Page 74 of I Think He Knows?

I smile. “You don’t need to apologize.”

He lets out an exasperated sigh. “But I do…I know how it must look.”

“Your families are very close,” I say. “You don’t need to give me an explanation.”

He clears his throat. “Honestly, our parents have some crazy dream that Lilly and I will get back together at some point.”

“I figured that out.”

“I’ve spoken at length with my parents and told them it’s not happening.” He continues, “They are just very stubborn, especially my mother. She’s extremely loyal, which is a great quality most of the time, except in this situation.

“I totally understand,” I assure him. “Eliza and I would probably be the same way.”

“I was going to introduce you to them,” he says. “But Lilly took that upon herself.”

I touch his arm to stop him. “Cam, it’s fine.”

He shifts from one foot to another.

“Does that mean you still want to hang out with me tonight?” he asks.

“Of course. And Ariel would be very upset if we skipped her after party.”

He makes a face. “Okay, but let’s make an appearance and then bounce. We’ve been with these people all day.”

“That sounds good to me.”

“Great. I’m going to check with Lewis and see if she needs me to do anything else.”

“Good luck with that.”

He rubs my arm. “Thanks. I’ll come find you soon.”

He hurries away, and I return to my friends.

“Mason is sorry,” Eliza says.

He scowls. “I didn’t even say anything.”

“Thanks for looking out for me, Mace.” I pat him on the arm.

He nods. “You’re welcome.”

I tell them what Cam said.

“It’s very important to him you feel secure,” Eliza tells me. “It’s sweet.”

“Well, he can’t control what his family says or does.”

“Exactly,” Eliza says. “We need to cut him some slack.”

She shoots a look at Mason, who’s digging into a package of brownies.

He rolls his eyes. “Fine. I’ll cut him some slack—for now.”

We chat for a few more minutes, and then Eliza and Mason leave. The event is winding down, and the crowd has dwindled quite a bit. Leo and Jess are still sitting together, which is very exciting. I can’t wait to hear all about their afternoon. Leo may have come for the food trucks, but he stayed for Jess.

I wander over to the dessert table and inspect the leftover selection.

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