Page 37 of Tinsel & Chrome
WREN
Atlas agreed with Cameron that it would be better for me and Joy to stay at Cameron’s place, allowing me as much time as needed to figure things out.
Cameron drove me and Joy to his home a few miles outside of Ocean City and gave us a tour.
He owned ten acres of land, and his house was immense, with four bedrooms and two bathrooms.
There was a lovely driveway and garage, and a wrap-around porch.
Inside was a spacious living room, a private den, and a kitchen with modern appliances.
The bedrooms upstairs were on the back side of the house, facing East so you could watch the sunrise in the morning.
A cozy-looking sectional couch was in the living room with throw pillows and a big flat-screen mounted on the wall.
There were a few framed pictures of Cameron’s family on the mantel.
I was self-conscious about touching anything because even though Cameron didn’t have any room decor or knick-knacks, the house was so immaculate!
When he opened one of the bedrooms at the far end of the hall, we were greeted by an orange tabby cat and her three little fluffy kittens! Joy squealed with delight as she sat on the floor, and the kittens scampered to her, mewing.
I smiled as Cameron, a tall, muscular, and ruggedly handsome man, knelt to scoop up one of the little fur balls.
The kitten looked so tiny in his big hand as it mewed when he kissed the top of its head.
“My cousin, Kate, is out of the country on travel for another week.
She flew to Italy with some girlfriends and asked me to watch her cat, Mona, and her kittens.
This one here is a female, and I named her Harley.
She’s going to stay here with me when Kate returns home and takes Mona and the other two kittens,”
he said with a grin.
I squeezed my knees together.
Why does he have to look so good and have a soft side that I’ve never seen in a man?
We stood still, staring into each other’s eyes. Cameron stepped closer, Harley batting at his long beard with her tiny paws. He leaned closer, his lips so close to mine.
I want him to kiss me.
But Joy began to giggle, and Cameron leaned away.
He cleared his throat, and I snapped back to the moment and looked at Joy, laughing as she held a cat toy in her little hand, playing with the other two kittens.
Mona walked over and rubbed herself against Cameron’s leg.
“She’s probably pissed at me right now ‘cause she’s hungry,”
he said, then handed me little Harley.
“You can hold Harley while I go feed Mona.”
I followed Cameron into the kitchen, holding Harley, and sat at the kitchen table while he opened a can of cat food for Mona. Joy busy playing with the kittens.
“Was it hard to convince my brother about me and Joy staying at your place for a few weeks until I figure out a plan?”
“Not at all. He agreed that it seemed best for you and Joy.”
“That’s good. I promise it will only be for a few weeks.”
Cameron walked over and sat in the chair next to me.
“There is no rush. A month? A year? You can take as much time as you need.”
I choked back tears, though one escaped, falling down my cheek.
He swiped the tear from my cheek with the rough pad of his thumb.
“Please dont cry, Wren.”
“No man has ever been kind to me. Or sincere,”
I murmured.
“Saying thank you just doesn’t seem enough to show my gratitude.”
“I’ll be honest and upfront because I don’t want to hide anything from you. Three years ago, your brother told me what happened before he joined the Marine Corps. That you disappeared when you were seventeen, and your father was in prison for murdering your mother. Then he showed me a few pictures of you two when you were kids,”
he said, then pulled out his wallet from his jean pocket and showed me an old photo that was worn and frayed at the edges.
It was a picture of me from my junior year in high school before I was kidnapped.
“Zero gave it to me, and I promised him we’d find you and bring you home,”
Cameron continued as if he was confessing everything he’d held inside for too long.
“I’d lost count of how many times I looked at your photo and memorized every detail, from the light blue color of your blouse to the waves in your brown hair to your pretty smile. But your eyes look sad in the photo, and you look so grown-up. Ever since then, I held hope that someday we would find each other, and I would do whatever it took to make you happy.”
I handed the photo back to him. Harley started to wiggle around in my arms, so I put her on the kitchen floor, then placed my hands on his bearded face and planted a kiss on his lips.
He kissed me back, placing his hands on my waist.
“I don’t know what you’ve been through, Wren, but I hope you’ll feel comfortable enough to tell me someday when you’re ready.”