Wait. Finally sobering up a little, my brain kick-starts and realization dawns.
“Hold on.” I roll off the bed and stand between where Ryder’s sitting and Cameron’s standing. I turn my gaze to the doorway. “I came over to see you, but you weren’t home, so we’ve been hanging out waiting until you got here.”
“Eve, my room. Now.” His eyes fix on Ryder. “Need to have a word with my son. Then I’ll have a word with you.”
I rest a hand on my cocked hip. “Are you pissed?”
“I come home and you and my boy are in his room with the door shut, and you’re lying on his bed, breathing like you just ran a marathon. What do you think?”
“Holy shit, Dad, are you fucking kidding me?”
“Eve, go.”
“I was playing air guitar and jumping on the bed!” Anger flares in my blood.
“I fucking told you, woman, go to my room. Now!” He roars in my face, which only escalates my anger.
“Stop treating me like a child!”
“Stop acting like one.”
“Don’t tell me what to do! You’re not my dad!”
“Yes, and thank fuck for that.”
I sway back on my heels, blood drains from my head, and I get dizzy. “What?”
He drops his chin and shakes his head. “That’s not what I meant.”
“No, I know exactly what you meant.” I head to the door of Ryder’s bedroom. “Bye, Ryder.”
“Later, Eve.”
I move to slip by Cameron, but he snags my upper arm. “Please.” He doesn’t look at me. “Stay.”
I don’t say anything. Truth is I have no way to get home, and if I’m being honest, I really don’t want to leave. Yes, what he said was shitty. What he’s assuming and accusing me of is even shittier, and what he said about the whole dad thing was the absolute shittiest. And even still, I want to stay.
“Ryder, man, I’m sorry.”
I blink up at Cameron, who’s fixed on his son. His expression has relaxed some, and if I’m not mistaken, I’d say there’s regret in his eyes.
“Whatever, Dad.”
Cameron mumbles a string of curse words under his breath, before addressing his son again. “Long night. Birthday coming up. Lost it.”
It’s then I see Ryder’s expression soften. Something Cameron said spoke to him, but what was it? Birthday maybe?
“Right, I understand. It’s cool.” He pushes up and moves to his computer, giving us his back, and then grabs a set of keys. “I’m going out.”
At Ryder’s dismissal, Cameron tugs my arm and guides me to his bedroom. He shuts the door behind us and leads me to his bed where he deposits me. I sit cross-legged and stare at him as he stares back from his standing position at the edge.
“What happened?” He looks as though he’s settled in, not moving an inch until he gets whatever information he’s looking for.
“I already told you. I came here to see you—”
“Not that. What happened today? Why were you at the Slade’s sippin’ booze all day with a pregnant woman when you should’ve been at work?”
“Just sayin’ . . . you totally sound like a dad right now.” And what is it about the parental tone he’s using that makes my belly flip and my insides turn to liquid?
“I am a dad. Don’t change the subject.”
“No, you don’t change the subject. What happened in there?”
He props his hands on his hips and drops his chin to his chest. “I’m a dick. I’m sorry. Won’t happen again.”
I blink and stare, searching for the right words, but I’m shocked at how quickly he fessed up and owned his mistake. “Oh, well . . . good.”
Eyes back on me, he shrugs. “Your turn. Why were you drinking with Slade’s wife?”
Aw hell. I knew I was going to have to tell him I got fired, and it wouldn’t be a big deal if I could leave it at that, but a man like Cameron is going to want answers, and I’m ashamed to tell him the truth.
“Bad day.” I dip my chin and pray he lets it go at that.
“Explain.”
God, he’s bossy. “I um . . . got in a bit of trouble at work. That guy I told you about? The one doing the internal audit? He pulled me aside when I got there this morning.”
Please, let that be enough.
“And?”
Dammit.
I throw my hands up and let them drop hard on the bed. “I got fired.”
Silence.
“He pulled me in when I got there and he let me go.”
He props his hands on his hips. “They have good reason?”
Yes. “Not really.”
I drop to the closest pillow and hope to miraculously pass out to end this conversation.
“You need to file a complaint. They can’t fire you without good reason.”
Why does he insist on making me go there?
I turn my face into the pillow.
“Judging by your reaction, my guess is they had good reason.”
I nod into the down-feathered cushion.
“Share that.”
I shake my head.