Page 46 of Sophia & Cameron

“It’sfine,” Sophia said. “I’ll figure it out.”

The musicin the country club wasn’t enough to distract Sophia from what she knew she needed to bring up with Cameron. She was terrified about how he would react, and she couldn’t find thewords she needed to say to get him to understand she still didn’t plan on going anywhere.

Sophia downed the water bottle that she’d gotten a few minutes ago, much to Cameron’s amusement.

“Easy, tiger. You’re going to get a stomachache.”

“Too late for that,” she said.

Cameron frowned. “Everything okay?”

Her eyes darted to anywhere in the building but him. This was a difficult conversation, and she wasn’t sure having it here would be the best idea, but having it at the house wasn’t a good option either. The last thing she needed was for her brothers to overhear any of it.

She cleared her throat and shook her head.

“What do you need?” His voice was immediately concerned, and it made her feel loved and wanted all at once.

Sophia lifted the empty bottle. “Do you think you could go get me another one? I think I’m just dehydrated.”

He nodded. “I’ll be right back.” Cameron moved through the building toward the counter where they sold beverages, and she watched him until he disappeared into the crowd. Maybe talking to him at home would be best after all.

If she said the wrong thing here, then they’d have the most miserable car ride home.

“Is that Sophia, I see?”

She stiffened and glanced in the direction the voice had come from. Then her stomach dropped. “Brent?” Her hands curled into fists at her sides, though she fought to have her expression remain neutral. It had been nearly a decade since he’d cheated on her. Nearly a decade since she’d had to see him face to face. He’d left town, and she’d thought that was the end of it.

“In the flesh.” Brent pulled her in for a hug, but before she could shove him away from her, he was yanked backward by the collar of his shirt.

Her eyes flew to the cause, and then they widened when she took in the anger emanating from Cameron’s face. The way he looked at her was as if he believed she’d been the one to instigate this situation. He was hurting, but he was covering it up with an anger so hot that even Brent looked worried.

“Look, man, I don’t know who you are?—”

“Keep your hands off of my girl.”

His girl? The way he said it made her sound more like property than an actual girlfriend. And while there was some small part of her that wouldn’t mind seeing Brent roughed up a little for what he’d done to her, the more reasonable side of her knew this wasn’t right.

“Cameron,” she snapped, but he didn’t look at her. He was still glaring at Brent like he was planning on sending him to his maker for trying to hug her.

He shifted so he stood between Sophia and Brent, and then he gave the guy a measurable shove against the chest. Brent stumbled back a step, and his foot caught on something, sending him sprawling to the ground.

The fight caught the attention of several people nearby, and Sophia fought the embarrassment flooding her face when their eyes turned to her with curiosity.

“Cameron!” she attempted again, but he was standing over Brent, his stance daring the guy to get to his feet.

Still, people gasped and murmured as Brent garbled out some nonsense and Cameron continued to lay claim to her like she wasn’t anything more than an object.

She let out a strangled sound and shoved past Cameron to the door. She could feel his attention before she heard his voice. “Sophia!”

The crowd parted for her as she made her way to the exit, phone in hand. She had an Uber ordered before she made it tothe bottom steps of the country club. And they were only two minutes out by the time Cameron stood beside her.

He touched her arm, and she yanked it away.

“Red,” he whispered, “you have to understand?—”

She whirled on him. “I don’t have to understand anything, Cameron. What you did in there wasn’t appropriate. You should have never laid your hands on him, no matter who he was.”

“Who he was? Youknowhim.” It wasn’t a question, more like an accusation.

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