Page 48 of Sophia & Cameron

There had to be something he could do to show her how sorry he was. He needed her to know he loved her. But what could he do?

Words seemed trite at this point. He’d lost track of how many times he’d told her that he was working on improving himself and that he’d do better.

She’d been right. He’d made a promise at that diner that day, and he’d broken it.

His heart sagged in his chest the more he dwelled on his problems. Doing nothing would be worse than biting the bullet and making a fool of himself in whatever way he could come up with.

After his work was done, he found himself in town at a floral shop. Flowers didn’t feel like they would be enough, but they’d be a start. He picked out a card, too. It had a cartoon night sky on the front, and inside, it had some silly note about the object of his affection being brighter than all the stars in the night sky.

It reminded him of the night they’d spent cuddled together talking about what was important in life. He traced a finger over the image for a moment, then placed it on the counter and picked up a pen as the florist put the flowers into a vase.

He’d make this right. Nothing could be worse than what had happened at the country club. Cameron had hit rock bottom, and there was nowhere left to go but up.

Cameron paid for the flowers, then gathered them into his arms and headed home. He knocked on her door, but when no one answered, he situated himself on the porch and waited. That was the hardest part. He hadn’t thought anything could have been worse than the way she’d looked at him last night, but waiting to see her again in the flesh was utterly terrifying. What if she still didn’t want to see him?

What if she wanted to break things off?

He couldn’t think that way or he wouldn’t be able to continue waiting for her.

Time lost all meaning as he sat there, stewing over what he’d done. The side of him that believed he’d been in the right warred with the one that wanted to make Sophia happy. The only way to ensure that no one would try that again would be to put a ring on her finger, right?

She wouldn’t accept his proposal right now, though. And part of him couldn’t help but wonder if that wasn’t the solution at all as much as he wanted it.

Cameron heaved a sigh, and his head snapped up when he saw her car come closer to the house. Once parked, three doors opened and Sophia stepped out with her two sisters. Her eyes snagged on him for a moment, and then she glanced at her siblings briefly before nodding to them.

Isabelle and Camilla gave her reassuring smiles before they gathered their bags from the car and headed into the house.

He moved down the steps, the flowers in his hand. “Hey,” he murmured when they were alone.

“Hey,” she whispered back. Sophia couldn’t have been more guarded than she was at this moment. He could practically see the walls she’d erected since the last time they’d seen one another.

How was he going to make this better?

Her eyes dipped to the flowers in his hand, and he followed her attention. Then without missing a beat, he pushed them toward her. “These are for you.”

Sophia continued to stare at them, gnawing on her lower lip. For a heartrending moment, he thought she might refuse his offer. Just when he’d nearly given up hope, she reached for them. Her fingers brushed against his, and she whispered, “Thank you.”

Cameron shoved his hands into his pockets. He’d never considered himself the type of person who struggled with his relationships. He’d never had to deal with the sort of raging jealousies that came with caring for Sophia. Even when his brother had betrayed him by stealing his girlfriend’s affection, his temper hadn’t been this hard to contain.

That was either a good thing or a very bad thing.

She didn’t look up at him, choosing instead to stare at the flowers in her hand. The only thing he wanted was to turn back time. If he could go back to before he’d made a fool of himself, he would. But there was no changing the past. He was at risk of losing her completely if he couldn’t pull himself together.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

Her eyes lifted.

“I’m really sorry, Sophia.”

She swallowed audibly and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I feel like I’ve heard that before.”

He flinched, his gut tightening uncomfortably. This wasn’t going to be as simple as an apology, and he knew it.

“I’ve really been trying to be patient.” Her words were barely above a whisper. “I’ve tried to make sure that I’m not contributing to your… issues.”

He grimaced again, and he hated how her words stung him. She wasn’t wrong. He had issues. There was no denying them. He ignored the self-deprecating feeling that came along with that acknowledgment. Heat flared to life beneath his skin, and he couldn’t help lifting his hand to rub at the back of his neck. “I never wanted you to?—”

“Let me finish.” She pierced him with a pleading gaze.

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