Page 70 of Caught in the Middle

Emma frowned at the word choice. “Like I said, I was shocked at the news but I’m not bothered by you two dating. Some people aren’t meant to be, but I do believe everyone deserves their happy ending.”

“I know, I know,” Lauren said. “But I still think I would’ve had a hard time getting over it if it’d been my friend running into my ex when they were visiting me. I don’t think I could’ve moved on as easily from it, but I’m so thankful you did. I couldn’t forgive myself if I let a man be the cause of an ended friendship.”

The world was still going on as it had been, yet Emma felt frozen in place. The betrayal hit her like a heat wave. When Lauren finally looked at her again, her face fell. Neither of them said anything.

Finally, Emma reached for her coffee to buy herself another moment. Not bothered, she silently chanted to herself. Not bothered. Not bothered.

Oh, but she was very bothered. By the fact that Lauren and Asher’s dating had sparked from her visiting Emma to bring her out of the slump Lauren had insisted she was in. Which conveniently she must’ve forgotten about as whatever transpired between her and Asher happened. By the fact that she was just now learning this and not by an intentional admittance. Also because it sparked that insecurity of wondering what was being said when she wasn’t around.

She clenched her jaw after swallowing the coffee, fully aware that Lauren hadn’t said a peep. She was waiting for Emma, letting her decide how to react. She could see the alarm and worry on her friend’s face. Lauren had probably thought all was finally settled and in the open air between them, happy to see their friendship go back to normal. All of which Emma had been feeling too, but now a giant bombshell had dropped between them and the ball was in Emma’s court on how to handle it.

She sat the cup back down and crossed her hands on the table. “Okay,” she said.

Lauren’s head tilted. “Okay?” she asked hesitantly.

Emma sighed. “Okay, so now it’s all out there. Asher and I broke up. You came to visit me and somehow ran into him–”

“It wasn’t on purpose,” Lauren interjected sincerely. “It was when I was meeting my friend for dinner.” Emma vaguely remembered Lauren having made friends with another influencer who lived near her and was supposed to meet up before she flew back home. “Of all the people to be there that night, Asher had spotted me and came to say hello. She’d told him and his friends to join us and we’d all taken it back to their place for drinks.” She squinted like she was in pain. “One thing led to another and we just kind of hit it off. But we didn’t sleep together,” she quickly added. “That wasn’t until way later.”

Emma only widened her eyes and nodded. She hadn’t planned on asking for the details and would have rather not known. Just like she didn’t know the details behind Asher moving to Dallas. It’d been obvious enough it was either for or likely to do with him dating Lauren, but she hadn’t cared to know the rest. It wasn’t her business.

“Anyways,” she said, not knowing what else to say. “It’s all in the open. You and Asher started dating. You’re still dating. All is good,” she said with finality. “We are good.”

Lauren looked like she’d been holding her breath. “You mean it?”

Emma nodded. “Yeah.” And she did. Because at the end of the day, she didn’t care how they ended up together or even that they were together. She was glad to see Lauren was happy and even though she felt betrayed, it’d do her no good to dwell on that emotion.

It also wouldn’t change the fact that she was forsaking Lauren’s trust by lying about her relationship with Cam. The thought struck her hard and she found herself wanting to tell the truth in that regard. If there was ever a time to do it, now was the moment.

“Good,” Lauren exclaimed, hand to her heart. “You have no idea how scared I just was. I never want to lose your friendship. You, me, and Lulu are a pack. We are family through and through.” Emma couldn’t help but smile at that. “Besides, it all worked out in the end, and I’d be the biggest liar if I didn’t admit how much better we felt whenever we met Cam and saw how happy you two are. I know that’s ridiculous, but the guilt was eating me up over what I did to you, but knowing you had someone who made you just as happy made me feel better. Sometimes it takes finding that person to make you understand why people do crazy and stupid things.” Lauren let out a laugh.

Emma cringed. It wasn’t her responsibility to make them not feel guilty or whatever, but damn if that window of time for the truth didn’t just slam shut on her. She huffed out her best laugh. “Crazy and stupid things, indeed,” was all she could reply.

Chapter 26

By the time Emma and Lauren had arrived back at the hotel, she’d already received a message from Cam saying that he’d be on the beach. As she walked into their room to change into a swimsuit, she felt the giddiness blooming in her stomach at seeing him again.

Last night had been magical, and surprisingly not for all the reasons she would’ve expected with Cam. Sure, he was still all things considerate and caring during the night which she would’ve assumed about him, but he was also relentless and wild. It drove her mad in the best way possible, unable to stop the goofy smile on her face as she remembered the way he had her body writhing beneath his, how she learned just how creative one man could be with a couch.

Yet she’d never felt so much passion and freedom as she did with Cam. That’s what set it apart from anything she’d ever experienced before. She was able to let go of her reserves, lose herself in the safety that was him. Emma tried shaking the intoxicating thoughts from her mind as she headed for her suitcase. If she kept down this road, they might just be repeating their last ocean endeavors by the time she arrived on the beach.

That actually didn’t sound half bad, but as she approached the desk, she saw the glass holding the fresh bouquet of flowers and a handwritten note lying beside it.

It’s hard to pick out flowers when you’ve met a woman who’s raised the bar for beauty in this world. I hope these put that smile on your lips that I’ve grown so fond of.

With admiration, Cam.

A romantic indeed, Emma thought, as she bent down to smell the gorgeous arrangement. Where the giddiness had blossomed earlier now resided something more, a feeling she wasn’t sure she was ready to acknowledge. Emma gently ran her thumb over one of the pale petals, Cam’s vivid image popping into her mind, that lazy grin of his that made her swoon whether he knew it or not, and those blue eyes that saw more of her than anyone had discovered before.

The lingering emotions of betrayal and annoyance that she’d been battling after her and Lauren’s discussion suddenly felt small and insignificant. Lauren had been right. Everything ended up working out for the best.

She quickly changed and prepped her beach bag to head out the door. It wasn’t until she was sliding on her sandals that she thought to check her notifications and emails real quick so that she could leave her phone in the room and enjoy the rest of the day. There was only one more full day here with everyone before they all flew home on Saturday.

She had wanted to make the most of this time, especially with Cam. However, the moment she opened her emails everything changed.

???

It was as if Cam could sense Emma’s return before he could see her. He’d been in the ocean chatting with Henry and Asher when he felt the overwhelming urge to begin looking for that dark hair that shined under the sun’s rays. He had no doubt the other men noticed his sudden distraction and then understood once Emma finally came into view.

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