Part II

“So, you joined the military and saved Strangerville so you could protect people how you wanted to be protected?”

He hadn’t thought of it that way before, but it made sense. If he could help it, no one would ever be antagonized for any reason. “That’s part of it, but honestly? I joined the military so I could feel like a man.” 

He never said it aloud before, and it was surprisingly easy. “Being emasculated by that woman all those years… My confidence was shot. Nobody wants a wimpy man.”

“But, Kameron! I don’t think you were a wimp at all. You could have stayed in that situation, but you got out. And you freakin’ saved a whole city from danger! You just needed the right situation to bring it out.”

“Ok, but I was still wounded and emotionally fragile. Men aren’t allowed to be that way.”

She nodded, staring into the sky with a pensive look on her beautiful face. "So…how did Brytani happen?”

“Well…I was young and dumb. I saved Strangerville, and I thought the world should know me so I started hanging out in Del Sol Valley and rubbing shoulders with any and everyone who could get me noticed. She hit on me at the bar one night. I thought she had pretty eyes, but she wasn’t my type.”

She gasped. “What? You don’t like old as dirt?”

“Ha ha,” he said flatly. “You can’t talk either.”

“Touche.”

“She bought me drinks, and we talked and laughed all night. I knew she was into me, so I figured why not. If I gave her what she wanted, maybe she could get me what I wanted. But, I didn’t expect to… She was so wild. I never had anyone like her before then, and she took me all the way by surprise. But, she was gassing me up like no one ever hit it so good.”

“She made you feel like a man.”

“Yeah, she did. She came by on the regular. When she told me she was pregnant, I felt trapped. We were just supposed to be kicking it not getting into something serious. But, the baby… I never thought about having children before. If it happened, cool. If it didn’t, cool. Even though I felt trapped, I wanted Melany so bad. We were having this child who would be born into a weird situation, and all I wanted to do was love her and protect her like no one else.”

Nadia grinned. “You did. You do.”

Kameron snorted. “Yeah, well, I also wanted her to grow up with two parents, so I asked Brytani to move in. She didn’t like the idea at first but eventually caved. We got to know each other so much better. Like friends, you know?”

“Friends with benefits.”

He chuckled for the first time in a while. It felt great. “Had to have those benefits. I never intended for us to be together, but I liked her. We were a good team, and because we had a child and were living together, I was naive enough to think she’d be keen on marriage. That’s how we ended.”

“Wow. Ok…hear me out on this. Brytani has probably always been the same. Why does her absence still bother you?”

“Because I don’t understand how people can behave that way!” 

His escalated voice took him by surprise. “You’ve have two children. You know what it feels like. I don’t understand how anyone can walk away from that!”

She gasped again. “Your mother! Of course! This is about your mother. Kameron … I wish I knew what to say.”

"It’s ok. You’ve said enough, and I think you’re right. I need help unpacking this mess.”

“I enjoyed hearing you open up.”

“I enjoyed your ear.”

The End