Something in her expression softened and she fully smiled. “And all this time I expected you to be the one that wasn’t a gentleman when we worked together.”
He nodded. “I expected that too. I guess…” He swallowed. “I didn’t expect soft feelings. I expected fighting and fireworks. Especially when it came to this company.” He felt himself smile. “Who would have guessed that the thing I’d want most would be for you to be successful and happy at Hot Cakes?”
She gave a soft, surprised laugh. “Crazy.”
“Yeah.” His voice was gruff and his eyes were on her lips again.
“What did you think of the new ideas?” she asked.
He looked up. “I love it. All of it.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“You didn’t say that. You didn’t say anything.”
“I knew you wanted to hear from Aiden and Grant,” he said.
A slight frown pulled her eyebrows together. “I did. But I certainly wanted to hear it from you too.”
“But…” He shrugged. “You know I think you’re amazing.”
She stared at him. Slowly she shook her head. “No. I don’t.” She leaned in slightly. “I don’t even know if you want to kiss me anymore.”
“Liar,” he chided softly. “You know very well that I want to kiss you.”
“You’re the one who said we don’t know each other anymore. I don’t assume anything about how you’re feeling or what you’re thinking,” she said. Now her gaze dropped to his mouth.
Damn. He really had assumed they’d be arguing a lot more. Fighting. Hashing the past out. Maybe angry fucking in the kitchen. Instead, every time he was with her he felt soft. Protective. Proud. Amazed. Happy.
“You’re right,” he said, moving his thumb from her chin to her bottom lip and stroking back and forth. “We both need to be very clear about what we’re thinking and feeling. And wanting. And needing.”
The tip of her tongue darted out to wet her lip, but touching his thumb in the process. He felt the jolt to the soles of his feet.
“You first,” she said.
“Okay.” He looked into her eyes. “I think you are completely different from the girl I was in love with in high school. That girl was confident and daring and knew who she was and where she fit.”
She sucked in a little breath and almost pulled back, but Cam caught her upper arm, holding her in place.
“Now you’re a grown woman who’s a little broken, a little hurt, but even if she’s not sure where she fits, she knows what she wants and is willing to work her ass off for it. You’re creative and sweet and a little too humble and you’ve never been more beautiful. Seeing you keep trying, keep working, keep wanting in spite of years of being taken for granted and overlooked kills me and inspires me and makes me want you so much more than I ever did when you were sure of yourself.”
He saw the shock in her eyes but knew he had to keep going.
“I thought I could encourage you to yell and argue and push and fight but… instead, you make me… softer. I’m quieter and more patient and more open just since being around you. I’ve been knocking heads and fighting and being a pain in people’s asses for the last ten years. I thought I liked that. It made me strong. No one overlooked me or got away with anything. I thought I was tough.”
He gave a soft huff of laughter and shook his head.
“But I had no idea what tough was. Tough is being ignored but not leaving. Tough is being overlooked, but knowing you have something to contribute. Tough is being able to see long term in spite of the short-term shit you have to plow through. Tough is… you.”
Whitney pressed her lips together and blinked rapidly, but she didn’t say anything. He was glad she wasn’t arguing with him. He wanted her to hear this. All of it.
“You’ve been knocked around, emotionally, by people you loved and trusted and looked up to, but you’re still here. Most people would have said fuck it and walked out by now. That’s sure as hell what I would have done. Making a lot of noise and trouble as I went out. That’s what I have done in some situations. But you believe in something deeper and bigger—this town or these people or your family legacy or… something—and you’re still here.”
Her eyes were shiny now and Cam thought maybe she was on the verge of tears. But he knew she wasn’t sad.
He shook his head. “After just a few weeks being around you, I just want to be quiet and hear old stories and watch TV reruns and bake cookies.” He gave a short laugh as the words came out without him really planning them. “I don’t know how you’re doing it, exactly, but you are showing me how to be a fighter in a whole new way. Just by being there and taking care of things behind the scenes, quietly, being supportive and letting someone else… you… do the ass-kicking. I’m shocked but, I like it. I really do.”
She took a shaky breath. “The stories and reruns and cookies are Didi,” she finally said, her voice husky.
“No. Those are all the by-products of the things you’re making me feel,” he said, not letting her make light of it. “You’re showing me how to be in for the long haul and how to be a part of something bigger by being the guy behind the tough girl.”
She swallowed hard.
“Even back in high school you understood that. I was ready to give up my scholarship and even college to stay here with you, but you understood the big picture, even then. You knew I had to leave. You realized that putting up with things sucking in the short term would matter for the long term.”
“You make me sound a lot more insightful and smarter than I am,” she said
