“Cam,” I say quietly as I approach her, hoping to get her to see that my solution is a good one. “What can I do?”
She blinks her eyes open and looks at me, and I see how bloodshot they are from tears. “I don’t even know anymore, Beck.”
Well, it’s better than her telling me to get lost.
I sit down beside her and take her hand in mine. Rubbing my thumb back and forth across her knuckles, I pick my next words carefully. “I’m sorry if my suggestion upset you or was too much to handle right now. I just want to help.”
Cam sighs deeply and lowers her head to my shoulder. “I know you do. And I’m sorry I yelled and left like that. You’re trying to be here for me, and I’m pushing you away. But I just… I can’t marry you, Beckett. I don’t believe in love and marriage and all that crap, but you do. I know you do. And if you marry me just so I can get my grandfather’s money, then it could ruin your chance for that future.”
I’m already shaking my head, my defense against her words clear in my head. “Not necessarily. I’m not asking for love or forever, or any of that. I know you think you’re not capable of all that.” Her delicate snort makes me smirk; I knew she’d pick up on my emphasis of the wordsyou think. “This can be a partnership. A temporary one, at that. All good relationships or partnerships are built on a foundation of trust, and we’ve got that, don’t we?” I wait for her nod before continuing. “Then trust me with this. We get married for a set amount of time, whatever it takes to meet the conditions your grandfather established — if there are any. Then when the time’s up, we sign some papers and it’s over. No one has to know, nothing has to change.”
“Everything already changed.”
“Not with me. I’m still here as your friend. And I promise, I’m not going anywhere.”
This time when she sighs, it seems less fraught with tension.
Thinking on the fly, I push myself up to stand, then hold out a hand. “Come on, let’s go back to your place. I’ll make some food and we can just chill tonight. You don’t need to decide anything right now.”
Ignoring my outstretched hand, Cam stands up and dusts off her pants. She slowly lifts her gaze to meet mine, and I’m relieved to see her green eyes are a little bit clearer.
“I’ve got the ingredients for pad thai.”
I flash a quick smile. “You read my mind, Camilla Byrne.”
The slight lift to her lips is the best I can hope for right now. We make our way back to her car, and I hold out my hand expectantly.
Sure enough, her eyes roll and she huffs at me. “I can drive, Beckett.”
“I know you can, but you don’t have to. You’ve had one hell of a draining week, Cam, just let me drive.”
After a few seconds of a standoff, she shakes her head, and drops the keys into my outstretched hand. “Fine.”
I fill the drive back to her place with random chatter, updating Cam on all the things going on back home in Dogwood Cove. With three of my four siblings now in serious relationships, the Donnelly family is set to expand. My mom is thrilled, of course, and I have to admit, it’s been nice watching my brothers and sister fall in love.
Nice, and it’s made me wish it would happen for me. Not that I haven’t tried. Oh, have I tried. But when I constantly find myself wondering why the women I date don’t seem quite right, it starts to get disheartening after a while.
Is it them? Or is it me? When Cam said she knew I always wanted the whole love and marriage deal, she wasn’t wrong. I do want that.
I’m just starting to wonder if I’ll ever find it.
When we get back to her apartment, I head straight to the kitchen and start pulling out ingredients. “I know this goes against every fibre of your being, but do you think you can go and relax? Take a bath or a shower or something, and let me make us some food?”
I glance over my shoulder to see Cam sit down on a stool across the counter and smirk at me. This time it’s bigger than the last one. “You think you can just bully me into letting you do everything? Think again, Beckett Donnelly.”
I let out a low chuckle. “Damn, you caught me. I totally had every intention of swooping in and taking over, running your life for you, doing everything without asking.”
Her smile turns wistful for a split second before she shifts into another trademark eye roll. “Don’t get me wrong, the idea of shutting off my brain for a few days is tempting. But only if I’m at an all-inclusive beach resort on a tropical island.”
“It’s not tropical, but Dogwood Cove is on an island.”
“First you offer marriage. Now what, you want me to move in with you?”
My mind races ahead a few steps, but the conclusion is the same. “Yeah, actually. Think about it, Cam, what’s keeping you here?” I ask gently. “I don’t mean that harshly, just…really. Wilbert’s gone, your asshole boss has made his exit, why bother staying? Even if you don’t take me up on the other part of my offer, why not come to Dogwood Cove for a while and figure out your next steps from there. You know my family would love to see you, and maybe the change of scenery will help.”
“Maybe,” she replies, her voice sounding distant. I can only hope it’s because she’s considering it. “If…” her teeth worry at her lower lip. ”If I say yes to this insanity, if we get married, what’s in it for you, Beck?”
It takes monumental effort to hide the shock I feel that she seems to be coming around to my idea. “I get to help my friend. I get to solve at least one of your problems and hopefully ease the burden of your grief.”
