Straight To The Heart (Three Of A Kind #3) Read online

  “I am Jasper’s girlfriend. You know, the whore, the younger one, the one that he’s using….and whatever else I’m sure Kathy has told you about me. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back home with them, per their father’s request, or if you prefer, you can call Jasper and let him know that he can pick them up from you. It really makes no difference to me.” I handed her my phone and pulled up Jasper’s name in my contacts.

  Her jaw was opened a mile wide, an impressive feat considering the amount of plastic that was all over that face of hers. “What – I – I’m not calling Jasper Campbell.” She began to back away.

  “Okay then, it’s settled. Jack and Ava, let’s go!” I demanded.

  Jack looked up at his sister, obviously planning to follow her lead. She stomped her foot and tossed her head back before gathering her things and storming off toward the cab that was waiting for us.

  “Really? A cab?” she whined. “My father always has a driver pick us up.”

  “Well, isn’t that special? But I don’t see your father around right now, do you? So get in.”

  She rolled her eyes and slid into the cab with Jack right behind her.

  As expected, the cab ride was silent. Thankfully, Ava made sure her brother was sandwiched between the two of us – after all, she may catch cooties from me.

  “I’m starving!” Jack exclaimed, finally breaking his silence as we entered my apartment, both of them looking around taking everything in about my tiny little place that was probably the size of their closets at home.

  “You actually live here?” Ava asked, letting out a sarcastic giggle before crossing her arms and allowing the usual scowl to come back to her face whenever I was around.

  Don’t answer that Gia. Don’t answer that. She is just a kid….a snot nosed bratty one but nonetheless, a kid. I took a deep breath and bit my bottom lip, trying my hardest to obey my inner voice.

  “So Jack, do you like mac n cheese?” I asked, putting on a big fake smile.

  He quickly nodded. “Jack, no. Just wait till Dad gets here and he’ll take us out for real food,” Ava commanded.

  “But I’m hungry now!” Jack whined.

  “It’s fine, Jack. I’ll make you some now and if you’re still hungry when your dad gets here, you can go eat with him as well,” I said, watching a satisfied grin stretch across his face.

  “Hmm…” Ava pouted, plopping down on the couch and engrossing herself in her phone.

  Jack followed me into the tiny kitchen area that barely fit the two of us; I could only guess what he was thinking as he looked around. I was giving them a boatload of things to report back to their mother. “You make mac n cheese from a box?” he asked, acting as if he’d never seen it in that form before. What kid his age didn’t know that mac n cheese came from a box? That’s right, an over privileged, snotty one.

  “Jack, really? You never had this kind of mac n cheese before?” He shook his head. “Well, then you don’t know what you’re missing!” He smiled, looking like he was more than up for trying it.

  “Our mother only cooks organic food. She would never give us that over processed junk,” Ava chimed in from the couch.

  “Well, sometimes you’ve just got to live a little, Ava,” I retorted, getting no response from her as she continued to play on her phone.

  Jack remained in the kitchen with me, examining the photos that were on my fridge. “Are you a ballerina?” he asked as he looked at the picture of me from one of the ballets I was in.

  “Yeah, I –”

  “More like a stripper,” Ava muttered under her breath.

  Finally, the inner voice that was telling me to keep my mouth shut was suddenly silent.

  “Excuse me?!” I screeched as I took a step out of the kitchen.

  I could tell by the nervous look on her face that she knew she’d gone too far. “Nothing.” She tried playing it off, looking back down at her phone.

  “No, Ava. I want you to repeat what you just said, only louder so I can hear it.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Well, that’s what my mother said you did for a living.”

  “Well, your mother is wrong! Your mother doesn’t even know me and for her to be saying stuff like that, especially to you and your brother, is just downright ignorant and obnoxious!”

  Her jaw dropped. “My mother is not ignorant or obnoxious!” she shouted.

  “Yeah, she is! Even if that was the profession I chose at least I’d be making my own money and supporting myself. Some people don’t have money just given to them and actually have to work for it. You and your mother should really think about that before passing judgment on people!”

  “Well, isn’t that what you have my father for?” She glared up at me with widened eyes. I took a deep breath just as Jack saved the day, shouting to let me know that water was about to boil over on the stove.

  After I fixed Jack’s mac n cheese I took a seat at the kitchen table with him.

  “That was good!” He gave me a toothless grin after downing two bowls. I couldn’t help but think I could totally win him over if it wasn’t for his witchy big sister. He pulled out a coloring book and crayons from his backpack, and I began to color with him, hoping that would help me forget about the little she-devil, sitting just a few feet away. My eyes kept scanning the clock in hopes that Jasper would soon get here to collect them.

  Relief swept over me when I heard the buzzer, nearly tripping over my own feet to buzz him in. I unlocked the door and began to pack up Jack’s stuff. Ava jumped from the couch and stood by the door just as Jasper appeared. “Hey, princess.” He leaned down and kissed her on the top of her head. I could feel the vomit churning in my stomach, just watching how he doted on this spoiled little brat. I helped Jack place his backpack over his shoulder and he nearly fell over, running to give his father a hug.

  “Daddy, Daddy, Gia made me some really good dinner,” Jack beamed.

  “Oh yeah?” Jasper furrowed his eyebrows, knowing I couldn’t cook to save my life.

  “It was just mac n cheese…from a box.”

  He let out a loud laugh. “Ah Jack, that’s not dinner, that’s junk.”

  I let out an annoyed gasp and shook my head over his callousness. I turned my head when he swiped his hand across my cheek to lighten the mood. “Lighten up, Gia, I’m only kidding.”

  “Daddy, is Jeffrey downstairs waiting with the car?” Ava asked.

  “Yes, take your brother and go down. I’ll meet you down there in a minute,” Jasper answered.

  “Come on Jack!” Ava tugged on the sleeve of his jacket, forcing him to go.

  “Bye, Gia!” Jack exclaimed as Ava dragged him out the door.

  “See ya, Jack,” I responded.

  “Thanks so much for doing that for me, Gia,” Jasper spoke once the kids were out of sight.

  “Yup.” I turned around in a huff.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked, totally oblivious.

  “Hmm…I don’t know Jasper. I totally rearranged my plans for tonight for you, only to be insulted by a teenager who’s involved a little too much with her parent’s personal lives.”

  “What happened?” he asked.

  “She called me a stripper, Jasper. Then basically accused me of using you for your money.”

  He waved his hand dismissively. “Oh that’s just her mother filling her head with nonsense. Just ignore it.”

  “Really? So you think it’s okay for your thirteen-year-old daughter to be talking to me that way?”

  “No, I didn’t say that, Gia. All I’m saying is that this whole divorce process has been hard on Ava and-“

  I held my hand up in the air to stop him. “Don’t give me that! My parents divorced when I was just a little older than her, and the difference was, if my father had ever heard me say those things to his now current wife, I would have been punished. I am not the cause of your divorce, and I don’t appreciate her treating me like I am.”

  He let out an exhausting breath. “Gia,
look I’m sorry if she offended you.”

  I shook my head and formed a frustrated smile. “You just don’t get it! You should not be apologizing to me right now, she should! Now, if you don’t mind I’d like to go to bed and forget this day ever happened.”

  “Gia, come on. As soon as Kathy gets home, I can drop them off and then we can go out and celebrate your birthday.”

  “No, I’m really not in the mood anymore. I’ll talk to you sometime over the weekend.” I began to walk away and headed toward the bathroom. “Can you make sure the door is locked behind you?” I asked, turning around to face him. He nodded, staring at me silently for a moment before walking out the door.

  I flopped down on the couch and threw my head back. “Happy freakin’ birthday to me,” I whispered.

  Nine

  Cam

  I’d just gotten into New York and planned on surprising Gia for her birthday, but when I called Carrie to find out where they were, I was the one that got the surprise; Gia was actually spending her birthday with her boyfriend and not her sister. I couldn’t believe it! Gia would never have changed her birthday plans for anyone before. Maybe she was really falling for this guy. I was only two blocks past her apartment building and decided to send her a text. I couldn’t give a shit less if she was with what’s his face or not, in fact I hoped I was interrupting something just to piss him off. I’d never met the guy and really had no reason to not like him, but there was something at the back of my mind that made me wonder if he was setting Gia up for heartache.

  So what are you doing for your birthday?

  Her reply came within seconds:

  Sitting on the couch feeling sorry for myself.

  I immediately told the driver to turn back around and head toward her apartment.

  Bummer! I’ll be around tomorrow. Maybe I can cheer you up.

  I stepped out of the taxi and was just outside her apartment building when I began to wonder how the hell I was gonna surprise her, knowing that she had to buzz me in.

  Awesome! She replied back.

  I hit the buzzer and did my best to disguise my voice when I heard her answer the intercom. “I’ve got a delivery for Gia Maynard.” Damn, that was impressive. I almost didn’t recognize my own voice. I heard the buzzer and I was in. I took the stairs two at a time to find Gia already waiting with the door open; the smile that stretched across her face did something to my insides that I had never experienced in my life.

  “Oh my god! Cam!” She looped her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly. “This is the best surprise ever!” She said with tears streaming down her face. She opened the door further and led me in. “Are you planning on moving in?” she teased, looking at the overnight bag that I had just placed on the floor.

  “Nah… I was just on my way from the airport to my hotel when I texted you.”

  “Oh damn! You’re the only other person besides Carrie that I could be roomies with.” She still had a smile plastered across her face.

  “So, why are you feeling sorry for yourself? You’re only twenty-five, you shouldn’t be getting depressed over birthdays just yet.”

  She motioned for me to sit on the couch and then sat down next to me. She completely opened up about what’s his face and his daughter, pausing between words every now and then to take a breath. “Well, why did you even agree to pick up his kids if you knew that the daughter hated you?”

  She stared into space for a moment, looking deep in thought. “I don’t know. I’m a glutton for punishment, I guess.”

  I shook my head and let out a light chuckle. “Oh man, Gia, I’m sure your mother would have paid good money to have seen you dealing with a headstrong teenage girl.”

  She pointed her finger and moved it in front of my face. “Oh no, no, no! I may have been somewhat of a bitch my teenage years, but trust me, compared to her, I was daughter of the year. That’s the difference: when I did wrong, my mother and father corrected me, they didn’t make excuses.”

  I nodded. “Well, Gia, if you’re really going to make a go with this guy, you’re gonna have to get along with his kids, at least to some degree.”

  “Do I have to?” she pleaded, letting out a loud giggle.

  “Okay, I don’t want to talk about them anymore. What is this photo shoot for?” I told her all about it as she listened to my every word. “Oh Cam, I want to be famous!”

  “Believe me, Gia it’s not what it’s all cracked up to be. I feel like I never get a minute to myself without someone snapping a picture or asking for an autograph. Sometimes I wish I could just go back to the way it was before nobody knew or cared who I was.”

  “I always cared about who you were.” She leaned over and brushed her lips against my cheek, taking me a little off guard. Gia and I had kissed each other on the cheek a million times before, but there was something about that one that felt different.

  “I know, and that’s why I love hanging out with you. You liked me for who I was before all this craziness that’s now my life happened.”

  “Correction, I loved you before, and I still love you now. So tell all those beautiful chickies in your life that you were my Cam first.”

  I smiled. “Ahh….Gia you are too much! Are you hungry?”

  “Actually, I am. Did you want to go out somewhere?”

  “If it’s okay with you, I’d rather just order take-out and eat here. I really don’t feel like dealing with people tonight.”

  “That sounds good to me! I’d much rather spend the night in my jammies in front of the TV. Hey! You want to have a slumber party?” I let out a loud chuckle. “Come on, Cam it’s my birthday, and Carrie and I always had slumber parties on our birthday.”

  “Umm…okay, as long as I don’t have to play any of those wacky games that you chicks used to play.”

  “Deal!” She extended her hand, and we shook on it.

  After eating way too much Chinese food and listening to Gia complain about being bloated from all of the sodium, we finally agreed on a movie. “Oh wait one second before you start the movie.” I got up and unzipped my bag, reaching inside for Gia’s birthday present. “Here you go.” I sat back down next to her.

  “For me?” She feigned her surprise. “Okay, I know you did not wrap this!” she teased, looking over the perfectly put together present with black wrapping paper and a purple bow.

  “Nope. They did that at the store.”

  She carefully unwrapped it and lifted the lid on the velvet box. “Oh my god, Cam! I –” her emotions took over and tears spilled from her eyes as she pulled the ballerina necklace from the box and dangled it in front of her. When she read the note attached, she began to cry even harder:

  Happy birthday to my tiny dancer.

  Love always, Cam.

  “I’m sorry Cam, I’m just super emotional tonight.” She wiped her eyes and looked at her necklace once again. “I love this so much!”

  “I can see that.” I laughed. She lifted her hair and I fastened it around her neck.

  “I can’t stop looking at it,” she grinned as she gazed down at it hanging from her neck. “Thank you so much, Cam! Thank you for making today so special for me.”

  I must have fallen asleep at some point during the movie and when I woke up the next morning, I was lying on Gia’s sofa with a pillow propped under my head and a blanket over top of me.

  “Hey, sleepyhead,” Gia said as she walked out of the bathroom, pulling her hair up into a clip.

  I sat up and rubbed my eyes, still feeling half out of it. “What time is it?”

  “Nine o’clock. What time is your photo shoot?”

  “Not until two.” I was thankful that it was later because it gave me time to check into my hotel room and get myself together. “You want to come?”

  Her smiled widened. “Seriously?”

  “Yeah, why not?”

  “I’d love to! I have rehearsal at ten but that should be over by noon.”

  I nodded. “Cool.”

  She stared
into space, looking deep in thought before letting out a loud sigh. “Oh wait, I promised Carrie and my mother that I would do dinner with them tonight.”

  “Well, this should only be for a couple of hours, and then I’ll join you guys.”

  “Really?!” she shrieked with excitement. I covered my ears, feigning deafness and she playfully smacked me on the arm. “Are you sure Cam? I don’t want to take you away from any business thingies that you’re supposed to be doing while you’re here.”

  I was supposed to meet and have drinks with the CEO of the company I’m doing the photo-shoot for but it’s nothing that couldn’t be postponed or even canceled.

  “It’s fine, Gia.” I stood up and stretched my body.

  “Coffee?” She asked.

  “Nah, I’m good. I need to go check into my hotel before they give my room away.”

  She raised her eyebrow at me. “Oh please, like they would ever dare give Cam Hamilton’s room away!”

  After I brushed my teeth and threw some water on my face, I was ready to head out. Gia walked out with me to head to her rehearsals. The bright sunshine immediately hit me in the face when we stepped outside. It was a crisp, cool, November day and even with all of the different aromas permeating the New York City air, I could still smell the distinct scent of fall. It was days like this that made me miss living on the east coast.

  “Uptown or downtown?” Gia asked as we stood outside her apartment building waiting for a cab.

  “Up.”

  “But of course.” She snickered. “I’m down.”

  “I’ll text you the exact location in Central Park as soon as I know it myself.”

  “Okay. Cool.”

  “Ladies first, I’ll catch the next one,” I motioned as a cab pulled up to the curb.

  “Why, thank you!” She grinned. I slipped the driver a twenty while Gia let out an annoyed huff.

  “Just get in!”

  She smiled and opened the back door. “Oh wait Cam!” she shouted, turning back around. “I never got my birthday kiss.”

  I let out a loud chuckle as she moved closer to me and wrapped her arms around my neck, and everything seemed different for some reason. I wasn’t sure if her kiss was more seductive than others she had given me or if my feelings toward her were changing, but as she stood on her tippy toes and placed her hands on the back of my neck, inching her lips slowly toward mine, I lost all sense of reality. I didn’t care about the photographers that were now surrounding us snapping pictures. I didn’t care that this friendly innocent kiss would probably be front-page news on some rag magazine and spun into a completely different story. All I cared about were her soft, warm lips gently pressing against mine and feeling like I wanted and needed more.