Page 38 of Camden

“Okay,” she said, not bothering to look up.

“Would you ever consider dating again?”

She paused, her surprised eyes darting up to look at me. “I-I don’t know. I haven’t considered it too much. It would take an incredible man to make me think about it. And there are other factors too.”

“Like?”

She twisted her lips. “Well, first, there’s you and Stace. I wouldn’t want to bring anyone into our lives that you weren’t okay with. I would need to talk to my therapist and prepare myself mentally.”

“That makes sense.”

“Why do you ask? You’re the last person I would think would want me to date.” She chuckled and stood. “Want some coffee?” Ma pulled two mugs down from the counter, pouring the drinks. She always had coffee prepared.

I took the cup she held out to me. “Of course, I don’t want you to date.”

“You know there are good men out there.” She raised a brow at me. “I would know I raised one of them. Now, what is this truly about?”

My fingers tapped against the warm mug. “The girl I’m trying to date? I think she went through something similar.” My chest tightened just saying the thought out loud.

She cocked her head to the side, brows creased in concern. “What do you mean,you think?”

I blew out a deep breath. “I don’t know for sure, but the way she reacts to someone touching her? She hides away and keeps everyone at a ten-foot pole. I don’t know. It reminds me of you. I have this gut feeling that something happened to her.” My hand tapped my chest right over my heart.

“You know, there is more than just physical violence that could make her react that way,” she said, her voice soft. “She could’ve been sexually assaulted. She could’ve lost someone close to her and, as a result, keeps people at a distance.” My grip tightened around the coffee cup. Deep down, I knew sexual abuse could be a possibility, but it would be the worst one. I refused to let my mind wander in that direction.

“I don’t know if I could handle knowing someone had forced themselves on her,” I said honestly, trying to keep the anger out of my voice.

She patted my arm. “Well, son, if you can’t handle it, you have to tread lightly. Don’t act like you can give yourself to her and then rip that away.”

That would never happen. I was too invested. “I won’t. She’s too special to me. But what do I do?”

She smiled softly. “You listen. Be there for her. And then you tell her about me.”

“What?” I jerked back.

She nodded, letting me know I heard her correctly. “Tell her about what I went through...what you’ve seen. Make her understand that you know what she went through, at least to some extent. You may never have been in her situation, but you understand. Be there for her to lean on. To grow with.”

“What if she thinks I’m like him?” I voice the one question that had truly been eating at me. It might be the one thing keeping her from fully letting me in.

My mother’s eyes were sad. “Cam. You are nothing like him. You are sweet. Compassionate. Strong-willed and stubborn, sure, but you are protective. You protect those that you love. You don’t destroy them. She’ll be able to see that. She might be hesitant at first, but you’ll win her over. If you’re serious about her, that is.”

“I am.”

“Okay. Then let’s stop this and figure out how to make sure you don’t poison the poor girl before I get the chance to meet her.” I started laughing, not even a little offended that my mother had zero faith in my cooking abilities.

* * *

I laidthe bouquet of lilies I picked up on the small table next to the stairs as I entered my house. My eyes closed as I took a deep whiff. Something smelled delicious, thanks to my amazing mother. She came over this afternoon while I was still on duty and began prepping for my dinner with Stephanie. I knew I’d have to fess up and let Steph know I had absolutely nothing to do with dinner. A fact that would come to light almost immediately if she ever expected me to cook again.

I was man enough to admit that I had help. “You have half an hour until you need to take the foil off. Then you bake it for another fifteen minutes. There is a fresh salad in the refrigerator and some garlic bread. It’ll need to be warmed for roughly ten minutes. So put it in when you take the foil off.”

My head spun as I tried to make mental notes of everything. It wasn’t much to do, but like my mother had reminded me many times, I burned mac and cheese. One of the easiest meals to make. Leaning down, I pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Thank you, ma.”

She patted my cheek, beaming. “Good luck.” I knew she wanted her children to be happy and have what she never did. A chance at genuine love. An actual marriage. Not the shit she went through. It was one reason I had been so hesitant to try a relationship.

I led her to the front door. Stephanie would be here in forty-five minutes, and I still needed to get out of my uniform and shower. I twisted the doorknob and pulled it open. She stepped out onto the porch and glanced up at me. “Oh, I forgot. There is an apple pie on the counter that I baked this morning. All you have to do is microwave a couple of pieces to warm it up and put some ice cream on it.” My stomach rumbled at the thought of her apple pie. It’d always been my favorite.

“Thank you, ma.”

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