Audrey and Piper found this story to be hilarious.
Then Pam had moved on to Cameron’s awkward tween years and the time he’d been caught with a “naughty” magazine and in a compromising position in the bathroom.
Seriously, why did his mother hate him?
“Honey, are you all right?” his mother asked.
“Are you sure you’re not constipated? This kid at school couldn’t poop all day and his face was all red. Kind of like yours,” Piper said to Cam.
Yeah, that was awesome. He resembled a red-faced kindergartener who needed to take a shit.
“Piper, you know that talk isn’t appropriate. Do you need to be excused?” Audrey asked in her authoritative tone.
Across the table, Pamela hid a grin from behind her napkin.
Cameron bit back a smile, because it was kind of funny, and looked at Piper. “I’m fine, kiddo. But thanks for asking.”
“Can I have some more mashed potatoes?” Piper asked Pamela.
“Of course, sweetie.” His mom got up from the table and returned shortly with the bowl of potatoes. She gave Piper a healthy scoop and set the bowl down.
Piper stabbed her spoon into the food, then proceeded to dump it on the floor. Cameron opened his mouth to ask what the hell she was doing, when Jellybean Jr. scampered over and inhaled the potatoes in one bite.
“Piper!” Audrey exclaimed. “Why did you do that?”
“J.J. was hungry,” Piper answered with the calm casualness of a six-year-old.
Audrey scooted her chair back so she could clean the mess up. “Well, J.J. has a bowl of food in the kitchen. We don’t give cats people food.”
“But that food has eyeballs in it. She doesn’t like it,” Piper added with a pout. “This kid at school says they grind up eyeballs and put them in cat food. He says it’s because everyone hates cats.”
Christ. It was probably the same kid who hadn’t shit all day.
Audrey masterfully hid a grin. “Piper, not everyone hates cats. And there’s no eyes in her food. It’s just regular cat food.”
Cameron placed his palm on Piper’s skinny arm. “If it’ll make you feel better, we can go to the pet store and I’ll let you pick out different food. You can get whatever kind you think she’ll like.”
Cameron kept his gaze on Piper and ignored the proud look on Audrey’s face, like he’d just announced that he’d ridden his bike without training wheels for the first time. Piper slowly blinked; then her gaze rounded even more.
“You mean I can keep Jellybean Junior?” she asked in a soft voice.
And dammit, his heart wasn’t supposed to go all squishy when she looked at him like that. He shouldn’t care about pleasing her and wanted to put that sweet smile on her face. The one that lit her up from the inside out and made Cameron want to beat his chest in pride.
“Yeah, you can keep the cat,” he told her.
Piper jumped out of her seat and threw her little arms around Cameron’s neck. He barely managed to stay upright in his seat. He hadn’t expected her to pack such a punch behind such a simple gesture. She’d thrown her whole body into the hug, and Cameron had to grit his teeth against the lump in his throat.
“Thank you, Uncle Cameron!” she exclaimed into his neck. She let go and jumped up and down. “I can’t wait to get her her own bed, and toys and a leash so I can take her for walks.”
“One condition, though,” Cameron said, choosing not the address the walking the cat thing. “We have to change her name. Something that’s more fitting to a cat.” Especially one that didn’t have fur. Like, say, Skeletor?
Piper scrunched her face in thought. “How about Pinkie Pie? Like from My Little Pony.”
Sure. Or that.
“I love that name,” his mother chimed in. “It suits her perfectly.”
Were they looking at the same cat?
But Cameron didn’t say anything because, you know, picking your battles and stuff. He’d heard from parents it was important to let the little things go.
Parent.
Shit, was that what he was now?
The familiar panic tried clawing its way back, and Cameron tried desperately to shove it down. He should have been over that by now. Right?
He glanced at Audrey and saw she’d placed one hand over her chest and the other was holding on to his mom.
“What?” he barked.
“We’re just so proud of you,” Audrey gushed.
Yeah, if she knew what was going on in his head, she wouldn’t be so proud.
“Don’t go giving me a gold star or anything,” he told them.
Pam shook her head. “Oh, honey, we wouldn’t do that. A pat on the head would probably be sufficient.”
Audrey stifled more laughter.
Cameron ignored the sarcasm because she was his mother and he loved her, no matter how obnoxious she could be. The woman meant well. She had been his whole world after his dad took off.
And now you have Piper. And Audrey.
Except he didn’t really have Audrey. She wasn’t his to keep. The thought startled him more than it should.
To hide his discomfort, Cameron got up from the table and took his empty plate to the kitchen. They’d all but finished eating, and Piper had already scampered off to play with Jellybean Jr. Oh, wait, Pinkie Pie.
Because that was such a better name.
Cameron was at the sink rinsing his dish when his mother approached. Instantly he tensed, because he knew what she was going to say to him.
“You okay, honey?” she questioned.
“Yeah. Why?”
“I don’t know,” she responded as she set her dish in the dishwasher. “You seem…tense.”
Cameron rolled his shoulders as though the mention of the word brought even more tension to his muscles. Hell, yeah, he was tense. Soon Piper would be solely dependent on him. And he was coming to realize that he didn’t want Audrey to leave.
Cameron gritted his teeth and sloshed the sponge around the plate harder than he needed to. Water splashed over the edge of the sink and landed on his shirt.
“Honey.” Pamela placed her calm hands over his and stilled his movement. “Why don’t
