Page 34 of Wild and Wrangled

I shrugged. “I’ve lived in staff or seasonal worker housing for upwards of ten years. I was more interested in living somewhere that finally felt like mine, where I could collect more belongings than what fit in a duffel bag or my car—a place I wanted to come home to at the end of the day.”

Cam looked surprised before she glanced down at the clothes she was folding. I was surprised, too, when I found myself longing for home—for something more permanent. In some ways, I thought it meant that I’d finally healed enough to come back here. But when I looked at Cam, I still felt like the nineteen-year-old kid who got his heart obliterated, and I had to fight the urge to run—to run from her. “But how did you end up at Anne’s, of all places?”

“I saw Anne at the grocery store when I was home once a few years ago. She was struggling to reach the loaf of bread she wanted, so I helped,” I explained. “And then I walked around the rest of the grocery store with her to make sure she could get everything. We talked the whole time. She told me how her property was getting hard to manage on her own, with her kids and her grandkids all gone from Meadowlark, and by the time we made it to checkout, she offered me the cabin. I agreed to do anything she needed done around her house or the property for the foreseeable future.” I was leaving a few details out of that story, but they didn’t really matter right now.

“Sounds like a good deal,” Cam said.

“It is.”

“And have you accumulated more belongings?”

“A few—I bought my first mattress, some paperbacks, and a painting from Teddy a few months ago. I’m still working on it—being in one place. It took me six months to put my clothes in the dresser and closet.”

“Well, I don’t even have a mattress or a dresser, so you’re ahead of me there,” Cam said with a shrug.

“What?” I asked.

“I ordered one of those boxed mattresses online—the ones that come shrink-wrapped in a box—but it hasn’t got here yet,” Cam said. I guess that meant that she left all of her furniture behind—maybe it was her fiancé’s? “But luckily I’ve got a few couches to choose from until it does.”

Cam was tall—probably around five-ten—so sleeping on a couch all night wouldn’t be comfortable.

“I’m sorry,” I said, wracking my brain trying to remember if I knew anyone with an extra mattress or bedroom furniture. I could move my mattress here for her.

“It’s okay,” she said. “I ordered it when I first got to Gus and Teddy’s, so it should get here soon.”

“How was that?” I asked. “Staying with them.”

“Easy,” she said. “At least for a short period of time.”

“How has it been? Adjusting to a new dynamic with them and Riley?” Gus and Teddy had gotten together earlier this year—shocked the hell out of everyone, except for me, maybe, but I hadn’t observed the legendary days of their hatred for each other. I was more shocked by Brooks and Emmy, honestly.

“Also easy,” Cam said. “Teddy loves Riley so much, and as a parent, it’s really rewarding to watch your kid be showered with the type of love they deserve. Plus, Teddy is so different from Gus or me. She’s creative and less…I don’t know…restricted than both of us. I think it’s good for Riley to have her around.

“Riley has a really good family,” she continued. “The type of family I wish I could have had. When my mother heardabout Gus’s new relationship—or ‘that man,’ which is how she likes to refer to him—she made this stupid comment about how Teddy was going to be competition for me in my daughter’s life—like Riley only had room for one maternal figure. I spiraled a little bit for a while. I wondered if my daughter would like…love Teddy more than me, I guess?”

It didn’t surprise me that her thoughts went there. “But she doesn’t,” I said.

“Right,” Cam said. “Maybe it’s because Teddy has been around her entire life, but I don’t think Riley ever had a ‘Teddy is my shiny new toy’ moment, and even if she did, it would’ve been normal. I don’t know.” Cam shook her head. “I feel like people expect it to be hard—adding someone else into the co-parent situation, and maybe it is sometimes, but it hasn’t been for us, yet.”

“And with Greg?” I asked, hating even bringing him up, but I wanted to know—even if it hurt.

“You mean Graham?” Cam asked. She was still smiling at me, so bringing him up didn’t shut her down…yet.

“Whatever,” I said.

“That was different. We weren’t…” She stumbled and paused. “We weren’t what Gus and Teddy are.”

What did that mean?They were engaged. They were going to get married—legally bind themselves to each other. Cam must’ve seen the confusion on my face.

“How’s the bed going?” There was the subject change. Cam didn’t like being pushed, and I wouldn’t push her. I wanted her to keep talking to me for as long as possible.

“Good,” I said, looking down at it. “Come help me put it all together?”

“How much labor does that require?” she asked playfully.

“Lazy ass. All you have to do is hold the pieces together, and I’ll secure them.”

“Fine.” She walked over to me and put her hands on her hips when she stopped next to me. I wished she’d step just a little bit closer, but it would have to do for now.

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