The Stubborn Suitor, Book 2 (The Stubborn Suitor #2)(6)

“And if I don’t want that?” he asked, causing Cami to pause in her gloating.

“What do you want, Drew?” she asked exasperatedly.

“I…I don’t know. But I like you and I want to see you again.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why?”

“I’ve already explained why,” she said, growing more and more frustrated. “I don’t want anything casual, and you don’t know what you want. I can’t deal with that—not right now. I have too many other things going on. I don’t need this back-and-forth with you.”

“One more chance. Please, Cami. Go out with me again tomorrow night. No sex, just dinner. After tomorrow night, if I’m still not what you want, I promise, I’ll leave you alone.”

Cami thought about it long and hard. What she was telling him was true—she wasn’t just trying to bust his balls. Between raising her daughter, working full-time, and gearing up for this horrendous custody battle, she didn’t have time to play games. She didn’t have time to invest in anything that wasn’t going to go somewhere. And Drew admitted that he didn’t even know what he wanted. More likely than not, she’d end up with another broken heart, her life in even more chaos than it already was.

But, on the other hand, she did need a way to let off a little steam. Life was excruciatingly intense at the moment, and if she didn’t have a little fun here and there, she was worried that her head might explode. Plus, their chemistry was undeniable and the sex was extremely hot. As long as she didn’t let herself get too involved or attached, it might be a good thing.

“Fine,” she said after a moment, trying not to sound too excited at the prospect. It was good to keep him on his toes, after all.

“Really? That’s a ‘yes’?” Drew was obviously not trying to dampen his excitement.

“Yes,” she confirmed, allowing a small smile to stretch across her lips.

“Awesome. Tomorrow night. Seven o’clock. I’ll pick you up.”

“Don’t bother. I’ll have to drop Madison off anyway. Text me an address, and I’ll meet you there.”

She didn’t mention that, if he did pick her up and drop her off, she’d be too tempted to ask him back into the house later. So instead she said goodbye and hung up before she could change her mind. She still felt like she was making a mistake, but she deserved some fun…especially after today.

“Just don’t get attached,” she told herself as she started her car.





4





Cami





Cami’s mom agreed to babysit on Saturday night, so that Cami could spend time with Drew, but Madison was not happy about that. Cami had been working all week, and Madison had already spent almost fifty hours with her grandmother. Cami could see how that could be upsetting—Saturday was usually their time. But Cami really needed this—especially after the previous day’s disastrous meeting.

Madison clung to Cami and cried as they were leaving the house, begging not to be left at Grandma’s. It broke Cami’s heart, and she almost considered canceling her plans to spend more time with her daughter. But she’d already agreed to the date and she didn’t want to appear inconsistent, since it was a trait she already resented in Drew.

I owe it to myself to see where this goes, she thought as she buckled her daughter into the car seat and attempted to soothe her with a kiss on the forehead. Besides, Cami had been under so much stress that she was worried she would unconsciously take it out on her daughter if she didn’t allow herself time to unwind and decompress. She needed a little fun—it would benefit both of them. She knew that she would be a much nicer mommy if she was not constantly stressed about the custody battle. She reminded herself of all this as she drove towards her mother’s house.

Unfortunately, her mother wasn’t quite so understanding.

“Everything okay?” her mom asked as Cami carried a sniveling Madison into the apartment.

“It’s fine,” Cami replied after putting her daughter down in front of the TV, which was playing her favorite Disney movie in the background. “She’s fine…just a little tired. We were at the park for a long time today, and she didn’t get a long enough nap. She’ll be asleep within the next hour.”

“Are you sure you really want to be dropping Madison off for even more time away from you right now?” her mother asked, hands on her hips.

“You said you would do this for me,” Cami replied exasperatedly.

“I did. I don’t mind. I just mean…with all of the custody issues and the accusations Ken is making, are you sure now is a good time to be going out with your friends?”

Cami sucked in her breath and debated whether or not to tell her mother about the date. On one hand, it would make her mom ecstatic. On the other, she would never stop nagging Cami for more information. She decided to go the honest route.

“I’m not going out with friends,” she finally admitted. “I have a date.”

“In that outfit?” her mother asked after scrutinizing her for a moment.

Cami took a deep breath, willing herself not to allow her mother’s words to bother her.

“Yes, Mom, in this outfit,” she replied, looking herself over in the mirror.