Before You (Before You #1)(67)
“I’m not talking to you about him. It isn’t about him. We’ve been drifting apart for a long time. You can’t deny that.”
An expression of incredulity froze his face. “My God, you slept with him, didn’t you, and I know him. That’s what this is about. You made a bed up on the couch. You don’t want to give me details. It all makes sense now.”
Bre pushed away from the countertop and walked in the direction of the bedroom. “I think it would be best if I went home. I’ll get a hotel room tonight and catch a flight in the morning.”
Cam grabbed her arm as she walked past him, his fingers biting into her wrist. “Tell me who it is so I at least have a name for this backstabbing bastard. You owe me that.”
Bre saw no reason to let him know that she slept with Jax. It wouldn’t happen again, and it would escalate his anger unnecessarily. “I don’t owe you anything, Cam. Let me go.”
“Are you serious? We’ve known each other for a long time, and I’ve stuck with you through everything, but I guess I never really saw you for who you are. When it comes down to it, you’re just like your mom. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it? It was only a matter of time.” Cam flung her wrist away from him.
Anger exploded in her like nothing she had ever felt. She stared indignantly at Cam through the tears now streaming down her face, and without thinking, she flung the coffee at his shirt. “How dare you say that about me! Don’t think for one moment that I have remained blissfully ignorant of all your indiscretions in the past year or so. People talk, Cam, and just because I never confronted you doesn’t mean that I didn’t realize that there could be some truth in the gossip. The more I think about it, the more I realize it’s probably true, given all your disappearances and last minute cancellations. I don’t believe for one second that you have the moral ground in this argument.”
Momentarily stunned, Cam gawked at the coffee staining his bright white shirt. Finally, recovering his wits, he said, “You’re wrong, Bre.”
“Really? So you’re going to stand there and tell me you’re totally innocent, and you have never once cheated on me.” Utterly frustrated, Bre ran her hand through her hair. “I mean, if I listened to Mia—”
“Mia’s crazy. She won’t leave me alone. Maybe I crossed the line with her once or twice, but she means nothing to me. She knows that. I don’t know why she still comes around. She’s just another stupid groupie that comes to our shows.”
Bre’s jaw dropped. “Oh my God, it is true,” Bre whispered.
“Oh please,” Cam said, shrugging his shoulders. “It didn’t mean anything. You know that.”
She flung her body at him, slapping his chest. “I hate you, Cam. I can’t believe you would touch her. You know how much she hates me.” The meaning of Cam’s words suddenly hit her and her rage faded into a sickening realization that repulsed her so much it caused her words to tumble out in an unsteady whisper. “Oh, I get it now. She’s not the only one, is she? There are others, too.” Her stomach rolled. “I’m an idiot. I can’t believe I actually felt guilty for being with…” Her voice trailed off, and she looked at the floor.
Cam grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. “With whom, Bre? Give me his name.”
Pulling his hands off her face, she swatted the tears off her face. “Okay, Cam. You want a name? I’ll give you the name as soon as you give me each and every name of every faceless girl you’ve slept with during our relationship.” Bre stormed out of the kitchen, only to stop abruptly when a yellow notepad on the countertop caught her attention. She picked it up and threw it in Cam’s direction. “You’ll probably need some paper, because I have a feeling your list is much longer than mine. Descriptions aren’t acceptable. Take your time.”
Without waiting for a response, she ran into Cam’s bedroom, frantically stuffing all her clothes and personal items back in her suitcase. After stopping in the bathroom to toss her cosmetic case into her suitcase, she walked to the front door, refusing to look at Cam.
“Bre…” Cam murmured from the barstool in the kitchen.
She halted without turning or saying anything, her hand tightly gripping the door handle.
“I still love you. I always will. Even if you don’t believe it right now, you’re the girl I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. Nothing changes that, not those other women, not that guy. Nobody can come between us. It may not be tomorrow or even a year from now, but I will get you back. You’re mine.”
For some incomprehensible reason, hearing Cam’s words caused a wave of hysteria to burst inside her. She clutched the door handle until her knuckles whitened, trying to calm her unnerving reaction, but it was too late. A bubble of laughter escaped from her lips, and once it started, she couldn’t have stopped it even if she wanted. Overcome, she bent at her waist, bracing her hands on her knees, laughing so hard that tears streamed down her face. Funny, she felt better than she had in weeks. The rollercoaster of her emotions collided together in such a way that it felt like freedom.
“Bre?” Cam questioned, obviously unsettled by her behavior.
“Un-f*cking-believable,” she said between gasps of air. “There hasn’t been an us for a long time. I just didn’t know it.”