Page 19 of Meeting Me, Loving You (Hearts of Maple Lake #1)

He laughs, pulling the beanie from his head and sliding his massive hand through his messy brown hair. It looks slightly damp, like maybe he just showered, and it’s beginning to curl at the ends near his neck.

I’m surprised the cold hasn’t frozen his hair to his head by now .

He steps over the threshold, his towering body taking up the small entry space, and closes the door behind him.

“As appealing as flat soda sounds, no, thank you. Actually, I just wanted to see how you were doing, if you needed food or anything. But from the looks of it, you need more than just food.”

His eyes scan the room, and I can tell he’s noting the mountain of blankets on the floor and couch, as well as the pile of chip bags on the kitchen counter behind me.

“Well, if you could make the power come back on, that would be great,” I quip. “But I know you can’t do that. I’m sure it’ll come back on soon. I’ll be fine. Dax is keeping me warm, and I think I still have a few Lunchables in the fridge.”

“Lunchables? Do you know how unhealthy those are?”

“They’re ham and cheese with whole grain crackers. That’s like almost all the food groups. It’s a perfectly adequate meal.”

“For a child ,” he says.

“I never said otherwise.”

“I thought nurses were healthy people.”

“We make people healthy. That doesn’t mean we’re actually healthy ourselves.”

He crosses his arms over his chest, his biceps thick as they strain against the fabric of his flannel coat. “Okay, I need to get you out of here. You need real food and someplace warm, it’s freezing in here. Let’s go.” He nods toward the door.

I look around me. Am I missing something? “Go?” I ask. “Go where?”

“I’ll take you to my place.”

“Wait, your house?”

This is the last thing I thought he was going to offer, and I’m caught off guard. I could accept hot food or flashlights or whatever else he might offer, but this? I’m not used to someone completely taking over a situation to help me out .

“Yeah, why not?” he says, his tone somewhere between amused and offended. His lips form a handsome smirk, and one brow lifts questioningly.

I cross my arms, mimicking his stance.

“Can we even make it up the mountain with the snow?” Worry coats my words, but I try my best to hide it.

Cam tilts his head, looking at me for a split second before saying, “Jules, I wouldn’t come all the way down here to get you if I didn’t think I could make it back up the mountain.”

“But, is it dangerous?” The thought of his vehicle slipping on the slick mountain road sends a jolt of fear through my chest.

“I would never put you in danger. The roads have been plowed, and I haven’t seen any ice accumulate. But, just in case, the trucks have been spreading ice melt all morning. And you’ve seen my truck, right? That beast can climb anything.”

His confidence reassures me.

“Can I bring Dax?” There’s no way I can leave Dax behind.

“Of course you can. He’ll love the cabin, and there’s plenty of room outside for him to run around in the snow if that’s something he likes.” Cam bends to scratch Dax behind the ears.

“He actually loves the snow.” I smile and pause in contemplation. “Okay, I guess it would be nice to be somewhere warm. As long as I’m not imposing or getting in your way. I’ll bring my laptop and study. You won’t even know I’m there.”

“You don’t have to hide away. I’ll help you study, and it’ll be just like old times.” Cam’s smile is boyish and genuine, like he’s actually looking forward to helping me.

Only, it would be nothing like old times, because Cam is no longer a silly fifteen-year-old kid and I’m no longer a child.

“I’ll just go change and grab a few things,” I say, rushing toward my room with Dax on my heels .

Cam’s voice follows me as he stays near the door. “Take your time, I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

Cam was right. The roads have been cleared and the salt spread by the plow trucks has quickly melted most of the remaining snow. His large truck feels sturdy and powerful as we make our steady ascent toward his home. The cab is warm and the dual exhaust pipes hum loudly.

Dax and I take this road sometimes to hike and catch the sunrise views in the warmer months, often waking before the rest of the town on weekends.

Dax especially likes to hike in these woods, and he’s the perfect mix of gentle companion and alarm bell when something seems off.

Not once, but twice, Dax has spotted a bear cub before I did, giving me the chance to turn around and quietly slip back the way we came, never grabbing mama bear’s attention, wherever she was.

Now Dax sits in the backseat, the cab being spacious enough to fit a whole family of five and maybe two dogs.

I wonder what that would be like, to have a vehicle filled up with family of my own. To grow a whole other life here, different from my current reality. To have a husband and children to share all of this beautiful nature with. To simply not be alone.

“It’s pretty, all the snow, when it’s untouched like this,” I say, watching as the white forest blurs past us.

Cam doesn’t take his eyes off the road, but when I look at him, he grins.

“It is.”

“Do you ever feel like you live too far from town up here? Or are you someone who enjoys the solitude? ”

He takes a second to respond, turning the dial on the heat panel.

“Are you warm enough?” he asks instead.

“Yeah, I’m comfortable. It’s a lot warmer than my apartment, that’s for sure. Thanks for the rescue, by the way.”

Cam raises a brow and looks at me before quickly turning his eyes back to the road. “You’re welcome.”

My cheeks heat, and I’m not sure if the warmth is from the truck vents blasting on my face or from what the man next to me does to my insides.

Why is my body reacting like this? I’m not interested in something romantic, or physical, or any of the things. Cam is just a friend. He’s helping me because that’s what friends do. Friends help each other in times of need, and it doesn’t need to mean anything more than that.

I realize he didn’t answer my question, so I ask again.

“You like living way out here?”

“I like to have my space,” he says curtly.

“Hm,” I hum. “I think if I lived this far from town, I’d lose my mind.”

I watch from the passenger seat as Cam’s lips spread into a faint smile, and he lets out a quiet chuckle.

“I prefer to live outside of town where there aren’t as many regulations to follow—where to park, where to hide your garbage can when it isn’t trash day, how short to cut the grass.

” He glances at me, and it’s so quick I almost miss it, but anger flashes in his eyes.

Just as quickly, his face becomes an impassive mask as he looks toward the road again. I blink, wondering if I imagined it.

“At least for me, I don’t have to cut any grass. Living in an apartment and having a landlord has its perks.”

Cam clears his throat. “Yeah, it’s not for everyone, but I’m glad it works for you. ”

This man is difficult to read. I watch out my window as the trees pass by, mounds of snow piled high on either side of the road.

One minute, Cam is saying things that cause me to feel like maybe a true friendship could grow here.

When I see him, I feel drawn to him in ways I don’t know how to explain.

But in the next moment, I feel like I’m saying the wrong thing, causing him to pull away and hide himself from me.

Before my thoughts spiral, they’re cut through by Cam’s heavy exhale, and his voice sounds beside me again, quiet and deep, almost tentative.

“I’m used to my life being in someone else’s control,” he admits, keeping his eyes forward.

“I’ve always been told what I should be doing, who I should be with.

It’s freeing to live out here without the expectations of others hanging over my head.

” His grip is tight on the wheel, and a muscle jumps in his jaw, hardly visible under the scruff of his beard.

“My parents were never really involved in my childhood, and most of the time they didn’t care what I did or where I was.

The only time I mattered to them was when they were putting pressure on me, telling me what sports to play, which friends to have or not have, and hounding me on my grades.

As long as they couldn’t see me, I was invisible to them.

It’s like, when they saw me, they were reminded they had a son and that they wanted me to be perfect.

In their eyes, I was always doing something wrong.

I was a disappointment to them then, and I’m a disappointment to them now.

The only difference is, now I’m okay with that.

I need to make my own choices if I want my life to amount to anything, hence my moving back to Maple Lake. ”

He remains focused as he drives, but from where I sit, I see his deep, sad eyes.

They tell the story of a young boy who was lost for a long time.

A boy that didn’t get to have the affection and nurturing of loving parents.

I’m suddenly overcome with gratitude that my parents never made me feel less than amazing.

I realize why he was always at our house instead of his own.

“I’m sorry you grew up with that,” I whisper, my voice getting caught in my throat.

I imagine fifteen-year-old Cam, always hanging out with us, always happy.

But all that time he was running away from hardships at home and going back to them at the end of the day.

“No child should grow up with that kind of pressure.”

“It’s okay,” he replies, rubbing the back of his neck like I’ve seen him do so many times now. “You asked if I like being out here alone, and the answer is yes. I like to be alone. Less people equals less pressure.”

I wonder if it’s hard for him at work, teaching in the school where his parents put him under pressure for perfect grades. But I don’t ask. I feel him struggling to tell me his history, and I won’t press him for more than he’s willing to give.