Damien stands up and steps toward him. “You motherfucker.”
Camden ducks when Damien tries to punch him, then hits him in the stomach. Damien falls to the ground.
He crouches down over Damien. “You’re going down hard for what you did to my wife, you piece of shit.”
The dozen regulars who are at the bar glance over and look at us, before going back to their conversations. Darlene, the bar owner, squints at us.
“Everything okay?” she asks.
Camden and I nod. “Yeah, we’re good,” I say.
Camden drops cash on the table, then grabs my hand and guides me to step around Damien, who’s rolling on the floor, groaning.
We walk out of the bar into the early fall afternoon and around the corner to where his car is parked.
We climb inside, and Camden taps his phone screen. “Just shared that video with you,” he says. “I’ll share it with Ingrid and Alanna too. They’re the social media and PR experts. They’ll know the best way to release it to the media and the public.”
I let out a breath, my heartbeat finally getting back to a calm rhythm. “And once we release that video—once we set everything straight—it’ll all be okay.”
Camden reaches over to cup my face in his hand. “It will be. And it’s because of you and this brilliant plan you came up with.”
He kisses my forehead, and I melt. “You were amazing,” he says softly. “Such a boss. You outsmarted your ex. He didn’t even see it coming.”
I start to smile. “I’ve never done anything like that before,” I say. “I always thought I was too shy and quiet to do something so bold. But I did it.”
He grins wide. “You did it, baby. Because you’re a badass.”
I smile. “I think I just might be.”
He kisses me. “You are. My wife is a badass pet sitter who moonlights as an undercover agent. Fuck, that’s hot.”
I burst out laughing. Warmth courses through me at how good my life is right now. For so long, it was a struggle. For so long, I fought just to survive.
But it’s different now. It’s so much better in every way. I have a job I love. I’m married to the most incredible man who goes out of his way to take care of me, to make sure I’m happy and comfortable, always.
A settled, content feeling floats through my entire body. It feels like my nervous system is calming down in a way it never has before.
I kiss Camden until we’re both breathless. “I love you,” I rasp. “So much.”
Camden’s heart flashes in his eyes. “Ellie baby. You have no idea just how much I love you.”
Chapter 60
Camden
Isit up straight in my chair as the sound guy pins a mic to my shirt. I start to sweat under the lights.
“Doing okay?” Charlotte Vandy, who’s sitting across from me, asks. She’s a sports reporter and one of the regulars during post-game press for the Bashers.
I clear my throat. “Yeah, just a little nervous.”
She offers a warm smile. “It’s normal to be nervous for a one-on-one interview like this. You’ll be okay.”
“Easy for you to say. You do this all the time.”
“You should have seen how nervous I was the first time I did a live interview. I was so worked up, I threw up right before going on air.”
I wince. “Really?”
