The Story of Me (Carnage #2)(67)
“Dad, look…”
“Dad, Georgia was seeing Cam for a while, back when she and Sean split up. I didn’t tell you coz I didn’t want it complicating things. We owned the club together back then and there was already a bit of friction.”
“You f*cking what? You knew she was seeing him and you didn’t tell me?” Oh, for crying out loud.
“Dad, it was twelve years ago. For f*ck’s sake, are you all gonna listen to what I’ve gotta tell ya or what? Sit down, shut up and let me speak. I’m not a bloody child. I’m a grown woman. If I wanna spend a night in a hotel room with Cameron King, then I f*cking well will!” The room falls silent and everyone just stares wide-eyed at me. I’ve never spoken to my dad like that. I don’t know if anyone has, ever.
“Georgia, really—”
“Mum, I swear to God, if you tell me not to swear, I will walk out that door and never step foot in this house again.”
“Shut up, Bern. Let the girl talk.” I give up, my family are bloody impossible sometimes. To think that I’ve actually missed all of this. No wonder I’ve got issues.
“Think what you like of Cam, but he did nothing but look after me Saturday night. He stayed with me all night. He ordered me food, made me eat it. He made me drink water and he listened to me talk and he held me when I cried.” I can feel a lump forming in my throat as I speak. I’m missing him and I so wish that I didn’t. “The problem is that the press somehow have found out that he stayed in my room and have run a story about it in Australia and the UK papers will be running one tomorrow. I just wanted you to know, that was all.” I finish my glass of wine, just as the intercom goes for the gates at the front of the house.
“Get that will ya please, Bern?” my dad says to my mum and she huffs as she leaves the room. I can hear her speak to whoever is at the gates and she must wait at the front door to let them in.
“Well, that’s very nice of Cam. I’ll buy the boy a drink next time I see him to say thank you.”
“He’s not a boy, Dad. He’s older than me,” Bailey states.
“So that’s it, nothing else happened, George?” Marley asks.
“Nothing else like what?” I reply
“Did you arrange to see each other again or anything like that?” I don’t really know what to say and before I get a chance to, I hear a commotion at the front door. A few seconds later, Cam walks into my parents’ front room.
“I told you I would come and find you, Kitten. All you had to do was call me back. Why’d you always have to make things difficult?” I’m speechless. my mouth is hanging open. I reach for my wine glass, but realise it's empty. “Sorry about coming here like this, Frank.” He looks at my mum, “Bern.” He nods at Bails and Marley. “Boys, my apologies, but your sister is too stubborn to return my calls or messages and we need to talk.”
I shake my head at him. “You need to go. I’ve got nothing to say to you.” I look him up and down. He’s wearing a grey hoodie and a loose pair of jeans. He puts his hands in the pocket at the front of the hoodie.
“You don’t need to say anything, Georgia. You just have to listen. Now you can either do that here or we can go somewhere private and talk. It’s up to you. I kept my mouth shut last time. I didn’t tell you how I felt and you left me.” Oh, God, where’s he going with this, in front of my dad and brothers? I’m about to get up and take the show outside when my dad says, “Na, na, sunshine, whatever you’ve gotta say, you can say it here. You ain’t taking her nowhere.” Great, I look to my mum for help but she’s busy pouring me and her more wine. I take a large swig from mine.
Cam continues, “Fair enough, Frank.” He takes his hands out of his pockets and puts them on his hips. He looks around the room at everyone, then from me to my dad. “I’m in love with your daughter, Frank.” My stomach doesn’t just back flip, it puts on an Olympic gold medal winning gymnastics floor show. My dad sits back in his favourite wing back chair, crosses his right leg over his left and taps on his lips with the index finger of his left hand, all while I’m about to spontaneously combust on my parents’ sofa. Cam turns back to me. I’m so embarrassed and concerned about this ending up with my dad and brothers lynching Cam that I’ve not even taken on board what he’s just said.
“I love the f*ck out of you, Kitten. If you’d have answered your phone, listened to your messages or read your texts, you would have known this. It would’ve been just between us and we could’ve spoke like grown-ups and sorted through our feelings, but you’ve chosen to behave like a child so here I am, making myself look like a complete cunt and getting ready to be shot by your family.” He looks at my mum. “Excuse my language, Bern, but your daughter would make a saint swear.”
“Oh, I know, Cam. I know.”
“Seriously, Mum, thanks for your support.” I’m obviously not thinking straight or listening to what he’s actually telling me as I reply, “Well, you’re always making yourself look like a cunt and it’ll make a change from you doing the shooting,” realising as soon as the words leave my mouth what I’ve just said.
“Georgia, do not say that word,” my mum shrieks.
“What the f*ck does that mean? What shooting?” My dad turns towards me. “Has he been shooting people in front of you?”