Page 73 of Letting it Ride

And I realize I don’t actually care. I don’t need his approval. I was serious. I’m done making decisions based on how it will affect other people. Maddox is my brother and I love him, but this thing with Cam is real.

“You know what, Maddox? I don’t need to know what you said. Cam will tell me. And I don’t need yourapproval. I’m doing this because it’s what I want. I love you and I hope you can support me in this, and I hope you’ll support Cam, because he loves you, too. Just… make good choices,” I say, ending with the advice my mom loves to give.

Maddox sits there, stunned, as I whirl around and stomp through his house and back to my car.

Cam lives in the city, which is a colossal pain in the ass with parking in downtown Philadelphia. After circling the block twice, I manage to find a pay-by-the-hour spot at a lot near his apartment and swing into a parking space.

It’s not quite warm enough for the sewer smell to waft up from below ground. This would actually be a nice day for a walk in one of the city parks or by the river if I weren’t so pissed off.

His apartment building is nice enough to have a doorman, who stops me as I stomp across the lobby.

“Who are you here to see?” he asks, all professional despite the fact that I’m clearly fuming.

“Camden Allen. 9B,” I answer.

He picks up a phone. “And who may I say is here to see him?”

“Oh, he’ll know who it is.” I cross my arms over my chest.

The doorman keeps his gaze on me. He looks vaguely afraid of me, and he should be. “Yes, Mr. Allen? I have a visitor for you. She… says you’ll know who it is?” He nods, then hangs up the phone. “You may head up. And he says to… leave the hurricane in the lobby.”

“Thanks,” I say, ignoring his bewildered expression as I walk toward the elevator and punch the button.

Cam is waiting at his apartment door when I step off the elevator. He shifts from one foot to the other as I approach. “Addie,” he starts, pulling at the back of his neck.

“I’m mad at you too, Cam. What the hell?” I toss my hands in the air.

He just opens his door to let me in, his shoulders slumped. I go to the living room and drop my purse on the couch. Cam follows me and plops onto a chair with a huff.

He pushes his hand through his hair, leaving it even more spiked and unruly. “I’m sorry, Addie.”

“Seriously, Cam? That’s all you have to say? I want the truth. What changed for you?” Now that I’m standing in front of Cam, the hurricane is dying a bit. I mean, not entirely.

We’re still at tropical storm level, or maybe just thunderstorm. But Cam is a calming presence. It’s hard to stay so mad when he’s looking at me that way. I pause and pull in a deep breath. I just keep remembering the way he encouraged me to let everything out, and then held me when we were in Nassau.

“Get it all out,” he says, and I know I’m so far gone when it comes to this man. “Let all the anger out, and then we’ll talk.”

I blow out a breath and look him in the eye. “Was it Maddox? Just tell me that much.”

He nods, confirming what I already knew. The two of them talked about me behind my back. And knowing that two of the men I trust most in the world tried to make decisions for me, thought they knew better than I did, just reignites the flames.

I pace in front of Cam. “I don’t know why you two assholes think you know best. I may be younger than you two, but I’m not a kid. I’m old enough to make my own choices, and I’m sure as shit old enough that I won’t accept being broken up with over text message, or whatever the hell you were trying to do with that text.”

I point at Cam, who shrinks back slightly.

“That’s the fucking coward’s way out, and you know it. And this is real, Cam. This thing between us.Don’t throw it away because Maddox has some weird need to treat me like his baby sister. You know this is real. I fucking fell in love with you, you asshole. The least you can do is respect me enough to talk to me before you break up with me over whatever my brother said.”

Cam’s gaze hasn’t left my face as I’ve paced back and forth while delivering my speech, but now that I’m done, his jaw is slack. He’s staring at me in shock, not anger.

Oh, shit.I said the thing about falling in love.

Cam stands up, ignoring the throw pillow that falls to the ground and is next to me in two steps. He pulls me into his arms, holding me tight. I’m stiff against him, waiting for him to say something. Anything.

I push back enough to look up to his face, trying to read the emotions written there. His eyes crinkle at the edges. A little smile plays at his lips, like he thinks this is funny or something. I’m about to tell him just how not funny this is, how serious I am about all of this, but then his face softens, and the words catch in my throat.

“I fucking love you too, my little hurricane,” he says, and his mouth comes crashing down on mine.

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