River's Destiny (River's End Series, #8) Page 6

  Cami frequently wondered if Kate ever regretted meeting AJ, since subsequently, Cami also entered her life. Kate was barely into her mid-thirties and certainly well off. She was in no need of either of them, or their baggage. Cami’s baggage was so unnecessary for Kate to take on. She inherited it only because she fell in love with AJ.

  AJ sat down at the dinner table and smiled at Cami. “No boyfriend tonight?” His tone was amiable.

  Cami seemed startled at his inquiry. It was still an odd sensation to her. Having a boyfriend. Her boyfriend, Charlie. “Are you okay with it? Why the pleasant tone all of a sudden?”

  “Because Kate convinced me it’s the best thing that could happen if you insist on dating. He’s the best choice. So now I’m pro-Charlie.” His smile faded. “Ah, hell, don’t let that change your mind. Not just to spite me.”

  Yeah, Cami would do that too. Seeing how AJ already knew and predicted that made her laugh. “I won’t this time. Erin wanted him to go home.”

  “So… you graduate this week. You excited?”

  Excited? She had no idea what to do with the rest of her entire life. Despite her general abhorrence toward school, at least she knew she had to go there and what was expected from her. “I’m sort of excited. It’ll be strange. I find it hard to realize that I won’t go there ever again.”

  Something she hated. Cami didn’t like school, no, but she disliked anything “new” far worse. She needed a routine and the concept of not having anything defined or “pre-set” was much harder for her to picture herself handling.

  “Have you thought about what we discussed?”

  “Yes. I was thinking about asking Joey if I could work for the resort. I wouldn’t mind starting in housekeeping, you know, to show my worth, and not just get assigned a good job because I’m your daughter—”

  “As well as the owner and boss’s son’s girlfriend…” AJ added, flashing her a smile.

  “Cute. But I think I’d like to work there. Eventually, I’d be interested in covering the reception desk or activity center or the gift shop.”

  “You’re sure you don’t want to look into some kind of trade or specialized schooling?”

  “I know it would please you both, but it’s not really for me.” That was mostly because she never, ever wanted to leave here. This place. The ranch. Her home. Sure, of course, she knew she’d leave their house eventually, but she hoped it would be to move close by. Super close. Like… well… who knew? Maybe someday, she’d live right across the street. Especially considering who her boyfriend was now.

  “Well, then, as long as you find some kind of work. You have a few months.” Cami nodded, knowing what AJ’s lecture would be. They spent most of the last year discussing Cami’s graduation and subsequent path in the world. They agreed they would help her, and let her live with them, no matter if she were in school or working full-time. Only then could she receive their support and financial backing. No free rides or hanging around until she turned twenty-five. No doing nothing. No mooching. Adult age brought adult responsibility and all that it came with. It wasn’t like they hadn’t given her plenty of time to prepare for it. Brave, however, wasn’t Cami’s best suit and she immediately considered the different avenues of employment that lay right across the street at the Rydell River Resort. First of all, the commute would be a dream, but the security of staying in a place where she felt safe and comfortable was her primary motivation.

  The Rydells hired people for horse-related and farming jobs as well as mechanical maintenance. But now, they also had the giant, enclosed arena with a full-service restaurant inside it. Ben’s wife, Jocelyn, ran it and she was a lot like Cami. Although Jocelyn was born and raised in the valley, her upbringing was similar to Cami’s. The Rydell ranch had always been Jocelyn’s favorite place to escape. They gave her a decent job and she was allowed to continue dreaming about a future life with Ben.

  Cami had a home and since belonging here, she had no desire to leave it. She’d only lived in it for three years of her life, having occupied more than a dozen homes before she ever came to the ranch. At least now she had a plan. Her brilliant idea, however, involved talking to Joey Rydell, the brother whom she usually avoided. At the age of thirteen, she snuck into his bed and got on top of him and kissed him. That was when she first arrived at the ranch, dropping like an anvil into AJ’s life. That mistake was something she couldn’t live down, not even in her own head. Naturally, Joey was also Charlie’s uncle.

  Sighing, she filed that item away in her mental to-do list for after graduation.

  ****

  The Rydells, all of them, as well as her parents, attended the ceremony to witness Charlie and her walking across the stage to receive their diplomas. A huge party was to be held afterwards inside the arena. One good thing of owning that damn arena was having the ability to close it down for the party-to-end-all-parties. Cami listened to all the speeches honoring Charlie, occasionally with her name tacked onto them. She understood why. She wasn’t the smart, hard-working one. Charlie maintained a perfect GPA and took every single advanced class he could.

  When the party finally ended, Charlie lifted Cami’s hand and tugged on her, urging her to follow him. She smiled, still startled by their sudden appearance as a couple. He took her towards a stairway that led to the attic of the structure. Emerging from a trap-like door, they were on the roof. There was a flat section which covered the restaurant. They were very high up. It had to be the equivalent of three or four stories in order to accommodate the center peak above the horse arena.

  They stared out over the ranch and the valley. Then they looked up at the stars overhead. Forever. Her mouth popped open. “Wow… this place. I can’t believe it. The stars… there must be millions of them.”

  “Ben showed this place to me.” Charlie’s tone was near her ear. He wasn’t looking up like she was, but directly at her. She felt his gaze on her profile and a smile tugged on her cheeks. “You’re staring at me.”

  “I was thinking how pretty you look. Better than millions of stars.”

  “That’s such a cheesy line.”

  “It is,” he agreed, his arms snaking out to grasp her waist and turn her to face him. His head bent down, and he hovered just over her lips. “Did it work? At all?”

  “It did,” she said, staring up at him as her heart skipped a beat and she felt breathless. He leaned down and kissed her, long and deep, stirring up as much emotion as the stars overhead. When he lifted his head, she blinked. “What was that for?”

  “For how glad you made me at graduation today. Standing beside me, as my girlfriend. If this had happened without you, I’d be scared now, wondering where you and I would go from here. School was a guaranteed place for us to spend every day together. The future is open wide for us now and we get to go wherever we choose. All that stuff about your destiny and dreams… It’s really cheesy, but kind of intimidating too. You know?”

  “I was thinking that too. Like, what? From yesterday to today, we are suddenly expected to find a profound reason for being here and a definite plan for where we’re going? We’re supposed to determine what we want to do and be for the next forty years, or more?”

  “Yeah. And it just made me glad I had you beside me. I don’t want to lose you, Cami, not ever.”

  Her eyes surprisingly filled with tears. “Oh, Charlie, you won’t. Never. Where would I go? Who else could I ever want to share my life with but you?”

  He grinned as he clutched her hands in his. She couldn’t restrain her smile in response. “So, you’re used to getting a kiss from me now?”

  “I love getting a kiss from you.”

  “Do you think you could love more than just a kiss from me?”

  “Fishing much?” she teased. Then her expression turned solemn. “Yes, I think I could.”

  Charlie pulled her hand and they went over towards a blanket.

  “You planned this?” Cami clapped her hands together, utterly delighted with him.

 
“Uh huh.” He grinned as he revealed a bottle of champagne, two glasses, and food. Chocolate, fruit, cheese and crackers. Her heart thumped hard against her rib cage. No previous guy she dated would have ever shown any consideration for her. Not like this. A rooftop picnic on their graduation night?

  She sat beside him as the warm air swirled around them. “You don’t even drink alcohol.”

  “I know, but you do.” He sat down and poured it, lifting a glass towards her, and then pouring some out for himself. “And I will tonight. With you.”

  Her heart skipped another beat as she fell to her knees beside him and took the glass. He held his glass next to hers. “To our graduation. We finally did it.”

  “Some fared better than others,” she answered, raising her eyebrows in a teasing tone. He grinned back. Then she added, “How about toasting to us?” she asked, softly clicking her glass against his as they shared a smile.

  “To us? Even better.” They drank, and Charlie made a face as he did so. The bubbly libation instantly hit her.

  “Where did you get it?”

  “From Ben.”

  “It’s not like you.”

  “Maybe I need to learn some new things.”

  She set a hand on the side of his face and stared into his eyes. “Don’t. Don’t change. Don’t become like everyone else.”

  “How’s that?”

  “Typical. Stupid. I like how responsible you are. And that my parents know you and trust you. I like knowing that I can trust you.”

  He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath as if her words touched his heart. “Thank you. You can’t imagine what that means to me. “

  “Why would it mean so much to you?”

  He blinked several times. “Because I’m nothing like the guys you usually date. And, let’s be honest, I’m not the kind of guy you normally desire. Maybe it’s only because you know me, but based on my appearance? And how I act? The 4.0 studious nerd? We both know I wouldn’t stand a chance with a girl like you if you hadn’t known me from us being kids.”

  She burst out laughing. There was no dignified answer she could give him except to laugh. Setting her glass down, Cami scooted forward on her knees, taking his face in her hands. “You realize, I hope, that only you think I’m special. And pretty. Only you, Charlie. You have a slightly skewed vision of who and what I am. Thank you for that. But no one wants me. And I always considered myself lucky to have you as my best friend, but even more so, now.”

  He took her hands and held them tightly in his. “I love you, Cami. I love you so much.”

  She shut her eyes and a huge smile brightened her face. She leaned forward and touched her lips to his. Lifting her face just enough to speak, she said, “Then show me how people who love each other make love. Because I have no idea how to since I have never done that.”

  He jerked his mouth from hers. “That’s not what I was trying to do.”

  She leaned forward, still kissing him. “I know that, Charlie. That’s why I want to.”

  He let her kiss him for several long moments as they knelt on the blanket. Then he pushed her back. “What about… things? I don’t want this to be like your other relationships. Or the stuff—”

  “I didn’t tell you all of that just so you could use it against me at a later date,” she said softly. “Nor as an excuse why I can’t ever be normal. I am normal, Charlie,” she insisted with added emphasis to her voice.

  He immediately took her hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to treat you as if you weren’t. But bad things happened to you…”

  “Yes. And you know all about them. It doesn’t mean I can’t be with you. It didn’t ruin me. And wanting to have sex is not some kind of call for help. Don’t do that to me. Don’t reduce me to some tired stereotype.”

  “We agreed to take it slowly.” He pushed her back. She could see him nearly shuddering as he squeezed her hands, almost forcing himself to keep her at a distance. “I think we should stick to that and not make mistakes. I think we’ll get there soon enough. I just want to be—”

  “Sure I’m not acting out? Or being a slut? Or going too fast for you?” she retaliated. The wonderful, sweet, amazing, romantic gesture had suddenly completely soured for her.

  “No.” His reply was sharp and sure. “No, to make sure I’m ready. Maybe everything isn’t always about you. I’m just not… ready yet. I’d like for it to be with you and when we do, I want it to be good.”

  She stilled, and her entire body straightened up. He let go of her hands as he spoke and turned his head from her. Oh, crap. She never anticipated that. It was him. She thought he had doubts about her prior history and poor judgment, having sex for all the wrong reasons. Yes, she had a history. Charlie knew it all. She thought he was coddling her and treating her as if she were damaged merchandise.

  No. That wasn’t it at all. Turned out, Charlie wasn’t ready. Not quite yet. She suddenly grabbed him. He was sitting with his body turned from her, his head down, when she all but tackled him. Grabbing him around the torso, she pinned his arms under hers and pushed him so he fell back at an awkward angle onto the blanket. She peppered kisses all over his face. “You stupid idiot. I thought you were treating me as damaged and broken. If it’s just about you wanting to wait, of course, I can understand why and I support that and yes. Yes, Charlie. We can wait and take it slowly.”

  He finally started to laugh under her crazy onslaught as he tried to ward off her barrage of kisses. Landing flat on his back with her straddling him, he grabbed her forearms to push her back far enough so he could breathe. She stopped laughing too and they fell quiet, breathing hard after the long laughing jag and exertion. “If we’re going to do this, Charlie, you can’t treat me as if I’m something special or broken. I’m not. I had my moments growing up. But you can’t treat me like that. That’s for Kate and AJ, right? My parents’ role. Not my boyfriend’s. You know, yes, but it isn’t for you to deal with unless I ask for your advice. Unless I talk to you about it. Not your place to police me or question me. Can you do that?”

  “Probably not now, or today, but I promise I’ll learn. It’s kind of new for me. As odd as you considered us kissing, I had pictured it in my mind for years. But I also knew… things. And it affected how I consider your opinion of having sex with me.”

  “Remember, I was broken when I got here. For a few years at least. But I’m not that Cami anymore. I grew up and changed as my circumstances changed. I’m not saying I’ve got it all figured out yet, but I am quite sure I don’t want you, my boyfriend, trying to act like my guardian or therapist or parent. If you want to occupy that role, then it’s back to friends for us. If you want to be with me… me, Cami Reed, then you have to treat me as your equal partner.”

  His hand slipped over to her cheek. “I think I failed to give you enough credit.”

  She shrugged. “It’s okay. It happens. Especially with me. But you need to know better.”

  “Okay, I already know better.”

  She leaned forward, and they kissed, their tongues entwining as she fell heavily against his chest. When they stopped, she moved to the side of him and they stared up at the stars overhead.

  “Makes you feel like the very heart of the universe is offering itself to us, doesn’t it?”

  He turned his head to look at her. “Yeah, how’s that?”

  “Young. Healthy. Eighteen. The world is spreading itself open before us. Our future. Our dreams… and God, I hope it’s with each other.”

  “I hope so too.”

  She sighed, and they held hands, staring upwards. They discussed a few small things. The day. The graduation. Family members and friends. They ate some more. They drank some more. But not enough to make her drunk. The breaking dawn made Cami blink in shock. They talked all night. Just talked. They could have done anything all night, being up there. They could have had sex a dozen times or gotten really drunk and high. But they just talked. Of course, anyone would never think of that if they found them there. Cami
felt closer to Charlie than anyone else she’d ever been with. “Best night of my life,” she whispered as the sun topped the mountain ridge and her eyes blinked some more, still gritty from lack of sleep.

  He leaned over, kissing her again. Dozens of kisses and tongue-tangling and hands brushing and touching intimate places and hugging and holding each other tightly. They experienced an intimacy and closeness she never enjoyed with anyone, not even friend-Charlie. Finally, with contented smiles, they rose up together and started quietly folding the blanket. They gathered the litter of wrappers and empty bottles together and went to the door that led down from the roof. They silently climbed down, peeking around cautiously for anyone. The place was deserted that early in the morning. They shoved their trash into the dumpster behind the building and laughed, holding hands, and grinning at each other. Sneaking off with a little bit of guilt like the teens they were, they proceeded to the ranch.

  He walked her to the ranch gate and they embraced. He held her a long time. “AJ isn’t going to like the overnight thing.”

  “We aren’t kids anymore. They all have to start accepting that.”

  “We could tell them we didn’t do anything.”

  “Or we could stop them in their tracks by reminding them that it isn’t any of their business and they’ll just have to trust us.”

  They separated after one last long kiss and Cami watched Charlie walk off. They were high school graduates finally. Free from high school and their peers, including the ones that judged them. Now they could choose the people who would continue playing a part of their lives. It really was like a do-over. A new start. A new sense of forever.

  Chapter Four

  CAMI GLANCED UP TO see a figure hurtling towards her. Luckily, she had a moment to dig her heels in to anchor herself for the sudden onslaught. In the next moment, Brianna Starr was embracing her with shrieks and screams as her brother, Jacob, looked on.