Page 73 of Beyond the Cage

The fuss she’s talking about is the trip to the salon this morning. Cameron picked us all up and took us to get our hair and nails done – me, Chels, and our moms. He’d even made a guys’ day of it, taking Damon and our dads with him to the barber.

“Looking good, Tanner,” I tell Chels.

“Look at our girls, Sharon…all grown up,” Chels’ mom says as she enters the room.

“Yes, they are, Claire.”

Chels turns to her mom. “Mom…don’t start with the crying.”

“I’m not,” she replies as she removes a hanky from her purse and dabs at her eyes.

“Girls! Ride’s here!”

“Coming, Dad!” I shout.

“Okay, Carter.” Chels links her arm with mine. “Let’s blow this popsicle stand.”

Cameron is the first thing I see when I walk into the living room. His back is to me, and he’s engrossed in something my dad is saying. Dad glances in our direction then does a double-take, making Cameron turn around. God, he’s gorgeous. My breath hitches and so does his. He walks over to me and takes my hand.

“Hey there, Mr. GQ.”

He looks good enough to eat in a light grey, three-piece suit, white shirt, and a grey silk tie with tiny blue circles dotting it. Leaning in, he kisses my cheek then turns to the other ladies with an appreciative smile.

“Say ‘thank you’, ladies,” I advise them.

They all turn to me in confusion. I point to him and they shift their attention to him. Seeing the look in his eyes, they blush and each mumbles a ‘thank you’. Next, I consider our fathers, smiling in appreciation.

“Chels…will you just look at ourdashingdaddies?”

And they do look dashing – Dad, in his dark navy suit with blue tie, and Mr. Tanner, in his black suit with a green tie that perfectly matches his eyes. He has the same build as my dad, only taller. I watch as Chels’ mom moves to stand next to her husband. Claire Tanner is gorgeous. Long, shiny, blonde hair and brown eyes. Her white strapless dress displays her curves to perfection.Aren’t we all just a family of stunning people?

“Come on…we don’t wanna be late,” Dad stresses.

“Okay, Dad.”

Cameron takes my hand and pulls me aside.

“What?”

He reaches into his pocket and removes a small gift box, ‘Congratulations’ written in gold letters across the top.

“What did you get me now?” I open the box and find a key. A key? A car key. No! A car key with a trident logo.Fuck no!“You didn’t…please tell me you didn’t!”

He leads me over to the window and points down to the parking lot. Parked next to my Aveo is a white Maserati Quattroporte with green alloys. I jump excitedly and throw my arms around his neck.Holy shit, he did!

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love it!”

My dad clears his throat behind us, and I untangle myself from him. He smiles down at me lovingly and strokes my cheek.

“Let’s go! You can thank him later,” my impatient father says.

“We’re coming!”

I can’t believe he bought me a car…a Maserati! I just might have to pull something special out of my bag of tricks tonight.

Being the gentleman he is, Cameron escorts both me and Chels down to the limo. Yes, limo…courtesy of my wonderful man. He’s also made plans for later to take us all out to a celebratory dinner. He’s fitting in quite nicely and so is Damon.

I have to say, at this point…life is pretty much perfect.