Page 22 of Caught in the Middle

Emma blinked, then blinked again, letting that breath out in a deep whoosh.

He gave her a gentle smile. “I understand why you wouldn’t want your second family or anyone to worry about you being okay after the breakup, but Emma,” he held her gaze. “You do not break. You forge new beginnings, adventures, and a new life. If you can be who you are today after experiencing all of that as a child, then I sympathize for anyone who’d pity you because they must not know you.”

For the first time in her life, Emma felt seen and empowered. Yes, her aunt had always been loving and supportive, offering her a home and life better than she’d had before, but there was something about this man standing in front of her, stripping her bare with his words that made her feel like her past was not who she was. That her upbringing was not who she was, merely a piece of the puzzle like everything else about her. She got to decide what that final picture was, and though she’d always believed that, she felt like someone else did too.

She placed her hand on his, smiling up at him. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Cam lightly brushed his thumb along her cheek before lowering his hand, not having thought twice about it. It’s the same he’d do for Slone and Katie, both of whom he thought of as sisters, and the same he’d done time and again for his actual sister. And it wasn’t a lie or a statement of comfort. He believed it. Emma had an inner strength most people would never possess.

He now understood why it was so important to her not to look less than in front of Lulu, Lauren, and Henry. Even Asher. Maybe she was right, this had nothing to do with getting her ex back or making him jealous. She was just tired of living in a world where people looked at her with sadness in their eyes regarding her life.

Because if they looked close enough, really looked, they’d see she was a spark that couldn’t be dulled. She would feel the roller coaster of emotions and tribulations as much as the next person, but this woman he came on vacation with was not the type to let life tell her how she’d live or feel. She was the type to take it in her hands and mold it into what she wanted.

“I want to do something.” Emma was looking at him, that apprehension having transitioned into something brighter.

“Should I be scared?” Cam asked, noticing the gleam entering her eyes.

She laughed, a beautiful sound she was surprised to hear from herself after discussing one of the darkest parts of her life. It felt good.

Cam watched as Emma slowly backed up a few steps, lifting the camera she’d been carrying on a strap around her neck, refusing to leave the room for their walk until she unpacked it.

“Be yourself,” she said, beginning to adjust the settings.

Cam tensed. “I’m not a natural in front of the camera,” he began to object.

“Bullshit. I saw all of your photos, remember?”

He laughed. “Yeah, but that’s different.”

“How?”

“Because there wasn’t a beautiful woman holding the camera.”

Emma paused, surprised by his words. Then she gave him a smirk and decided to play it off. “You won’t deter me with shameless flattery, Cameron.”

She may have called him on the flirtatious comment, but it didn’t stop him from liking the sound of his full name on her lips. And that must’ve shown because he heard the shutter begin clicking as she aimed the lens at him.

???

Cam tugged on the back of his collared shirt at the dinner table. Thankfully, he’d packed a pair of khaki shorts for his trip to Dallas, and he had worn them with a t-shirt to get him through today, but after he’d goofed off with Emma at the beach and she convinced him to let her take pictures, he had needed to change for dinner.

Whenever he tried telling her it was his turn to capture her, she refused. When he lunged for her, she started splashing the water at him.

It’d ended up being a fun afternoon together, even if it was under the pretense that they were acting like a normal couple would. It hadn’t felt like an act whenever they’d grabbed themselves drinks from the pool bar and took them down to the beach to sit in the sand and watch the waves, their conversation flowing smoothly and without thought like those tides rolling in.

Unfortunately, when they went back to the room to get ready for dinner, she insisted he couldn’t wear his same outfit, even after he countered that the armpit sweat and stains from a spilled cocktail weren’t too noticeable. She’d only laughed and said no before going into the bathroom to rinse off and get ready.

Now he sat in a button-down he had worn this week to work, the sleeves rolled as far up as humanly possible, and a pair of blue slacks. The heat was oppressive and he envied the two men in their nice shorts and short-sleeved collared shirts. It didn’t matter that there were fans on the patio, he swore Lauren and that sweet smile of hers was beginning to feel more like a warning sign as she insisted they eat outside tonight.

If Cam ever thought he wanted to date a nice girl, his mind was quickly changing to the opposite. Give him the spontaneous and adventurous photographer who at least gave him a small smile of apology as he sweated through his second shirt today.

“Did you get good pictures?” Henry asked Emma from across the table.

She let out a small laugh. “They would’ve been better if someone would’ve stood still.” She leaned into Cam and bumped his shoulder with her own.

He put his hands up. “Hey, I told you I’m not good at posing.”

“Aw, Em, you have your very own muse now,” Lulu teased.

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