"I...I wanted you to know that I've got a lot of money and that I'm going to be in the public eye after we sign the contract," he said hesitatingly. "I know how you feel about wealth, but I wasn't sure how..."
"I see," I said, holding his gaze. My protective inner voice screamed, "Run!" but the voice of the woman who had already fallen for Cam begged me to stay. "I don't know, Cam."
"Okay." He shrugged as he let go of my hand and picked up his coffee cup.
I knew I was disappointing him, but I didn't know how I felt about this development. The guy who I'd thought was a working-class firefighter with a painful past had suddenly morphed into a rich guy who was about to become very well known. If I stuck with him, I was going to be subjected to the glare of the spotlight, too. Not only that, but he was Violet’s father!
"Look, Alex, I know it's a lot to throw at you tonight, but I felt like I needed to tell you before Leo and I go public with it," he said, squaring his shoulders as he waited for me to speak.
"I don't know, Cam," I said softly. "I just don't know if I can deal with this right now. There's a lot about my history that I don't want being publicly consumed, but I also don't want to throw out what we share."
He set his cup down and reached for me, and without a word I melted into his arms. I leaned against his chest as he wrapped his strong arms around me and rested his chin on top of my head. I closed my eyes and tried to think clearly about this revelation.
"I'm scared, Cam," I whispered as I turned my head to look up at him.
"I am, too, Alex," he said softly as he bent down and kissed me.
I felt the familiar surge of desire flow through my body as I kissed him back, and all of my defense mechanisms crumbled as he slowly ran his hands down my body. Everything about this felt right, and yet I couldn't let go of the small nagging doubt that fluttered around the edge of my brain.
"Cam..."I gasped as I pulled back and looked into his emerald eyes. I wanted him, there was no doubt about that, but could I live with the reality of his life?
My phone cut through the heavy weight of expectation as it rang in my purse. I leapt off of the couch and ran to answer it.
"Alex, it's Leslie," the nurse said. "I think you need to get back her. Liz is having a rough time and she's calling for you."
"I'm on my way!" I cried as I looked at Cam and motioned to the truck. I hung up and said, "I have to get back to the hospital. Liz needs me."
"I'll take you," he said as he grabbed his coat and keys and headed to the garage with Tesla close at his heels. He turned and said, "Not this time, girl. I'll be back in a bit and we'll go for a run. Stay."
Tesla immediately backed up and sat on the kitchen floor looking up at Cam as if she completely understood what he'd asked of her. I marveled at the obedience as I slipped my coat on and headed out the door.
"Thank you, Tesla," I said as I passed the patient pup and patted her on the head. She let out a soft woof and then lay down on the floor with her chin between her paws.
Cam drove as fast as he could without putting us in danger of getting pulled over as I looked out the windshield wondering if Liz was going to be okay.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Cam
I didn't say anything as I drove Alex to the hospital. I knew we were going to have to talk about what I'd told her, but I also knew that this was not the right time to broach the subject. Alex was worried about Liz and she needed to handle the situation before we could talk about our future.
"Do you want me to come in with you?" I asked as I looked over and saw a lone tear running down Alex's cheek. She reached up and quickly wiped it away as she nodded.
I parked the truck on a side street and took her hand as we walked to the hospital entrance. Alex asked for Liz's room number and then headed for the elevator.
"I'm scared, Cam," she whispered as we ascended to the sixth floor. "I don't know what to do to help her if she won't let me."
"I know," I said, taking her hand and squeezing it gently. "We'll figure it out...together. But first, let's just see how Liz is doing and find out if she needs anything, okay?"
Alex gave me a look of gratitude before she stood on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. She held my hand as we walked down the hall to Liz's room but dropped it just before we walked through the door. For a moment, I felt hurt, but when I saw Liz lying in the bed looking very small and pale, I understood Alex's impulse to protect her and hung back in the doorway.
"Liz? It's Alex, I'm here, sweetie," Alex said softly as she sat down on the edge of the bed and took Liz's hand.
"Alex?" Liz mumbled as she tried to open her eyes. "Alex? I don't feel so good."
"I know, sweetie," Alex said, smoothing her hair as she held Liz's hand. "They're trying to figure out why, so you need to help them, okay? Tell them everything so they can fix you."
"I did," Liz said softly as she forced her eyes open and looked at Alex. Tears welled up as she spoke, "I told them everything. I don't know why I'm feeling so bad, Alex."