Page 81 of Wild and Wrangled

I didn’t know how long we stayed like that, but suddenly there was a deep “ahem,” from the direction of the hallway. Cam jumped back immediately, and I saw Gus standing in the kitchen. Oh, shit. He and Riley must not have left yet.

“Hey, man,” I said. I felt like a teenager who had just gotten caught making out with his girlfriend in his car—which had happened to me. With Cam. The memory of it made a laugh bubble out of me.

Gus definitely wasn’t as scary as Cam’s mom, but damn, the look he was shooting me could cut glass. I tried to care, but I just…didn’t. All I cared about was Cam.

Both Cam and Gus looked at me. Cam burst into laughter a few seconds after me. She slapped her hand over her mouth and kept laughing. “I’m sorry,” she said. “This was not supposed to happen.”

“The kissing or me walking in on you guys?”

“You walking in,” I said. “The kissing was definitely supposed to happen.” Cam gave me a warning look, but I just winked at her.

Gus folded his arms across his chest, like he was about to start lecturing someone. Well, me.

Riley appeared behind him before he could with a bubbly “Ready!” She had changed her clothes and was holding her cleats.

“Let’s roll, Sunshine,” Gus said, smiling down at her, then he looked back at Cam. “I wanted to talk to you about some of these forms I need to fill out to register part of Rebel Blue as a nonprofit. Can I send them to you?”

“Of course,” she said. “So the horse sanctuary is happening?”

“Depends on him,” Gus said, nodding toward me. I didn’tlike the way he said that—like he was waiting for me to tell him I couldn’t commit and was out. Fuck that. I was in this—all of this. Cam looked up at me. There was a question in her eyes.

“It’s happening,” I said, trying hard not to let my frustration show. “I told you, I’m here for the long haul.”

I felt Cam relax beside me. Did she think I was going to leave? The thought made it hard to swallow. I didn’t know what else I could do to convince her that I was in this with her.

“I hope so,” Gus said. His voice wasn’t as harsh, but there was still an edge there. Protective motherfucker. “Go tell your mom bye,” he said to Riley.

Riley ran over to Cam, who lifted her into her arms and gave her a squeeze. “I love you, Sunshine. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“Love you,” Riley said and then kissed her palm and pressed it to Cam’s cheek. When she set her down, instead of going back to Gus, she threw her little arms around my waist. I looked at Cam—the shock probably evident in my face. I didn’t know what to do, so I gave her back a pat.

“Are you coming to my soccer game on Saturday?” Riley asked hopefully.

“Oh, um,” I stammered and looked over at Cam again.Could I go?I’d like to. Would that be okay?Cam nodded.

I always wondered what it would be like for me to know Riley, and now I did. She was amazing—just like her mom.

Riley beamed up at me before running back to her dad and heading out the front door.

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” Cam said when the door closed. She was giving me a way out now that Riley was gone, but I didn’t want it.

I wrapped both of my arms around her waist and looked down at her. “I want to,” I said as earnestly as I could. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

Cam laid her head on my chest, and I took the chance to breathe her in.

Chapter 35

Cam

“Thank you for dinner,” I said a little while later. Dusty and I were sitting on the bar stools at my kitchen counter.

He smiled at me. “I’ve been waiting for us to have something like this for a long time.”

“Falafel?” I asked, confused.

“No, weirdo.” Dusty reached over and flicked my nose. I smiled at him. “Time.” He kissed me then. Softly. “I didn’t know if we’d ever get it, but I hoped for it. I hoped for you.”

I felt so many things at once, but not all of it was good. “I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “That I was the reason our time got cut short last time.”

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