The Stubborn Suitor, Complete Series (An Alpha Billionaire In Love BBW Romance) (11 page)

“What’s the worst part?” Drew grabbed her hand and gave it a soft squeeze.

“He called me right afterwards, while I was still in the parking lot. We didn’t say one word to each other during the meeting, then he calls me five minutes later. And he was so warm and friendly, and I thought maybe he’d come to his senses. In fact, I was completely convinced that he was calling to tell me he was dropping the case. He was going on and on about being mature and reasonable and handling things like a couple of adults, and I agreed. So then he was, like, ‘Good, so you’re just going to give me primary custody.’ I was, like, ‘What? No!’ I ended up telling him not to contact me except through my lawyer and hanging up on him.”

“Good,” Drew said, still holding Cami’s hand. “Is that when I called? You were a little upset on the phone.”

“That’s an understatement,” Cami said with a laugh, thinking of the way she’d chewed Drew out before she realized he wasn’t Ken. “Sorry about that. It’s just really frustrating to know that he thinks I have such a bad case that I’ll just give up and give in without a trial. It really undermines my confidence.”

“That’s probably exactly what he’s doing,” Drew told her. “Maybe he’s scared. Maybe he doesn’t actually think he has much of a chance, which is why he called and tried to intimidate you into giving up custody.”

Cami considered what Drew was saying. She thought about the steps Ken and his lawyer had taken to intimidate her. Perhaps they were only relying on such techniques because they knew they didn’t actually have much of a case. For the first time in weeks, Cami felt better.

“Maybe you’re right,” she said. “I just need to remain positive. I’m a great mother. There’s no way I’m going to lose custody.”

“That’s the spirit,” Drew replied with a smile.

The rest of dinner passed easily, with no more serious conversation. Drew kissed her on the cheek as they left, promising to call her the following day.

Cami was in such a good mood that she even put up with the annoying questions her mother bombarded her with when she went to pick up Madison.

Perhaps things were going to be all right, after all.

C
ami didn’t really expect
Drew to call the next day. Following the pattern of the way that things had worked with Drew so far, Cami almost expected a cold shoulder. That had really been Drew’s MO since she’d met him.

Upon first meeting, they’d clicked and spent an hour flirting, then he’d turned into a complete snob. They’d spent a passionate—albeit drunken—night on the beach, then the following morning he’d practically ignored her for some skinny model.

She’d seen him be sweet and compassionate with his sister, only to witness him being rude and cold later—laughing at jokes about the poor. Then they’d spent a ridiculously hot night together, then he’d fled in the morning without even leaving a note.

So yes, their date last night had been fantastic, but Cami was still unsure. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop. In fact, she pretty much expected not to speak to him for another week or so.

Which was why she was thrown for a loop when, right after she’d put Madison down for her nap the following day, she received a call from Drew.

“Hello?” she’d said hesitantly into the phone, almost unsure whether he’d meant to call her or not. She was half expecting to find he’d dialed her accidentally.

“Hey, Cami. How are you today!”

“Good,” she replied, slightly caught off guard and surprised to hear his voice. “Just put Madison down for a nap, which is why I’m talking quietly. In case you were wondering.”

“And how is Madison?” Drew asked, surprising Cami even further. He had never asked after her daughter before. He’d asked about the custody suit, but never about Madison herself.

“She’s good. We stayed at my mother’s last night, since I got back so late. Then we all went to brunch this morning, then to the park. She’s had quite a day.”

“Sounds like it,” Drew replied with a laugh. “I haven’t had nearly as exciting of a day. I spent the morning doing paperwork, now I’m returning emails.”

“Sounds boring,” Cami offered.

“It is,” Drew replied. “But at least I’m talking to you, so that’s something, at least.”

Cami didn’t know how to respond. She was flattered, but still unsure.

“I had a lot of fun last night,” Drew said after a moment of silence.

“Me, too,” Cami agreed, thankful that Drew couldn’t see the goofy smile on her face.

“So…does that mean you would be interested in seeing me again?” he asked.

That was the problem. Cami had agreed to last night’s date because she’d told herself it was just a bit of fun—that she wouldn’t get attached. After last night, Cami knew that wasn’t possible.

On paper, Drew seemed absolutely perfect. He was rich and handsome, sweet and funny. And, most perfect of all, he wanted a family. But in reality, he was unpredictable and unreliable, and moving any further in the relationship would mean Cami would end up heartbroken.

“I don’t know,” she said after a moment. She could hear Drew deflate over the phone.

“But,” he began, “I thought you had a good time yesterday. You said you’d give me a chance, and I thought I made it up to you.”

“Last night was great, Drew. It really was. But, like I’ve said before, I’m not really looking for anything casual. And I don’t really know if a relationship with you is a good idea.”

“Why not?” Drew asked.

“I’m just not sure,” Cami replied. “I know that’s not much of an answer, and I’m sorry. But I just need a little more time. Give me a day or two to think it over, okay? Just a few days.”

“Okay,” Drew replied. “I really hope you decide to see me again, Cami.”

“I’ll let you know, Drew,” she said before hanging up the phone.

She sat in silence for the rest of Madison’s nap, deep in thought. Things had just become much more complicated. Drew seemed like he really wanted things to become serious, but could she be in a relationship with someone if she was always waiting for something unexpected to happen? She just wasn’t sure.

Thankfully, Madison woke up not too long afterwards, pulling Cami from her thoughts. It was almost impossible to be contemplative with a three-year-old in the house. So Cami spent the rest of her weekend ignoring the Drew dilemma as well as the impending custody battle and simply enjoying life with her daughter.

Monday was extremely slow in the ER, leaving Cami, Maggie, and Ashley loitering at the nurses’ station with nothing to do. After Maggie finished telling the girls about her exciting weekend in New York City, she turned to Cami.

“So,” she said, her face turning serious. “How was the meeting?”

Cami didn’t even have to ask in order to know exactly what meeting she was talking about. It must have shown on her face, because Maggie responded without waiting for an answer.

“That bad, huh?”

“Yeah,” Cami said, struggling to be positive so she didn’t break into tears at work. “The meeting itself was awkward. Ken and I didn’t say one word to each other. And Natalie was there.”

“Ugh…why?” At least Maggie looked appropriately upset by that news.

“No clue. And they were holding hands the entire time and were all lovey-dovey.”

Ashley made an angry noise, shaking her head.

“Sam brought his new girlfriend to some of the divorce hearings too. I think he was just trying to intimidate me.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s what Ken was doing,” Cami replied. “And, afterwards, he called me all warm and friendly like.”

“That’s weird,” Ashley said.

“I thought so, too,” Cami agreed. “Until I realized he was trying to talk me into backing down and giving up primary custody of Madison without a fight.”

“That bastard,” Maggie proclaimed a little too loudly. One of the doctors looked at them funny and the girls couldn’t help but giggle before turning serious again.

“Maybe he’s doing all of this because he knows he can’t actually win in court,” Ashley offered.

“Yeah, that’s what Drew said.”

The words were out of Cami’s mouth before she could stop them, and she saw Maggie’s eyes grow wide.
Oh well,
she thought. She’d been debating asking Maggie for advice anyway, so she might as well spill.

“Who’s Drew?” Ashley asked before Maggie could speak.

“Drew is the guy I was telling you about,” Maggie said, giving Ashley a nudge.

Cami raised her eyebrows questioningly at the mention of the two other women discussing her private life without her, but it wasn’t like she could be critical. She and Maggie had talked about Ashley’s love life—or lack thereof since her divorce—plenty of times. So she let Maggie continue.

“You know, the guy she had a torrid affair with at my parents’ beach house,” Maggie said.

“It wasn’t a torrid affair,” Cami said, giving Maggie a playful push. “We met. He was hot and cold. One minute, he liked me, the next, he was an ass.”

“They had sex on the beach,” Maggie said in a whisper.

“We did not!” Cami insisted. “We just made out…and stuff.”

Ashley raised her eyebrows at the “and stuff,” but thankfully didn’t comment.

“And you’ve been talking to him?” Maggie asked. “Told you he’d call!”

“Yes, you were right!” Cami finally admitted.

“So, spill,” Maggie continued. “You’ve talked on the phone. Have you been on a date? Ooh, have you slept with him?”

Cami thought about lying, but she knew that the blush on her cheeks was giving her away.

“Oh, my God!” Maggie continued. “You slept with him. When?”

“He called me Thursday. You were out of town, and I needed something to take my mind off that Friday’s meeting. Madison was staying at my mom’s, and I was lonely. So we went out, had some drinks, and one thing led to another.”

Both Maggie and Ashley giggled.

“And?” Maggie prompted.

“And I woke up the next morning, and he was gone. No note or anything.” Maggie and Ashley both looked murderous, so Cami quickly continued the story before they could hunt Drew down and kill him. “He called later, after my meeting. I guess he’d had a super early meeting of his own and hadn’t meant to stay the night. He was running late and forgot to leave a note.”

“Ohhhh,” both women cooed.

“That’s so sweet that he called later to make sure you didn’t feel abandoned,” Ashley said.

Cami refrained from telling her that she’d already felt abandoned by the time she’d heard from him.

“So was that it?” Maggie asked, an almost manic look on her face as she pressed for every last detail about her interactions with Drew.

“No,” Cami admitted. “I was mad when I talked to him on Friday. It was right after that call from Ken. But I agreed to go out with him the following night, so we went on a date Saturday.”

“And have you heard from him yet?” Ashley asked.

“Yeah,” Cami said. “He called the next day.”

“Guys never call the next day,” Ashley replied, a surprised look on her face.

“Drew did,” Cami responded.

“So, when are you seeing him again?” Maggie asked.

“I’m not sure,” Cami admitted. This was the part she really wanted the women’s advice on, but she also knew that it was going to be hard to explain her reticence to Maggie, who was a little too invested in Cami’s love life. “I’m not sure if I’m going to see him again.”

“What?” Maggie asked, confused. “Why?”

“He called the next day,” Ashley added, still seemingly in shock about it. “Guys never call the next day. He really likes you.”

“That’s just it,” Cami said. “Sometimes, he
does
seem to really like me. But other times, he ignores me and spends all night flirting with skinny models.”

“I did notice that,” Maggie confirmed, then turned to Ashley to explain. “At the beach house, there was this girl Drew kept flirting with. Or, more honestly, who kept flirting with Drew.”

“And he was letting it happen,” Cami countered. “He was letting her hang all over him. He even started ignoring me when she joined us for breakfast.”

“Who was she?” Ashley asked with a frown.

“I don’t know her very well,” Maggie replied. “She was the daughter of some right-wing business guy my dad knows. I really didn’t talk to her much. But Cami is right, Drew was definitely encouraging the attention.”

“See,” Cami said emphatically. “He says he really likes me, that he wants to continue seeing me. But he’s been so unpredictable that I don’t really know what to believe. I have a daughter to think about and a lot going on right now. I don’t really have time to play games. And I really don’t want to get hurt again.”

Ashley nodded understandingly. Cami knew that Ashley had never really gotten back into the dating field after her nasty divorce.

“I’m going to get to the bottom of this,” Maggie stated, a mischievous look on her face. “I’ll figure out what’s going on.”

“Please don’t,” Cami replied. “I told you this because I want advice. I don’t want you to meddle. Things are already complicated enough without you sticking your pretty little head in the middle of it.”

Maggie looked torn for a minute, but finally nodded in agreement.

“Fine,” she said with a pained sigh. “But if you change your mind, I can talk to my brother. I know Grant and Drew were, like, best friends in college. They aren’t as close now, but Grant can find out what’s going on in Drew’s head.”

“I’ll let you know if I change my mind,” Cami said with a smile. “But don’t hold your breath.”

“As for now,” Ashley said, “I think all you can do is see where it goes. Try not to get attached, and just wait and see.”

“Yeah,” Cami replied.

Don’t get attached.
That was so much easier said than done.

D
espite her apprehension
, Cami slowly allowed herself to picture a life with Drew. He seemed to genuinely like her, at least during their last few dates. In fact, the leaving-without-a-note incident aside, he hadn’t given her the cold treatment since their time at the beach house. And he’d more than explained his note-less absence the morning after they’d slept together. Plus, he did want a family after all, and Cami came ready-made with a family—as long as she didn’t lose primary custody of Madison.

Maybe,
Cami thought,
just maybe, this could turn into something real
. And so Cami decided that, next time Drew called, she would tell him as much. Well, she might not tell him that she was picturing them growing old together or anything like that, but she
would
tell him that she was more than happy to see him again.

Of course, it was once Cami had decided to give Drew a chance that he didn’t call. Cami had at least talked to him every day since Thursday, so she’d just expected him to call Monday evening. But he didn’t. He didn’t call Tuesday either.

Maybe I was too difficult,
she thought. Maybe, when she had told him that she needed more time to think things over, he’d taken it as an insult. He was used to women throwing themselves at him, after all. He had said that it was only because of his money, but if he had women like Analise hanging on his every word, he definitely didn’t need to wait around for Cami to make up her mind about him.

Every day on each of her breaks Cami would diligently check her phone, hoping for a missed call, or even a text. Yet there was nothing. By the end of the week, Cami was disappointed, but not surprised. She tried to remind herself that she’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop—that she hadn’t really expected him to follow through—but still, she was disappointed.

When her phone did ring on Friday, Cami’s heart leapt for just a second—still refusing to give up hope completely—until she realized that it was her lawyer’s office on the phone.

“Please tell me you have good news,” she said.

“Actually, Ms. Hendricks,” Michael said, sounding slightly flustered. “I have some rather distressing news.”

Panic began to creep into Cami’s heart at those words.

“What is it?” she demanded.

“Well,” he began, “I received a notice from your ex-husband’s attorney today. It appears that he is filing for full custody.”

“What does that mean?” Cami knew, but she didn’t want to admit it.

“It means that, if your husband wins the case, you will no longer be allowed any custody of your daughter. Meaning you would not get to see her at all.”

Cami felt sick. This was much worse than anything she could have foreseen. Now she wasn’t in jeopardy of losing primary custody—she was in jeopardy of losing her daughter altogether.

“Can he do that?” she asked in a broken voice.

“He can try,” Michael replied. “We still have a strong case. You’re a good mother and he is a documented alcoholic with past reckless behavior on his record. Plus, full custody is a very extreme way to go. This may encourage the judge to rule against the request for full custody even if he would have approved a petition for primary custody.”

May
was not a very comforting word, and the lawyer didn’t seem very confident even as he was trying to assure Cami. She quickly got off the call before she collapsed into sobs with Michael still on the phone. Throwing her phone across the room, she swooped down and picked up her daughter, cuddling her close to her body.

“Mommy isn’t going to lose you,” she said into her daughter’s hair.

“Lose?” Madison asked innocently, having no idea what was going on, but sensing her mother’s fear and sorrow. She gently stroked Camis cheek and hugged her back, muttering incoherently under her breath.

Cami really didn’t know what to do or where to go from there. Not for the first time that week, she wished Drew would call. Drew had always been so comforting when it came to the custody battle, confident and reassuring. She could use some reassurance at the moment. But Drew hadn’t called, and he probably wasn’t going to. So she put that thought out of her mind and focused on what she
could
do. She got Madison situated with some toys and a movie playing, then she called Maggie.

“Hey there,” Maggie said, answering on the first ring, even though it was a Friday afternoon. One more reason why she loved her best friend. “What’s up?”

Cami found that she couldn’t speak, now that she was on the phone. All the fear and panic began whirling inside her and all she could do was sob into the phone.

“Oh, honey, what’s going on?” Maggie asked.

“Sorry,” Cami was finally able to stutter between her sobs. “I just…I…” But she couldn’t bring herself to get any of it out.

“Don’t worry,” Maggie said. “I’m on my way over now. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Just hang tight.”

Cami nodded, even though Maggie couldn’t see her over the phone. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could respond verbally, Maggie had ended the call.

Thank God for Maggie. Just the knowledge that her best friend was on her way was enough to help calm Cami’s nerves. At least she wasn’t in this completely alone.

True to her word, Maggie showed up less than twenty minutes later, a large bag from the liquor store in hand.

“I figured you could use a drink,” she said by way of explanation.

“It’s three in the afternoon,” Cami replied.

“So? You need this. And we’re not going to get wasted or anything. I’m just making you a cocktail to calm your nerves.”

With that, she turned and headed into the kitchen, where she made herself at home as she mixed up a couple of extra-strong vodka-cranberries. Cami collapsed onto a stool in the kitchen, where she could still keep an eye on Madison in the living room, and watched Maggie work.

Maggie let Cami take a few long drinks of her cocktail before launching into an interrogation.

“What’s going on?” she asked, taking a sip of her own drink. “Is it Drew?”

“No,” Cami replied. “I mean, he still hasn’t called. But that’s not why I’m upset. I heard from my lawyer today. Ken is suing for full custody.”

“I thought you already knew that,” Maggie said.

“No. He was suing for
primary
custody. Like what I have now. I would still get Madison on weekends, or whatever. Madison would just live primarily at his house. Full custody would mean that I’d never get Madison at all. I would lose my baby girl.”

With that explanation, Cami once again dissolved into tears. Almost instantaneously, Maggie was off her stool and hugging Cami.

“Shhh,” Maggie whispered, careful not to alert Madison. “It’s okay. It hasn’t happened yet. It
won’t
happen. That bastard isn’t getting full custody of Madison.”

Once Cami was calm, Maggie moved back to her seat.

“I don’t know,” Cami said after a moment. “On one hand, I think ‘That
can’t
happen… There’s no way I’m losing custody of Madison!’ But then I think about all of Ken’s resources and connections. Half of the judges in this town are personal friends of his family. He pretty much gets whatever he wants. How do you think I ended up with nothing in the divorce?”

“You
agreed
to nothing in the divorce, because all you wanted was Madison. You didn’t fight it the way you’re going to fight this now.”

“Yeah,” Cami replied. “But my lawyer sucks.”

“Then get another one. I can loan you some money.”

“I can’t take your money,” Cami said simply.

“You will if you have to,” Maggie insisted. “When it comes to Madison, you will do whatever it takes.”

“You’re right,” Cami replied. “Hopefully it won’t come to that, but if it does, I’ll let you loan me some money. And thank you…for everything.”

“Of course,” Maggie said with a smile. “That’s what best friends are for! But there isn’t anything we can do tonight, so let’s just relax, drink our cocktails, and talk about why in the fu—” Maggie looked at Madison guiltily but the little girl was not paying attention to them. “…fudge, Drew hasn’t called you back.”

Cami offered the first genuine smile she’d been able to muster all afternoon, and nodded. It was better to focus on the smaller of her two problems, after all.

Maggie stayed late into the evening, making more cocktails, then dinner, trying her best to keep Cami’s mind away from serious things. And she did a good job of that. Cami was calm and happy for most of the evening.

But later, after Madison was safely tucked for the night and Maggie was long gone, Cami lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, thinking about everything. Just a month prior, she was relatively happy. Yeah, she was single and slightly lonely, but she wasn’t about to have to fight for the right to take care of her daughter and she wasn’t having her heart played by a guy who constantly sent mixed signals.

When did her life become so chaotic?