Page 9 of The Summer I Loved

He’d found out he had a child today, his world flipped on its axis, and it all came back to Adrianna. Everything about her was the same and radically different at the same time. She still had the same bright, wide-as-a-mile, smile. The endless shade of rich, creamy skin he’d sketched over with his tongue and once immortalized in brown ochre. The color came close but would wither next to the real thing, theFaceless Angel Queenforged from a burning red hibiscus.

Their eyes met, and it was charged, like lightning through metal wires. His pulse revved up enough to force a hitch in his breath. His gaze slid down her no-longer rail-thin, but fuller, curvier body. Her breasts were now larger than a handful and her thicker ass made his mouth dry and his slacks tighten. She was a woman, no longer the eighteen-year-old girl who dumped, broke, and cursed him.

Would her skin still be as soft against my lips?The blood rushed straight down, tightening his groin. He squeezed the catalog too hard, crumbling the paper. He smoothed it out and set it aside.

She took the other end of the couch. A full cushion was between them as she sat and turned to face him, with her legs tucked under her. It took all his willpower not to move closer to her. Too many things stood between them, but his fingers itched to lose themselves in her hair and to kiss her mouth. He needed to know if her lips still tasted like summer peaches and glory, or if his imagination had embellished her with every passing second.No, I definitely should not touch her.

Her voice jarred him away from his thoughts.

"I found out I was pregnant when I was about six weeks along. I wasn't feeling well for a while, but I thought it was something else, so I didn't go to the doctor until I was forced to." She pressed her thumb to her hand as she spoke.

"What did you think it was?" he asked, leaning closer, like a dog chasing the soft floral scent of her body.

"I was sad and crying a lot."

He frowned. "Why?"

She peered at him under her lashes with eyes full of yesterday’s regrets. "You left."

"You told me to leave and never come back, Adri."

She nodded. "I know. I just never thought you would actually do it."

It had been the most ridiculous fight two people had ever had. His stupidity and quick temper that day still plagued Cameron.

Her gaze dropped to her feet. "I was seventeen and immature. When I got mad, I would tell everyone I didn’t want to see them again. I said it to Tommy with every breakup. I said it to my boyfriend in first grade. I even said it to Nathan, that time we kissed when we were ten. You were the only one that listened. You, who followed me around all the time, chose the one time I didn't mean it to listen to me."

She shook her head and shot him a sad smile. "The next day, I went to Tommy's house early in the morning and told him we were never getting back together and I was in love with someone else. Your parents were there having breakfast with his. I figured they would tell you they saw me crying when I left and then I planned to make you suffer before I forgave you. I was so ready for you to come crawling and asking for forgiveness."

He looked down. "When they got back from Tommy’s parent’s house, they were talking to Luciana at the table and telling her you and Tommy reunited and seemed really happy. I told my father I would take the baseball contract and left that day for New York."

She waited until he looked up. "When I found out I was pregnant, I came by Mr. Blake’s office. I told him I needed to talk to you, that it was urgent. He told me you had taken the contract with the Emperors. That you needed to focus on what was important. I broke down and told him about the baby. He said he would call and tell you. He called the next morning and said you didn't think the child was yours and offered me money for an abor—"

Cam didn't let her finish. He shot up from the couch. "I'm going to kill him."

Adrianna got up and went to him. "He's your father. You can't kill him…"

"No, he's not! He’s never been. A father is someone who loves and supports you. I was just a pawn to him and my mom. I spent my whole life trying to please them and he convinced me to take the fucking contract. I never wanted to play. You know that."

Adrianna nodded.

"I'll kill him with my hands. He took everything from me." He clamped a hand over the back of his neck. "You don't know the things I did."

She crossed her arms in front of her. "Killing Walter won’t give you any of it back. You can’t get the time you lost with Bron, but if you kill him, you'll have no future with her either.”She placed a hand on his shoulder and the other to his cheek. “Now you have a chance to be in her life and help me raise her. Don’t let Walter take more from you than what he already has."

Her eyes sparked with warmth and somehow, they were closer than before. He rubbed his cheek against her palm. She’d been one of the things taken away from him.No, he had been stupid enough to let her go.

He reached for her, but she took a step back and cleared her throat. “We can work out ways for you to start getting to know her and spend time with her.”

He stamped a foot on the desire surging through him. There were more pressing things they needed to decide. “Okay, let’s talk.”

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