This Courage of Mine Read online

  “What the hell are you two doin’? And Cami, for fuck’s sake put some clothes on. I don’t need to see my new sister in her birthday suit.”

  Joey’s voice cut through the thick mid-day air and embarrassment instantly stopped me in my tracks. A few seconds later, once my brain could comprehend the current situation and my lack of clothing, I quickly ran to my pile of my clothes that sat at Glenn’s feet and tugged them on as fast as humanely possible. All while Glenn and Joey’s laughter echoed off of every tree that lined our property. When I was fully clothed, I turned towards my charming brother-in-law and smacked him hard across the chest.

  “Don’t you dare ever tell anybody about this.”

  “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me, oh and everyone else I already texted about it.” Joey flung his head back in hysterics as my face turned practically every shade of red.

  “I hate you, Joey Green.” I pushed past him, making my way back to Kayla’s house.

  “Did you at least like the house?” Glenn’s voice stopped me mid stride.

  “I love it baby. Thank you.”

  I left my husband and my new little brother behind as I made my way up the hill to Kayla’s porch. I was surprised to see her outside on one of the rocking chairs as I approached.

  “Well there you are. What were you doin’?”

  “Oh please, like you don’t know.” I scoffed as I threw my butt into the chair next to her.

  “Know what? That you and your hubby were gettin’ it on in the woods in your framed out house?” Kayla’s laugh echoed throughout the vast open space and I nearly died of embarrassment.

  “Joey?”

  Kayla held up her phone to show me the text. “Who else?” She laughed.

  “I’m gonna get that little prick back if it’s the last thing I do.”

  “Well? What did you think about the house?”

  “Oh my god. I love it. I seriously can’t wait for it to be finished. We’re gonna be neighbors.” I sat back in awe of the amazingly thoughtful anniversary gift from my husband.

  “And you thought he forgot. I can’t wait!”

  I smiled over at Kayla just as Madison came walking out with my most favorite person in the whole wide world. “Oh my gosh, there’s my little princess.” I cooed as I got up and made my way over to Mia’s half asleep body that was preciously tucked into her daddy’s chest. As soon as she heard my voice her head popped up and her little arms flailed about for me to take her.

  I tossed her up in the air a little bit and her little adorable laugh broke the silence. “Happy birthday, Princess Mia.” Without uttering a single word, Mia wrapped her tiny little arms around my neck and tucked her head below my ear. I gave her tiny body a tight squeeze as I relished in the amount of love this little girl had to offer. I can honestly say that I never saw myself being a mother, but since little Mia had come into our lives, I was finding it hard not picturing Glenn and I having a baby.

  I wasn’t in any hurry mind you, but it was definitely something I was willing to do sooner rather than later. Mia sat back in my arms, taking my face in her itty-bitty hands as she smiled one of the biggest smiles I had ever witnessed. I knew my face mirrored her happiness and I counted my blessings as I held my adorable niece up above my head.

  “Now that’s a sight I’d like to see more of.” Glenn’s arms snaked around my waist from behind as he looked up at Mia. “Don’t you think so, Miss Mia?” I smiled wide as Glenn stood there talking to Mia in his small baby voice.

  “You never cease to amaze me, you know that?” I whispered back at him as I lowered Mia back down into my arms.

  “What makes you say that?” He implored.

  “Seeing you with her. You standing at about six feet two with your large tattooed muscles talking baby talk with such a small and dainty little girl, it’s a total turn on.” I winked.

  “Seriously?”

  “Absolutely.” I smiled as I pressed my lips against his.

  “Alright, my daughter doesn’t need to be subjected to such sexually explicit behavior, she’s only one year old for cryin’ out loud.” Madison laughed as he scooped Mia up out of my arms and started makin’ his way inside.

  “Oh please, like she hasn’t seen worse things from you and Kayla. I know my girl, and she is a capital F-R-E-A-K.” I laughed.

  “You’re one to talk. Who do you think I learned everything I know from?” Kayla countered.

  “True.” We both broke out in fits of laughter as we followed Glenn and Madison inside. After we all made our way through the door, I grabbed Kayla by the wrist and pulled her into the small bathroom closest to the door. “Did you know about the house?” I stood there staring at Kayla, willing her to answer.

  “Of course I did. Madison did too. Why?”

  “I don’t know. I think I’m letting my imagination run wild on me. I just feel as though he’s tryin’ to make up for something, you know?”

  “No Cami, I don’t know. I think you sound a little bit insane at the moment. Your husband just surprised you with a brand new house for your one-year anniversary, and you are basically calling into question his character. Do you really think he would do that to you?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. I knew deep down how ridiculous I sounded, but something just felt off about the entire situation. “Kayla, it all just feels a bit odd to me.”

  Kayla placed her hands on my shoulders forcing me to stand still and look at her. “Look, the only reason he told Madison and myself is because number one, he bought the land from Madison. Number two; he asked me who I used as our builder when I had this place built. Oh, and he wanted me to oversee all the work, seeing as he wasn’t here. You seriously need to stop overthinking this. Your husband wanted to give you the house he knows you deserve and he wanted you to be close to your best friend so you wouldn’t get lonely. If you ask me, that’s the best gift I could ever think of.”

  I shook my head in disappointment at myself. I couldn’t believe that I even let my mind think that Glenn would ever do something like that to me. I knew how much he loved me, and more than anything, I knew that he would never maliciously go out and hurt me. I was one of the luckiest girls in the world. I had a guy who was hotter than half of the guys I had ever seen around and to top it all off, he was a semi-famous rock star, and he wanted lil ole me.

  Chapter 4

  Glenn

  I spent a good portion of Mia’s birthday party contemplating the fate of my marriage. When I took her out to see the house, I honestly expected a completely different reaction than the one I got. I wasn’t exactly sure what was goin’ on with Cami, but every time she talked to me lately, it was as if I could hear doubt in every word she spoke.

  I knew how rough it had been on her lately, what with the band playin’ so many gigs, all the time I spent on the road and the fact that her family wasn’t bein’ the most supportive. But the last thing we needed was for one or both of us to question our relationship. I knew from the first day at the swimming hole that she was the girl I was gonna call my wife, but sometimes I wonder if she felt she made a mistake.

  “What are you doin’ over here?” Madison held out a piece of pink birthday cake as he took a seat next to me.

  “Hey Madison? How did you know Kayla knew she wanted to be with you forever?”

  “Uh, why are you askin’ me, don’t you think you should ask her?

  “No, I mean…like did you know the moment she knew? Shit, I’m not sayin’ this right.” I was gettin’ beyond frustrated. “Never mind.” I stood to make my way over to where the party was goin’ on, but Madison stopped me.

  “I’m just fuckin’ with ya. What’s goin’ on, Glenn?”

  “I don’t know, man. I’m worried. With everything that’s happened over the last year, I just feel like I have no control over my life anymore. I practically have to schedule time to talk to my wife, and that’s on a good night. Half the time we’re out on the road I can barely find five minutes to call and say goodnight
to her. Lately I’m just feelin’ like she has no faith in our relationship, or in us.” I glanced up at Madison knowin’ damn good and well he was about to make a smart-ass comment.

  “And how long has your vagina been hurtin’ you, Glenda?” Madison was instantly laughin’ his ass off and it took everything in me not to stand up and deck him.

  “Well Dr. Phil, you see it all started when my best friend became a fuckin’ asshole. Fuck you, Madison!”

  “Knock it off you big baby. Look, if anyone knows how ya feel, it’s me. Now take all that worry and try addin’ a child into the mix. It sucks, but I guess the way I look at it is that all of the insanity will end someday and things will go back to normal. You just have to remember that Cami married you for a reason. She trusts you and she loves you more than she could probably ever explain. You two are perfect for each other. At least y’all are married. That’s the type of security I wish I had.”

  “What are you talkin’ about? You two are engaged. It’s not like Kayla’s goin’ anywhere.”

  “But see, you can say that about me and Kayla, but not yourself. It’s hard to see your relationship the way others do sometimes. Just give it some time. Once the house is finished I’m sure things will get better. Maybe she’s just feelin’ insecure about bein’ alone and shit.”

  I nodded my head in agreement. “Thanks, man.”

  Madison’s hand clapped down on my shoulder. “Anytime. Now enough of this girly shit, let’s celebrate my baby girl’s first birthday.”

  We both made our way back into the front room where everyone was helpin’ Mia open her ridiculously large stack of presents. Of course Mia bein’ only one year old, it made for a very interesting time. It was mainly Kayla and Cami opening the gifts and showin’ them to Mia, all the while feigning excitement. Cami looked up and instantly caught my attention. Her brows pulled together and all I had to do to put her mind at ease was to give her a heartfelt smile.

  Two very long and tedious hours later, Mia’s party was finally over and we were all cleanin’ up the pink and purple mess. I hadn’t even noticed before, but now that I was lookin’ around the house, the grandparents were nowhere to be found.

  “Madison?” I shouted.

  “What’s up?” He shouted back.

  “Where are the grandparents?”

  I instantly regretted askin’ as soon as I saw a forlorn look fall across Madison’s face. I knew he was still havin’ a hard time dealin’ with his grandfather not bein’ around, but I didn’t even take it into consideration when I asked him. “Sorry, man.”

  “Seriously, don’t even worry about it. My grams had some things to take care of today and she’s been extremely tired lately, so she offered to have us over for dinner tomorrow. As far as the James’ go, I have no idea. Kayla asked them, but they didn’t seem to want to answer, so we just let it be.”

  “That’s cool. I was just curious. Haven’t seen them all in a bit and I figured your grams would’ve wanted to spend as much time with you as she could while you’re in town.”

  “I thought so too, but whatever. Not a big deal. Hey, you and Cami can take off now if y’all want. I’m sure y’all would rather not spend your anniversary with us and a baby.”

  I made my way over to where Mia was layin’ on the ground playin’ with her new little mat that had tons of stuffed ocean animals hangin’ from it. I slipped onto my back and slid next to her as she smiled and giggled while she batted the animals around.

  “You like your present, Mia?” When she looked over at me and smiled, I took that as my cue to keep chattin’ her up. “Did you have a good birthday, Miss Mia? I bet you did. You made out like a bandit, little miss. New toys, clothes, diapers, and food, who wouldn’t be excited about all that?”

  I batted at the small octopus that was hangin’ directly above Mia’s face and the most adorable giggle instantly came out of her mouth. I couldn’t help but laugh right along with her, and when she did it again, my laughter grew even louder. I never realized how much fun babies could be. I was still laughin’ along with Mia when I felt a hand rest on my chest. I glanced over at the owner and smiled a wide toothy grin when I came face to face with Cami.

  “You having fun, babe?”

  “Of course. Isn’t that right, Mia? We’re havin’ a blast, aren’t we?” Mia just giggled some more as she attempted to shove her entire fist in her mouth. “That’s right, we are.” I turned my head back towards Cami. “See, we’re havin’ the time of our lives.” I smiled.

  “I love you beyond words, you know that?”

  “I think so, but it’s still nice to hear.” I let my lips fall on hers, letting her take the kiss to where she felt comfortable. To my surprise, she deepened the kiss as opposed to pushin’ me away. When she still hadn’t pulled away after a few seconds, I decided to test my luck. I slid my tongue across her bottom lip, but just as I thought, she pulled back shakin’ her head.

  “Not here. You gonna be ready to go soon?” She whispered in her sexy as hell bedroom voice.

  “How about right now?” I tried to adjust myself, but her kiss had done far more to me than even I had noticed. “You’re gonna have to give me a second…or five.” Cami started laughing, then kissed me and got up to go find Kayla, I could only assume. “You’re just gonna leave me like this?” I shouted.

  “Yep.” She replied.

  “Don’t ever grow up to be like your aunt Cam Cam.” I whispered to Mia who was now startin’ to fall asleep. I sat up in search of Madison or Kayla, but neither seemed to be around. I scooped up Mia, cradling her snuggly against my chest. I could hear Kayla and Cami talkin’ in the kitchen as I made my way over to the stairs, but I didn’t want to interrupt their girl time, so I decided to just take Mia upstairs myself.

  I still hadn’t seen Madison, but I assumed he was outside with my bonehead brother. By the time I walked into Mia’s room, she was fast asleep in my arms. I stood in front of her crib for a few moments just staring at her. Never in my life did I ever think that kids would fit into my plan, but after havin’ this precious girl come into my life, I honestly couldn’t think of anything else as of late.

  I envied Madison and Kayla for what they had, their beautiful baby girl and just their relationship in general. The two of them knew exactly what they wanted and who they wanted it with. And to top it all off, neither one of them took a second of their life together for granted. Mind you they had been through their fair share of shit that solidified their relationship, but I honestly knew that even if they hadn’t gone through so much, they still would’ve found their way to one another.

  I pressed a chaste kiss to Mia’s forehead and gently placed her in her crib. I pulled her blanket up over her and quietly exited her room, closing the door behind me. As I let out the breath I didn’t realize I had been holdin’, Madison jumped out from the corner in the hallway and practically gave me a fuckin’ heart attack.

  “Man, you’re lucky I don’t knock your ass out, and be quiet, Mia is asleep.”

  “Look at Mr. Mom.” His hand came down hard on my shoulder. “Just kiddin’. Thanks for layin’ her down. You ever think about havin’ one of your own?”

  “Every day I just pray that I’ll end up pregnant, Madison. You have no idea.” We both started laughing hysterically as we made our way down the stairs. I swear we were never goin’ to grow up, and I was totally fine with that.

  Chapter 5

  Cami

  Kayla and I were in the middle of a conversation when we heard Madison and Glenn laughing like a bunch of hyenas as they came barreling down the stairs. I was about to turn and yell at Glenn to shut his mouth, but there was no need, Madison beat me to the punch.

  “Man…Glenn, shut up. You’re gonna wake up the baby.” Madison may have told him to be quiet, but he was still laughing as he spoke so I could only assume he was merely saying it for our benefit and not Mia’s. “Pretty girl, you’ll never guess what I just walked in on.”

  I glanced over at Kayla with
a grossed out look on my face. “I’m pretty sure I don’t want to know, cowboy.”

  “No really, you do. Cami will want to hear this too.”

  “Shut up, Madison. Stop bein’ such a prick.” Glenn’s words may have said he wanted Madison to leave him alone, but the smile on his face told a whole other story. I swear these two were insufferable.

  I sauntered over to Glenn and wrapped my arms around his waist just as he wrapped his around my neck, hugging my body against his. “What the hell is going on with you two?” I laughed.

  “Oh, I’m sure Madison is about to tell you.”

  “Nah, honestly it was the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen Glenn do, and that’s sayin’ a lot. I couldn’t find Glenn or Mia anywhere, so I went upstairs to check on them. When I got to Mia’s doorway I came to an abrupt stop. Glenn was rockin’ Mia in his arms and just lookin’ down at her. It was seriously sweet.” Madison pulled Kayla into his arms and placed a kiss to the top of her head and I couldn’t help but smile. Even after seeing these two together practically everyday, their love and affection still amazed me.

  I glanced up at Glenn and gave him a little squeeze. “That’s seriously the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard, babe.”

  He looked down at me with a look in his eyes that I couldn’t put into words. I knew what he was thinking and honestly, I was thinking the exact same thing. We both gave each other a knowing smile, and then I stood on my tiptoes to give him a long overdue kiss.

  “I love you, baby.”

  I closed my eyes and smiled. “I love you, too.”

  “Aw, well aren’t you two the cutest damn things I’ve ever seen.” Leave it up to Madison to ruin a perfect moment.

  I gave Madison a sour face, and then turned my attention to Kayla. “I think we’re gonna take off now. You guys need help with anything else?”

  “No! Get out of here.” Kayla laughed. “Y’all have been here far too long anyway. Go and have an amazing night with your husband.”