Through His Eyes

Chapter Nineteen

A/N Thanks for all the birthday wishes!  You all are amazing!

Cam's POV
My pulse starts racing as I nervously look over at Hailee, her eyes wide. 
"I uh-"
"Dad stop it."  Hailee says, interrupting me.  I look over at her to see she is staring at her dad, her eyes pleading for him to stop asking such questions.  I grab her hand under the table and give it a gentle squeeze.
"It's okay." I tell her. I look her dad in the eyes and nod.
"Yes, it was my doing that made her cry that day." I say. I look from her dad to her mom.
"Mr and Mrs. Cast, yes it was my fault for making her cry which I will regret for the rest of my life. I know you believe I don't deserve her and you're right, I don't deserve her but nevertheless I love your daughter. I'm in love with her and that makes me want to be selfish and keep her all to myself. I want to spend the rest of our time together, however long that may be, trying to prove to you both that I will never hurt her again." I say, expressing myself in the best way I can. I want to become someone she can trust with her whole heart, someone that she smiles at, someone who makes her happy.

Hailee's POV

A lump forms in my throat as I fight back tears. Can continues to surprised me over and over again. His feelings, which he just openly expressed in front of my family are so heartfelt. I look at my dad.
"Cam has helped me through so much. He's a really good guy, Dad." I say, trying to convince my dad that Cam isn't a bad guy. Dad is very over protective and I knew unless I convince him that Cam is a good guy that he will never approve of him. Cam is the best thing that has ever happened to me. When I was struggling with my insecurities Cam made me feel strong, made me feel that I could rely on him no matter what I needed. Cam makes me think the best about myself and makes me feel loved.
"He has supported me through some very difficult times. He is kind, sweet, caring, and an amazing person all around. If you spent some time with him, I would have a feeling you would agree." I say, still trying to convince him. I look over at Cam, smiling.
"No one is perfect but I believe Cam is a good person and a great boyfriend. I love him. When he looks at me my insecurities fade away, through his eyes I am perfect."  With each passing day I find myself having  more and more confidence.  Each time Cam looks at me with love in his eyes I realize that if someone like him can love me so completely then how can I not love myself? How could I blatantly tell myself I'm unattractive when he tells me I'm the most beautiful girl he has ever seen?
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The rest of the night was spent in silence. Dad was less angry after Cam and I spoke but I can tell he is still not happy with how Cam made me cry. Mom, on the other hand, was thrilled about Cam's confession at the dinner table. She kept telling me how lucky I was to find someone like Cam.  Overall my parents approved and for that I am grateful.  Nowadays you don't need your parents approval but it is nice knowing that I have it, that I don't have to hide Cam from them.  I'm not expecting Dad to welcome him with open arms but we've taken a step in the right direction. I walked Cam out that night, expressing my happiness that my parents approved. Cam couldn't stop talking about how scared he was. I agreed and kissed him goodnight. Now I am walking into first period ready for the day and excited for hanging out with my friends tomorrow, only to find that Cam isn't in his usual seat.  Half way through class and he still hasn't shown.  I text him, hiding my phone behind my purse. 
'Hey, where are you?'  I send it.  A few minutes later I receive a text back.
'I'm sick, I'll be taking the day off from school, sorry I just woke up otherwise I would have let you know.'  It reads. He's sick, all alone?  How is he going to get better all by himself? I quickly text Spencer, seeing if he would drive me to Cam's house.
'No problem Hails.' Spencer texts me back. I thank him and wait impatiently for first period to be over.  First period ends and I meet Spencer in the parking lot and he drove us towards Cam's house.
"I really appreciate you driving me Spencer, I'm worried about him."  I say.  Spencer pulls against the curb of Cam's house and turns to me.
"It's no problem Hailee, I know you would do the same for me."  Spencer says.  I nod.
"Of course I would. Thanks again."  I say, hopping out of the car.  I head towards the front door and knock.  I wish I didn't have to make Cam get out of bed but there would be no one else to open the door.  The door opens a minute later to reveal a very sickly looking Cam.  His eyes widen in surprise.
"Cupcake?  What are you do-"  I cut him off by stepping inside his house and putting my hand to his forehead.
"You're burning up." I say. I grab his hand and drag him to his bedroom.
"Did you leave school?" Cam asks in a scratchy voice.  I nod and move his blanket, having him lay down. 
"Stay here."  I say, walking out of his room as I start to search for a wash cloth.  Once I find everything I walk back into his room to hear him coughing.  I rush towards him and hand him the water.  He drinks the water greedily as I pat his back.  Once he finishes the water I grab the glass from him as he lays back down. 
"Are you okay?"  I ask.
"Not really."  Cam says, truthfully.  I put the damp washcloth on his forehead.
"You really shouldn't have left school.  I'm okay by myself."  He says.
"How can I leave you alone?  I'll take care of you, just like you have always taken care of me.  You're not alone Cam."  I take his hand.
"Now what do you need?"  I say. He looks up at me.
"All I need is you." I smile softly as his words pierce through my heart. I climb into his bed and lay down beside him. He grabs my hand intertwining our fingers together.
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I bolt up in Cam's bed, I didn't mean to fall asleep.  I look over at Cam's nightstand to see it's almost 2 pm.  Crap!  Someone has to pick up Colby from daycare.  I look over to see Cam's still sleeping.  I slip out of Cam's bed and grab the now dry wash cloth and run it under the faucet.  I head back into Cam's room and place it on his forehead. 
"Cam."  I say.  He stirs and his eyes open slightly.
"I'm sorry for waking you up, I have to go get Colby, could I borrow your car?"  I ask.  I know how to drive I just don't have a car.  Cam looks over at the clock, his eyes widening. 
"I'm late! I have to go get him."  Cam says, starting to sit up.  I softly push him back down.
"No, no, no.  You need to stay here and rest.  I'll get Colby, all you have to do is call his day care and give me permission to pick him up." I say. Cam sighs and grabs his keys from a drawer in his nightstand.
"I'm so sorry." He says. I shake my head.
"Don't worry about it, you do so much for me." I say. He hands me the keys, smiling softly.
"I'll be back soon, so you rest and text me if you need anything." I say, smiling and walking out of his house and in his car.  I drive to Colby's daycare while I think about how amazing it is to drive again.  I really need to get a car.  I pick up Colby with no problems, Cam called them and they allowed me to take him home.  I fasten Colby in his car seat and we're back on the road. 
"Is Bubba okay?"  Colby asks. 
"Yes, he'll be okay.  He needs some sleep and maybe some soup.  Do you want to go to the store with me so we can get some stuff to make your brother feel better?"  I say.  He claps happily.
"Yeah!"  Colby exclaims. I smile and start driving to the market Cam and I went to last time. A few minute later I park in front of the brown building that's title reads, Small County Market. I unbuckle Colby from the back seat and pick him up. I lock Cam's car and carry Colby into the store. I place him in the front of the cart and start to shop.
"What's your brothers favorite soup?" I ask Colby.  He looks around at the soup isle.
"Um this one!"  He exclaims, pointing at a can of clam chowder. I kiss his cheek, making him giggle.
"Thank you." I say and grab two cans of clam chowder.  We grab a few more things and head towards the check out stand.  Colby is squirming in the cart.  I told him he could pick out a snack which he picked out fruit snacks and he hasn't stop squirming since.  I pick up Colby from the cart and put him on the ground so he doesn't hurt himself squirming in the cart
"Stay here okay?  As soon as we get back in the car I will get out of the fruit snacks." I say, moving the things from the cart on to the checkout counter. The cashier starts scanning our things when I hear a loud bang followed by the sound of something falling.  I look over to where the sound came from and see Colby standing next to a bunch of fallen cans of green beans.  I rush towards Colby to see tears in his eyes.  He sobs as I crouch down to his level.
"Are you okay?  What happened?"  I ask, looking him over to see if he was hurt.
"I sorry, I didn't mean to."  He says, wiping his eyes.  He must have wanted to play with one of the cans and ended up knocking down the pyramid they were stacked as.  I pick him up and smile soothingly.
"It's okay, I know you didn't mean to. Sit here and I'll pick them up."  I say, placing him back in the cart.  I crouch down, pick up a few of cans and begin to remake the pyramid of cans.  It took a few minutes but I finally made the pyramid look good enough and luckily none of the cans were damaged. 
"Impressive."  Someone says.  I turn around to see a man with gray hair and a round pot belly, smiling at me.  I notice he is wearing the stores uniform.  His name badge said he was the manager.
"I'm so sorry sir.  We didn't mean to knock them over, I-"
"Nonsense,"  He cuts me off.
"I'm impressed on how you stacked those so quickly and in a perfect pyramid.  Are you looking for a job?  We are extremely understaffed right now."  The manager says. I stare at him, surprised. He offered me a job really easily, he must really need more workers. I have been wanting to get a job. I don't want to keep using my parents money.
"Are you interested?" He asks. I nod.
"Definitely." I say. He smiles and claps his hands together, happily.
"Wonderful! Can you be here Monday after school? We will get you trained and I will order you a shirt, just wear jeans and a t-shirt on Monday." He says. I smile and shake his hand.
"Thank you, I really appreciate it. I'll be here as soon as I can after school." I say. He smiles and walks away.  I go back to the cashier and apologize profusely for having him wait.  I pay for the things and push the cart outside towards Cam's car.  I put Colby in his car seat and buckle him up.  I start the car so he has cool air on him and put the groceries in the trunk. I make sure to get a package of fruit snacks for Colby and then we head on our way back to Cam's house. Once we returned to Cam's house I put on cartoons for Colby and began to make the soup for Cam.  While it is heating up, I check on Cam to see him sweating.  I replace the dampened washcloth with an ice pack wrapped in a clean washcloth, hoping it will cool him down better.  I went back to making the soup. Once it was finished I put it in a bowl and sit it on the counter so it can cool down a little.  I walk into the living room to check on Colby.  I see him watching cartoons and eating his fruit snacks.
"Do you need anything?  I'm going to bring your brother his soup."  I say.
"Nope! I good."  Colby says, turning back to his show. I grab the soup and a gatorade and walk into Cam's room to see him stirring in his sleep. I set down the soup and Gatorade on the nightstand. Cam's arm wraps around my waist and he pulls he towards him. I brace my arms on his bed so I'm hovering over him. I look down at Cam to see he is still asleep. He grabbed me in his sleep? I try to get out of his embrace but his arm only hugs me tighter. He pulls my waist again and I lose my balance and slip partially onto the other side of the bed.  Half of me landed on Cam and I quickly get off of him, fully on the other side of his bed now.  Cam groans and turns over on his side so we are face-to-face.  The ice pack falls off his forehead and on my face.  I laugh and reach over Cam to set it down on his nightstand.  I move back and see Cam's eye fluttering open.  I smile and lay my hand on his forehead. Luckily it was cooling down.
"How are you feeling?" I ask. He groans.
"I feel like crap." Cam says. He opens his eyes and stares intently at me with a soft look on his face.
"I feel better now. I'm going to get sick more often especially if that means I'm going to wake up with you in my bed every time." Cam says. He lifts his hand and cups my cheek. He stares into my eyes and kisses my forehead. 
"Thank you for taking such good care of me."  He whispers softly.  I laugh and lean into his touch.
"You're more than welcome. I brought you soup if you're hungry"  I say, smiling and placing my hand over his.  He nods appreciatively. I kiss his hand and look into his eyes and I'm filled even more deeply with love.  The look in his eyes shows how much he truly care about me. 
"I'm so in love with you." Cam says, smiling softly. I smile widely and lean down to kiss him but my lips meet his cheek instead. I pull away and look at him confused. He rejected my kiss?  I raise my eyebrow at him.
"Cameron Blake did you just reject a kiss from your amazing girlfriend?"  I ask, trying to hide my smile.  The side of his mouth quirks up for a brief second then it disappears.
"I'm sorry Cupcake but I don't want you getting sick, again."  He pulls me against his chest so I can't refuse.  I lay my head on his strong chest, sighing in content.  I close my eyes and enjoy being in his embrace.  He strokes my hair lovingly.  He lay in silence until I hear a loud crash in the living room followed by an,
"Oops."  I sigh untangle myself from Cam.  I move out of his bed with much difficulty and walk towards his bedroom door.
"A babysitters job is never done."  I say, opening the door.
"I'm really sorry."  He says.  I smile at him.
"It's okay.  Trust me.  I love spending time here with you and your brother."  I say, walking out of his room. I walk into the living room to find Colby has knocked over the bottle of water I had left him.  He kept saying he was sorry but assured him it was okay.  I cleaned it all up then spent the rest of the afternoon watching Sponge Bob with him.
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I left the Blake house later that night with the promise of a date next week with Cam.  He said it was to thank me for all the help.  I insisted that it was my pleasure but a date night with my amazing boyfriend did sound nice.  Before I left I made sure to tell my parents I was on my way home and I also texted Kylie, explaining to her where I was the whole day, in case Spencer didn't tell her. Cam suggested that I take his car and drive myself home, considering how dark it has gotten. I took him up on his offer with the promise of picking him up for football practice tomorrow afternoon.  The distance from Cam's house to mine was not that far.  I pull up to my driveway to spot a strange car parked on the curb of my house.  It was a black Jeep which had the doors taken off.  I park behind the car and notice the car is on.  I can vaguely make out a figure in the front seat, their head turned towards the direction of my house.  I look over at my house to see the curtains are open in the dining room.  I can see my mom setting the table for dinner.  Confusion and fear courses through my body.  Is this person stalking my house?  My mom?! I silently slid out of Cam's car and try to shut the door as quietly as possible. I grab my mace from my purse, which I bought last week for protection, and walk towards the drivers side. Gripping the mace, I prepare myself to jump and catch the stalker red handed. I move so I am standing right in front of the stalker.
"Don't move! I'm not afraid to use this." I say, my heart beating a million miles a minute. The assailant freezes and slowly turns towards me. The stalkers eyes meet mine and what I see shocks me to my very core.
"Brad?!" I say, utterly shocked. What the hell is Brad doing stacking out my house?! Brad groans.
"Of course it's you. Why wouldn't it be you?" Brad says angrily, almost as if talking to himself. Still holding the mace tightly in my hands, I take a step closer to him.
"I'm not afraid to use this on you! Frankly it is long overdue." I say, saying the last part to myself. He rolls his eyes.
"Yeah right, you're too spineless." Brad says, chuckling. Part of me wants to spray it in his eyes the moment he spoke those words but the other part of me knows that he wouldn't tell me why he is here if I did that. I glare at him.
"Why are you here?!" I yell, demanding an answer. He just smiles evilly and reaches his hand out. Before I realized what he was doing, he pushed me down and onto the asphalt. I groan in pain, dropping my mace. I look up to see Brad with a smug look on his face.
"Tell your boyfriend to be careful on the field tomorrow." He says, revving his engine and driving away. What is going on?!