Oceans Apart (Ocean Dreams Book 1) (17 page)

“Give it a rest, Dad. I’m fine.” Chris brushed off the comment but looked away toward the garden, lost in his own thoughts.

“Chris, why don’t both of you stay here. Then in the morning, Cameron can pick you up on the way to Matt’s and we’ll take care of Bodhi. Okay? Good. John, let’s go.” Carol put an end to that conversation and everyone listened. She had done it with love and without anyone losing face.

John let out a deep breath and sighed. “Goodnight all,” he said as he waved his hand up and walked toward the garage.

“Goodnight, my darlings. Annie?” She turned to face their new family friend. “It’s been so wonderful to have you here today. I’ll expect to see you here with the others tomorrow morning for brunch. We will be able to talk more then.” She gave Annie a wink and a smile before following in the direction of her waiting husband.

“She really is the sweetest person I think I’ve ever met,” said Annie as she watched Cam’s parents walk away.

“She is pretty amazing. I think we’d all be lost without her, even though none of us probably tell her enough,” Chelsea said with a thoughtful smile.

Chris stood and walked over to where Matt was sitting and carefully picked up his son and cradled him in his strong arms like he was no heavier than a feather. “Well, I’m going to take this little guy upstairs and then be back to help you all out,” he said and headed inside the house.

“No worries.” Cam looked at Annie and Chelsea. “Why don’t you ladies tackle the kitchen, and we’ll do the yard.”

“Nothing sexist about that at all, big brother,” a smirking Sea said to him.

“Whatever, Sea. Just get it done then we can chill.”

“C’mon, Annie, let’s leave the MEN to clean the yard up.” She stood up and waited for Annie to do the same before linking her arm in Annie’s and leading her to the kitchen. Annie was sure she heard Matt whisper, “Women,” under his breath as they passed by him.

Chelsea went straight to the fridge and grabbed an open bottle of white wine. “No one said we couldn’t drink and clean at the same time, plus we don’t want it going to waste now,” she said with a wink. She retrieved two clean glasses from the kitchen counter and shared out the remaining wine between them.

Handing one of the glasses to Annie, she said, “So tell me how long have you and Cam have known each other?”

Annie took a sip of her wine. “Only a few weeks.”

“Really? Wow!”

“Is it really that shocking?”

“For Cam to be in love in such a short time? Yes, it is,” Chelsea said, matter-of-factly.

Annie’s mouth dropped open in shock and it seemed to go dry in seconds. Taking a gulp of the wine from her glass, she composed herself. “Love? I don’t think so. I mean…I’m not sure. We really only…sorta talked…only just briefly…just yesterday…about maybe being exclusive but…love?” Annie shook her head softly. Chelsea’s observation had thrown her for a loop.
“Love? Could it be?”
she wondered.

“You love him, don’t you?” Chelsea asked her straight out.

Annie closed her eyes and paused for a moment. “
I do. Yes, I believe I have fallen for Cam.
” Her heartbeat raced a little more than usual as she admitted her feelings to herself. Looking up at Chelsea, she said, “I’ve never really been in love before. Most men have dumped me, for one reason or another, before things could get too serious. To me, whatever is going on between your brother and me seems right. Is that just silly or what?” She chuckled quietly after.

“It’s not silly at all. It’s romantic.” Chelsea came and stood in front of Annie. She took her hand and gave it a little squeeze. “Annie, the way you blush when you mention his name or even hear his name spoken is so sweet. I’ve spent the better part of a day with you, I can see how much you care for him, and I know he feels the same for you. I haven’t seen him like this in a long time. Trust me when I say he loves you, too.”

Annie felt like her heart was about to burst with excitement at the words Chelsea had just spoken to her. “
Does he love me? Me?”
That was the part Annie was having trouble believing. It had been a long time, longer than she cared to remember, since she heard those words from anyone. Trusting herself to take a leap of faith and to be loved by someone was going to take more courage than anything she had ever done in her life.

“I believe Cam has feelings for me. I’m not sure it’s love, but it may be one day.”

“Like I said, it’s been a little while, but I’ve seen him smitten like this only one time before.” The smile on Chelsea’s face slowly faded as she began tidying the kitchen. The dishes clattered as Chelsea loaded them into the dishwasher. Annie moved closer to give her a hand with them.

There were a few minutes of silence as the girls worked together to clean the remaining kitchen mess. Annie washed her hands at the sink and turned off the tap as Chelsea handed her a hand towel, which she accepted with a smile. Annie leaned back against the sink and folded the towel before placing it on the counter.

“Who was she?” Annie asked Chelsea.

A sigh filled with sadness escaped Chelsea’s lips as she pulled out a stool at the breakfast bar. “Zoe. Zoe Landers. She was Cam’s high school sweetheart. They met on their first day and were inseparable from then on. She loved surfing nearly as much as Cam does and completely understood his dream of wanting to be on the Pro Tour. She was genuinely nice to me. A lot of girls just wanted to be my friend as a way to get to my older brothers.” Chelsea stopped to check her emotions. Annie could tell that whatever happened, it had affected her greatly. Annie waited for Chelsea to continue in her own time.

“I was only fourteen. Cam is five years older than I am. He had already left school and was doing really well on the men’s junior surf tour. Zoe travelled with him overseas. They were both home for an event and thought they would come see their families. We all celebrated Cam’s birthday with them before they went up North to Newcastle for the next event. They decided to drive as it was cheaper to take all their gear and Matt could go with them, too.” Chelsea closed her eyes and Annie thought she saw a painful expression cross her face as she remembered the details.

“The drive usually takes about two or so hours. So when it got to six hours without having heard anything from them, our families began to worry. They were calling the event organizers to see if they had made it but no one had seen them. Then the worst thing you could ever imagine happened. There was a knock at the front door and two police officers standing on the other side told us that there had been an accident. Zoe had been driving the car and swerved to miss a kangaroo. Cam was knocked unconscious and had some cuts, bruises, and a couple of broken ribs. Matt was the same but also suffered a broken wrist.” Chelsea’s breath grew shallow and tears streamed down her cheeks as she recounted the tragic event.

Annie’s heart was breaking just looking at the poor girl reliving possibly one of the worst moments in her life. She was about to move over next to Chelsea to give her a hug when, from the direction of the French Doors, she heard Cam say, “She was killed.” Annie looked up and saw a pale faced duo looking at her.

“She died instantly.” A sadness Annie had never seen before on a man’s face was etched in Cam’s at that moment. She wanted to say something but no words she could think of sounded quite suitable at the time. Annie and Cam just continued to look at each other.

“Chelsea,” Matt said to her, startling her out of her heavy-hearted thoughts. “I’ll take you home,” he said in such a firm tone that Chelsea just nodded slightly. She stood and gathered her things together. Before she walked out the doors, she stopped at Cam’s side and stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek quickly before exiting, Matt following close behind.

Annie walked over and stood in front of Cam. She willed him to look at her; and as if he could hear her, he did. Annie moved closer, wrapped her arms around his torso, and rested her head on his chest. Cam was taking slow, deep breaths, trying to control his emotions.

“I’m so sorry, Cam. I didn’t mean to pry into your past or anyth—”

“It’s okay, Nashville. It was a long time ago. I’m sure it would’ve come up sooner or later. Probably sooner.” He pulled back from her embrace, took her hand in his, and led her outside. He needed the fresh air to help clear his mind of the past. They walked out onto the back lawn, now cleared of the day’s frivolities.

“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want.” Cam stopped and leaned his butt on the side of the trampoline and pulled Annie next to him, keeping her hand in his.

“There isn’t much to tell. I loved Zoe with all my heart. I was going to ask her to marry me one day; but because we were still so young, I felt like I had plenty of time. I’ve missed her every day for the past ten years.” Annie’s face fell. She looked at the ground between them briefly before Cam’s hands lifted her chin so they were staring at one another.

“It all changed the day I met you, Annie. I felt my broken heart start beating again and it gets a little stronger with each moment I spend with you. Ah, shit! I know that sounds corny but it’s bloody true.” The sadness in Cam had slowly washed away and been replaced with an honest shyness. Annie wondered if she could really mean that much to someone? She hadn’t ever seen that in her own life, not from her parents’ relationship, and certainly not any she had been a part of. No one had ever bothered to stick around long enough to get to know her. As a result, she never believed in herself. Cam was helping that change though. His vulnerability and his gentleness were at odds with his cocky behavior, but just as attractive to her. All Annie really wanted to do was kiss the hell out of him but she settled just to hug him, making sure she got as close as she could. She needed to be close to him and for him to know she was there for as long as he wanted her. She hoped the length of time was indefinite.

“So, were you girls done in there?”

“Yeah. All spick and span for your mother to cook brunch in tomorrow.” Annie was really looking forward to the family gathering the following day.

“Great. I’m guessing Chris flaked out after settling Bodhi upstairs, so how about we head home?”

“That sounds perfect to me.” She smiled up at him and his beautiful blue eyes.

“Good. Because I need to get you naked, woman. You’ve no idea how fucking sexy you looked today. I’m looking forward to peeling you out of your clothes and just seeing you in those red heels. For fuck’s sake, I’m getting hard just talking about it.” Cam had one of those sexy smirks on his face, which Annie enjoyed seeing; especially when she knew she was the one to put it there.

“Well, mister, time to make a move then.” Before she knew what had happened, Cam had grabbed and lifted her up onto the side of the trampoline and moved in between her thighs. Their noses almost touching and their lips only a fraction from each other’s, Cam whispered, “I could take you right here. Right now.” Feather-light kisses were now expertly being placed down the side of her neck making her head spin in ecstasy.

“Mmm,” was the only response Annie was able to muster as her head fell back and her eyes rolled in the same direction. Cam continued his assault on her neck with his lips, grabbed her boobs, and started slowly kneading them between his fingers. His thumbs played with her nipples, only the material of her dress keeping their skin apart. Taking his right hand away from its boob kneading, he slowly ran his fingers up the inside of her thigh. Finding the juncture between her leg and panties, he slid two fingers under the lacy material and inside her.

“Ahhhh! Cam!” she moaned loudly. She didn’t care, right at that moment, where they were, or who might hear her. If he was going to fuck her here on the trampoline, she was going to enjoy every minute of it.

“Jeez. Quiet down, Nashville. You’ll wake the kids up.” He chastised her before planting a passionate kiss on her lips. He removed his fingers from deep inside her and pulled back ever so slightly so he could look right at her. “Yep. Definitely time to get home or Mum and Dad will get a rude shock when they return.”

Cam picked Annie up off the edge of the trampoline and spun her around in his arms. A little squeal of delight from Annie was quickly silenced by his lips kissing hers. Cam was sure he was about to beat his record time driving between his parents’ home and his.

The frigid ocean water lapped against Cam’s legs as he sat astride his board. Taking a deep breath of the salted air, he closed his eyes, held it in for a few seconds, before exhaling. This is where he felt like he was most at peace. At peace with himself and with the crazy world, he was a part of. Being in the water was like being at home. The water welcomed him and comforted him, but it was also challenging. It pushed him to be better. He was the one who needed to tame and control it when he was out there; and if he was able to do that, he was rewarded with the perfect ride.

The tide was bringing in some good sets this morning. Cam knew he had to get back to the beach soon because Chris and Matt were waiting for him. He rarely had the chance to surf on his home turf so he was making sure he got a worthy wave. He looked out the back at the set of waves coming in, and Cam saw one that could be worth a shot. He turned his board to face the shore and lowered his body down.