Page 31 of Curious
No. I’m thinking how glad I am that he’s getting medical care. That’s it.
“I’m so good,” I say, and I mean it.
CHAPTER10
Camden
Ispend most of the afternoon floating, thanks to the pain meds, and eventually end up napping. When I wake up, it’s after five, and not only is my husband standing before me—my sister is, too. I blink and sit up, rubbing my eyes.
“Oh my god, Camden, you have to tell Mom and Dad at dinner tonight,” Reyna says, reaching down and pushing my shoulder.
I yawn. “Tell them what?”
She puts both hands on her hips and glares. “That you’re married. And to a man. Shelby walked into work yesterday with a ring, and Charlie fessed up. Plus, we had a little party for Shelbs this afternoon.” She gives Shelby a small smile.
“You don’t think they’ll care about my ankle? I’m hurt.” I hold back a grin. “Literally.”
Reyna groans. “They’re going to be upset about that, too.Obviously. But you’ve broken bones before. You know they’re going to be concerned about you, with a wedding and all. After what happened last year …”
Her words send ice through my veins, but it’s not like I intentionally kept something from Shelby. To be fair, I barely had any conversations with him before marrying him.
Shelby scrutinizes my face. “Is there something I’m missing?”
My cheeks burn. “Yeah. I got left at the altar.” I affect my best blasé tone to keep the hard shell that protects me in place.
It’s never easy reliving that day, and seeing Shelby jerk his head back with an incredulous stare and a gasp doesn’t help. He swats my arm. “You’re joking.” He looks to Reyna for confirmation.
She shakes her head. “It was bad.”
“I thought I’d heard something about you and an engagement, but then it went away,” Shelby whispers. “I didn’t really think about what had happened. I’m so sorry.”
I cross my arms. “Not your fault.” Then I relent, because he deserves to know, but my voice is strained and my pulse is racing. “I worked for Leah’s parents’ construction company starting when I was eighteen. She worked in the office. I used to have coffee with her in the mornings, which turned to her bringing me lunch on sites. Which turned to me asking her out to dinner. And so on.”
Shelby nods. “Okay.”
“After a few years, I thought I was in love with her.” I clear my throat, but it doesn’t relieve the pain in my chest. Still, I soldier on. “Anyway, she said yes when I proposed. We planned our wedding, sent invitations, booked the place and the caterers, the whole nine yards.” I sound bitter. Probably because I am. “The day of the wedding came, and everything was normal. I’m in a tuxedo, standing at the front of the church. All our family and friends in attendance. She’s in a beautiful white dress, and music plays. But I could tell something was off by the way she wouldn’t look at me when she was coming down the aisle. The ceremony starts. I say my vows to her. And she says, in answer to the question, ‘Do you take this man, Camden, to be your wedded husband…?’”—my voice cracks—“‘No.’”
Heat licks through my body as I remember how heartbroken and mortified I was. It felt like I’d been hit by a truck, burned on a pyre, and pissed on, all at the same time.
A chain wrapped around my chest that day, locking my feelings up tight.
Shelby’s hands fly to his face. “Oh my god. Camden. I’m so sorry that happened.”
“Me fucking too, Shelby,” I say bitterly. “Me fucking too. Although in hindsight, I likely dodged a bullet, even though it would be nice if it hadn’t happenedatthe wedding.” The wedding I insisted on paying for—photographer, invitations, tuxedo rentals, everything. Her parents were going to pay for the honeymoon. They’d bought trip insurance and got a refund. I didn’t have insurance.
Seems to be a trend.
So between that and buying this house … I have nothing saved anymore. Reyna looks sympathetic but thankfully doesn’t say anything.
“What happened after that?” Shelby asks.
“Leah turned and ran out of the church, leaving me standing there with a few hundred people staring at me. It was awkward.” My chest aches as I remember how devastating it was to be rejected like that.
“He stormed out and got drunk with Charlie and me,” Reyna says.
I glare at her. “Thanks, I can tell it. But yes, I left and found the nearest bar. Oh, and when she dumped me, her dad felt uncomfortable having me around, so I lost my job, too, which is how I ended up without health insurance. It just hasn’t been at the top of the priority list while I was getting my own business started.”
“That sucks,” Shelby says. “I’m so sorry,” he repeats.
