Page 99 of His Team

Cam had tried to take one of the empty rooms for himself, but Mrs. Jemma insisted we share a room together. Cam hasn’t had sex with me since we’ve been back together. Not that I haven’t tried.

He’s kind to me and we haven’t been fighting. Not even the tiny squabbles that we’ve been having for forever. If it looks like we’re heading in that direction, Cam concedes or changes the topic.

“I’m sorry. I was in my thoughts. What’s up?”

“Daddy just took Mama back home. I thought we could hang back and figure some things out. I have a few things I want to talk to you about,” he says.

Thank the Lord. I’ll have to give Mr. Perry a big old hug next time I see him. I literally feel the weight being lifted off my shoulders. That woman was going to drive me crazy.

“Oh, okay. What’s up?”

“Come on downstairs. We can talk and you can eat something. How are you feeling?”

“Okay, I guess. I haven’t been having morning sickness or anything like that. I’m just tired here and there.”

“Everyone is different,” he murmurs almost to himself.

I get up from the vanity I’ve been sitting at and follow him out of the room. My mind begins to wander. Maybe now that Mrs. Jemma is gone, I should come clean.

My stomach twists in knots. What if I come clean and he breaks up with me for good? I can’t tell him about the baby without telling him I was cheating.

I can’t do that to my baby. I can’t ruin its future. I bite my lip as we enter the living area. The first thing I notice is the charcuterie board and what looks like sparkling cider.

There are candles lit as well. It looks like a romantic date. I look up at Cam and smile. Guilt laces my belly, and I think I might puke.

“Come on. Sit down,” he says, giving me a smile that doesn’t quite meet his eyes.

“What’s all this about?” I say, trying to sound cheery.

“I thought we could talk about our future. We’re working on things and that means getting engaged will be our next step with the baby coming and all.”

My smile falters. His words leave me feeling like shit. If he only wants to get married for the baby, I need to say something. Cam has always been my friend first. It’s how we always end up making up.

“Are you all right?” he asks as I stare down into my lap.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I think I just need to eat something.”

I scoot forward in my seat to place some cheese and crackers on a napkin to stuff my face and keep myself from spilling the truth. Cam pours us both a glass of cider and hands me one.

I down the cider, then start to stuff the food into my mouth. My stomach sours as I think about all the wrongs I’ve done to my friend. Can I even be considered a friend at this point?

Cam has been nothing but good to me, but I’ve been a bitch since we graduated high school. Maybe even before then.

I whined about being left behind when all of that was my fault. I placed his brother’s health in danger more than once. Then I cheated on him for almost four years with someone he once considered a friend.

Yeah, I’m not a friend at all. If I do this to Cam, I’ll just be driving that fact home.

Cam continues. “If we get married, I’d like for you to sign a prenup. I have a copy here for you to look over. You can take your time.”

I swallow hard and place my now empty napkin down so I can reach for the papers he’s holding.

I begin to read them over and my head begins to pulse. My vision blurs as tears fill my eyes. The entitled spoiled brat I had been deserves this. The woman sitting here now, in her newfound maturity, understands this.

However, when I get to the clause about the paternity of the baby, my tears spill over, and I know I can’t go through with this. He must know I’m hiding something, and this clause will leave me with nothing if this baby isn’t his.

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” he asks, looking at me with concern.

“Cam, I need to tell you something.”

---