Page 94 of Tempt Our Fate

This was ahorribleidea. I don’t know what I was thinking.

Pippa’s eyes bounce between both Gran and me. “He’s been calling me that since we first met.”

I close my eyes because I know what’s going to happen. I know Gran is onto me.

“He has?”

“Yeah,” Pippa answers, her tone unsure. “Am I missing something here?”

“Strawberry shortcake was his favorite as a child,” Gran offers, totally outing me. “He’d beg me to make it for him all the time. It was the one dessert he actually liked. Everything else he wouldn’t bother with. But shortcake? The kid loved it. Even when he’d visit from college, he’d beg me to make it for him. Every birthday and celebration always had strawberry shortcake.”

Pippa holds my eyes. I wish I could climb into her mind and discover every thought running through it. Gran isn’t lying. Strawberry shortcake has always been my weakness, an indulgence I couldn’t deny. When Pippa came barreling back into my life that day at the gallery, the name slipped from my mouth, and it felt right.

Gran digs a bony elbow into Pippa’s side. “I know he’s all tough on the outside and terrible to put up with sometimes, but don’t let him fool you, sweet girl. I think he might be crazy about you.”

I didn’t think it was possible for my grandmother to embarrass me when I’m a grown-ass adult, but leave it to Gran to find a way. I should disappear and pretend Gran hadn’t just outed the nickname that stuck for Pippa, but to do that, I’d have to break eye contact with Pippa, something I can’t seem to do.

“I happen to make an amazing strawberry shortcake. It’s even better as a cupcake. My favorite cupcake to make,” Pippa admits, her voice quiet. She doesn’t break eye contact with me, and I’d give just about anything to climb into that beautiful mind of hers and figure out if she thinks any differently of me now.

From the corner of my eye, I see Gran cross her arms over her chest with a satisfied sigh. “Seems like you two are a match made in heaven.”

49

PIPPA

I hold Gran tight,savoring the smell of her expensive perfume. I’ve had the best morning getting to know the one person who showed Camden love as a child.

“You make sure to come back and visit me, you got that?” Gran says into the crook of my neck. I give her a big squeeze, trying not to hold her bony shoulders too tight. I feel like one too-intense hug could break her straight in half.

Pulling away, I nod at her, feeling emotional at leaving this woman, even if we just met. Maybe it’s because her fiery personality reminded me of my mom. Maybe it’s the knowledge that she’s the one positive memory Camden has of his childhood, or maybe it’s something I can’t put a finger on. Whatever it is, I feel like Gran is someone I want as a constant figure in my life. “Maybe you’ll come visit Sutten?” I offer, grabbing her hands in mine because I don’t want to lose contact with her. “I want to know your strawberry shortcake recipe,” I add, a large smile on my face.

Knowing the meaning behind the nickname Camden gave me has done something to me. It might be silly, but after knowing what Gran told me, I can’t help but rethink everything that’s happened between Camden and me. Was he thinking about me sooner than I thought? Did he feel the pull between us from the moment we met again at his gallery?

I have so many questions, ones I want to ask him the moment we’re alone. For now, he’s off on an important call. He’d tried ignoring his ringing phone a few times as we exchanged our goodbyes, but after the third phone call from Daly, he had to excuse himself for a moment.

“Maybe I’ll come up for Camden’s birthday,” she offers. “Camden told me your birthdays are close. I’d love to come celebrate the both of you if you don’t mind.”

“He told you that?”

She smiles, giving me a nod. “Oh, he’s told me alotabout you, darling. I never thought I’d see the day, but I believe my sweet boy is in love with you.”

My eyes go wide. I shake my head, looking over my shoulder to make sure he isn’t eavesdropping. “No,” I insist, my throat feeling clogged. The moment I saw his entire demeanor change when he said hello to his grandma, I realized I was falling in love with him. It was the way he crouched down to hug her tiny frame, fussing about it being too cold in her house before he threw a blanket over her lap as she argued with him. It was sweet—tender even—and as I watched from the side, awkwardly not knowing if I should introduce myself or let them argue for a moment, I realized I was giving my heart to him. It was a kind of feeling I’d never felt before. It felt heavy in my chest, telling me that it’d be a feeling that’d settle deep in my bones.

I’d tried pushing the realization away. Camden and I are still so new—so different. I shouldn’t fall for him. We haven’t even discussed what to officially call us, but none of that matters.

At some point between the heated arguments, the passionate nights, and the tender moments, I started falling for a man I swore I couldn’t stand.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Gran’s voice pulls me from my thoughts.

“I just don’t know what—”

She swats at the air. “You don’t have to say anything. I’d prefer you didn’t so I can get out what I want to say before Camden comes back.”

I nod, eager to hear whatever has made her turn serious.

“To the world, Camden had a beautiful childhood filled with love and adventure, but that’s the furthest thing from the truth. He was born to two incredibly selfish people. Ones who kept him locked away from the world until they deemed him useful. I tried doing what I could for him, but even I know I failed him. I should’ve never let him return to that cold and empty home. You’d walk inside and know it was void of love.”

“He loves you dearly,” I interrupt, needing her to know that he idolizes her. “He’s told me plenty of times that your love was the one thing that got him through that.”

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