I look at the picture and see the similarities between her and them. They both have the same eye shape and smile. Cami sneaks up on me as she smiles at the picture.
“He passed away when I was ten. My mom never moved on.” She stares affectionately at the photo, and it’s a feeling I sadly know all too well. I wish my parents could see Kelsey and me now. They were always proud of us, and I know it would still be the same. I miss them so much. I can’t imagine if I lost my dad when I was ten. Cami is so much stronger than I ever gave her credit for.
“He was an Alpha?” I ask, looking over the picture and the sheer size of him. Alpha and Beta relationships aren’t uncommon with the ratio of Alphas to Omegas.
“Yeah, he was the best man I ever knew. I wish he got to see everything I’ve accomplished.”
“I’m sure he would be proud of you,” I say and she shrugs her shoulders. “It’s hard losing a parent.”
She nods her head in agreement. “Your parents?”
“Yeah, a few years ago,” I say, not wanting to get into the details. This is supposed to be the last leg of the trip. We need to keep it light and fun.
Cami nods her head and holds up a set of keys. “My mom wants us to go check out the pool house to see if we want to get a hotel or not.” I nod my head and follow her out the front door so we can go through her neighbor’s backyard.
I walk behind her, enjoying her in her true Cami form, not Deja Fox. Hardly any makeup. Her hair down in braids, a short sleeve ‘knot thot shirt’, and black shorts that are going to be the death of me. Cami’s ass is a work of art. If I hadn’t seen the amount of squats she does, I would assume she had enhancements done. But the way it bounces and swooshes as she walks, it's clear her ass is a mix of great genetics and hard work.
Cami clears her throat as she turns the key and opens the door to the pool house.
Did she see me checking out her ass?
It’s basically a large studio apartment. There’s a kitchenette, couch, TV and a massive pack bed in the middle.
“We should probably get a hotel then,” she says.
“Only if that’s what you want.”
“You wouldn’t mind sharing the bed?” she asks, arching an eyebrow at me.
“We’ve done it before, plus that bed is huge. I know you wanted to be as close to your mom as possible. The nearest hotel is about twenty-five minutes away. It’s up to you, Cami. But I’m fine staying here.”
“Only if you’re sure,” she says.
“I’m sure. If your mom is cooking this whole time, that’s an even bigger bonus.”
She laughs and then huffs. “Great, now you’re going to like my mom more than me after this trip.”
“Impossible,” I say, and we both just look at each other for a while. I clear my throat and rub the back of my neck. “I’ll go get our bags. If you promise to lock the doors at your mom’s place and have your phone on you, I can stay in here so you two can have privacy.”
“Thanks, Smith. It means a lot. I’ve really missed her.”
“Just make sure you text me when it’s time for dinner.”
“Of course,” she says, smiling. She stumbles a little, walking past me like she wants me to touch her, but she shakes her head and walks back to her mother’s house.
After I carry our stuff in the bedroom, I realize just how much I keep screwing everything up. I keep rationalizing that I need to put distance between Cami and me, then all my actions are the polar opposite. I want to touch her, I want her wearing my scent, I want her. But I can’t have her.
I swallow the lump in my throat and decide to call my sister.
“Hello,” she says on the other line.
“Hey, Kels.”
“What’s wrong?”
“What do you mean, what’s wrong? Can’t a guy just check in on his sister?”
“That’s what text messages are for. Have you realized you have feelings for Deja Fox…excuse me, Cami? We’re on a legal name basis now, well, on her end anyway.”
