Loving my fake Husband

Taste of Home

❀ Clark ❀

I groaned lazily as I heard Camden moving around the apartment. I had lost track of how many hours I had spent on Camden’s couch. The first few days in Willow Creek had been a bit of a blur with catching up on sleep, channel surfing and unapologetically eating leftover pizza while in my boxers. No emails. No meetings. No calls from investors who thought they owned a piece of me. Just silence, cold beer, and the mindless comfort of daytime television. I hated to admit it, but the break had felt more like a bonus than a loss. I felt refreshed as I finally sat up and rubbed my eyes.

“Oh good!” Camden said from somewhere behind me. “Rise and shine, couch zombie!” he then shouted, and I jumped at the sudden unexpected rise of his voice.

“Too early,” I muttered.

“Nope. Not today. Today is Sunday and since you haven’t let our folks know that you are in town…well, today is the day for plenty of surprises,” he said, and I groaned at the sing-song tone of his voice. Why was he so happy this early?

“It’s too early,” I repeated. “I haven’t even had coffee yet,”

“A fresh pot of coffee is in the kitchen…but ah, could you do me a favor and shower first,” Camden said, and I glanced over my shoulder and frowned at him. “Cassidy is coming over…and I would really prefer it if she didn’t meet you like that,” he waved his hand in my general direction, and I chuckled as I stood up. I left the living room and headed for the bathroom. I could hear Camden complaining about the state of his living room, but I ignored him as I relieved myself before I turned on the water in the shower. After a quick shower, I got dressed and wandered back into the living room. Camden had done a good job of cleaning up, and I was pleased to see a steaming cup of coffee on the counter.

“So, have you finally decided to introduce us to your girl?” I asked as casually as I could. Camden had told me all about the woman who had captured his heart and how he believed she was the one. Since I had never had anything or anyone like that in my life, I was happy for him. But I was still curious about her.

“Yes,” he said, and I smirked as I watched him wander nervously around his apartment. I could be the nice brother and put his mind at ease, but where would the fun be in that? So, instead, I hopped up onto the barstool and enjoyed my coffee.

“And lunch?” I urged teasingly and he shot me a look.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell Mom you were here…so, yeah, I am using this…to sort of take the light off the fact that I am taking a girl home,” he explained, and I nodded. Fifteen minutes later, a loud knock sounded at the door. Camden froze and his gaze shot to me. As if I had suddenly lost all of my clothing or something. When he didn’t make a move to answer the door, I did. Cassidy was beautiful. Not in a flashy, look-at-me sort of way. She had soft blue eyes, a cute smile, and long light brown hair. Her eyes were wide as she took me in, and I stood up just a little bit.

“You must be Cassidy,” I said as I extended my hand. She nodded as she shook my hand before I stepped aside to let her in. Camden rushed forward, and the two shared a sweet kiss before Camden introduced us.

“My annoyingly older brother, Clark…Clark…the love of my life, Cassidy,” I wasn’t sure that was the way to go, but her reaction was perfect. She blushed as she cuddled into his side. It was sweet. They were sweet.

“Nice to meet you, I have heard so much about you,” she said, and I shook my head. I had no doubt my brother had told her about how I had run off to become some empire king and abandoned my family.

“We should get going before Mom starts calling,” Camden said, and within minutes we were in the truck headed home. I had no issues being in the back of the truck. I enjoyed the view as I listened to Camden and Cassidy talk about their week. They really were sweet and, for a moment, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would ever find someone who fit me so well. Thirty minutes later, Camden pulled into our parent’s driveway. Since he wanted the light to be taken off Cassidy, I jumped up and headed straight for the front door.

“Anyone home?” I called out as I stepped inside. I found my mother, Diana, in the kitchen, standing over a pot by the stove and my father, George, sitting by the kitchen table with a newspaper spread out in front of him.

“Clark?” my mother said as she spun around and looked at me. Tears filled her eyes, and the guilt hit pretty hard. They both came at me, and it made me wonder what the f**k I had been doing with my life. Why hadn’t I come home more often? I hugged them both as the reality hit me. I missed them. After a few minutes of fussing, my mother spotted Cassidy and Camden hovering in the kitchen doorway. “Oh…and who is this lovely lady?”

“Mom, Dad, this is Cassidy, my girlfriend,” Camden nervously introduced. Of course, my mother didn’t hesitate to pull Cassidy into a warm, welcoming hug. If Camden had thought, I would be a good distraction – he had just been proven wrong as our mother fussed over getting to know Cassidy. It was the kind of thing I hadn’t even realized how much I missed. Being with my family was something I had clearly taken for granted and I made a silent vow not to let things get away from me again. I wasn’t sure how, but I needed to find a better way to balance my life.

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