Free Only You by Kaleigh James

the best of it. You can build your own family and surround yourself with love. After Camden left home, Eric was truly the best thing that ever happened to her. His dads Marvin and Tim were a close second. Those two had taken one look at her when she was a lost, miserable, eighteen year old kid and pulled her right into their family dynamic. She wondered what their announcement would be. Hopefully, her own announcement wouldn't overshadow theirs.
    Eric snapped his fingers in front of Camden's face, and she realized she must have completely tuned him out while her thoughts wandered. "Huh? Sorry," she muttered, shaking her head to dislodge the fog that had settled in her mind. "What did you say?" she asked Eric.
    "I said, 'Now, back to issue at hand.' Why can't you and Shane be together? If you have both wanted each other all this time, and you've both finally confessed it, what is stopping you?"
    Camden just stared at him with tears in her eyes.
    "It's back," she whispered, and Eric felt his chest tighten in fear.
    ***
    Chapter 10
    Shane couldn’t force the grin that was stretching across his face to go away. The people working at the burger joint must have thought he was either crazy or an aspiring clown. Who was he kidding? Anyone who was an aspiring clown would definitely be considered crazy. But the fact of the matter was that this was the best day of his entire life. The trip to get lunch took him longer than expected, since the kitchen had to cook a fresh batch of onion rings for Camden’s order, but Shane never stopped smiling. He couldn’t wait to get back to camp and pull Camden into his arms again. He knew she was nervous about breaking things off with Eric, but Shane would be there to support her the whole time.
    Shane was drawn from his thoughts by the ringing of his cell phone. The reception in town must be better than the reception at the campground, he thought. Shane glanced at the screen, and realized the call was from Javier, his bar manager. Mentally cursing the distraction, Shane pulled the Jeep to the side of the road and flipped open the phone.
    “Shane Hunt,” he grunted into the receiver.
    “Shane, my man. I need to talk to you about Melia.” Shane groaned. Melia had been a waitress at the bar since opening day. She was a phenomenal waitress, but the girl brought so much baggage and drama to the place, Shane almost wished he’d never hired her.
    “What now, Javi?” he whined. “She couldn’t let me have a single, problem free weekend?”
    Javier chuckled. “You should know better than that, chico. I think she’s got it in her head that you took off for a weekend with another woman.” Javier’s laughter continued.
    “Another woman?” Shane growled. “You make it sound like something is going on between me and Melia.”
    “She only wishes, partner,” Javier grinned. “I know your only wife is the bar, even if Melia doesn’t. Although I’m still trying to figure out when you find time to get your pole waxed.”
    Shane wasn’t in the mood for Javi’s crude humor. “So what did she do now?” He cut to the chase. Camden’s food was getting cold, and Shane didn’t want Melia (of all people) to keep him away from her.
    “Her baby daddy showed up causing a ruckus last night. It seems that to piss him off, she told him that he might not be Junior’s papi.” Javi paused for dramatic effect. “It seems that honor belongs to you.”
    If Shane had been drinking anything at that moment, it would have spewed across the console of the Jeep. Javier broke into riotous laughter at Shane’s reaction. “Seriously, man!” he laughed. “I knew she was full of shit.”
    Javier’s laughter calmed, and his tone became more serious. “Truly, dude. Her man is pissed. It might be a good thing you ARE gone this weekend. Guy looks like he eats hubcaps for breakfast. He’s huge...a tank.”
    Shane shook his head in frustration. “Tell Melia she better have this shit sorted before I get back, or