“So do I,” he replied. “Mom and Dad are probably upstairs…”

Nodding, I pulled myself away from the center of the room and trailed behind him. We ended up in a living room, that like the basement, had a well lived in feel. A huge sectional couch took up most of the room, placed directly in front of another large TV. Magazines were scattered across the coffee table and potted plants instead of weird statues and paintings filled almost every corner.

“Living room,” Cam commented, going through an archway. “And this is the second living room or some room that no one sits in. Maybe it’s a sitting room? Who knows? And this is the formal dining room that we never use but have—”

“We do to use the dining room!” came a woman’s voice. “Maybe once or twice a year, when we have company.”

“And break the ‘good dishes’ out,” Cam commented dryly.

My legs stopped working at the sound of Cam’s mother’s voice. I hovered at the end of the table, heart in my throat as his mother came through the door.

Cam’s mom was as tall and striking as he was, with raven-colored hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. Her eyes were brown and free of make up. Tiny crows feet appeared at the corners as a wide smile broke out across her face as she spotted her son. She wore a pair of jeans and a baggy sweater.

She rushed across the room, enveloping him in a hug. “I don’t even know where the ‘good dishes’ are, Cameron.”

He laughed. “Wherever they are, they’re probably hiding from the paper plates.”

Laughing softly, she pulled back. “Good to have you home. Your father is starting to get on my nerves with all his going hunting talk.” Her gaze fell over his shoulders and she smiled welcomingly. “And this must be Avery?”

“Oh, God, no,” Cam said. “This is Candy, Mom.”

His mother’s eyes widened and a bit of color infused her cheeks. “Uh, I’m…”

“I’m Avery,” I said, shooting Cam a look. “You had it right.”

She spun around, smacking Cam across the arm. Hard, too. “Cameron! Oh my God, I thought…” She smacked him again and he laughed. “You’re terrible.” Shaking her head, she turned back to me. “You must be a patient young lady to have survived a trip here with this idiot.”

Thinking I hadn’t heard her right, I blinked and then a laugh burst from me as Cam scowled. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“Oh.” His mom glanced over her shoulder at Cam. “And she’s well mannered. It’s okay. I know my son is a… handful. By the way, you can call me Dani. Everyone does.”

Then she hugged me.

And it was a real hug—a warm, affectionate hug. I couldn’t even remember the last time my mom hugged me. Emotion crawled up my throat and I squelched it before I made a fool out of my myself.

“Thank you for letting me come up,” I said, happy that my voice didn’t crack.

“It’s no problem. We love having the company. Come on, let’s go meet the guy who thinks he’s my better half.” His mom dropped an arm around my shoulders and squeezed. “And dear God, I apologize ahead of time if he starts talking to you about how many eight point bucks he’s planning to hunt this weekend.”

As she led me toward the foyer, I glanced over to where Cam waited. Our gazes locked and that flipping motion occurred in my chest. A smile spread across his face, revealing the dimple in his left cheek.

Cam winked.

And my smile widened.

Chapter 18 

Cam got those blue eyes from his father, his sense of humor… and ability to string together the most confusing rationale on this Earth, which was what probably made Richard Hamilton such a successful lawyer. Within a few short hours, he nearly had me agreeing to try deer jerky for the first time.

Almost.

If it weren’t for Cam continuously whispering “Bambi” in my ear every couple of minutes, I would’ve caved. But I couldn’t eat Bambi, no matter how succulent Mr. Hamilton made it sound.

We stayed in the spacious kitchen, at the scuffed oak table that was just the right size to seat four or five people, drinking the coffee Cam’s mother had made. My sides were actually aching from laughing so hard at Cam and his father. The two of them were identical. Wavy, uncontrollable hair, bright blue eyes that sparkled with pure mischief and the rare talent for turning every word around.

“Look, Dad, seriously, you’re embarrassing yourself here.”

His father glanced at me, brows raised in a fashion that was so like Cam. “Do I look embarrassed, Avery?”

Pressing my lips together, I shook my head.

Cam shot me a look that said I wasn’t helping. “You’re sitting here trying to convince me, mom, Avery, and baby Jesus, that Big Foot must exist because apes exist?”

“Yes!” the older Hamilton shouted. “It’s called evolution, son. Are they teaching you anything at college?”

Cam rolled his eyes. “No, Dad, they aren’t teaching me about Big Foot at college.”

“Actually,” I said, clearing my throat. “There is the whole missing link theory when it comes to primates.”

“I like this girl.” Mr. Hamilton winked at me.

“You’re not helping,” Cam grumbled.

“All I’m saying is once you’ve been out in the woods and heard the things I’ve heard,” his father continued. “You’d believe in Big Foot and the chupacabra.”

“Chupacabra?” Cam’s jaw hit the table. “Aw, come on, Dad.”

Mrs. Hamilton shook her head fondly. “These are my boys. I’m so proud.”

 I grinned as I took a sip of the rich coffee. “They really are quite something else together.”

“Something else?” She huffed as she pushed from the table, grabbing her husband’s empty coffee cup. “That’s the nice way of saying their bat shit crazy.”

“Hey!” Mr. Hamilton’s head whipped around, eyes dancing. “You listen here, woman.”

“You can listen to my foot up your ass if you call me woman again.” Mrs. Hamilton refilled the cup and reached for the sugar. “And you can take that to court.”

Cam sighed and lowered his head.

I smothered my giggle with my hand.

His family was… wonderful. They were friendly and warm. Nothing like my own. I doubted my mom knew how to use the coffee maker or would lower herself to serving someone, even my dad.

Mrs. Hamilton put the cup down in front of her husband. “Aren’t you two going to the drive-in tonight?”

“Yep,” Cam said, standing. He picked up our bags. “We need to get going so we get a good spot.”

“Make sure you grab some thick blankets,” she said, sitting back down at the table. “It’s been getting really cold at night.”

I was kind of reluctant to leave his family, even if the conversation was pretty bizarre. I stood, thanking his mother for the coffee.

“No problem, honey.” Mrs. Hamilton turned to her son. “I have the yellow room ready for her, Cameron. Be a gentleman and show her where it is.”

A strange look crossed Cam’s face, but it was gone by the time we stepped out into the foyer. I followed Cam up the stairs. “I like your parents. They’re very nice.”

“They’re pretty cool.” He trailed his hand along the wooden banister. “Is your dad convinced that Big Foot exists?”

I laughed. “No.”

“How about the chupacabra?”

Laughing again, I shook my head. “Definitely no.”

He headed down the hall on the second floor. “My parents have a room upstairs and my sister has one at the start of the hall.” He stopped outside of a door and nudged it open with his hip. “This is the yellow room, because it’s yellow.”

The room was yellow, but a pretty buttercup shade and not school bus. Cam put my bag on the bed as I made my way over to the window overlooking a side garden below. I turned, catching a fresh scent of vanilla. “It’s really pretty. I hope your mom didn’t go through any trouble.”

“She didn’t.” He stretched his arms above his head, cracking his back. “You think you’ll be ready in about thirty minutes?”

I sat on the edge of the bed. “Yep.”