Page 68 of Promise Me a Forever Texas Love

Especially when, after Poppy disappeared over the edge, he turned to find Camden had gotten to his feet and was backing up as if he couldn’t stand to be near him. When he got too close to the edge, Huck couldn’t help yelling out a warning.

“Be careful!”

Camden’s face scrunched with anger. “You can’t tell me what to do! Even if you are my daddy!”

Huck held out his hands. “Look, Cam, I know you’re feeling a little shocked and angry right now, but could you please move away from the edge before I have a heart attack?”

“Only old people have heart attacks.”

“Not true. Young people have heart attacks too. Google it.”

Huck took it as a good sign that Camden didn’t hate him enough to want him dead when he moved away from the edge. But if the scowl on his face was any indication, he was still pissed.

“My mama told me you were a guy she met in college who just wasn’t ready to have kids. Did you go to college with my mama?”

“No, but I don’t want you to be mad at your mama. She only made up that story because, like Poppy said, she and your family worried about how the townsfolk would treat you if they knew you were my son.”

“Why?”

“Because the townsfolk haven’t ever forgiven us for the ornery things we did as kids. She didn’t want our bad reputation affecting you.”

“I wouldn’t have told anyone if she didn’t want me to. But she lied.” His lip stuck out. “So did you.”

“You’re right. We did. I guess we didn’t want the mistake we made harming you.”

“So you’re saying I was a mistake.”

“No!” Damn, he really was screwing this up. He took a deep breath and tried to regroup. Maybe he just needed to be as honest as Poppy had been. It seemed to work for her. “You aren’t a mistake, Cam. You’re perfect. Me and your mama having sex when we weren’t ready was the mistake.”

“Sex? Like kissing?”

Oh, shit. So much for being truthful.

“Umm . . . yes. Like kissing. We weren’t ready to . . . kiss.”

“Then why did you?”

It was a good question. “Because I couldn’t not kiss your mama when I love her so much. But because I was so young and insecure, after we . . . kissed, I got worried she didn’t love me like I love her. Instead of saying that, I ran off.”

Camden studied him for a long moment before he nodded. “Yeah, I did that once. I gave Sophie Hopkins a valentine that I made myself. Before she even opened her valentine bag, I got scared and told the teacher I had a stomachache, so she’d send me to the nurse’s office.”

Huck sat down on the deck and hooked his arms over his knees. “What did Sophie do when you came back to class? I bet she loved your valentine.”

Camden sat down, mimicking Huck’s position. “I don’t think so. The next day at recess, she chased me around with a mouthful of water and spit it at me.”

“Dang, that was harsh.”

Camden nodded. “But I still kinda like her.” He looked at Huck. “Do you like my mama?”

Huck nodded. “Yeah, I like your mama.” The rope ladder squeaked and he figured Poppy was eavesdropping like he had. But he didn’t care. There were some truths he needed to get out. “I liked your mama from the first time I laid eyes on her. I liked her big gap-toothed smile where she’d lost two of her front teeth. I liked the cluster of freckles on her nose and cheeks and the way her ponytails swung when she walked. I liked how she helped other kids find their names above their hooks, so they knew where to hang their backpacks. And how she retied a girl’s hair ribbon into a perfect bow when it was hanging loose. But mostly, I liked the expression on her face when she turned and saw me standing there . . . like I was a surprise gift she wasn’t expecting.”

He swallowed the lump in his throat before continuing. “Up until that point, I hadn’t felt like anyone’s gift. I had a daddy who was never around much and a mama who wasn’t good at making her kids feel special. My two older brothers are tough and smart, and my little sister is cute and sassy. I was just the middle kid who didn’t really feel like I had a place in the world. But your mama made me feel like I had a place. She made me feel special.”

Camden nodded solemnly. “She’s good at that.”

“Yep, she sure is.”

“So you like her a lot.”