The Stubborn Suitor, Book 2 (The Stubborn Suitor #2)(2)

In the cool interior of the house, Drew sank onto the Cooks’ overstuffed sofa, thoughts of Cami still fresh in his mind. Analise moved to settle down right next to him—a little too close to be appropriate.

“Could you get me some water?” he asked in an attempt to redirect her attention. He really didn’t want to be so close to Analise, especially not while thoughts of Cami were swarming through his head. But he couldn’t afford to offend her either—not with this deal hanging in the balance.

Analise nodded and headed into the kitchen, while Drew sighed and pulled out his phone. He gazed down at Cami’s number. He really knew that he should leave her alone, allow her to move on with her life and find a relationship with someone who could give her everything she deserved, and more.

Unfortunately, he didn’t think he was strong enough—or self-sacrificing enough—to do so.





2





Cami





Cami had awoken well before her alarm, the stress of the upcoming preliminary meeting with her ex-husband, Ken, and their lawyers, weighing heavily on her mind. Ken was trying to sue for primary custody, which was a complete joke in her opinion—he could barely be counted on to maintain the two weekends a month that he already had.

Yes, Ken had more money and more connections than Cami, but she would do whatever it took to keep primary custody of her two-year-old daughter. Ken was an alcoholic and an all-around irresponsible man. Even if he was about to get remarried, he didn’t deserve any more time with Madison.

Cami rolled over in bed and stared at the rumpled pillow next to her own in confusion for a few moments before the previous evening came flashing back to her.

Drew had called her out of the blue and asked her out to dinner. She’d been surprised to hear from him after the hot-and-cold treatment he’d given her at her best friend’s beach house the weekend before. Maggie’s family had been hosting a large get-together, where she and Drew had immediately hit it off.

However, when other people were around, he had turned into a completely different person—a person she really didn’t like at all. Yet, despite his apparent multiple personalities, Cami had not been able to deny their chemistry. But was that enough to build a relationship on? Even after their amazing night together, she wasn’t able to decide whether or not she really liked Drew.

And last night really had been amazing. They’d gone out to dinner, then she’d invited him back to her house for “drinks,” which turned into earth-shattering sex. She’d fallen asleep in his arms, but—once she was thoroughly awake—Cami had realized that Drew’s spot beside her in her bed was already cold.

She remained quiet for a moment, listening for any sounds of Drew in the house. When she heard nothing, Cami pulled herself out of her bed and went looking for him. The house was small, so it only took her a few minutes to confirm what she had already known: Drew was gone. And what was even worse, he’d skipped out without even leaving a note.

Now, Cami was curled up on her sofa, sobbing into a cup of coffee and feeling even worse than she had been the day before. Not only did she have the stress of her looming custody meeting in just a few hours, but she also felt used and abandoned by Drew.

“Whatever,” she said aloud as she rose to get dressed and ready for the appointment. “I don’t need a man in my life right now anyway—especially not one as unreliable as Drew-frikken’-Sloane. I’m better off without him. Better to use him and lose him.”

She really wanted to mean those words, yet she couldn’t help the sting she felt at his rejection. But she pushed that ache aside as she got ready and headed towards the lawyer’s office downtown. She had enough to worry about, after all. On her list of true priorities, Drew’s cowardly departure was pretty low.

Ken was an irresponsible alcoholic, but he was also extremely wealthy. He was from a prominent family and had the resources and connections to get what he wanted. He’d done just that during their divorce, getting out of the marriage without any spousal support and very little child support—even though he’d been the one to cheat on Cami. She hadn’t been able to prove it and she had been the one to leave him, so he’d turned things around until she looked like the person “at fault” in the divorce. She’d been lucky to be awarded primary custody, though that had only been because Ken hadn’t been interested in any more time with Madison.

But now he was getting remarried. And he wanted a perfect little family to present to the world. Even as he pushed for more custody, Cami knew that Ken only saw Madison as a possession, something to own and show off. He didn’t want custody in order to spend more time with their daughter. She would merely be a prop used to stage a “normal”—and thus, “acceptable”—life to the outside world.

They were meeting at Ken’s lawyer’s firm—a large, imposing building downtown. She knew that the intimidating meeting place was just another tactic used to throw Cami off her game. And, as much as she hated to admit it, it was working.

She pulled her old, rusted Toyota into the parking lot, which was full of Porsches and BMWs, trying not to feel out of place. As soon as she stepped into the lobby, she felt underdressed. Her hair was swept back into a bun, and she was wearing a pair of dress pants and a blazer purchased at Target. The woman who entered the elevator alongside her was carrying a Chanel bag, had perfectly-coifed, professionally blow-dried blonde hair, and was wearing and a bespoke designer suit. She looked condescendingly at Cami before becoming completely fixated on her phone.