"Mom!"

Screams.

That's all I can hear.

Screaming and yelling.

I'm screaming.

Cam's yelling. "Get out!"

I reposition my bra and try to hide. But we're both on top of the blankets and I can't pull enough off to cover myself.

I'm crying.

I'm crying tears of embarrassment and shame.

Cam covers himself with one hand and tries to cover me with the other.

"Get out!" he yells again.

But his mom's frozen in the doorway, her eyes fixed on something on the floor. My panties. "Oh my God," I cry, jumping off the bed and picking up my clothes.

I run to the bathroom and lock the door, trying hard to stay silent.

It doesn't work.

"Get out!" he says again, "Can't you hear her crying? We'll talk about this later. Not now."

"Cameron," I hear her say, and then heated whispers.

I quickly dress and grip the door handle. I want to hide out, but it's not fair to him. He shouldn't be dealing with this on his own.

I silently open the door.

"Just tell me," she whispers loudly. "Are you guys having sex?"

"No," I answer for him, wiping the tears off my cheeks. "But I think I want to."

"What?" Cam clips. "Right now?"

I shake my head. "No. Not now, but soon, I think."

His eyes widen, but he doesn't speak.

"What's going on?" Mark says, now standing behind Heather. His gaze moves from Cam, to me, and then to the bed. "Oh..." He nods in understanding.

"Mom," Cam pleads. "I can't talk about this—"

"Actually," I cut in. "Cameron, do you mind leaving? I'd like to talk to your mom for a moment."

He turns to me quickly. "What? No, babe. If you want to do this now, we do it together."

"No." I shake my head. "That's not it. Can you just go please?" I beg, letting out another sob.

His shoulders drop. "Babe..."

"Please?"

"Come on," Mark says. "Let the girls talk."

***

"We haven't had sex," I tell her.

She sits on the edge of the bed next to me looking down at the floor.

"Actually, this is the first time anything like this has happened, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry if you think that it was a breach of your trust because we did it under your roof, but it wasn't planned. I don't want you to stop trusting me. Or Cam." My words end in a sob. "I don't want you to hate me."

She sighs loudly and takes my hand. "I don't, honey. It's just a lot to take in. I could never hate you."

I mirror her position and look down at the floor.

Moments of uncomfortable silence pass.

The ache in my chest gets tighter. "Mom told me once that I'd know... when it was time, I mean. She said that I'd feel it in my heart." I face her now, my eyes filled with tears. "And I do. I feel it for Cameron. I'm so in love with him," I cry. "And I'm scared."

She grips my hand tighter. "What are you scared of?"

"Sharing something like that with someone. It's not just physical. Not for us. That's why we waited so long. But it's not just that. I mean... I have so many questions and I don't know—"

"You have questions?" she interrupts, her voice laced with sympathy.

I nod.

"You can ask me," she says. "Ask me anything."

I look up at her and let the tears fall. "Does it hurt?"

She lets out a small laugh, but not in the mocking sense. More like understanding. "Yes," she states. "I'm not going to lie to you. It does. And to be honest, it probably will the first few times. Don't expect it to feel amazing like they make it out to be. It takes time. Because you're right, it's not just a physical connection you're making. It's emotional. Extremely emotional." She stops to take a breath, and then squeezes my hand again. "Lucy."

I look up at her.

"I know that your mom's not around. I know that she would have been a lot more prepared for these types of conversations than I am, but I want you to be comfortable coming to me. Cameron's not the only one in this family that loves you."

-CAMERON-

"So..." Mark says, taking a sip of his beer.

"So..." I answer, kicking my feet onto the coffee table and doing the same.

We've never had beers together, but he says that this occasion calls for it.

"So..." he says again.

"So..."

He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I have to ask."

I look up at him.

He raises an eyebrow. "Clitorusaurus-rex?"

I laugh and throw a cushion at his head.

"Ready to go?" Lucy says from the bottom of the stairs.

Mom's eyes narrow at the beer in my hand. "Mark made me," I tell her.

I quickly grab Lucy and haul ass out of there.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

-CAMERON-

"I'm not drinking anymore tonight so I can drive home." I pick up a pink colored drink from the cooler that's set on the kitchen counter. I have no idea whose house we're at. "We call these bitch drinks." I uncap it and hand it to her. "They taste like punch, but they're still alcoholic so just—"

She cuts me off by handing me back the empty bottle. "Or you could just chug it. Either way works."