Page 54 of The Wrong One

I groaned. “Fuck, I hope he doesn’t hit me. If he does, I have to take it. I have to let him beat my ass a little.”

“Do you?” she asked. “That doesn’t seem right. It’s not like you did this by yourself.”

“That’s not how he’s going to see it.”

“We’ll tell him before the weekend is over,” she declared. “We’ll just rip the Band Aid off and get it over with. The longer we wait, the worse it’s going to be.”

“Do we tell him together?” I asked. “I can approach him if you want me to. Maybe I should. That might be the more respectful thing to do.”

“I think we should tell him together,” she said. “A united front. He needs to know I went into this with eyes wide open.”

“Agreed.” I nodded. “I should probably get dressed and get my ass to work. I didn’t tell Ramsey I was coming over here. He’s going to wonder where I’m at.”

She started giggling. “I’m playing hooky today. I already told him I wasn’t coming in.”

I gave her a quick kiss. “You have fun. I’ll call you tonight.”

ChapterTwenty-Three

Izzy

Iwoke with guilt on the brain. Neither Cam nor I had gathered the courage to tell Ramsey about us. We kept saying we were going to, but we were both afraid. When we told him, there was a good chance things might not be so great. We might not get to be together. I loved spending time with Cam. We had such a good time together. It was good, but I knew it could be so much better if we were able to be out in the open with our relationship. I wanted to celebrate our new relationship. It all felt so good.

Today, I wasn’t going to work. Not because I called in, but Cam and Ramsey were meeting with some investors and there was really nothing for me to do in the lab. Instead, I was going shopping with Emmy. I couldn’t wait to tell her all about the Cam situation. She would know what to do.

We met at a café to grab some lunch before we embarked on a full day of shopping. She was pregnant and needed to keep up her strength.

“I have to tell you something,” I said. “Don’t judge.”

“I’m your friend and cousin.” She smiled. “I get to judge a little.”

“I slept with Cam.” I dropped the bombshell.

“Wow.”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “I know.”

“You’re freaking out,” she said. “Why?”

“Because Ramsey doesn’t know,” I confessed. “You know my brother. He is so over-protective. He’s going to be so pissed when he finds out I hooked up with his best friend.”

Emmy took a sip of her water before responding. “Well, you’re going to have to tell him at some point, right? It’s better to do it sooner rather than later.”

“I know.” I sighed. “But what if he gets angry and fires Cam? Technically, I don’t think he can fire him, but he might want to dissolve their partnership. What if he disowns me?”

“I don’t think he would do that,” Emmy reassured me. “Ramsey cares about you both. He just wants what’s best for you. He’s always looked out for you. Give him some time to process it and I’m sure everything will be fine.”

“I feel so guilty for sneaking around behind his back.” I sighed. “I love hanging out with Cam, but we’re both feeling a little rotten about things.”

Emmy reached across the table and took my hand. “I know this is tough, but you need to be honest with Ramsey. It’s not fair to keep this from him, especially if he’s your brother and Cam’s business partner. And who knows, maybe Ramsey already has an idea that something’s going on between you two.”

I groaned and leaned back in my chair. “I hope not. I don’t want to ruin their friendship or the business.”

Emmy nodded. “I understand. But you can’t control other people’s reactions or feelings. All you can do is be honest and hope for the best.”

We finished our lunch and headed for the first store. I smiled as I walked into the baby clothing store with Emmy. I had been waiting for this moment since she told me she was pregnant. She just finished her first ultrasound, and everything was great. She was healthy. The baby was healthy. Life was good. The air was filled with a sense of excitement and anticipation. It was a special day for her, and I was so glad I got to share in the experience. It was fun to go shopping for adorable little outfits for her baby without worrying about spending too much.

“Ah, look at this one!” I squealed and picked up a pink dress.

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