Final Offer (Dreamland Billionaires, #3)(65)

Well, nothing except for myself. Self-doubt always rears its ugly head at the worst times, making me wonder if I really have what it takes to be successful.

You’ll never know if you don’t try.

“Mommy!” Cami runs into the closet.

My grip on the shoebox slips and falls against the floor, bottom side up.

“Oh, no! I’m sorry!” Cami gets on her knees and lifts the box, proceeding to dump all the contents.

“I got it. Don’t worry about it.” I climb down the ladder.

She holds up a photo with a big smile. “Look! It’s you and Cow-l holding hands!”

Of all the photos she found, it had to be the one of him and me at the Strawberry Festival six summers ago.

“Mm-hm.” I pluck the photo from her hands and drop it into the box.

Her head tilts. “Do you like him, Mommy?”

“We were friends.”

“Like kissing friends or friends friends?”

Por el amor de Dios. “Just friends.”

A rare frown crosses her face.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she replies with a tone that says the opposite.

You need to be more careful with him when you’re around her.

Cami is the last person who should be getting her hopes up about us. Whatever happened in the past between Cal and me is just that.

The past.





26





ALANA





“I was wondering how long it would take you to come to the right decision.” Cal holds open the door with a grin.

My eyes turn into slits. “I have one condition.”

“Name it.”

“No drinking in front of Cami.”

His smile slips. “Of course not.”

I release a breath. “Thank you.”

“Hi!” Cami pops out from behind me.

“What’s up, kiddo?” He kneels to Cami’s eye level. His eyes widen when she throws her arms around his neck and squeezes until his skin turns red.

Damn my heart straight to hell for betraying me with the way it throbs at their embrace.

He stands to his full height. “What happened to staying with Delilah and Wyatt?”

“Her grandmother is visiting from out of town for the month,” I grumble.

“And Violet?”

“She lives in a small apartment with two roommates.”

“There’s nothing I love more than being last choice.” He reaches for my luggage and rolls it inside. I follow behind him, taking in the large stacks of books scattered around the living room.

“Since when are you into reading?”

A flush spreads up his neck as he tucks his thumbs into the front pockets of his jeans. “I like to keep my mind busy.”

“You read all those in the last few weeks?” There must be at least fifty books spread around the space.

He nods.

“Wow.”

His gaze flicks over me. “Do you need any help grabbing the rest of the stuff?”

“Be careful what you volunteer for.”

“It’s not like I have anything else to do.”

Cal spends the next hour helping me carry over boxes and bags full of stuff. By the time we’re done, the guesthouse’s entire living room floor is covered with toys. The kitchen cabinets spill with groceries and cooking tools, and the bedrooms are crammed with our personal items that we didn’t want to risk leaving behind, including my vibrator that I hid in my nightstand. No way was I leaving that around for some random guy to find.

Cal disappears while I do my best to make Cami’s new room look homey with her princess comforter, butterfly lamp, and LED lights.

By the time I’m done, I need to pee. I open the bathroom door closest to Cami’s room only to get yelled at by my kid, who sits on the toilet claiming she has a tummy ache. Taking her off the toilet after that warning is no longer an option.

Light spills out from underneath the crack of the second bathroom located at the end of the hall. I turn the knob, but the door doesn’t open.

“Give me a second.” The door muffles Cal’s deep voice.

The door opens, and a cloud of steam billows around Cal, who stands in the doorway wearing nothing but a white towel. He is so focused on wrapping it around his waist that he doesn’t notice my tongue falling out of my mouth.

I don’t know where to look. Although his bulging traps are tempting, I quickly become distracted by his glistening abs that lead straight toward the muscles pointing like an arrow toward his cock. He isn’t even hard, but I can make out the shape of him from beneath the terrycloth material.

The man was created by God to fulfill every woman’s fantasy.

More like yours.

The faraway sound of Cami’s tablet pushes me into action.

“Get in there.” I push him back into the bathroom and shut the door behind us.

“What’s wrong?” He trips over his feet before catching himself on the counter.

I rip a second towel off the shelf before slapping him in the face with it. “Cover all that up before you go outside again.”

“Cover this? What for?” His lips twitch as he runs his hand along the curves and divots of his abdominal muscles.