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I tilted my head, ever so slightly, so my lips brushed the side of his. “Justin,” I whispered.
Saying his name functioned like throwing a bucket of ice water on his head. He snapped upright and yanked himself back from me, the cold air rushing between us startling and almost painful. He cleared his throat and ran a quick hand over his head. “I can call ahead to arrange for campus security for Sofia if you’d like.”
I blinked up at him, amazed at how quickly he could shut off a moment like the one we’d just had. Confused and more than a little bit hurt, I said nothing. Instead, I rummaged through my purse for my keys and opened the door.
“Olivia, wait,” he said to my back.
“Ask her what she wants,” I shot over my shoulder. “I’m going to bed.”
I didn’t hear from him again the rest of the night.
I was more than grateful when Camden showed up bright and early with Vanessa and their daughter Isla.
It didn’t matter that he was not her father biologically. You’d never know it by the genuine love they shared and the way they interacted, almost as if they had a language all to themselves. My brother was a monster on the football field, but he was a big goof and a fiercely loyal family man when it came to the ladies in his life. I just counted myself blessed that my daughter and I were among them.
Elizabeth toddled right up to Isla in her wheelchair and tried to share her handful of Cheerios, which the older girl happily pretended to accept with a grin.
I leaned in to hug a very, very pregnant Vanessa. “It’s so good to see you!”
“You, too,” she said. “Now, can I borrow your restroom?” She grimaced and pointedly glanced down at her stomach.
I laughed. “Of course.”
I turned my attention to my brother. “You shouldn’t have made her come. She looks like she’s about to pop.”
“All the more reason to keep her near me.” He exchanged a look with Justin, silently communicating something I wasn’t in on.
I frowned and glanced outside, noticing there was another dark SUV parked by the curb beside my brother’s Mercedes. “More security?” I asked, suddenly alarmed.
“Just a precaution,” Cam said, smiling over my shoulder as Vanessa rejoined us, hugging him around the waist. “We were thinking maybe Vanessa could hang out here with the girls while the three of us hit up the café for breakfast.”
“You don’t want to go?” I asked Vanessa with a frown.
“Honestly?” She ran a hand over her belly. “I think Isla would really like to play with her cousin for a little bit, and I’d love to lounge on your couch for a while if you’ll just bring me back some pancakes and juice?”
Cam kissed her head. “Done.”
I avoided eye contact with Justin. “If you’re sure...”
“More than sure.” She already had her shoes off and was making herself comfortable on the couch. “Thank you so much.”
Cam walked over and leaned down for one more kiss on the lips. “Kade is right outside, but you call me if you need anything,” he murmured.
“Of course.”
We headed out and Justin exchanged a quick nod with the man hidden behind the dark glass of the other vehicle before we all climbed into Camden’s high-end Mercedes SUV.
The vibe was tense on the ride over to the City Hall Café, despite my brother’s attempts at small talk and the low murmur of classic rock coming from his stereo. It felt like the calm before the storm, electricity shimmering just under the air, because I knew they were holding back the serious talk until we were eye to eye over coffee.
As if that would make any of it better.
Camden parked and we walked into the bustling café, but thanks to the manager being a fan of the Spartans and my brother, we were seated quickly at a private corner table near a window and served ice water while we perused the menu. I stuck with breakfast tacos, Cam—in true Cam fashion—ordered the largest breakfast plate in the place, and Justin surprised me, ordering only coffee and toast.
“Not hungry?” I blurted.
Those glacial eyes shifted my way, reminding me why I’d nearly lost my mind on the front porch the night before. The man was dangerous to every piece of my femininity. “Not really a big fan of breakfast. Never have been.” He mumbled his thanks to the waitress when she returned with our coffee.
Once she was gone, I tilted my head in confusion. “But you ate an omelet the first time we met.”
