From Best Friend to Bride (14 page)

“I was just heading out for a run and thought I’d swing in,” Cameron stated, pushing off the frame. “Megan, I’ll see you tonight.”

So, he wanted to see her whether Evan came or not. When the front door closed again, Evan glanced down to where she remained seated.

“He’s in love with you.”

Jerking her eyes up to him, Megan laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous, Evan. We’ve been best friends since grade school.”

“The guy has always been territorial with you, but he was looking at you like... Oh, great.” Evan shook his head and laughed. “Tell me you didn’t fall in love with him. Come on, Meg. He’s a cop.”

Yeah, he was a cop. He was also perfect for her little world, amazing in bed and irreplaceable.

“Who I love or don’t love is really none of your concern,” she told him. “I’m not being rude, but you have your own issues to work out. Now, if you want to come with me later, that’s fine. If you don’t, that’s fine, too. I’ll be leaving at six.”

Megan turned and left Evan alone. She didn’t want to hear anything else about why she should or shouldn’t fall in love with Cameron. The reasons were moot at this point because she’d already fallen so deep, she’d never find her way back out.

Chapter Seventeen

K
eep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Cameron had always hated that saying. Having enemies so close made him twitchy and irritable.

As he glanced across the field toward Evan, who sat in a folding chair all by himself, Cameron figured if Evan was here, he wasn’t getting into anything illegal. Megan could rest easy tonight.

Speaking of Megan, she’d gotten cold earlier when the sun had gone down and he’d grabbed a hoodie sweatshirt from the back of his truck. The fact she was wrapped in his shirt made him feel even more territorial. The way she all but disappeared inside the fleecy material made her seem even more adorable. How could a woman be so many things at once? Sexy, cute, intriguing, strong... Megan was all of that and much more.

She laughed at something Eli said before turning her gaze and meeting his. Instantly the air crackled. Nothing else mattered but Megan. The case should be wrapped up by tomorrow evening when the next “trade” took place. He knew all key players were supposed to be in attendance, according to their inside source.

Maybe once all of this was tied up, maybe once Evan was out of the picture and not weighing so heavily on Megan’s mind and conscience, she would figure out how to seek that happiness she deserved.

Drake came to stand beside Megan, and she turned, breaking the moment. Only Eli knew of the tension between them, and Cameron doubted anyone else was picking up on the vibes he and Megan were sending out.

Cameron’s gaze darted back to Evan...who was shooting death glares across the distance. Okay, maybe one more person knew something was happening between him and Megan, but Cameron didn’t care what Evan’s opinion was.

“You seem quiet tonight.”

Cameron merely nodded as his father came up beside him. “Been a stressful time at work,” Cameron replied.

“Looks to me like you have something else on your mind.”

Cameron glanced to his father, who was looking straight at Megan. She excused herself, picked up a roasting stick and took it over to her brother. Cameron watched as they talked, and finally Evan came to his feet, took the stick, and he and Megan went over to the fire to roast marshmallows.

“I figured you two would figure this out eventually,” his father went on.

Cameron groaned inwardly. “There’s nothing to figure out, Dad. We’re friends.”

“Friends is a good start,” Mac agreed. “Building on that only makes a stronger relationship.”

Frustration slid through him. He really didn’t want to get into this right now with his dad...or anybody else for that matter.

“Look, Dad—”

“Hear me out.” Mac turned to face Cameron. The wrinkles around his father’s eyes were more prominent as he drew his brows together. “You are overthinking things, son. Megan isn’t going to wait around for you to come to your senses.”

Clenching his fists at his side, Cameron nodded. “I don’t expect her to. Things would be easier if she met someone and moved on.”

“Easier for you?” he asked. “Because from where I’m standing, Megan only has eyes for one person. I figured you’d be smart enough to make your friendship more permanent.”

“You don’t get it,” Cameron began, absently noting that Evan had taken a phone call.

“Get what?” Licking marshmallow off his thumb, Drake came up beside their dad.

“Nothing,” Cameron stated.

“Your brother is having women problems.”

Still focused on his gooey thumb, Drake laughed. “Megan giving you fits?”

What the hell? Is nothing sacred around here?

“I’m going to kill Eli,” Cameron muttered.

Drake’s smile widened. “He didn’t tell me. Marly did. Women just seem to be in tune with each other, but I think something happened when they all went out to Dolly’s the other night.”

Had Megan mentioned him to Marly and Nora? Surely she hadn’t.

When he sought her out again, she was helping Willow roast a marshmallow. She fit in perfectly with his family. What would happen if he decided to take a chance? What would happen if he gave in to both of their needs and took this friendship beyond the bedroom?

“For what it’s worth,” Drake went on, “I think Megan is great. I always figured you guys would end up together.”

Apparently every single person in his family had some creepy psychic ability because Cameron had fought the urge for years to ever make Megan more than a buddy or a pal. Unfortunately he knew firsthand just how sexy and feisty his “pal” was.

Evan rushed to Megan’s side as he slid his phone back into his pocket. Just as Evan said something to her and hurried toward the front of the house, Cameron’s cell vibrated in his pocket.

“Excuse me,” he told his father and Drake.

Stepping away from the crowd, he pulled out the phone and read the text.

Moving day changed. 30 min.

Damn it. That’s why Evan rushed out?

Cameron caught Drake’s eye. “Something came up. Tell everyone—”

Drake waved him away. “Go—we know.”

This family was more than used to Cameron getting called away. All three St. John brothers were in high demand in Stonerock, so it wasn’t unusual for at least one of them to get called away from a family gathering.

Cameron rushed to his house to grab his work gun and Kevlar vest. Thankfully, the designated parking lot was less than ten minutes away. By the time he pulled in, he still had ten minutes to spare.

The outcome tonight was not going to be good, but right now all Cameron could focus on was doing his job. Just when he’d been about to open himself up to the possibility of a relationship with Megan, this call had come through. Was it a sign that keeping his distance was the right thing to do?

Cameron settled in with his fellow officers and FBI agents. Now all they had to do was watch and wait, and hopefully this entire ordeal would be wrapped up tonight.

He had no idea if he should be elated or terrified.

* * *

Megan had no clue where Evan had run off to and then Cameron had gotten called into work. She’d stayed behind and chatted with Nora and Marly, roasted more marshmallows than her stomach appreciated and now lay curled up in the corner of her sofa trying to read a book by the vomited light of the evil dragon.

Megan couldn’t help but look at that tacky piece and laugh. Because if she didn’t laugh, she’d surely cry. Some people had a beautiful art sculpture or painting as the focal point in their living rooms. Nope, Megan had this monstrosity.

Flipping through the pages of her book, Megan wanted to see when the good scenes were coming up because the current chapter was nearly putting her to sleep.

Before she could decide whether or not to give up, her cell rang. Dropping the book on the end table, she picked up her phone, not recognizing the number. Most likely a client.

“Hello?”

“Meg. I’ve been arrested.”

Jumping to her feet, Megan started toward her bedroom to put clothes on. “What happened, Evan?”

Dread flooded her. Whatever he’d hightailed it out of the St. Johns’ party for had obviously not been a good idea.

“Your boyfriend brought me in.” Evan’s tone was filled with disgust. “I wasn’t doing anything, Meg. I need you to come get me.”

Cameron arrested Evan? How the hell had the night gone from roasting marshmallows to her brother being thrown in jail?

“How much is bail?” she asked, shoving her feet into her cowgirl boots.

“I don’t think they’re allowing it to be set.”

Megan froze. “What did you do?”

“Listen, I need you to fix this, Meg,” he pleaded, near hysterics. “I don’t want to be here. Call your attorney and get me out of this place.”

Megan sank onto the edge of her bed. “If bail isn’t an option, there’s nothing I can do right now. I’ll call my lawyer, but I doubt he can do anything tonight, either.”

“Maybe you should tell Cameron I’m innocent,” he spat, seconds before hanging up.

Defeated, angry and cold, Megan stared at the cell in her hand. In her heart she’d known this day was coming. Evan had reached out to her for help only twenty-four hours ago...obviously too late to make a difference.

Before she could allow her mind to travel into what Cameron knew about this situation, she had to call her attorney. Evan’s fear had been apparent through the line. She knew from a few of her clients just how terrifying being arrested for the first time could be. No matter what the attorney’s fee would be, she’d pay it and do every single thing in her power to get him away from this city where he was only staying in trouble. If he wanted to truly get away, he needed a fresh start away from the thugs he’d been with.

Hours later, Megan was still wound tight. She’d discovered there was nothing to do for Evan right now. There would be a hearing on Monday morning to decide the next step.

Megan had hung up with her attorney thirty minutes ago and couldn’t go in to bed if she tried. She glanced at the book on the end table and knew that wouldn’t hold her interest, either.

Heading to the hall closet, she was just about to sink to a whole new level of desperate and pull out her vacuum when her back door opened and closed.

The late hour didn’t stop Cameron from letting himself in.
Great.
She wasn’t sure she was ready to deal with this, with him. She was still shaking from the fact that her brother was behind bars with criminals and her best friend had arrested him.

Moving down the hall, she met Cameron just as he stepped out of the kitchen. The dark bruise beneath his eye, the cut across his other brow and his disheveled clothes stopped her in her tracks.

“What the hell happened tonight?” she cried. “Evan’s arrested and you’ve been in a fight.”

Cameron’s tired eyes closed as he shook his head. “I wanted to be the one to tell you about Evan, but I knew there was no way I could finish everything up and get here before he called you.”

Anger coursed through her. “You knew my brother was in trouble. Enough trouble to get arrested, didn’t you?”

Slowly, his lids opened, those signature baby blues locked on her. “Yes. I’ve been watching him for some time now. Him and several others.”

Megan felt as if someone had taken a pointy-toed shoe and kicked her straight in the stomach.

“Evan wasn’t a key player,” Cameron went on. “He just fell in with the wrong crowd and ended up deeper than I think he intended.”

Bursts of cold shot through her system. Megan wrapped her arms around her waist and pushed past Cameron.

“So you just arrest him anyway?” she asked, moving to the living room to sink onto the sofa. “You know he’s trying to break away and you still arrest him like some hardened criminal?”

Cameron rested his hands on his hips, remaining across the room. “He is a criminal, Meg. He was with the group we’ve been tracking for months. Evan has been running drugs.”

No. This was her brother, her baby brother. She didn’t want this to be his life even though he’d admitted as much to her just yesterday. He’d said he wanted to get out. She’d give anything if he would have come to her sooner; maybe they wouldn’t be in this position now.

Bending forward, her arms still tight around her midsection, she wanted to just curl up and cry or scream. “You should go,” she whispered, already feeling the burn of tears in her throat.

“I’m not leaving until we talk.”

Of course he wasn’t.

“I know you aren’t happy with me right now,” he started. “But you have to know I was doing my job. I can’t let our relationship prevent me from keeping Stonerock safe.”

A laugh erupted from her before she could prevent it. Megan sat back up and rested her elbows on her knees.

“I don’t expect you to not do your job, Chief. But I never thought you’d be spying on my brother one minute and sleeping with me the next.”

* * *

Okay, he deserved that. Megan needed to get all her anger out because he’d had months to deal with the fact that Evan was into illegal activities. While Megan had suspected her brother’s involvement, tonight she’d been dealt some cold, hard facts—and then learned her best friend was the arresting officer.

“How could you do this to me?” she asked, her voice husky from emotion. “How could you use me like that? We’ve been friends so long, Cam. I trusted you with everything in my life and you just...”

Her words died in the air as she covered her face with her hands. Sobs tore through her, filling the room and slicing his heart. Cameron knew full well that right at this moment she felt she hated him, but that didn’t stop him from stepping forward and squatting down in front of her.

“I didn’t use you,” he said, realizing how pathetic he sounded. “I couldn’t tell you, Meg. I wanted to. I wanted you to know what you were in the midst of. I wanted to somehow soften the blow, but my hands were tied.”

Her hands dropped to her lap as she focused her watery stare on him. Tear tracks marred her creamy skin, and Cameron knew if he attempted to reach out to wipe away the physical evidence of her pain, she would push him away.

“You mean you chose your job again over everything else. Over me.”

Cameron eased up enough to sit on the edge of the coffee table, his elbows on his knees, as he fought the urge to take her hands in his. She had to get all this anger out, and he had to absorb it. There was no other way to move beyond this mess...if they even could move on.

“Wait.” Megan sat up straighter, her gaze darting to the floor, then back up to his. “You were there, weren’t you? The night I was with Evan and those guys showed up?”

Regret filled him, cutting off any pathetic defense he could’ve come up with. As if the entire lying-by-omission thing weren’t enough, now he had to face the ugly truth that he’d not done a damn thing to help her.

She continued to stare at him, continued to study him as if she didn’t even recognize him anymore. “Tell me you weren’t there,” she whispered.

Swallowing a lump of rage and remorse all rolled into one, he replied, “I can’t.”

He expected her to slap him, to stand up and charge from the room or start yelling and throwing things. He expected pure anger. Anger he could’ve dealt with.

But when she closed her eyes, unleashing a fresh set of tears as she fell back against the couch, defeated, Cameron knew he’d broken something between them. He’d broken something in her, and he had no idea how to fix it or even if their relationship was repairable.