But also secrets like what they’d gotten Maggie for Christmas. They. Not him, but they. As in they were giving her a gift from both of them. As a couple.
Or secrets like that they’d let Henry stay up extra late and have brownies for breakfast when he spent the weekend with them. Secrets like that they were going to sneak out of town for a romantic getaway and were only going to text to say they were fine and they’d see everyone on Monday morning. Secrets like a new idea for Hot Cakes that Cam was in on before any of the other partners because he’d sat up at the kitchen table with her designing the presentation and helping her brainstorm. Secrets like that they were engaged for a few days, or even hours, before telling anyone else. Or that the pregnancy test had been positive.
Her heart squeezed hard. She was getting way ahead of herself here. They weren’t even dating. They were… friends. Good friends. Friends who wanted to get naked together.
“Hey.”
She felt Cam move in behind her, his voice low as he spoke just to her.
“Hey,” she said softly, still looking at the back door that had closed behind Josie a couple of minutes ago.
“You okay?” he asked.
She nodded.
He laughed lightly. “Liar.”
He knew her. She loved that. “I don’t know if I’m a hang-out-with-the-girls girl,” she admitted.
“Well, you don’t have to be,” he said. He turned her to face him. “You can do dishes with us guys. You can go play Warriors with Didi and Henry. You can go talk to my mom and dad. You can slip upstairs and hang out in my room and I’ll join you as soon as I can. Or you can head home.”
She looked into his eyes, feeling her heart rate slowing. “Really?”
“Of course. I want you comfortable being here. I want you to come back. A lot. I want dinner here with all of us to be something you look forward to, not that you dread. Whatever you want.”
She believed him. And she felt a strange mix of gratitude and affection and silly suddenly. “I’m making a big deal out of lemonade on the patio, aren’t I?”
He shrugged.
She was. Not because those women would automatically like her because she was charming and funny and they had a lot in common. Those things weren’t really true. But they would like her because Cam liked her. They loved Cam and Cam cared about Whitney and so those women would care about her because of Cam if nothing else.
That was friendship. That was love. That was acceptance.
She was catching on. She could learn this.
Those women were important to Cam and he would like nothing more than to see Whitney hanging out and getting along with them. So she could do this. For him.
She lifted on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his quickly. “I’ll be okay,” she said as she pulled back.
He nodded. “You will.”
“But thanks for giving me the option not to be.”
Something flickered in his gaze. She thought for a second he was going to grin and say something flirtatious.
Instead, he said, “You can always be not-okay with me, Whit.”
Her heart squeezed hard and for a second she couldn’t take a deep breath. But she knew exactly what to give him in return. She nodded and said, “I know.”
His gaze intensified and she knew she’d said the right thing. He leaned in and kissed her again, then set her back from him. “Go hang out. We’ll head home in a bit.”
Home. Together. She was shocked by how good that sounded.
They were friends. Hell, he might be her best friend. Yes, she realized a moment later, he was her best friend. He knew her, well, and he liked her anyway. She could be herself with him. She could be raw and real.
But they were more than friends. Already. Without getting naked. Without it being official.
But she definitely wanted to get naked with him. More now than before.
They needed to do that soon.
“Heading home sounds nice,” she told him. “So yeah, give me a little bit with the girls, but I’ll be ready whenever.”
He looked at her a moment longer, then nodded. “Good.”
Yeah, it was good. It was all good.
Or, it would be after this patio thing anyway.
18
Whitney took a breath, then turned and opened the back door. She stepped out onto the patio, pulling the door shut behind her, closing her off from Cam. Her lifeline.
No, that was stupid. She wasn’t scared to be out here. She wasn’t in danger. Except of making an ass of herself.
Zoe, Jane, and Josie all looked over. With smiles. Whitney felt some of the tension in her shoulders ease. These were Cam’s friends. Family. Even the two that weren’t his blood relations. She could spend time with them.
“Here, sit with me.” Josie reached out and snagged Whitney’s hand, tugging her down onto the love seat she was occupying.
Zoe and Jane each had a chair. The patio furniture was gathered around the stone firepit on the back patio. There was a fire but it was turned low and giving off little to no heat. Clearly it was for ambience as the night was warm.
The women all seemed relaxed, their drinks still mostly full.
“We were just talking
