Not until my name leaves his sinful lips.
“Camille.” His voice is deeper, but the familiarity is still there.
My name still sounds like pure sex on his lips.
“You know each other?” Karina asks again, dropping my arm to stand besidemyDean.
No, not my Dean.
HerDean.
“Yes, we do. We grew up together,” Dean answers when it becomes clear I'm not going to do anything other than stand here and stare at him. With his eyes on me, I watch him press a kiss to Karina’s temple, all while my body becomes heated with pure jealousy.
I have no right to be jealous.
He’s married.
I’mmarried.
Yet my heart aches watching him touch her so lovingly.
It’s been eleven years since he walked out of my life without ever once looking back.
“Oh, wow! What a coincidence. Camille is the friend I was telling you about, the one I met at the support group.” Dean’s obnoxious wife giggles, clapping her hands together. “Excuse me, the ladies' room calls.” She leans up, presses a kiss to his jaw that makes me want to fight her, then walks away with the happiest smile I’ve ever seen.
I’ll remember this moment forever. Because at this exact moment, I’ve never been more fucking jealous in my entire life.
Clearing my throat, I find myself uncomfortable in his presence. I realize the men he was speaking with have also left, and now it’s just the two of us. “It’s been a long time, Dean. I didn’t know you were back in town.”
His eyes watch me so intensely, goosebumps form on my skin. “Just moved back last month. I wanted to be closer to my mother.”
“Oh right, of course. I’m so sorry to hear about your father, and I’m sorry I couldn’t attend the funeral.”
“Don’t be. You had a lot going on during that time, I understand.” Dean’s father, Paul, passed away two weeks after Luca; the same week I was preparing to move back to Seattle. I’d been so wrapped up in my own grief that I never paid my respect to Dean’s family. We grew up next door to each other, his parents were my second parents, and I didn't have the decency to call his mother, Lydia, and pay my respects.
“You’re married. That’s… that’s… wow. How long?” I shift uncomfortably from side to side. Seeing him again after all this time is fucking with my head.
Dean doesn't say anything, instead, he stands perfectly still and calm, one hand holding a tumbler with dark liquor while the other is shoved in the pocket of his dress pants. His intense gaze never leaves me, and it’s as if his stare burns me with its sheer intensity.
“We’ve been married for four years now.” Feeling out of place, I nervously twist the giant diamond ring on my finger. “Is your husband here with you?” He raises the glass to his lips and takes a swig. I shake my head just as Karina returns to his side.
“This is so great. We can all be friends now. We should double date sometime, Camille. I’d love to meet your husband, too,” she says with a bright smile and way too fucking much hope.
Double date.I mentally scoff. There's only one problem with that, but I'm not going to tell her. Nor will I share the details of just how well I know Dean. Not when it's so clear that he's never even mentioned me.
I'm not sure what hurts the most. The fact he's never mentioned me, or the fact that he's looking at me like he's unhappy to see me. For years I've imagined what it would be like to see Dean again, but I never expected to receive such a cold shoulder.
“Excuse us. We should find our seats.” He whisks his perfect wife away, leaving me standing there with my heart in the pit of my stomach.
Just my fucking luck,Dean and Karina are seated at the same table as my family. His mom is also assigned to our table, but I’ve yet to see her. My parents greet Karina and Dean, neither surprised to see each other. Clearly, they’d already met Karina, and they knew Dean was back in town.
So much for fucking loyalty.
No one bothered to share that major detail with me.
Mom gives me an apologetic look, while Dad talks business with Dean, and Spencer speaks to Karina, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze underneath the table from where she’s sitting beside me.
“Oh my God, Camille!" Lydia, Dean’s mom, screeches, smiling wide from ear to ear. She pulls me up from my chair and nearly squeezes me to death in a tight hug. “It is so good to see you again. Look at you! You’re so beautiful!” She holds me at an arm’s length, looking me over from head to toe. I’ve always loved Lydia. Dean leaving didn’t change anything between Lydia and I, and we stayed close until the day I moved away. Even then, we spoke from time to time.