Camryn
“I can’t believe this shit.” I throw my tablet on the couch in disgust. If the sex tape fiasco wasn’t enough, now my own flesh and blood is trying to cash in.
A few weeks ago, the story of me expecting Isaac’s “love child” broke on TMZ and went viral over every social media site that exists. Apparently, it was a slow news week if our having a baby was a top story. Photos of us together and apart were strewn across the internet. Lonely pictures of me, using the worst possible angles, leaving the store or work. Pictures of Isaac with some of his past conquests, and of course, many mentions were made to the leaked sex tape from last year. Some of the less reputable sites were even commenting on the poor woman left alone while Isaac partied it up with other women. The comments made on each post ranged from “congratulations,” to how one of the hottest bachelors of the music industry might be off the market, to the catty remarks of how he could do so much better. But, for once, the comments rolled off my back. Isaac shows me every day how much he loves me. From the simple stuff like making sure my coffee is ready in the morning or massaging my feet when my ankles are swollen, to him saying the words as he cuddles me close to his body at night after making me scream out in ecstasy.
But this…this takes the freaking cake. I’ve always known my sister’s a bitch and hated me for whatever reason, but for her to do this to me? She has sunk to an all-time low.
The front door creaks open, and Isaac walks in, dropping his bag in the hallway before making his way toward me.
“How are you feeling this morning?” He smiles, but once he glimpses the look on my face, it fades. “What’s wrong?” he asks, looking over at my tablet laying haphazardly on the cushion.
“What’s been posted this time?” He wraps me in a hug. “Another raging party where I slept with multiple women while you were home alone, eating your weight in ice cream?” he jokes, referring to one of the rumors that had been posted recently. We had both laughed our asses off because on the night it supposedly happened, we had been home all night watching movies and gorging on junk food.
“Nothing as tame this time, I’m afraid.”
“That was tame? Then I have to check this out,” he says over his shoulder as he picks up the tablet.
“It should be right there when you open it up.” I can tell when the page opens by the way his jaw drops to the floor.
“What. The. Fuck,” he breathes out in disbelief. Wide eyes swing to mine. “Is she fucking serious right now!”
“Well, we both know she didn’t get the brains in the family,” I reply with a shrug. He sets the tablet on the table and the disgusting image of my sister, practically naked, stretched out on the cover of the gossip rag, proclaiming she and Isaac are in love and she is expecting his child, not me, comes into view. Obviously photoshopped pictures of the two of them together grace the pages as she declares I’m blackmailing Isaac into supporting my illegitimate baby and will do anything to keep them apart. Isaac’s shoulders start shaking with silent laughter as he reads through the article.
“Jesus Christ, your sister is a piece of work. Are you sure you’re related?” he asks after catching his breath.
“If she didn’t look exactly like my mother, I’d need DNA proof.”
“And those pictures? Did she photoshop them herself? They are horrible.”
Nodding my head, I agree. With all the pictures that have been floating around on the internet, you can tell she took some of them and fixed it so she was the woman in the picture, often with disastrous results. Like the one where the body has an olive tone with my sister’s very pale head and blonde hair. I mean, seriously, if you’re going to try to pull this off at least try to make it believable.
“I’d tell you not to worry about any of this, but it would be pointless. Brian will have our legal team work on filing charges, but I don’t know what good it will do.” As he walks by, he places a quick kiss on my temple. “I’m going to go change. You ready to go? We have to be at the realtor’s office in an hour to close on the house.”
“Yeah, I’m ready. I’ll go pee right before we leave. Maybe then we’ll only have to stop once or twice on the ride over.” I wish there were something that could be done to keep her from interfering in our lives, but it is what it is. He gives a little laugh before heading into the bedroom to change out of his gym clothes.
We were lucky and found a newly remodeled craftsman home on five acres in a little community about twenty minutes outside the city. It was one of those houses a flipper bought to fix up and resell, but it’s perfect for us. I had almost given up hope on finding my dream house when this one came on the market. Our realtor, Cecily, pounced on the property as soon as it was listed, and with one look, I knew it was the one. Cecily has been amazing and got the closing expedited so we could move in as soon as possible since Nugget is due in about a month. We close today and move in this weekend. All the guys and Mallory and Kristen are coming over to help us set up the house and have a cookout slash baby shower. I’ve spent most of the last week furniture shopping for the house. All of Isaac’s stuff was “bachelor crap,” as he likes to call it, and my furniture isn’t enough to fill the house. Several hours and multiple furniture stores later, I had an assortment of things picked out for Isaac to choose from. I decided this is the way to move, though—just have new stuff delivered. Packing up clothes and dishes the past two days has worn me down, and it’s not even that much. Dr. Hood warned me I would be getting tired more frequently as the pregnancy wore on, but I hadn’t believed her until now.
Isaac waltzes back into the room wearing a dark blue button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, showing off his sinewy forearms. Dark washed jeans hug his muscular thighs and rest right over thick-soled, brown, lace-up boots. My heart pitter patters at the sight, and my nether regions seem to clench.
“You ready?” he asks, helping me stand from the couch.
“Do my shoes match?” I ask, making an abrupt stop in front of the door. Isaac laughs, but I can’t see my feet, and it wouldn’t be the first time I went an entire day wearing two different shoes.
Looking down with an exaggerated sigh, he responds with a twinkle in his eye. “Yes, Red. They match. But your zipper’s down.”
“What!” I yell, desperately trying to find the wayward zipper as he laughs beside me. “You asshole! I don’t have a zipper.” I swat him across the stomach as he continues to laugh.
“You look great. Let’s go get these papers signed and celebrate. What do you say?”
“It sounds like a lovely idea.”
Isaac
The cheery blonde hasn’t stopped smiling since Camryn, and I walked into her office. Not that I can blame her with the hefty commission she’s earning for this sale.
“Just two more signatures and this house belongs to you. Lock, stock, and barrel.”
My signature is an unreadable scrawl next to Camryn’s looping handwriting, and it’s done. Her dream house is ours.
“Here are your keys. Congratulations, you two. I hope you have many great years in your new home.”
Coming around her desk, she shakes my hand and tries to give Camryn a hug, but her stomach gets in the way.
“Thanks, Cecily. You’ve been an immense help. I’ll make sure to recommend you if any of our friends or family start looking for a new home.” Camryn smiles at her. The two got along famously once Camryn realized Cecily acted completely professional with me.
“Oh, thank you. That means so much. And if there is anything I can do for you, please let me know.”
“But before we leave, I need to use the restroom.” Camryn hurries out of Cecily’s office and down the hall.
“Well, that was convenient,” I laugh out. “Is everything in place?”
“I made sure of it today. All the furniture was delivered and set up. It is ready for you to occupy tonight if you wish. I even made sure to stock some food in the refrigerator, toiletries in the bathroom, and had the towels and sheets laundered.”
“You’ve been wonderful through all of this. Thank you. And like Camryn said, I’ll make sure to refer everyone to you.”
“It’s been a pleasure helping you. I kind of liked the sneaking around part too. It’s been so clandestine and fun.”
A few seconds later, a relieved-looking Camryn comes back into the office. “Are we all set?”
“Yeah. We’re done with everything.”
Walking out the front office door, I help her into the SUV and make sure she’s all buckled in before I climb into the driver’s side.
“What do you want for supper?”
“How about Italian? I’ve been wanting Chicken Alfredo. Or Lasagna. And garlic bread.”
Smiling at her as she looks dreamily out the window, I pull up the Olive Garden app on my phone and order food to go. Including dessert.
“Olive Garden it is,” I laugh out when her eyes meet mine.
“I love you,” she breathes.
When we pull into the lot and I park in the five-minute parking spot, she looks at me confused.
“Isaac, we can’t park here. This is the to go pick up space.”
“I know. Give me a minute. I’ll be right back.”
Before she can utter another word, I’m out of the SUV and hurrying into the restaurant. A couple minutes later, I return carrying the bags of food.
When she spies the bags, she asks, “I thought we were going to eat here?”
“No, I think we need to have dinner in our new house tonight.”
“That’s an idea. But my big butt can’t be sitting on the floor, Isaac. I’ll never get back up.”
“Trust me?” When she nods her head, I back out of the spot and head out of town.
The lone light on the front porch shines like a beacon in the darkness as we pull up the driveway. After helping her out, we climb the steps on the front porch, and I slide the key into the lock. The door swings open on silent hinges, and I lead Camryn into the dark living room.
“Stand right there, okay?”
When I flip the switch, light floods the room. Her gasp of surprise is music to my ears.
“Oh, Isaac. When?”
“I had Cecily get everything set up. I spoke with the previous owners, and they were fine with everything. All the furniture you picked out is here. Throughout the whole house. If there’s anything you want to change, we can.”
“It’s amazing. Better than I ever pictured it,” she says, her voice wavering with unshed tears.
“Take a look around. I’m going to get the food out of the car.”
“What is it?” I ask as I enter back into the house. She hasn’t moved a step.
“It’s our place. I want us to explore it together.”
I smile and motion toward the kitchen. “Kitchen first. Let’s get Nugget fed, then we’ll explore and break in a few rooms.” I wag my eyebrows at her.
Her laughter fills the room and my heart.
Lying in bed, later that night, the moonlight filters through the sheer curtains, illuminating the room in a soft glow. Camryn’s curled up next to me, her belly resting on mine, her head on my chest. The floral scent of her shampoo fills my nose as I slowly stroke my hand up and down the satiny soft skin of her back. All I can do is thank my lucky stars that all my prayers have been answered. Nugget moves inside Camryn, the gentle nudge reassuring me all is right in the world.
In the morning, I wake up alone, but lately, that hasn’t been surprising. Camryn barely does more than cat nap all day and night. I run my hand across her side of the bed. The sheets still retain her warmth, so she hasn’t been up long. Pulling on my jeans, I walk into the bathroom and take care of business before searching her out. It doesn’t take long for me to find her standing in the nursery, running her hand along the white crib. The soothing gray, pale yellow, and green create a serene environment. I can close my eyes and picture her standing there, our baby swaddled in her arms. I don’t have to wait much longer before that is my reality.
“How’d you sleep last night?” I ask, moving up behind her. She leans back against my chest, and my arms wrap under her belly to give her support.
“Pretty well. That new mattress is wonderful.”
“I enjoyed it.” I smile as she chuckles.
“I bet you did.”
“Any plans for today?”
“Not anymore. I had planned on looking for colors for the nursery, but you beat me to it.”
“Do you not like it?”
“It’s beautiful. It looks like one I picked out on Pinterest.”
“I know. Mallory and Kristen helped with it. They wanted to surprise you.” I rest my chin on her shoulder. “And I think Sarah went and personally tried out every couch you picked to find the most comfortable one. Each one of our friends had a hand in making this house a home for us.”
“I guess that means we owe them one hell of a party this weekend, huh?” The smile is evident in her voice
“I think they would appreciate that.”
“We’re blessed to have such good friends.”
“Guess that means we have a lot of shopping to do. Those friends of ours eat a lot.”
“Costco, here we come.”
Saturday rolls around, and our new home is packed with friends and family. Laughter and conversation float on the air. My mother along with Derek’s have taken over kitchen duties to allow Camryn to rest and enjoy the company. The men are manning the grill and drinking beer while the ladies sit around laughing.
“Honey,” my mom says, walking up beside me. “We have a little while before lunch. Camryn looks dead on her feet. Why don’t you get her to go lie down for a little while?”
“I’ve been trying to reason with her all morning, but she’s afraid she’ll miss something.”
“You’re a good man, Isaac. I’m proud of you for taking care of her.”
“It’s easy to do. I love her, Mom.”
“I know you do. I didn’t mean taking care of your responsibility, Isaac. I mean the way you watch out for her, making sure she’s eating and resting. Buying her dream house. I hope she realizes how lucky she is to have you.”
“I’m the lucky one. That woman loves me despite my flaws and is giving me the greatest gift I’ll ever receive. I will do everything in my power to make her dreams come true.”
“She’s giving me that too. I can’t wait to hold my grandchild.”
“And I’m beating Wes to it.” I laugh.
“You two have always been so competitive. Now, go get her to lay down. Twice I’ve seen her nod off sitting in that chair.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say before kissing her check and heading toward Camryn. Her head is propped up on her hand with her eyes closed.
“Hey, ladies, I’m going to steal Camryn for a little while.”
“Can you get her to go lie down, sugar? She looks worn out.”
“That’s the plan.”
Kneeling in front of her chair, I place my hand on her knee. “Red, come on. Let’s go take a nap.”
“Um, what?” she asks around a yawn.
“Nap time, Momma.”
“Okay,” she mumbles.
Leading her down the hallway, we head into our bedroom. She sits on the bed, barely able to keep her eyes open. I pull off her shoes before she scoots to the middle of the bed, then grab her body pillow and place it under her side.
“Thank you,” she murmurs. “Love you.”
“I love you too. Get some rest. I’ll come wake you up when it’s time to eat.” Lifting the blanket from the end of the bed, I cover her up. Her eyes close tight as her breathing evens out.
“Nugget, let your momma sleep for a little while, okay?” I whisper to our baby.
“Oh, that is too cute,” Camryn squeals as she pulls yet another set of clothes out of a bag. Even though we don’t know what we’re having, our friends are obviously hoping for a girl. The pink side of the room is quickly filling up while there are only a couple things on the blue side.
“That’s a lot of pink to return if you have a boy,” Derek laughs as the woman continue to “ohhh” and “ahhh” over the items.
“I never knew babies needed so much stuff,” I say, awestruck. There are piles of little boxes and big boxes scattered throughout the room.
Jason walks up next to me, slapping me on the back. “They probably don’t, but you’re the first one of us to become a dad. That baby is going to be spoiled rotten. I think the girls bought out the store every time they went shopping. Hell, they couldn’t walk into a store without buying something for that baby. Even the sporting goods store.” He points to the infant sized Cowboy’s jersey Mallory bought.
“Nugget is very lucky to have you guys as honorary uncles,” I say, taking a sip of my beer.
“Even me?” Brett asks with a deprecating grin.
“Hell yeah, even you. We’re family. No matter what.”
“All I can say is better you than me,” Brett laughs.