Precious Consequences (9 page)

He grins, revealing those sexy dimples. “Good.”

We walk into the kitchen until we’re standing next to the island. “Are your parents home?” I ask nervously. I find it strange that he’d bring me home and introduce me to his parents on first date but I’ll just go with it.

He chuckles, saying, “I don’t live here.”

Oh. Now I’m very confused. “But I thought…”

“No,” he replies, shaking his head slightly. “This is Hannah and Noah’s house. They let me use it for our date tonight.”

Hannah and Noah live here? Huh. I never expected that since they’re very unassuming about their wealth. I like them even more, if that’s possible.

“Now, if you’d take a seat, I will pour you some sparkling wine and get dinner started.”

“You’re cooking for me?” I ask. I flush when I realize how shocked I sound. But truthfully I can’t help it. Cameron doesn’t look like he knows his way around a kitchen but I’m intrigued enough to hope that he’ll prove me wrong.

“Yes,” he replies, chuckling again. Relief floods me when my shock is met with humor instead of defensiveness. “I am preparing out meal this evening, Miss. Tanner.”

I laugh when he mimics the voice of a waiter, noting the playfulness with which he’s said it. His nerves seem to have disappeared and been replaced with an easiness I’ve never seen him before.

“What will you be making me, Mr. Argent?” I tease. “Grilled cheese sandwiches.”

Cameron brings a hand to his chest and gasps, feigning hurt. “I will tell you right now that I make a mean grilled cheese sandwich, but no, I’m pulling out all the stops.”

“Don’t tell me, you’re adding peanut butter to it, for that extra kick.”

Cameron’s nose scrunches up. “You eat peanut butter with your grilled cheese sandwiches?”

No, but my daughter does, I say in my head. “No,” I laugh. “But now I’m curious to see what you’ll be making me.”

He grins, “You’ll have to wait and see.”

With that he turns around and wraps an apron around his waist and slips it over his head, tying it around his neck. He sets to work pulling pots and pans from drawers, placing everything he’ll need within reaching distance. I make myself useful and pour us each a glass of sparkling red wine. I take a sip, enjoying the sweet taste. It’s delicious.

“So why are we having dinner here and not at a restaurant?” I ask.

Cameron starts slicing mushrooms and peppers as he answers me, “Because that’s exactly what you were expecting.”

He’s certainly got me there. I shrug. “I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect to be honest. I was coerced into coming on this date.” My tone takes on a teasing quality and I playfully roll my eyes to show my false exasperation.

Cameron accidentally drops the knife that was in his hand and looks at me. “I can take you home, if you don’t want to be here.” He’s serious. Worry flits across his eyes and I immediately feel guilty for putting it there, for making him think that I don’t want to be here.

Giving him a warm, reassuring smile, I reply, “There’s no other place I’d rather be.”

It’s only half a lie, because as enthralled as I am being here with Cameron, my thoughts are never far away from the two year old angel tucked away safely in her bed. But he doesn’t know about her yet and I can’t deny that I’m enjoying a night out of the house.

His shoulders relax and he continues cutting and slicing. He does it with speed and precision, as if he’s done this before. He looks like a chef.

“You enjoy this,” I state. It’s on his face, the way he moves around the kitchen.

Cameron’s lips tilt into a half-smile but he’s eyes don’t look up. “I love it,” he replies.

“Then why are you studying Business Management?”

He sighs. “Because I’m supposed to take over my father’s construction company once I graduate.”

“Is that what you want or what your parents want?”

Cameron shrugs, looking uncomfortable, and I get the impression that this topic is better left untouched. The mood has sombred slightly and I don’t like it. I want the relaxed, fun Cameron back. I stand up and join Cameron in front of the stove where he’s started mixing ingredients.

“Taste this,” he says, lifting a wooden spoon to my mouth. His eyes follow my mouth as it wraps around the tip of the spoon.

“Oh wow,” I say. “That’s delicious. What is it?”

I lick my lips and Cameron’s eyes darken. “Caramelized onion and honey sauce.”

He goes back to mixing ingredients and then takes out four foil packages from the oven. I watch him open them, my mouth watering when the divine scent floats around us. Nestled inside each foil packet is a grilled chicken breast, stuffed with feta cheese and spinach. My stomach growls and Cameron and I both laugh.

“Take a seat,” he instructs, coming around the island. He places a chicken breast on my plate, drizzling some of the caramelized onion and honey sauce over it, and then dishes up a mushroom and sweet pepper risotto. Once he’s placed food on his own plate, he takes out a fresh garden salad from the fridge.

“This looks amazing, Cam,” I praise. I see a faint color in his cheeks and stifle a giggle. He’s blushing?

“Thank you,” he mumbles. “I’ve never cooked dinner for anyone but my mom.”

My eyes widen in surprise. “Really?”

“Really. Why does that surprise you?”

Shrugging sheepishly, I reply, “I guess I thought that this was regular thing, that you did this on all of your ‘dates’”.

Now it’s Cameron who looks sheepish. “No, you’re the first.”

“Oh.” I take a sip of my sparkling wine hoping it will calm the nerves dancing around in my belly. So far, nothing has been what I expected and I’m not sure how I feel about all of it. It suddenly feels like more than just another date.

Cameron cuts into his chicken breast and I follow his cue. When the tender meat hits my taste buds, the mixture of it all leaves an explosion of flavors on my taste buds. “Oh my God,” I moan. “This is really amazing, Cam. Where did you learn to cook like this?”

“I started when I was fifteen, and kind of taught myself. My mom had to fight to get me out of the kitchen.”

“You must’ve been really stubborn as a kid,” I joke. “I bet you drove your parents crazy half the time.”

“I have an older sister who set the precedent when we were kids, I just followed in her lead.”

“You have an older sister?”

“Yes,” he replies. “Candice. I was a bit of an accident so Candice and I are about eight years apart. She has a two year old, Jordan, and she and her husband, Brett, are expecting their second baby soon. I don’t know who’s more excited though, Candice or my mom, because it’s a girl.”

“And your dad? Is he excited?” I ask.

Cameron’s face darkens and his excitement dwindles. “No,” I say softly. “He’s not really…around.”

Putting my hand over his, I squeeze. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean - “

“Don’t worry about it,” he cuts me off. We look down at where my hand touches his and for a second I wonder if he can feel the chemistry, pulsating around us like a live wire. His eyes meet mine and they darken. He’s definitely feeling it. He holds my hand and we continue to eat, chatting animatedly about mundane things yet never feeling bored. I was worried that it would feel awkward, having become close friends over the last few weeks and then exploring the possibility of there being ‘more’ between us. But it’s not. In fact, it’s easy, and comfortable, and what scares me even more is that it feels right, natural.

“How was it?” Cameron asks anxiously.

Giggling, I retort, “My moaning between bites wasn’t enough of a giveaway?”

“No, that was just sexy as hell and a very big distraction.”

I stand to meet Cameron at the sink where he rinses off our dirty dishes and stop next to him. “Well,” I say, stretching onto my toes. “It was the most amazing food I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting and knowing that you went to so much effort to make our first date so special made it even better.” I kiss him on the cheek and allow my lips to linger as I murmur a “thank you” against his skin. He drops the dishes, making a loud clang, but neither of us notices. He faces me, stunning me with his beautiful face adorning those dimples. “You’re welcome,” he replies, his voice husky. After a minute of silence goes by, he speaks. “Hayley?”

“Hmmm?”

“Can I kiss you?”

My heart stutters. I never imagined Cameron asking for a kiss, I thought he would just take it. Something about him asking me endears him to me, softening that bad boy exterior.

I nod and Cameron wraps an arm around my waist, not worried about the soapy water dripping from his hands. It could be muddy water for all I care. Nothing will stop this kiss from happening.

He steps into me, our lips touching lightly before his mouth consumes mine. His lips are gentle at first, but when my tongue darts out to meet his it sparks a hunger, not only in Cameron but in me too. Our tongues dance and Cameron’s grip tightens. My hands hold onto his biceps for support because my knees feel weak and it’s like I’m floating on air. I know it’s not normal for two people to share a kiss like this on their first date but if this were to become more then I’ll have to both acknowledge and accept that nothing about us would be normal. I’m a nineteen-year-old mother to a two year old and Cameron is the school playboy. We’ve already broken several rules according to society, why not obliterate one more.

We break apart and Cameron gives me one last chaste peck before resting his forehead on mine. “I didn’t bring you here for that,” he says quietly. “But I’m glad it happened.”

I smile. “I know, and I’m pretty sure I wanted it as badly as you did.”

“Dessert?” he asks. His eyes are bright and I can’t help but wonder if I’m seeing into his soul.

“I thought that was it?” I tease. I purse my lips. “That’s going to be a tough act to follow.”

“Even with homemade peppermint crisp mousse and chocolate soufflé?”

Before I can reply, my phone goes off, effectively killing our little moment. “You answer that,” Cameron says, kissing my neck. “And I’ll finish cleaning up and get dessert ready.”

I slip out of his grasp and walk briskly to where my purse is. When I remove my phone from my purse, my grandmother’s number is flashing on the screen. I frown, a feeling of panic sinking into my belly. She would only phone me if something were wrong. I don’t like this.

“Hello?”

My grandmother’s words fly out of her mouth rapidly, so fast I almost don’t catch everything she’s saying. “OhHayleyI’mTakingAriToTheHospital - ”

I cut her off. “Wait, Gama, slow down,” I say. “I can’t hear what you’re saying.”

Her inhalation on the other end is sharp, and wobbly, like it’s filled with tears. “I’ve taken Ari to the hospital,” she says, her voice cracking. “You need to come.”

Fear grips me, sucking the air from my chest and wrapping around my throat. I can’t breathe and I feel a panic attack coming on. Stay calm, I chant to myself, over and over again. The line goes dead and it’s then that I notice Cameron standing next to me.

“Hospital,” I say robotically. “Please, I need to go to the hospital. Now.”

He nods and we head out to his truck, our dessert forgotten. The ten-minute drive is silent and I can tell Cameron wants to ask me what’s going on, but I can’t tell him. Right now all I’m thinking about is my little girl and it only proves why Cameron and I can’t be more than friends. Because Ari will always come first.

Cameron has barely stopped his truck when I jump out and run into reception. I don’t stop to see if he’s followed me, I simply tell the nurse who it is I’m looking for and follow her directions. I burst into the emergency room and spot Ari and my grandmother in the corner. I rush when I see Ari screaming and writhing in pain and push the doctor aside to get to her.

“It’s ok, baby girl,” I soothe, wrapping her unusually hot body in my arms. Her screams don’t subside and my inability to calm her down brings tears to my eyes. Her hands push me and I look down at her. Her face is red and tear stained, and her screams continue. “What’s wrong?” I ask the doctor, not bother to get a name. It’s a young woman, her blue scrubs indicating that she’s an E.R doctor.

“Miss. Tanner, it would appear that your daughter has appendicitis. It’s not uncommon for someone her age, but what concerns me is her high fever and slightly swollen belly. That could mean that her appendix has burst.”

“You have a daughter?”

We all spin our heads around. Cameron is standing behind the doctor, a look of shock and disbelief on his face. Instead of responding I look back at the doctor and ask, “What do we do?”

“The best solution would be to have an ultra-sound, to determine the severity of the condition and then possibly schedule an emergency appendectomy. The operation is about an hour long but we can have her prepped for an ultra-sound while you fill out the paperwork. Once we know the result of that, we can determine whether or not she will need surgery, but given her current state, surgery looks like our best form of treatment. ”

I nod, “Okay.”

The doctor scurries off and my grandmother takes Ari from me. I hesitantly let her go but I need to chat to Cameron. This is not how I envisioned myself telling him about Ari but now I have no other choice.

“I can explain,” I say, walking to where he’s still standing.

“Explain what exactly Hayley? How you can have a kid at nineteen or how you failed to mention it until now?” His voice comes out harsh and if it weren’t for my need to defend my actions I would flinch. But I don’t. I meet his anger and shocked expression head-on with a glare of my own.

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you, because I knew you would judge me.”

“Don’t turn this around on me Hayley. Were you even going to tell me?”

I look down. He’s caught me. “That’s what I thought,” he sighs.

A fresh bout of tears hit me and I look at Cameron through blurred eyes. “I had no idea how to tell you, but I would’ve told you tonight anyway.” I wipe a few stray tears. “I knew it would change things, so I thought if I got one date with you it would be enough…” my words trail off. I sound pathetic, but no matter which way you look at it rejection still sucks and I hope Cameron will be considerate enough to do this subtly. I’m certain that I’m not crying because of him but he doesn’t know that. I bet he’s looking at me and thinking that his impending dismissal of me is what has me so emotional. Too bad it is in fact a contribution to how overwhelmed I feel.