Yeah, it was sort of filled with basic food he could feed a child that they would eat and not starve — meatballs, chicken nuggets. Tater tots. There was a Stouffer’s lasagna, and a bunch of jalapeno poppers for when he and Sarah were going to get on the spicy wagon train together.
“I don’t know what to tell you. It sucks to be a single dad.”
“I bet it does. I am sorry to hear about Allison. That sucks.” Cam didn’t seem as though he was making fun, so Mitch didn’t get his back up. Not that he could.
“She was a good woman, and I loved her. I miss her every goddamn day.”
“I have to admit I was surprised to find out that you hooked up with her.”
He glanced over to make sure the girls were otherwise occupied, then lowered his voice, “Bisexuality is a thing. Since we both were, it worked out perfectly. She called it quits with her girlfriend about the same time you and I broke up, and we kind of fell into each other’s arms.”
“Hey, I might sound like I’m judging, but I’m not.” Cam’s posture did look a bit defensive though. His chin was up, and his arms were crossed over his chest. “It just surprised me.”
Mitch wasn’t going to indulge in some sort of weird dick-measuring contest over whoever was butthurt about what. Cam was the one who’d left. While Mitch didn’t really understand in his heart, in his brain, he got it.
“I was ready to settle down, and you weren’t.” He shrugged. “So I settled down with Allison, and it worked. We had kids. I loved her to death—literally until death do us part. And that’s that.”
“Sure.” Cam shook his head. “I get it.”
He had to grin at that, because it was bullshit. “No, you don’t. You’re as queer as a three-dollar bill, and you always have been. You don’t get the idea of being able to be with a woman at all, but we both got what we wanted out of it.” He glanced at his kids again. “I wouldn’t trade my girls for anything. Not anything.”
“You should get some sleep while the girls are willing to let you rest.” Cam turned on his heel and headed for the kitchen. “I’m going to figure out what to cook.”
Mitch blew out a breath. Shit. Now Cam was mad at him. Or at least frustrated or something. He didn’t know.
And it wasn’t like he could get up and follow the guy to the kitchen. It was probably just as well. They both needed to take a step back.
Rachel wandered over to him, patted his leg, then sat at the foot of his chair, head leaning against his leg.
She was always incredibly sensitive to his moods, though.
Cam came back in with a Sprite to hand him, giving him a quirky smile. Maybe the son of a bitch was plotting his demise. “Sorry if I got my underwear in a wad. I got over it pretty quick, I think.”
“The past has a way of rearing its head and surprising a guy sometimes,” Mitch said, taking the peace offering and praying there wasn’t rat poison in it. “It’s okay.”
“Cool. I don’t want to be weird about stuff. I’m glad the two of you had a good life while it lasted. She really was great.” Cam plopped down on the couch, and he could see tight lines around Cam’s mouth and eyes that came from being tired. He wondered when Cam’s last good night’s sleep was. Had it started happening after he came here, or was it hard to get rest on the road?
“Is your horse settling in okay out there?”
Cam scoffed. “Are you kidding me? He is lording it over all the other animals. He’s taken over the herd. He is the leader of the pack.”
“They say animals start to take on personality traits of their owners.” He managed the tease without quirking his lips, and he was pretty damn proud of that.
“Hey now. I was told to get my ass down here and help you out, and that is what I am doing.”
Mitch sobered. “You are, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. Though I’m not sure I understand why. I hope I’ll be up and around in no time, and you can head on out.”
“Just don’t rush it.” Cam gave him a serious stare. “You have to give yourself time to heal. I’m serious, no lifting, no bending, no pushing, no pulling. Resting.”
“You sound just like the doc.” He put a hand on Rachel’s head when she snuffled and curled tighter into his leg, as if protecting him from whatever might be making him tense. “Trust me, as good as it feels right now to not be hurting like I was before the surgery, I’m going to try to not do anything that makes that come back.”
“Excellent.”
Mitch raised an eyebrow, trying not to turn his head toward the kitchen, even though he wanted to look that way. “What did you decide to make for food?”
“I threw some chicken in the Instant Pot. I’m gonna make chicken enchiladas. I’ll do some without the spicy stuff for the little one there.”
“That’ll work.” If Rachel wouldn’t eat it, he would get Bekka to heat her up one of those mac and cheese cups that went into the microwave. “What’s your timeline look like? When’s your next big event?”
