Only You (21 page)

“We weren’t in Shane’s bed, Javi. Geez. Give me some credit,” Brody winked. “We were in the supply closet.”

Javier glared at Brody. “Doesn’t matter. Because you weren’t here, this lasted way longer than it should have.”

Brody looked sheepish, and turned to see a sleeping Vinnie on the floor. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped open.

“Daphne?!?!” he practically yelled. “What the hell are you doing here?!” he demanded.

“Well,” she stood with a self-satisfied smirk, wiping imaginary dirt from her jeans. “I think I just got myself a job.”

Brody’s eyes flashed to Javier’s. Javier was too concerned with Melia to fight it. He stood, propping Melia under his arm and began heading toward the kitchen.

“You can start now. You and Brody break up that fight. Bring this place back under control.”

Brody glared at Daphne, ready to give her a lecture on her unwanted arrival, but she spoke before he could.

“You heard the man. We have a bar to bring to heel.” She turned and walked straight into the crowd.

***

Chapter 25

“Aaaaggghhh! This is so frustrating!” Camden whined.

Eric laughed. “What now, Camicake?”

“The chemo makes everything taste metallic,” she groaned. “I almost forgot how it changed the taste of everything; I can’t even enjoy this Dr. Pepper, because it doesn’t taste right.” She growled in frustration.

“I’m sorry, babe. That’s one thing I don’t miss.”

“Eric, it’s the worst part of having cancer right now. I get these pregnancy cravings, but even when I eat what I’m craving, it doesn’t help. Because it doesn’t taste right!!!” Camden thrust her can of soda into Eric’s hands. “I’m sticking to water,” she grumbled.

“So, should we have not come to a restaurant for lunch?”

Camden sighed. “I feel like I am wasting your money,” she murmured.

“Baby, you know better than to worry about that! My dads still keep slipping me money to ‘help with college costs’. Even though school is paid by the state, and I have a job to pay rent, they want to contribute.” He smirked. “So really, you’re wasting their money!”

Camden giggled. “You are such a spoiled dork.”

Eric acted hurt. “I resent that.” He couldn’t hold the frown, and the mischievous smirk Camden loved so much soon returned.

“So….Aeropostale hottie?” she teased.

“So over that,” Eric told her. “Guess he couldn’t handle that I had previous commitments. He thought he should be the center of my life overnight.”

“Ewww,” Camden groaned in understanding. “Why do you always get the clingy ones?”

“I don’t know, baby. But at least their fine.” Camden laughed.

“True,” she agreed. “You find hotter ass than anyone I know. I just wish one of them was the guy you dream of.”

“Thor?” he winked. “Me, too. But since Chris Hemsworth’s straight and totally married, I’d settle for a nice, non-clingy, gorgeous mo-fo with whom to spend my life and raise my kids.”

Camden looked at Eric affectionately. “It’ll happen, Eric. You’re too special not to find your true love.”

“That’s true. I am pretty awesome.” He chuckled, and motioned for the waitress to bring him the check.

Once Eric had paid, the two exited the restaurant and began walking down the block.

“It’s beautiful outside, today,” Camden murmured, looking at the gorgeous blue, cloudy sky. “It would be the perfect day for a long walk and a picnic.”

“It is gorgeous out. Did you want to take a walk?” Eric asked, a little surprised.

“Yes,” Camden groaned, “and no. I’m too tired these days. Between the baby and the chemo, I feel like I am constantly craving a bed. And, of course, I need to stay out of the sunlight, since the chemo makes me more sensitive to sunburn.”

“You sound a little down, sweetie.” Eric put his hand on her lower back and directed her to his SUV. He opened the door, letting her climb into her seat and then made his way around the red car. Once he had settled into the driver’s seat, he turned to her. “Everything okay?”

Camden sighed. “Yes,” she said wistfully. “And no. It’s my good week, so it’s nice to be able to move without wanting to vomit, and I feel strong enough for short outings like this, but I know it’s going to get worse with each round of chemo.”

Eric raised his hand to cup her cheek. “We knew that already, babe. What’s going on?”

Camden felt her eyes water. “It’s so much harder this time, Eric,” she confessed. “When I’m getting the chemo, I worry the whole time that I might be hurting, or worse – killing, my baby. When the side effects kick in, I worry that I am going to scare Shane away, or that by seeing me like this, he’ll lose all ability to be attracted to me.”

“Aww, honey,” Eric murmured soothingly.

“When I am in the throes of pain and nausea, I want to beg God to let me die, and then I feel guilty for what that would do to Shane. I know I want to live, but when I hurt so much, I sometimes just want it to stop.”

“I know, honey,” Eric whispered. “I remember.”

“Then when I feel better, I think that maybe Shane is getting a raw deal. Even during my good week, I’m not at a hundred percent. He’s so vital and alive, and I feel like I’m living a half-life right now.”

“Babe, you are going to beat this cancer, and then you and Shane will BOTH be living a full life. It will be full of friends and family, and most importantly, it will be full of your baby and each other.”

A tear trickled down Camden’s cheek. “I need you to keep me sane, Eric.”

Her whispered request caused his heart to ache. “You got it Camicake.”

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, then started the car and headed toward home.

***

“We need to talk.”

Javier sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He looked expectantly at Brody from behind Shane’s desk.

“What the hell were you thinking?!?!” Brody yelled.

“I wasn’t,” Javi admitted. “It was like, in that moment, all I could see was Melia. She has a bruise where he grabbed her, man, and I don’t think it’s the first time.”

Brody’s eyes grew angry. She may be an annoying woman, but as a part of Cam’s Bar and Grill, she was their responsibility. The staff at Cam’s was like family, and no one messed with family.

“You think that asshole has hurt her before?!”

Javier nodded. “You should have seen her, Brody. When she was talking to him, it was like she was scared how he would react. She was quiet and demure. I don’t know where our Melia went, but that girl was NOT her.”

“That still doesn’t explain how you ended up giving Daphne a job,” he grumbled.

Javier shook his head. “I’ll take care of that today. I never intended to give her a job. She had just asked about one when the fight broke out. Then, I was too distracted by Melia to care.”

“She won’t give up without a fight, Javier,” Brody admonished.

“Then she’ll get one. There is no way I’m letting her screw things up for Shane.”

“Good.” Brody finally sat in the chair across from Shane’s desk. “So, what are we going to do about Melia?”

“I offered to let her crash upstairs, but I don’t think that she felt safe having no one here with her. She said she’d stay home. She thought it would cause more trouble if she disappeared.”

“Think that was why she was so desperate to get with Shane?” Brody wondered aloud.

“Maybe. Shane’s got a head on his shoulders, and it’s obvious to anyone who meets him how loyal and protective he is to those he loves.”

“So she went back to him?” Brody asked, gritting his teeth.

Javier growled. “Yeah, she went back to the bastard.” He squeezed his fists together. “So help me, Brody, if I see one mark on her from that asshole, he won’t know what hit him.”

Brody smirked. “In that case, he better hope he kept his hands off her. The wrath of Javi is nothing to mess with.”

“You saw me in the sandbox, Brody,” Javier spat.

Brody grew serious. “That’s why I’m scared for the dude, Javi. You may not have size on him, but that jackass doesn’t know who he’s messing with. I’ve seen your psychotic tendencies,” Brody teased.

“She’s due here at eight,” Javier murmured, thoughts back on Melia.

“When’s Daphne supposed to be here?”

“Hell if I know. I told you I never intended to give her a real job. No paperwork has been signed, and she wasn’t added to any schedule. When she drags her ass in, tell her to come back to the office. I’ll tell her then that she needs to hit the road.”

“Sure thing,” Brody answered. “I’ll set up the bar.” Brody stood and exited the room. As he walked down the hallway, he heard the sound of something crashing to the floor. He quickened his steps and headed toward the sound. As he reached the supply closet, he heard a familiar giggle. Stepping to the closet door, Brody gripped the door handle and opened the door, blinding the half-dressed occupants of the closet.

“Tiffany?!?”

***

Camden stretched her arms and rolled over. The room was pitch black, so she must have slept for hours. She noticed she was alone in the bed, and her eyes searched out the clock. Eleven at night. It wasn’t terribly late, so Shane was probably in the living room with Eric. They had found they both loved the BBC show Sherlock, and she knew they had DVRd several episodes.

Camden felt yucky, and the shower was beckoning her. She climbed out of bed and made her way to the restroom. Once the shower was the right temperature, she slipped out of her clothes and stepped into the steamy spray. She knew from experience that her surge of energy wouldn’t last long, so she began to quickly wash away the day’s grime.

Her muscles began to relax, and the hot water pounded the stress of the day away. She grabbed her razor and began to shave her legs, humming some Katy Perry song. She wasn’t sure what the title was, but the tune was incredibly catchy.

Camden rinsed her razor and set it on the side of the tub. She grabbed her shampoo from the corner and squirted it into her hand. As she lathered her hair, she didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, but when she began to rinse her hair, Camden grew horrified. She should have been prepared for this. It had happened before, and she had been able to rock the bald look then. She didn’t know why it bothered her more this time, except for the fact that she never wanted Shane to see her this way.

She frantically ran her fingers through her hair as she rinsed out the shampoo. Clumps of her shiny blonde hair were unattached, and the more she ran her hands through the strands, the more the hair came loose. She quickly turned off the water, and wrapped her head turban-style in a towel.

Grabbing another towel, Camden wrapped her body and stepped out of the shower. She quickly dried off and put on a plain purple shirt and a pair of black yoga pants. Leaving her head wrapped in the towel, she quietly crept into the hallway. As she reached the corner, she peeked into the living room, where the boys were, sure enough, watching Sherlock.

She waved her hand, trying to get Eric’s attention. When he opened his mouth to say something to her, she cut her hand across her throat in threat. He immediately understood her intention.

“Shane, man, I need to take a piss. Mind if we pause this?”

Shane looked at Eric, amused. “Sorry man, if you leave, it’s your loss.” He laughed. “You wouldn’t pause it for me to get popcorn, so I won’t pause it for you.”

“This is the call of nature, man!” Eric protested. “That was want. THIS is need!”

Shane laughed. “Sucks to be you.”

Eric chuckled and hurried to the hallway. Camden quietly turned and walked straight to Eric’s bedroom. Once inside, she closed the door and turned.

“I was wrong,” she declared. “There is something worse than the metallic taste caused by chemo.”

Eric looked at her in confusion, and Camden removed the towel from her head, revealing the patchy bald spots. Tears flooded her eyes.

“This,” she cried. “This is worse.”

***

Chapter 26

“Oh, Camden,” Eric murmured and pulled her into his chest. His arms wrapped around her back, and he held her as she sobbed.

“Camden, that boy out there loves you. He loves you so much that when he sees you, no matter how gross, no matter how grimy, no matter how bald or gaunt from cancer treatments, he sees the most beautiful thing he has ever had the luck of witnessing. He sees your heart, the one that beats only for him.”

Camden looked up, meeting Eric’s eyes. She sniffled, and wiped the tears from her cheeks with the backs of her wrists. Eric chuckled.

“Even now, if he saw you all blotchy and snot-faced, he’d think you were the hottest woman in the world.”

“You don’t know that, Eric,” Camden cried. “He deserves someone gorgeous and healthy.”

“He does have someone gorgeous, Cami. Inside and out.”

“But not healthy,” she argued.

Eric nodded and pulled Camden back into his warm embrace. “No, not healthy,” he whispered into her ear. “But she will be.”

Camden continued to weep. She knew Shane was amazing. But she didn’t know that she would ever be healthy again. He deserved the best of everything, and that wasn’t her. Camden’s hand went protectively to her abdomen. She may not be the best for him, but he was best for this baby. Camden had no doubt about that. She wrapped her arms around Eric again and tightened her arms.