So he’d abandoned his ESPN for game film, which had spanned the last three hours.
The only thing that had kept Cameron from losing his mind was the fact that Audrey and Piper had made themselves scarce today. He’d seen Audrey leave this morning, then return about two hours later. Then, he’d gotten a glimpse of Piper running around in the backyard, trailing that damn stuffed cat after her. But the weird thing was that, other than the fact that Piper’s shenanigans had made him smile, he missed them. But how could that be? They’d been here less than a week, and he didn’t even like them.
Okay, he liked Piper. It would be impossible not to like that kid. But Audrey? She was a whole other story. She bothered him. Like hot and bothered him. Like sweaty palms, tongue-tied bothered. She probably thought he was avoiding her, and she’d be right. Because every time she looked up at him with those golden eyes, he saw something other than the bristly, bossy woman. He saw vulnerability. He saw fear. But mostly he saw concern for Piper. Worry for her.
Audrey didn’t trust him. He’d figured that out pretty quickly. To be honest, he hadn’t really gone out of his way to prove she could trust him with his own niece. Because he hadn’t cared. He’d taken one look at Piper and wanted to turn the other way. But his mother’s words kept chipping away at his resolve. And then he’d looked at Audrey and seen the way she looked at Piper, and he’d realized how personal it was for her. Audrey loved Piper, probably like her own daughter. Cameron had yet to understand that sort of love, because he’d always lived for himself.
“Yo,” Blake snapped.
Cameron blinked from his kicked-back position on the couch.
“Am I doing this alone?” Blake wanted to know.
“Sorry,” Cam muttered.
“You distracted or what?” Blake asked as he paused the game film.
Distracted? Like Blake wouldn’t believe.
Blake nodded toward the backyard, where Audrey and Piper were lazing around on the hammock. “How’s it going with them?”
Cameron blew out a breath and stacked his hands behind his head. “Shit, I don’t know. They’ve been keeping to themselves, mostly. But the whole thing was sprung on me with no warning.”
Blake gazed outside. “She’s a cute kid,” he observed.
Cameron shook his head. “I don’t know what the hell to do with her. She looks up at me with these big green eyes like I’m supposed to make it all better, and it kills me. The kid’s been through a lot, and the last thing I want to do is let her down. She’s already lost too much.”
“Strange that Dianna never told you,” Blake commented.
Cameron just shrugged. “Dianna and I were never that close. She knew the issues I had with our dad, and it affected our relationship.”
“But you’re going to do it, right?” Blake wanted to know. When Cameron just looked at him, Blake continued. “Let her stay?”
“I have to.” It was the first time he’d said the words out loud. Funny enough, a bolt of lightning hadn’t incinerated him. “If I turn her away, then I’m just another person who’s abandoned her. I can’t do that to her.”
“Yeah, we all kind of knew you wouldn’t,” Blake surmised. “You’re not that much of a dick.”
Cameron’s brow arched. “Gee, thanks.”
Blake’s attention returned outside. “What about the other one?”
Cameron feigned ignorance. After all, it was better than saying, “All I want to do is screw her brains out,” which was normally what he would do. Cameron rarely met a woman he’d been able to say no to. So he had a healthy sex life—so what?
The thing was, just being around Audrey made him feel like it was wrong, like he was a dirty bastard who wasn’t worthy of her. She was far too good for him, with her open smile, bright eyes, and the unconditional love she had for a child that wasn’t even hers. Hell, she probably volunteered at soup kitchens and belonged to a knitting club. Her Saturday nights were most likely spent reading something like Little Women while she sipped on a hot cup of tea, maybe soaking in a bubble bath. With candles. All naked and slippery and…
Shit!
Even his fantasies were unworthy of her.
He lifted a shoulder. “Fine,” he answered.
Blake narrowed his gaze, and Cam knew his friend saw through his bullshit. “Think you can keep it in your pants around her?”
Cameron’s gaze narrowed even more. “You’re a shithead, you know that? Besides, she’s not my type.”
Blake let out a bark of laughter. “Yeah, she’s nice and wholesome. Definitely not for you. How’s it going to work with Piper if you end up not staying in Blanco Valley?” Blake questioned.
Shit, he hadn’t even thought about that.
“I guess I’d take her with me,” Cameron answered.
Blake nodded. “And Audrey’s okay with that?”
Audrey didn’t even know about Cameron’s offer to coach in Denver. “It’s not her decision.”
Blake gazed back at him. “Don’t you think that’s something she’d like to know?”
Possibly, but that was the least of Cameron’s worries right now. “I don’t even know if I’m going to go yet. They gave me until the end of the season to decide.”
“Do yourself a favor and give her a heads-up now,” Blake suggested. “Don’t let that shit blindside you.”
Just then, the sliding glass door opened and Audrey let herself through, followed by Piper, who was clinging to Audrey’s legs. The kid’s inquisitive gaze was locked on Blake as though she didn’t know what to make of him. Cameron had already learned that his niece was painfully shy around people
