Only You (22 page)

“Will you shave it for me?” she murmured.

“Yeah, baby. I’ll shave it.” He lifted his head and winked at her. “You ready to rock a scarf again?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” She looked at Eric in confusion as he released her and quickly headed to his chest of drawers. He opened the top drawer and dug inside for a minute. When he turned around, a triumphant look on his face, Camden was intrigued.

“Or,” he drew out the word. “You could wear a beanie.” He grinned and held out a crocheted cap. The yarn was thick and fuzzy, and the color was some swirly purple and blue mixture. It was ultra-chic and must have cost him a pretty penny.

“Eric, you didn’t have to buy that!” she protested. Eric’s grin grew.

“I didn’t. I made it,” he laughed.

Camden’s jaw dropped open in shock. “You what?”

“I made it. Marvin was making one for the baby, so I asked him to teach me. I figured it would keep a little part of me with you wherever you go.”

Camden’s eyes became teary again at the gesture.

“Plus,” Eric continued. “When you find out if the baby is a girl or a boy, Uncle Eric can go crazy making little hats for it.”

“Okay, Uncle Eric,” Camden whispered. She turned to him with a wobbly smile. “Shave my head, so I can wear your beanie.”

Eric grinned and headed into his bathroom, with Camden close behind.

***

“You wanted to see me, boss?”

Daphne’s eyes sparkled, her tone teasing. Her eyes were green, like Camden’s, but not quite as striking. And where Camden’s gaze was welcoming, something about Daphne’s expression seemed calculating.

“Yeah,” Javier replied. “We need to talk about that. Why don’t you have a seat?” He indicated the chair on the other side of the desk. While Daphne situated herself in the cushioned seat, Javier slipped the purchase orders that he’d been reviewing into the top drawer of the desk.

“The other night was kind of hectic.”

“I noticed,” Daphne chuckled.

“With so much going on, I didn’t have the energy left to focus on the conversation we need to have.”

Daphne’s eyes narrowed. “And what conversation is that,” she paused, emphasizing the next word. “Boss.”

“The conversation about you coming here, Daphne. I know you just got discharged, but there has to be somewhere else you can go. Don’t you have family or friends that you can stay with? Get a job with?” he hinted.

“I told you that I’ll go once I talk to Shane,” she answered.

“Well, you aren’t working here in the meantime.”

Daphne’s expression grew fierce. “That asshole would have gotten away if it wasn’t for me,” she argued, remembering the Goliath she had tackled Friday night.

“Maybe. Maybe not,” Javier returned. “The fact of the matter is that you being here is a problem. Brody’s sister has too much happening right now, and she doesn’t need you stirring up problems.”

“If Camden was woman enough to hold onto Shane, then my being here wouldn’t be a problem,” she sniped.

“That has nothing to do with it, Daphne,” Javier snarled. “That girl is fighting for her life and the life of her baby – a baby, I remind you, that Shane wants desperately. Don’t you screw with things, Daphne.”

“What do you mean fighting for her life?” Daphne’s expression showed confusion.

“She has cancer,” Javier told her, wishing he would have kept his mouth shut. “She’s going through chemotherapy right now, while pregnant, and she and Shane have all that to deal with. On top of finding each other again.”

Something in Daphne’s eyes bothered Javier. “They love each other, Daphne. They have the real thing. And you need to leave it alone.”

“So no job for me, Javier?” she stated emotionlessly.

“Daphne, go home to your family. Shane was never meant for you.”

“Right,” she declared sarcastically. “I’ll get out of your hair.”

Daphne walked to the door and gave Javier one last smirk before stepping into the hall. Something didn’t sit right with him about their meeting. She caved much more quickly than he would have thought. And Daphne didn’t seem like a girl to go down without a fight. Maybe something he said actually clicked with her. He hoped so.

“Javi, just saw Daphne leaving.” Brody poked his head through the doorway. “How’d everything go?”

“Too easy, man. Something’s up with that woman,” Javier replied. “How are things out front?” he asked, changing the subject.

“A little slow, but nothing abnormal for a Monday night when there isn’t any big game on TV.”

Javier nodded. “Melia seem okay?”

“Yeah,” Brody advised. “She seems like her normal self.”

“Good. Keep an eye on her.”

“You got it, chief.” Brody saluted and exited the office.

***

Camden kept her eyes closed as she listened to the buzzing of Eric’s electric hair trimmer. She had seen the first swipe of hair fall to the floor and her stomach had flipped. Last time she was bald from chemo, she had Eric looking bald and “twinsy” with her. And she hadn’t worried about Shane’s expression when he saw her.

The constant buzzing of the clippers almost put Camden to sleep. Eric remained silent as he trimmed her hair, knowing she was wrestling with something deep. He’d never seen her so unsure of herself. He thought the pregnancy would give her hope in the middle of everything, but it seemed the baby just made Camden even more unsure, and he didn’t know why.

Camden, on the other hand, knew exactly what she was struggling with. She had been having the same recurring dream the last couple of weeks. Every night, she dreamed that her baby had been born. It was beautiful, and Camden and Shane were thrilled. He gazed at the baby with such love, and Camden felt like she’d conquered the world in giving him this gift. As soon as she began to count her baby’s fingers and toes, a nurse came into the room with a visitor. The nurse introduced the visitor as the baby’s mother, and Camden was forced to hand the baby to a nameless, faceless woman. When the woman took the baby, Camden began to cry. Then the woman turned and walked to Shane, grabbing him by the hand and leading him from Camden’s side. In the dream, Shane looked at the woman with adoration, while he only glanced at Camden once before closing the door. When he looked at her, his eyes were full of pity. She screamed his name, begging him to come back, but the only thing Camden heard was the voice of the unknown woman telling Camden that Shane and the baby didn’t need her any more. They had a REAL woman…a REAL mommy. She woke each time in a cold sweat. Luckily, Shane only shared her bed during her strong weeks, so he hadn’t noticed the frequency of her nightmares.

Camden didn’t have to have a psych degree to realize her deep fear was that she wouldn’t survive and she would be easily replaced. She was scared someone else would get the job of mothering her baby and loving Shane. But these dreams also had the added side-effect of making Camden fear the same scenario might exist even if she still remained alive. Why would Shane stay for all her baggage, when he could find someone perfectly normal who could care for him and their child? She knew she was being irrational, but she figured she could blame it on a mix between pregnancy brain and chemo brain. Put the two together, and she was screwed.

Camden was drawn from her thoughts when she heard Eric turn off the trimmer. He used a towel to brush the stray hair from Camden’s neck, and he took off the cape he usually stored under his sink.

“Ready?” he whispered in her ear.

“Not in the least,” she answered honestly. When Eric handed her a large, gray mirror, Camden began to cry. She raised her hand to her head, rubbing the newly exposed skin. She looked away from the mirror. At her feet, her vision became glued to the piles of wavy blonde hair. She shoved the mirror into Eric’s hand.

“Oh, Eric,” she cried. “What will Shane say?”

As was his tendency, Shane arrived shortly after he was mentioned. If Eric didn’t know better, he’d think the man was a genie, summoned when called. Knocking on the bathroom door, Shane called Eric’s name.

“What happened, man? You fall in?” Shane chuckled, pushing the door open. “The episode is over. You want to start an… Camden,” he whispered, his gaze frantically alternating between Camden and the piles of hair on the floor.

Camden’s eyes met Shane’s, and her worst fears were realized. His eyes were filled with pity, the one thing she hoped never to see in their depths.  Flashbacks of the dream assaulting her, Camden jumped from her chair, hurried past Shane, and ran to her bedroom. She threw herself on the bed and sobbed.

***

Chapter 27

"Brody, talk to me!"

Tiffany's nasal voice was grating on his last nerve.

"Tiffany, there is nothing to talk about. You cheated. We're over. That's pretty much all there is to say."

Brody continued wiping tables and setting empty chairs on top of them. Javier was currently counting the till, and Melia was in the process of mopping the half of the bar that Brody had already finished. Roger was in the kitchen shutting things down, and Brody hadn't missed Crystal giving him disapproving glances from where she was sweeping the stage.

"There is more to say than that, Brody Shepherd," Tiffany griped.

"Oooh, you used my last name," Brody taunted. "You can leave now, Tiffany. You aren't wanted here anymore."

Tiffany threw her hands into the air in frustration. "I'm not the only one who has been with someone else since we've been together!" she yelled. The room went silent, as every gaze became focused on them. Brody angrily threw down the rag in his hand and stormed out the front door, Tiffany hot on his heels.

"What the hell, Tiffany?!? Why don't you broadcast our sex life to everyone?!" Brody turned to face the blonde.

"Well, it's true," she argued.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Brody glared at her.

"The weekend camping trip, Brody. I'm talking about Stella."

Brody's eyes flashed with anger. "That was different, Tiffany. That was a choice we made as a couple. I didn't cheat on you. You were there, too."

"Oh, please," she whined. "I may have been in the tent, but anyone with two eyes could see I wasn't a part of whatever was going on with you two."

Brody ground his teeth together. "It was different, Tiff. I never cheated on you. Finding you in the supply closet being fucked by the line cook....THAT constitutes as cheating."

"You are so hypocritical!" Tiffany screamed.

"And we are so over," Brody yelled. He opened the door to the bar and slammed it behind him before Tiffany could follow. He locked the door and turned to face the stunned gazes in front of him.

"I don't want to talk about it," he growled. Immediately, everyone returned to their previous jobs, and Brody stalked to the table where he had left his rag. He continued wiping tables and setting up chairs, tuning out the sounds around him.

Who the hell was Tiffany to think she could treat him like that? The joke was on her, because he had thankfully kept deep feelings out of their relationship. Feelings like that had caused him severe damage once before, and he'd never again let that happen. Brody rubbed the phantom pain that suddenly attacked his shoulder. He didn't care if they'd been together a month or a decade. Tiffany lost any chance of continuing their relationship when she cheated. It was the one thing that Brody found absolutely unforgivable.

***

"Camden?" Shane knocked on the door gently, but inside he was seething. Why did she keep doubting him? Hadn't he proven he was in this for the long haul? When Camden didn't answer, he pushed open her door and watched her. Huddled in a ball in the center of her bed, she was weeping. Shane's chest tightened uncomfortably. He turned to close the door, only to see Eric behind him in the hall. Eric nodded encouragingly and went back into his own bedroom.

Shane closed the door to Camden's room quietly behind him, making sure to lock it. He walked with purpose to Camden's bed. His voice was fiercer than he intended when he spoke.

"Dammit, Camden. Sit up and talk to me!"

She froze momentarily, shocked that he was angry with her. Eyes full of fire, she sat and stared at him. Her expression caught him off guard, but he continued.

"What did I do?!" he demanded. "I walked into the room, said your name, and you fled."

"You pitied me!!!" she yelled.

"Of course I did, Camden! You love your hair. I've seen all the products on the bathroom counter. I've waited the hours it takes you to get ready. I know this has to be hard for you!"

Camden whimpered. "But I don't want you to pity me. I want you to be with me because you want to be, not because you feel you have to be."

Shane's eyebrows lowered in confusion. "I don't follow," he stated calmly.

"I want to KNOW that you are with me because you love me. I don't want to ever wonder if you wanted to leave at some point, but stayed because you pitied me or felt sorry for me."

The anger that rushed him was sudden, and Shane had Camden underneath him within seconds. He lowered his face to hers, his blue eyes glaring into her dark green orbs. She tried to move her gaze from his, but his words stopped her movement.