Page 12 of What He Always Knew

It wasn’t just food. It was an experience.

With Reese playing the piano that evening, I had no doubt it would be one I’d never forget.

I could feel how tense Cameron was as he opened the door for me, ushering me inside and out of the cold. We checked our coats, and when I threaded my arm through his again, I squeezed his forearm. No matter what was going on in my head right now, I knew it was a huge sacrifice for him to be here. He knew we were coming to watch Reese play, the man whom I’d spent the entire weekend with.

I knew without a doubt that I couldn’t do the same if our roles were reversed.

It felt a little like masochism to me, that Cameron not only agreed to let me go tonight, but that he came with me. I wondered if it was just so he could keep an eye on me, so he could keep Reese and me away from each other, or if he was just trying to show me that he wasn’t going anywhere.

It suddenly occurred to me that I hadn’t even asked how he was feeling.

Tugging on his arm, I pulled him to the side of the hostess stand before he could tell her the name of our reservation.

“Are you okay?”

Cameron’s brows knitted together. “I’m fine. Are you okay?”

“No, I mean… are youokay? With being here.”

Cameron swallowed, his eyes catching somewhere behind me before they found mine again. “I’ll survive.”

“We can go,” I offered, but my stomach sank at the thought. “If you don’t want to be here. I understand.”

His jaw flexed, and he grabbed my hands in his, pulling me closer.

“You want me to be honest right now?”

I nodded, smoothing my thumb over his.

Cameron looked at me for a long moment, his eyes searching mine like he was the one who’d asked a question and I had the answer inside them. It seemed almost like he was debating whether he could tell me the truth or not — whether it would matter. Or maybe he didn’t even know what the truth was, himself.

Finally, he let out a long breath, shaking his head. “The truth is nothing matters more to me than your happiness,” he said, voice just above a whisper. “And I can see as clearly as that lipstick on your lips that being here makes you happy. So yes, I’m okay.” He squeezed my hands. “I’m more than okay.”

His admission made my heart ache, and I squeezed his hands in return, because I knew while that may have been a truth, it wasn’t theentiretruth.

He was hurting. Being here hurt him.

And he was taking the pain for me.

I couldn’t wrap my mind around that kind of selfless love, not when I was in the middle of what was possibly the most selfish time in my entire life. But I didn’t have time to overthink it before Cameron leaned forward to softly kiss my lips, and then he led us to the hostess, who took us immediately to the table.

Mom and Dad were already there, and they jumped up as soon as they saw us, Dad rushing to shake Cameron’s hand as Mom wrapped me in a hug. They were going on and on about how excited they were for all of us to be there, but I was too busy staring at the stranger at our table to hear anything they were saying.

It was a woman.

A woman who, if I had to guess, was not much older than me. She had platinum blonde hair, straight as a pin and hanging down to the middle of her back. She pulled it over one shoulder as she smiled, waiting patiently behind my parents as they greeted us. Her bright blue eyes were heavily lined, her lips the same red shade as mine, and she wore a tight, beige dress that hugged all of her curves and showed off her beautiful tan skin.

My first thought was that she was someone new to the country club, a new trophy wife Mom was trying to make feel welcome. Then I thought maybe she was a new employee at Reid Energy Solutions, or perhaps a client Dad was trying to schmooze.

But something inside me, something low in my gut, told me the reason she was there wasn’t for my parents.

“Oh!” Mom said when our greetings were done and she noticed the woman standing behind them. “Where are my manners? Charlie, Cameron, I’m so excited to introduce you to Blake Springthorpe. She’s joining us all the way from New York City.”

“So nice to meet you both,” she said, her smile taking over her entire face as she leaned forward to shake my hand first, and then Cameron’s. “It’s nice to know Reese still has such amazing childhood friends that would come see him play on his first night.”

I lifted one brow, the sinking in my stomach growing more as we finished shaking hands. “Oh, you know Reese?”

Blake laughed a little, the sound light and angelic as she shared a knowing look with my mother. Behind her, I noticed Reese crossing the room toward us from back where the bathrooms were, and his eyes doubled in size when he saw me.