her usual, chipper self. He knew the tension was not caused by concern over his mother. Finally, when Eric couldn't take the silence any longer, he broke it.
"Wanna tell me what's going on?"
When Camden burst into tears, Eric realized whatever was bothering her was more serious than he had originally believed. He reached over and grabbed her hand, stroking the backside with his thumb. "Think you can make it to the next exit?" he encouraged. Camden only nodded, and the tears continued to stream down her cheeks.
Within fifteen minutes, Camden had parked the car on the back side of a populated truck stop. She put the car in park, and dropped her head into her hands. Eric slipped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his comforting embrace.
"What's going on, baby?" he whispered.
"I slept with him!" Camden sobbed.
Eric froze. "You what?" he asked.
"I slept with Shane," Camden cried. "We talked about three years ago. Both of us explained our sides." Camden continued weeping. "I told him about Rob. He told me how he got his orders to go to Afghanistan two hours before my party and didn't want to ask me to wait for him in case he didn't make it back home."
Eric nodded and moved his hand to Camden's back. He rubbed it in soothing circles, while he continued to pepper her with gentle questions.
"So why the big freak out?" he prompted.
"He told me he loves me. He wants to be with me, and I can't be with him!" she yelled. "This weekend was to say goodbye...to get closure," she whimpered.
Eric had feared that was the case. Camden had been hiding something from him in the weeks leading up to their trip. He didn't know what, but it was the first time she had ever done so, and he was afraid that deep down he knew the reason.
"Damn it, Camden. You don't need closure with your family! You need them to be part of your life!" he barked. Seeing Camden flinch in response, he schooled his expression and asked again more smoothly.
"So why the big freak out?"
"He thinks that we're together. You and me," she gestured her hands between the two of them.
"Of course, he does, baby. We didn't tell anyone this weekend otherwise."
"He asked me to talk to you. He wants me to "let you down easy" so that he and I can be together."
Eric chuckled, but stopped abruptly when Camden glared at him. "Oh come on!" Eric defended. "Don't you find it funny that he doesn't realize he is more my type than you are ?" At that, Camden's lips finally tipped upward into the shadow of a smile.
"I love you, Eric."
"I love you, too, Cami. You're my best friend." Eric kissed her forehead. "Even though you use my non-existent mother as an excuse to get out of hairy situations…" he playfully grumbled. "B-T-dubs, my dads asked if we can come over next week. They have some sort of announcement, and they want us both there."
Camden's small smile showed how much she loved Eric and his "dads". They had become her family over the last three years, and she didn't know how she would have survived without them. Eric loved them because they took him in as a seventeen year old foster kid, and even though they never officially adopted him, they didn't turn him loose on his eighteenth birthday. They had offered him love and support every day since the day they laid eyes on him. They had truly become the family Eric had never had.
Eric's birth mom had disappeared from the hospital while he was in the nursery being bathed. She didn't even bother checking out of the hospital. She just grabbed her stuff and ran. It was no surprise that she had checked into the hospital with a fake name. Eric had never found her, and he never knew who she or his biological father was. He had spent years moving from home to home in foster care. Some of the stories he had confessed to Camden, when the two were insanely drunk, had broken her heart for him.
She was so thankful to have met Eric. He had shown her that even if life deals you a terrible hand, you can choose to be happy and make
"Wanna tell me what's going on?"
When Camden burst into tears, Eric realized whatever was bothering her was more serious than he had originally believed. He reached over and grabbed her hand, stroking the backside with his thumb. "Think you can make it to the next exit?" he encouraged. Camden only nodded, and the tears continued to stream down her cheeks.
Within fifteen minutes, Camden had parked the car on the back side of a populated truck stop. She put the car in park, and dropped her head into her hands. Eric slipped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his comforting embrace.
"What's going on, baby?" he whispered.
"I slept with him!" Camden sobbed.
Eric froze. "You what?" he asked.
"I slept with Shane," Camden cried. "We talked about three years ago. Both of us explained our sides." Camden continued weeping. "I told him about Rob. He told me how he got his orders to go to Afghanistan two hours before my party and didn't want to ask me to wait for him in case he didn't make it back home."
Eric nodded and moved his hand to Camden's back. He rubbed it in soothing circles, while he continued to pepper her with gentle questions.
"So why the big freak out?" he prompted.
"He told me he loves me. He wants to be with me, and I can't be with him!" she yelled. "This weekend was to say goodbye...to get closure," she whimpered.
Eric had feared that was the case. Camden had been hiding something from him in the weeks leading up to their trip. He didn't know what, but it was the first time she had ever done so, and he was afraid that deep down he knew the reason.
"Damn it, Camden. You don't need closure with your family! You need them to be part of your life!" he barked. Seeing Camden flinch in response, he schooled his expression and asked again more smoothly.
"So why the big freak out?"
"He thinks that we're together. You and me," she gestured her hands between the two of them.
"Of course, he does, baby. We didn't tell anyone this weekend otherwise."
"He asked me to talk to you. He wants me to "let you down easy" so that he and I can be together."
Eric chuckled, but stopped abruptly when Camden glared at him. "Oh come on!" Eric defended. "Don't you find it funny that he doesn't realize he is more my type than you are ?" At that, Camden's lips finally tipped upward into the shadow of a smile.
"I love you, Eric."
"I love you, too, Cami. You're my best friend." Eric kissed her forehead. "Even though you use my non-existent mother as an excuse to get out of hairy situations…" he playfully grumbled. "B-T-dubs, my dads asked if we can come over next week. They have some sort of announcement, and they want us both there."
Camden's small smile showed how much she loved Eric and his "dads". They had become her family over the last three years, and she didn't know how she would have survived without them. Eric loved them because they took him in as a seventeen year old foster kid, and even though they never officially adopted him, they didn't turn him loose on his eighteenth birthday. They had offered him love and support every day since the day they laid eyes on him. They had truly become the family Eric had never had.
Eric's birth mom had disappeared from the hospital while he was in the nursery being bathed. She didn't even bother checking out of the hospital. She just grabbed her stuff and ran. It was no surprise that she had checked into the hospital with a fake name. Eric had never found her, and he never knew who she or his biological father was. He had spent years moving from home to home in foster care. Some of the stories he had confessed to Camden, when the two were insanely drunk, had broken her heart for him.
She was so thankful to have met Eric. He had shown her that even if life deals you a terrible hand, you can choose to be happy and make
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