“Mom, it’s not your fault that your marriage ended. Dad was the one who cheated on you. He’s the reason things got that bad in the first place.”
Anger swoops through me. My dad has never apologized to me for what he did. I bet it’s never occurred to him that the way he behaved during his marriage to my mom had an effect on me.
“I just wish that I had handled it better,” she says. “I wish we hadn’t fought in front of you so much. I know that was awful foryou to see us do that. If I could go back in time and change it, I would.”
“It was a difficult situation to navigate. I probably would have reacted the same way if I were in your shoes.”
She squeezes her arms around me, then leans back to look at me, softness in her expression. “I’m lucky to have a son like you. You’re so understanding. And I’m so glad that you didn’t let your parents make you jaded about love.”
I smile, despite the guilt gnawing at me. This marriage to Ellie isn’t real, and in less than a year, it’ll all be over. My mom is going to be heartbroken when we split.
Chapter 35
Camden
Ipush that feeling aside.
I can’t think about that now. I just have to focus on why I’m doing this—to help Ellie.
And helping her is worth whatever fallout is going to happen at the end of this.
I finish cleaning up right as Ellie walks in the door.
Mom hugs us goodbye as she gets ready to leave.
She points at me. “You be sure to spoil your wife, understand?”
I roll my eyes good-naturedly. Ellie’s face breaks into a shy smile.
“Oh, don’t worry. Camden spoils me plenty,” she says. “He won’t let me pay for anything.”
Mom pats my shoulder. “I knew I raised you right.”
I just laugh. She pats my arm, then turns to Ellie. “I’m just teasing. I know how generous my son is. Did you know he paid off my mortgage after he signed his first big contract in the NHL? And he makes me take a girls’ trip with my friends every year in the summer. Doesn’t let us pay for a penny of it.”
“You deserve it. I know raising me as a single mom was no walk in the park,” I say.
Her expression is warm as she looks at me. “It was worth it, honey. And not because of all the lovely gifts you’ve gotten me. I have the best son in the world.”
She hugs me one more time and leaves. I close the door behind her. When I turn and see Ellie grabbing our suitcases, I take them from her and head to our bedroom to drop them off.
When I set her luggage in her bedroom, I notice her looking at me.
“You’ve done a lot for your parents.”
I shrug. “It’s the least I could do. They did a lot for me as a kid.”
Ellie shakes her head. “You’re so generous with everyone. You’ve always been like that. I remember when we were little and we’d walk to school together, sometimes we’d pass a homeless person, and you always stopped to give them the snacks out of your backpack.”
“I forgot about that,” I say.
Warmth flashes in Ellie’s eyes. “Because that’s how good a person you are. You do stuff like that because it comes naturally to you. You don’t even think twice about it. It’s who you are. And that’s incredible.Youare incredible, Camden.”
Emotion surges through me. I’m not used to hearing people complimenting my character. They compliment my skills on the ice. I hear how funny and charming and hot I am all the time. But this compliment from Ellie means a million times more. It means she sees through everything else and thinks that deep down, I’m a good person. And that means the world.
“Thank you,” I say softly.
She studies me for a moment. “You’d make a great alternate captain of your team.”
