True for You(9)

Cameron holds out a hand. “I’m Cameron.”

“Bliss,” she says softly, edging towards me.

“Seriously, Cam?”

“I didn’t know you had company. “ His hand falls to his side. “You never bring anyone here.”

I expect a comment from Bliss, or at least a sigh over that, but no. All she does is ask where the closet is.

Cameron and I point at the same door, at the same time. Bliss’ gaze bounces between the two of us, before she walks to it and disappears inside.

“Seriously, I didn’t know,” Cameron repeats.

“What did you think I was doing?”

Cam points to the television in the corner. “Watching Cupcake Wars.”

I was, in fact, watching Cupcake Wars. “You got me. “

“Care to explain?”

“Cupcakes are good. They’re like little muffins of happiness.”

“Not that.”

“Then what?”

“Your marriage.”

Rising to my feet, I click off the television and turn to face Cameron. “I thought you didn’t know I had company.”

He shrugs, and if he wasn’t the closest thing I had to a friend, I would have punched him for lying to me.

“I don’t believe everything I read, so I decided to come by and find out the truth.”

“What exactly did you read?” I know what my dad has told me, but I haven’t looked for myself, mostly because I’ve been trained not to look.

Cameron cocks his head to one side. “Enough to know that you had to have been drunk to do something so stupid.”

“Who are you—my mother?”

“No, I’m your friend. One who won’t lie to you,” he says. I look away.

Cameron has never lied to me, not one time. He gives it to me straight, not sugarcoating anything. If my latest song sucked ass, he’s the first one to tell me. But I can’t say I’ve treated him the same. He knows nothing of my dad’s sick, twisted games, or how much I loved Violet, how it killed me to leave her in that field with our unborn baby dying inside of her, and it’s because of all that why Cameron assumes I’m this cheating, low-life who needs his guidance.

Hell, he’s not the only one who thinks the worse of me. Everyone thinks the worse of me, except for Bliss.

“Go home,” I say, making my way to the closet.

Bliss is standing inside, still wearing my robe, surrounded by clothes. Her face flames when she sees me, and she looks down at the floor. Her bare feet are peeking out of the hem.

Guilt runs through me, like a river, washing away my anger and frustration. She has nothing to wear because of me.

Wordlessly, I pull her into my arms and kiss the top of her head, then begin to stroke her back. “Sorry. I had no idea he’d barge right in.” I smile. “Well, usually he barges in, but usually I’m the only one here, and we go fishing or something.”

“I wasn’t sure… it’s fine,” she says, still rigid as hell in my embrace.

“Thought you might want to grab something to eat. Bliss can come too,” Cameron yells from the bedroom. So much for him leaving.

“Shouldn’t you be in class right now, making freshman tremble?” Only two years older than me at twenty-six, he’s an assistant professor at the local university.

Bliss relaxes into me. Did she think I was going to invite him in here, with us?

“Last day of Spring Break.”

“Lucky me,” I mutter into her hair. Slowly, I peel away the robe, and Bliss goes rigid again. “Trust me,” I say softly, staring into her pretty eyes and not at her sexy body. “Let’s get you dressed.”

As soon as the words are out of my mouth, she goes all soft. “‘Kay.”

Grabbing the closest t-shirt, I pull it off the hanger, and help her into it. The hem hits her mid-thigh. Next, I find a pair of old shorts. Ones I had outgrown years ago, but had kept for sentimental reasons. They barely go over her curvy hips as she pulls them up.

My mouth runs dry at the sight of her. She’s not wearing anything underneath my clothes and her hair is damp from the shower. It curls every which way, wild and untamed.

Danger, danger, a voice in my head shouts.

“What do you want me to do now?” she asks softly.

My gaze finally drops to her chest, the outline of her nipples apparent under the fabric of my shirt. No way I’m letting Cameron see her.

“Do you have anything you can wear under this?”

She nods. “In the bedroom, the chair beside the dresser.”

“You’re not helping the rumor mill, Jackson,” Cameron calls out.

Bliss regards me thoughtfully, and then asks, “Can you get him out of our bedroom, please?”