Page 64 of Her Faithful Protector

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It was déjà vu all over again.

“I thought you would be gone by now,” her mother was saying.

“You thought wrong,” Nic responded.

“You’re really not needed here,” Enid Ross’ said in her most supercilious tone. Camilla cringed. She’d always hated it when her mother spoke to her like that.

“That’s going to be Cami’s decision, Mrs. Ross,” Nic said calmly.

Time to enter the fray.

“Good morning, you two.” She opened her eyes, then winced. The bright sunlight made her head hurt.

“Camilla, you really need to tell this man to leave,” her mother said as she moved close to her bed. Camilla sighed with relief as Nic started lowering the blinds. Now if he could just do something that would stop all the pain in her arm, without giving her drugs that knocked her flat on her ass.

“Camilla, are you listening to me?”

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” she asked her mother.

“I have to leave tonight. Your doctor said you’re not going to be good to fly for three more days. By then your father will be back from Mongolia so he can come and fly back with you to Virginia. I’ll have arranged a proper day nurse and night nurse to take care of your needs when you arrive at the house.”

Her mother was looking at her smartphone, reading through her action items. How often had Camilla felt like an action item on her mother’s to-do list when she was growing up?

Too damn often.

“Mother, I told you I wasn’t going home with you,” Camilla said in a firm and quiet voice. It was the best way to handle her parents. No emotion. Just stand your ground. When her mother tried to run her over, Camilla just kept on marching along as if her mother had never said a thing.

“Camilla, I already told you how it would be.” Her mother’s blue eyes glittered down at her.

For just a second Camilla allowed herself to look at Nic standing behind her mother. She took some of his strength and used it as her own.

“Yes, Mother, you did tell me. But I’m twenty-four years old. You don’t run my life. I’m not moving in with you. Tell Dad not to bother to come, I’ll find my own way home.”

“Young lady, this is not acceptable,” her mother huffed.

That did bring a smile to Camilla’s face. She hadn’t been called ‘young lady’ in that tone of voice in years. The last time had been when she was dating Nic. How appropriate he should be in the room with them now.

“Mother, I’ll take care of myself. I have been for years.”

She saw the moment her mother decided to take another tack. “Would you really deny me the right to take care of my only child in her time of need?”

Camilla snorted. That was a good one.

“Mother, you weren’t going to take care of me; you said you would hire a day and a night nurse,” she explained patiently.

“I would have supervised.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m not going home with you. I’m fine on my own.”

Her mother gave her a once-over, then sniffed. “Fine. But Camilla Ann Ross, when something goes horribly wrong, you cannot blame it on me.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence Mother,” she said to her mother’s back as she left the room.

She looked Nic up and down. “So are you round two?” she asked.

He grinned at her. “No, ma’am. I’m too scared to fight with you.”