The Stubborn Suitor, Complete Series (An Alpha Billionaire In Love BBW Romance) (21 page)

“I have to agree with Ashley on this, Cam,” Maggie said. “Plus, he didn’t even know you were a mother when he met you on the beach. You said he didn’t learn that until way later, when he picked you up for your first date. But he was gushing about you to Grant that first weekend, talking about how much he liked you and wanted to see you again. Remember?”

“I remember,” Cami assured her.

Perhaps her insecurities really were all in her mind. Perhaps this time, things were finally going to work out. Maybe Drew really did feel the same way about her as she did about him.

That thought kept a smile on Cami’s face for the rest of the day.

B
y the end
of the second week that Cami and Drew had been together officially—since the car incident—Cami had grown accustomed to Drew being in her home, and in her life.

She was still driving the car he loaned her, having finally stopped asking about her crappy old car after the fiftieth time Drew had blown her off or changed the subject. It wasn’t like she was excited to go back to driving the clunker after spending time in a luxury car. So, Cami just let it go.

She also couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually cooked her own dinner. On the rare evenings when Drew didn’t visit or they didn’t go over to Drew’s house, Cami and Madison ate leftovers from whatever meal Drew had prepared last. Cami reasoned that, since the man was just so much better of a cook than she was, spending her time preparing mediocre meals when Drew was happy to make amazing ones just seemed wrong.

And so, Cami had taken to relaxing with Madison after work while Drew prepared dinner. He was currently making hamburgers and French fries while Cami helped Madison color at the table. The two adults talked about their respective days while going about this all-too-domesticated business. It just felt so natural at this point that Cami barely questioned it anymore.

“So,” Drew was saying, “because there isn’t already a food bank in the area, I’m working with a couple of people at the homeless shelter to establish one. It’s a little frustrating to realize that this town doesn’t even have a system in place to help feed hungry families. Especially considering all of the wealth here.”

“Yeah,” Cami said, thinking about Ken and Drew’s old business investor, James Cook. “But most wealthy people have no interest in helping the poor. They haven’t been there themselves, so they don’t have the ability to empathize.”

“It makes me angry,” Drew growled as he pulled the baked fries out of the oven. Cami couldn’t help but think that he was adorable when he was being passionate about his foundation.

“Don’t be angry,” Madison said, looking up from her pictures.

“No, sweetheart,” Drew said, coming over to the table so that he could kiss the top of Madison’s head. “I’m not angry. Not really.”

“Good,” Madison replied. “Wanna color?”

“Not right now. I’m making dinner, remember?” Drew was still standing at the table, absentmindedly running his hand through Madison’s hair as he smiled down at the picture she was coloring nowhere near in the lines.

Even though Drew was around almost every day, it still warmed Cami’s heart to watch the way he interacted with her daughter.

“Burgers,” Madison replied in answer to Drew’s question.

“Yep,” Drew confirmed. “Burgers.” With that he moved over towards the stove where the burgers in question were grilling.

“Anyway,” he continued, speaking to Cami again. “That’s what I did all morning. I also spoke on the phone to the head of the local Habitat for Humanity chapter this afternoon. Thankfully, that’s something I don’t have to waste time trying to get up and running.”

“You know,” Cami said, watching Drew flip the burgers, “you really should look into hiring someone.”

“Eventually, yeah,” Drew replied. “But, honestly, right now there is actually isn’t that much to do. Not really. And I’m so used to working twelve to fifteen hour days, I’m a little bored. I think I’m more frustrated at people’s apathy than I am at the lack of help.”

“Well,” Cami said as she began to pick up the crayons and put them away. “If you do need help, and there’s anything
I
can do, just let me know.”

“Yeah?” Drew asked, turning to look at her.

“Yeah!” Cami assured her as she picked up all of the coloring supplies and put them away to make room for dinner. “I would love to help.”

“Because there
is
something you could do, if you had time,” Drew said, looking at her with some anxiety as he compiled the juicy burgers and plated them along with generous portions of fries.

“Sure, anything,” Cami said.

“You could look into whether or not there are any low cost or no cost health clinics in town. My initial research shows none, but I haven’t had time yet to look into what already existing hospitals or doctor’s offices offer. I figured that, with your medical experience, you’d be more qualified to do that than I would.”

“Of course,” Cami responded, excited to have a task she felt confident in being able to perform. “I can start on that tomorrow, since I’m not working Fridays at the moment.”

In fact, between Drew covering her legal bills and purchasing the bulk of the groceries he used to cook, Cami hadn’t had to pick up any overtime in the last few weeks. Her days off were now just that—days off. It was nice. But she didn’t mind spending a few hours of that precious free time helping Drew with his philanthropic foundation. In fact, she couldn’t think of a worthier thing to do with her time—that didn’t involve spending time with Madison, of course.

They were just settling down for dinner when there was a knock at the door. Knock was probably the wrong word, actually. It was like someone was banging on the door as hard as they possibly could. Cami could feel every nerve ending in her body tense up, and the hair at the back of her neck stood on end. Madison’s eyes grew big and frightened, and Drew turned towards the door worriedly.

“Expecting anyone?” he asked, a frown on his face.

“No,” Cami replied.

“Open up, you bitch. I know you’re in there,” came Ken’s loud, angry voice from the front porch.

“Daddy?” Madison asked uncertainly.

“I know you’re in there. Your boyfriend’s shitty BMW is in the driveway. Open up or it’s going to get keyed.”

“Daddy?” Madison asked again, though there were tears in her eyes now. She looked truly frightened.

Cami couldn’t help but wonder how many times her daughter witnessed Ken’s outbursts while over at his house for the weekend. More than ever, she promised herself that she’d keep her daughter away from that maniac. She was also extremely embarrassed that Drew had to witness this. What must he think of Cami for choosing to marry such a man? Was he regretting loaning her his car? Was he regretting getting involved with her at all? Cami couldn’t help but feel like her life was often way more drama than Drew could possibly put up with.

“Cami,” Drew said in a deep, serious voice. “I think you should take Madison into your bedroom and let me handle this.”

“No,” Cami replied stubbornly. The last thing she wanted was to put more of her shit off on Drew. He’d already been so helpful—too helpful. She couldn’t ask for more. This was her mess to clean up. “He is my ex and my problem. I’ve dealt with him in this state before. I can do it again now.”

Drew’s jaw clenched. She could tell he wanted to argue, but after a moment, he offered her a quick nod.

“Fine,” he growled. “But Madison needs to be in your room with the door shut and the TV on.”

“Agreed,” Cami replied, picking up her daughter and heading towards the master bedroom.

“We’re going to watch a movie in bed, okay?” Cami asked, turning on the television without waiting for a response from Madison.

In fact, Madison wasn’t responding at all. Her eyes were still wide and she was shaking. Cami had half of a mind to give in to Drew and stay in here with her daughter. But she had to go deal with Ken—it was her responsibility. So she put a Disney movie on and kissed her daughter on the forehead before heading back out into the hall, shutting the door securely behind her.

Ken was still banging on the door, screaming obscenities. Cami knew that if her neighbors hadn’t called the cops yet, they were sure to do so soon. Drew was standing in the middle of the living room, his jaw still clenched as he curled and uncurled his hands into fists, staring at the door.

“Calm down. Let me handle this. It’s probably best if you stay out of sight.”

Drew glared for a moment longer before nodding and heading into the kitchen. Cami took a deep breath and opened the door. Ken stood still for a moment, as if in shock, just glaring at her. His eyes were glassy and bloodshot, and Cami could tell that he was incredibly drunk. After a second, Ken pushed past her and marched into the house.

“Where the fuck is my daughter?” he growled. “Madison!”

“You will not be seeing Madison in this state,” Cami said curtly. “What are you thinking, showing up like this?” she demanded. “Are you trying to traumatize your daughter?”

“Shut up, you stupid bitch,” Ken snarled. “This is all your fault!”

“What is?” Cami replied, trying hard not to raise her voice enough to worry Madison. The little girl was already stressed enough without having to listen to her mother shout. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Your stupid fucking lawyer. He thinks he can just come and shove some stupid DUIs down my throat and expect me to back off? He doesn’t get to do that. How dare he? And of course now, Natalie knows about them. And she’s pissed. And it’s all your fault. You and your fucking lawyer.”

“No,” Cami said, seething with rage. “This is all
your
fault, Ken. You brought this on yourself. It was your idea to sue for more custody—or at least you let Natalie push you into it. Things were fine as they were. Now I’m going to make sure you never see your daughter again, you drunken asshole.”

“How dare you talk to me like that,” he snarled, stalking towards her. Cami refused to step backwards. She refused to let him intimidate her. “And you have no say over what I can and can’t do with my daughter. Madison is
mine,
and I can see her if I want to. Madison!” he screamed again.

“You need to leave right now, Ken. If you don’t, I’m going to call the cops.” Cami reached for her purse on the counter by the door and pulled out her phone. She held it up to him, as if to emphasize that she was serious.

“You can’t scare me, bitch,” he growled, lunging towards her.

This time Cami did step backwards, letting out a little shriek as she did so. As it turned out, that was completely unnecessary, because, as soon as Ken had started towards her, Drew stepped out of the shadows and held him back, pushing him until he was pinned against the wall.

“What the fuck?” Ken asked as he whirled around, attempting to swing at Drew but missing.

Cami had never seen Drew look so angry; his eyes were full of rage as he glared at Ken.

“Cami,” Drew said without taking his eyes away her ex-husband. “I want you to go into the bedroom with Madison and call the police. I will deal with this.”

Cami wanted to argue. She even opened her mouth to respond, but then Drew shot her a look over Ken’s shoulder that implied that there would be no discussing this. Drew meant business. Cami just nodded, pulling her phone up to dial 911 as she hurried back into the bedroom.

“And lock the door behind you,” she heard Drew call.

Cami did not need to be told twice.

D
rew was having a really
great day. He’d spent the morning making plans for a new food bank, then spent the afternoon coordinating with the local Habitat for Humanity chapter. He’d then gone to the store and prepared to cook for his little family. That’s how Drew had been thinking about Cami and Madison—as
his
family. He made dinner while Madison and Cami spent time in the kitchen, just being close to him as he cooked.

It was so different than when he’d been with his ex. She’d never really wanted to spend time with him, unless it involved going out and squandering his money. Cami and her daughter seemed content just to be in the same room with him, talking about their days and coloring pictures.

As he was cooking, Drew couldn’t help but think about the future, planning for the day that he would invite Cami and Madison to come live with him. He would put a nice-sized table in his kitchen, since no one really sat at the grand dining room table anyway. Instead, he would make an area where his girls could hang out with him while he cooked—where they could all eat as a family.

That’s what he was thinking of when there was a loud bang across the door. Soon, the obviously drunken voice of Cami’s ex rang out across the house. Madison was petrified, and for that reason alone, Drew could have knocked the man clear into next week. But when he started screaming obscenities at Cami through the door, Drew knew that he would make sure Ken got what was coming to him.

He tried to convince Cami to go wait in the bedroom with Madison, but—of course—Cami would have none of it. So, after Madison was safe and secure in the back of the house, Drew moved into the kitchen, still close enough to intervene if he felt like his girlfriend was being at all threatened, when Cami opened the door.

At first, Drew just smirked at Ken’s words, recognizing them for what they were—petulant cries of a desperate man, a man who already knew he lost. When he mentioned that his fiancée didn’t know about his stack of DUIs until the lawyers dug them up, it was all Drew could do not to laugh. He also couldn’t help but admire the strength and tenacity with which Cami stood up to the man. She wasn’t backing down. She wasn’t showing even the slightest bit of intimidation. And Drew couldn’t help but love her more for it, even as he wished that she was a little more careful with her own safety.

But then Ken lunged. Drew didn’t even think, he just moved. He charged from the kitchen and towards the man, catching his arm before he could swing it towards Cami and pressing him back against the wall with both hands. Cami was far enough away to have missed the punch, proving once again that she was more than capable of taking care of herself. But it still sent a wave of fury through Drew’s body, which was already pumping with anger and adrenaline. At the moment, he felt like he could rip Cami’s ex-husband to pieces with his bare hands.

“What the fuck?” Ken asked, not having realized that Drew was in the room until he’d grabbed a hold of him.

It was all Drew could do not to pummel the man right then and there. But he didn’t want to do that in front of Cami. Instead, he took a deep breath and tried to calm down, all the while still holding the thrashing Ken tightly in his grasp.

“Cami,” he began when he was calm enough to speak. “I want you to go into the bedroom with Madison and call the police. I will deal with this.” He could hear Ken cussing under his breath as Cami turned to leave. “And lock the door behind you,” he called out to her as she went.

“I don’t know who you think you are, dirt-bag,” Ken began, twisting in Drew’s grasp. “But that’s
my
wife and child in there and—”

“Ex-wife,” Drew interjected. “And Madison won’t be your daughter for much longer. I’m going to make sure of it. Especially after the shit you’ve pulled tonight.”

“Like you can control that, you asshole,” Ken said, twisting to try and knee Drew in the crotch.

But Ken was drunk, and his movements were slow and obvious. Plus, Drew had the feeling that he was in a much better shape. But just the fact that he’d tried, pissed Drew off even more. Giving in to his baser nature, he let go of Ken with one hand, pulled back, and punched him hard in the face. Ken’s head ricocheted back and hit the wall, blood pouring from his nose as he slowly sank towards the floor.

Drew shook his fist, though he pain pumping through it was entirely worth it to see the douche bag curled up in a pile. Drew turned away, smiling. He’d been wanting to do that for weeks.

He moved towards the hall, planning on checking on Cami and Madison, when he heard a shuffle behind him. He spun around quickly to find Ken staggering towards him, his expression contorted in rage as blood ran down his face. Now, with injury as well as inebriation, Ken’s actions were even slower and easier to figure out. As he lunged at Drew, Drew moved, bringing his knee up to collide with Ken’s stomach. Ken groaned in pain as he once again collapsed on the ground.

“You really want to stay down this time,” Drew warned. “Trust me.”

Ken just moaned in reply. He didn’t seem like he was going to try and fight anymore, but Drew decided it was better to stay where he was until the police arrived. He was sure that Cami and Madison were safe in the bedroom, no matter how badly he wanted to go check on them.

Instead, he tried, as hard as he could, not to grind his foot into Ken’s shoulder blades as he waited for the familiar wail of sirens.