t end fast enough for my taste.” Alec mock shivered as he chuckled under his breath.
“Screw you,” Cam said, but without heat because no one knew better than him how pathetic and tortured his thoughts had become over the past six months. Before Taylor walked into his life, he could hardly live in his own head any longer. Sure, temporary relief from his nonstop misery could be found in a bottle or another faceless woman, but he hated himself even more the next morning. It was a vicious cycle, one that he’d never repeat. He had learned his lesson.
The elevator doors opened and Alec turned toward him. “Don’t break her or I will kick your ass.”
“I’ll be begging you to kick my ass if I hurt her.”
Alec stepped into the lobby. “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
“So you’re good with everything?” Cam said, sliding on his sunglasses and pulling the hood of his dark green sweatshirt over his head. He didn’t want to be recognized. It took too much time to deal with the autographs and he wanted to fix the issues at the venue, put the final touches on his surprise for Taylor and spend some quality time with her before their performance tonight. Five minutes away from her and he already missed her.
“If you’re asking my permission to sleep with my sister, you’ll never get it—not in this lifetime.” Alec pulled his black and white trucker cap down low over his eyes.
“I’ll settle for Taylor’s permission. You’re not the one sharing my bed.”
“Thank the fuck for that.”
***
Taylor quietly closed the door to the hotel room she shared with Cam, hoping he wouldn’t realize she heard the end of his conversation with Alec. She needed to think before she acted and she didn’t want an audience either.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
When the urge to run after Cam and confront him subsided, she slid to the floor, her back against the door and her head resting against her knees.
He still loved Bre. He’d always love Bre. What the fuck was wrong with her? She knew Cam loved Bre when she took this job. She knew it when his lips first touched hers. She knew every single day since, but apparently she didn’t want to grasp what that meant for her until now when it was inadvertently thrown in her face. And it fucking hurt.
He loved Bre and that wouldn’t change regardless of what she did. Only Cam could decide when he wanted to move on and she thought he had. Evidently, she was wrong.
Where did that leave her relationship with Cam? He said they were in a relationship. Did he mean a friends with benefits relationship? Even if it was more than that, she didn’t want to be a second-rate replacement for Bre in his mind. He finally accepted he couldn’t have Bre so he’d settle for her…for now. No way. She wouldn’t do that, not when she had serious love-like feelings for him.
She went to bed last night, satiated and soothed by his touch. Life was good. Five days until the tour ended and they didn’t have to hide their relationship any longer, but somewhere over the past month, she obviously missed his cues. She thought they were on the same page, but in reality, he didn’t want her like she wanted him and she couldn’t even be mad at him.