Page 58 of Double Daddies (Dirty Daddies Anthologies #8)

I feel my stomach sink. The problem isn’t whether I can do dinner, it’s how he’s going to respond to what I say next.

I open my mouth to tell him, but the problem is, I’m not sure I can begin to explain.

I wasn’t prepared to see him, and I’m not someone who does well when put on the spot emotionally.

Kingslay and I have always been unusually close for siblings, and I care a lot about what he thinks.

“Reservation for three?” he prompts.

The knot in my belly tightens, but I force myself to breathe in slowly, and exhale. “Better make it four.”

Ben

“Why do you look like that?”

“Like what?” Cami smiles and smooths her hands over her hair, but it’s no use.

I know her. I know when she’s nervous. “Like someone’s about to jump scare you,” I supply. “Did something happen at work?”

She licks her lips, another tell-tale sign. “Ah, something did happen, actually. A… a good something, I think. I hope.”

“Okay. Shoot.”

“Well…” She looks around the living room like she’s waiting for someone. “Uh, is Ryle here?”

“Yeah, he’s around. Want me to text him?”

“Yeah—wait, you have Ryle’s number?”

I chuckle at the disbelief in her voice. “It’s about time, don’t you think?”

“Sure. I mean… this is working, right? You think this is working?”

I finish typing out the text to Ryle and send it before pocketing the phone and giving Cami my full attention. “What’s going on, Cami? You seemed fine when you left this morning. What happened?”

She shifts her weight and avoids my gaze. “I’d rather tell you both together.”

My brow furrows, but before I can ask any more questions, I hear footsteps on the staircase. I take her by the arm and guide her in the direction of the stairs. It’s probably best we handle this as soon as possible.

“Hey.” Ryle eyes us both from where he stood a few steps up from the bottom of the staircase as we descended. “You doing okay? You need ibuprofen? A heating pad?”

“Ha ha,” I intone dryly, but when he puts his fist out, I bump it.

“What’s up?”

“Cami has something to tell us, apparently. She specifically said she needed both of us.”

Ryle arches his brows, then we both turn to her.

“Um… so… the thing is…” She lets her sentence trail off and stares at the railing.

“Honey? What is it?”

Cami doesn’t look up at his question, but instead takes a deep, shuddering breath.

“I’m getting worried now, Camille.”

Her eyes leap to my face, and she smiles, but it’s a shaky one at best. “It’s… it’s a good thing.” She includes Ryle in her smile, then turns back to me. “My brother is in town.”

“Oh, wow. Were you expecting him?”

She shakes her head. “He wants to go to dinner.”

“When?”

“Uh… tonight, actually.”

I shrug, still not understanding why she’s being so squirrelly. “Okay. So, we’ll go.”

Her smile looks more like a grimace now and she turns it on Ryle. “All of us?”

Ah . There it is. “Ryle has an important call with Japan.”

Ryle lifts his chin, looking at me, his gaze searching.

Tilting my head to Cami, I try to get my eyes to pass the message: better reschedule. She needs us. I already know he’s got good game in the fashion department, and he certainly knows a thing or two about fitness. Here’s to hoping he’s a mind reader as well.

“I could push that off an hour or so,” he says.

“Really?” Cami’s eyes widen and she clasps her hands together, as though folded in prayer.

“Really. The call’s scheduled for 10 o’clock tonight, but if you need, I can reschedule to occur around midnight. That would make it early afternoon on their end. Is that good for you?”

“It is!” She claps and hops. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” She hops up the stair and wraps her arms around him.

Chuckling, he hugs her back and then releases her.

She bounds down and promptly wraps me in a hug, too. “Thank you,” she whispers in my ear.

I grin wryly. “Did you at least give him a hint?”

She glances at Ryle then back at me again, slowly shaking her head.

“I see.”

“Well… where are we going?” Ryle asks. “What’s the dress code?”

“You can wear whatever you want. Whatever you feel comfortable in,” Cami replies with a wave of her hand.

“Oh, no. I’m meeting your brother. I’m dressing to impress.”

“Kingslay won’t even notice what you wear,” I predict. “But he’ll have a ton of questions.”

Ryle arches his brows, and since I know he can read minds now, I hope he can read this: I hope you’re as dedicated to our girl as I am. Just remember, I’ve got your back.

Ryle

“It’s going to be okay,” I tell Cami, wrapping an arm around her waist.

“I know. Of course it is. You’re going to love my brother. He’s awesome—isn’t he awesome, Ben?”

“Certified grade-A awesome,” he answers from the driver’s seat.

“See?”

She smiles, but it is clearly for my benefit.

I can tell by the way she keeps fidgeting in her seat and averting her gaze to the window.

It’s obvious she cares about her brother, and I’ve never had trouble charming family in the past, but this is different.

I’ve never cared as deeply for the woman in question as I do for Cami.

I just have to convince him this is the right thing for his sister. That together, Ben and I are what she needs. If he loves her, that’s all that will matter.

“Well… this is it,” Cami says as Ben maneuvers the bright blue Maserati into a tight parking spot.

“Nicely done,” I congratulate him.

“Hey, I appreciate you noticing.”

Cami huffs loudly. “Are you two going to be like this the entire time?”

“Like what?” I blink at her in surprise.

“Just… just be normal!” she says, smacking the side of her handbag.

I take her hands in mine and lock gazes with her.

“Cami, I know you’re nervous right now, so I’m going to let that slide.

But you need to remember who you’re talking to and keep it respectful.

” I maintain eye contact and watch the flare of stubbornness in her brown orbs.

But as I continue to look, bit by bit, it subsides.

“Sorry,” she mutters.

“Forgiven.” I bow my head to her hand and kiss the back of it. “Now, let’s go eat.”

When I meet his eyes, Ben mouths, “Well done,” and I grin at him.

Then he steps out of the car and opens the door for Cami.

She won’t let go of my hand, though, so I have to crawl out after her.

Then, no sooner does Ben shut the door, she grabs his, too.

If it was under any other circumstances, I would tease her to “be normal,” but I know that will not go down well right now.

I wish I’d had a chance to talk with Ben and find out more about Kingslay since he is clearly so important.

I have never had a problem charming people, but I feel like I’ve never been to a more important meeting in my life.

We make an odd trio—a very nervous, petite, curly-haired brunette shrinking herself between two men.

I’m wearing my lucky business suit—a three-piece navy suit that I’ve worn to every business deal negotiation I’ve ever attended, which I’ve subsequently come out the winner—and Ben is casual in black jeans and a Celtics T-shirt.

Yet, as we make our way across the street and to the bustling, upscale steakhouse, I don’t see anyone looking twice.

Cami either doesn’t realize or it doesn’t help her anxiety, because the tension in her body radiates over, and I have a feeling the only reason she doesn’t bolt is because we’re flanking her.

Ben must feel it, too, because he stops just before we get to the steps in front of her. “Cami… we can cancel if you want to.”

She looks at him, agog. “You always say it’s rude to cancel last minute.”

“It is ,” I say before he can answer. “But if that’s what you need right now, then it’s the right thing to do.”

She hesitates, her bottom teeth working her bottom lip as she looks between the two of us. “I love my brother.”

I nod encouragingly.

“I love my family. My friends. Co-workers. But…”

“But?” Ben prompts gently.

Her dark eyes are wide and apprehensive. “I don’t know if they… how can they accept… and I wasn’t thinking about all that when we… maybe the hormones…”

“Whoa, whoa.” Ben steps closer, and I move my arm to her back.

We’re boxing her in with our bodies, reassuring her, protecting her—whatever she needs. “You have to complete a sentence,” I tell her, my voice firm, but compassionate. “We can address them one at a time.”

“Maybe it’s just the hormones making me feel like this,” she blurts, working backward. Her eyes leap again, from face to face, assessing, second-guessing.

“What are you saying?” Ben asks.

“What if… what if…” Cami takes a deep breath and drops her head. She’s looking at our shoes when she mutters, “What if when the baby’s born… this isn’t what I want?”

Her question hits me like a punch I didn’t see coming. My stomach knots and my chest feels heavy. I’m still processing when I hear Ben. Ben, for whom this would be excellent news. Ben, who perhaps has been hoping for this very thing. I force myself to shut out my own emotions and listen.

“If you make that decision, then that’s okay, because we’re both here for you and what you need.” Ben’s tone is warm and soothing. “But I don’t think you will.”

“You… you don’t?”

“No. I’ve known you a long time, Cami, and one thing I know about you is that you care deeply about people. So deeply, in fact, that you inspire others to care as much as you do.”

I tighten my grip on her, telling her better than words ever could that I’m here for her, whatever she needs.

Ben is right—I might have my preference, but I will love Camille Rodgers in whatever capacity she’ll allow me.

I’ll be there for whatever she needs, even if it winds up what she doesn’t need is me.

Cami lets out a deep breath and lifts her head to look at Ben.

I give her an encouraging squeeze.

“You aren’t the kind of person to love someone and stop,” he continues. “And you love Ryle. I can see it in the way you look at him, the way you perk up when he walks into a room.”

Slowly, she nods, her eyes locked on his.

“And I know you love me.” He winks, and it makes Cami giggle.

It’s my turn. “If your friends, your family, whoever can’t accept what you want—what makes you happy—that might be hard, but we’ll figure it out together. One day at a time. Like Ben said, we’re here for you, so if there’s any worrying to do, leave it to us.”

She looks at me and the relief, the gratitude in her eyes makes the feeling in my chest dissipate. Ben’s right: she loves me, and this thing, this wild, unconventional, beautiful thing between all of us, is for keeps.