Page 31 of The Summer I Loved

"Adrianna, of course you are going to fight with Cameron. The man is impossible and he's my brother. But I think you both know what's at stake now. I don't think either of you would let it go too far. Especially because you both remember what happened the last time you did."

That made a lot of sense.

“And then there’s your parents.” Adrianna’s chest tightened. Walter and Marilyn Blake would not be happy about this. She was afraid of Walter, of the secret he held over her head.

“Cam doesn’t give a fuck what Walter and Marilyn think. Neither do Chase and I. We are all tired of their bullshit. We won’t let them mess with you and Bron.”

Adri smiled. “You’re offering me your protection? God, pigs must be flying all over Central Park.”

Luciana laughed. “You’re my adorable niece’s mom. And you’re totally not the bitch you were in high school.”

“Thanks.”

They continued talking but Adrianna stopped drinking. Bronwyn woke up early and she would rather not have a headache in the morning, since they planned on doing things outside. Two hours later she was grateful for that decision.

She helped Luciana to bed and it brought back horrible flashbacks of getting Bronwyn to sleep when she was three. Cam's sister was completely plastered. She finally fell asleep and Adrianna headed to her room. She went to the bathroom first, on her tiptoes and not turning on the lights, as not to wake up her daughter.

She brushed her teeth and grabbed some pajama shorts and a tank top from the drawer. She put them on and went to the bed but when she got close, Bron wasn't there.She must be with Cam.

She made her way to his bedroom, intending to usher Bron to bed quickly. It was way past her bedtime and she’d be cranky in the morning. She almost stumbled at the door.

Cam lay on the bed, one arm on the pillow, his head nestled on his bicep. Bronwyn's face was tucked on the side of his ribs and one hand on his chest and a foot on top of his legs. It was her favorite sleeping position when she slept with Adrianna. Cam's left arm curved protectively around her. An enormous TV was still on, illuminating the room.

Adrianna told herself she should go back to her room, but her feet were already walking towards the bed. She stood on the side on the bed for a bit, trying to convince herself to leave. Instead she climbed on the other side of Cam.

•••

A warm body slipped next to Cam, enveloping him in the sugar and berry notes of

a familiar perfume. “Adri?"

"Do a lot of women crawl in bed with you while you cuddle with your daughter?" she giggled.

"You're drunk?"

"Nah. Luciana's drunk. I'm just happy." She lay on her stomach and scooched up closer to his face. Her face was on her hands as she leaned on her elbows. The minty notes of mouthwash washed over his face.

"Is Lux in bed?" he asked, trying to distract himself from how close her face was to his.

"Your sister is plastered. I put her to bed before she could drunk-dial and tell her ex to fuck off." The light from the TV illuminated her face. Adrianna smiled a little too hard, making Cam’s insides shift a little. She was drunk adorable.

"How much did you two have to drink?"

"We had a bottle of wine together, and I had a glass of another and she had the rest.”

“She’ll be a pain in the morning,” Cam sighed. Lux never did well with hangovers.

“I feel bad. She's still so into him," she sighed, her face morphing into a wistful, dreamy expression. "I know the feeling."

It was late and they both needed to go to sleep but he couldn't help but ask, "You’re into Mateo?"

She laughed, "No, you, dummy. I mean you." She jammed her finger into his chest and moved her head closer. "I'm still so into you."

He gaped at her and his mouth dropped open just in time for hers to descend upon it. It took him a bit to recover from the shock but his hand automatically wrapped around the back of her head and he pressed her close. His tongue followed her lead. He began to turn towards her when the weight on his side reminded him that their daughter was in the bed. He pulled away and she frowned at him.

"Bron," he said and she turned her head towards the sleeping child. She then looked back at him and smiled.

She brought her face closer. "We'll finish this another time," she promised. "What did you and Bron do?"

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