Part of her wanted to tell him the truth but the other part didn’t. The other part of her was scared and frightened. “Okay,” she replied nervously. She was shocked that he was even talking to her because she had tried before and was ignored by him.
“You don’t look okay,” he observed.
She didn’t know how to tell him but she knew that she needed to. So she forced the words to come out of her mouth. “I have to tell you something that will change your life forever.” Wait! That wasn’t it.
A quizzical look came onto his face. “What?”
Then out the corner of her eye, she saw Kaci approaching. Damn.
“Hello, River. Nice to see you again,” Kaci said with a frown.
She had never liked River and Cami never understood why. She’d never asked her why she didn’t like him; she just assumed that it was because of all the time she’d spent with him while they were dating. It was also possible that she saw something in him that her older sister just couldn’t see.
“Hi, uh, Kaci, nice t-to see you too,” River stammered. Cami could tell that he was a little nervous and uncomfortable. He was talking to Kaci so he sort of had a right to be.
“Why are you talking to my sister? Don’t you have a fiancée?”
River ignored her question and then turned to Cami and said, “Cami, I’ll see you later.”
“No, you won’t see her later!” Kaci shouted at him.
He turned around and looked at Kaci with a puzzled look on his face.
“What is wrong with you? You and Cami dated just a few weeks ago. Now you’re engaged to some little rich girl?” Kaci continued.
“Kaci, let’s go,” Cami said, tugging at her arm. Kaci hadn’t noticed the looks and stares that they were getting from people. However, Cami had noticed and it made her very uncomfortable because she hated being the center of attention.
“No!”
“Look,” River began, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, of course you do, River. That’s why you’re so anxious to leave. You didn’t deserve to date my sister!” Kaci yelled. Cami observed her for a moment in her heated state. If I didn’t know better, I’d say fire was about to shoot out of her ears and her head would grow horns that could take him out with one hit, she thought. Such thoughts could wait. She wanted to pay for the groceries and leave this place as soon as possible.
“Kaci, we’re leaving,” she said while tugging on her arm even harder.
“No, we’re not. I’m not finished!”
River ran his hands through his hair and sighed loudly. “What do you want from me?” he demanded to know.
This time it was Kaci’s turn to take a step toward him. “The only thing that I want,” she began, “is for you to leave Cami alone. You should be taking care of your pregnant fiancée...”
That definitely caught Cami’s attention. “Pregnant fiancée? You got her pregnant?!” she exclaimed.
Kaci shot a look at her. “You shouldn’t care about him. He’s pitiful and pathetic. He’s not even worth your time!”
Out of nowhere, a young, pretty, petite blonde walked up to River and clumsily grabbed ahold of his arm while Cami looked on in disbelief. “Who is she?” the blonde inquired, staring at Cami.
River ignored the girl’s question. “Cami,” he began.
“No, save it!” she said. She was suddenly disgusted with him.
Kaci’s frown deepened. “Now do you see what you’re doing?” River put his hands on his face and shook his head as if he couldn’t believe that any of this was happening. “You’re hurting her again and you guys aren’t even dating,” Kaci continued.
She glanced at his fiancée. She looked confused and hurt.
There was nothing that he could say to get out of this. “Look, I don’t know...”
“No, you look, River! You are hurting, Cami. I don’t like it when people hurt my sister!” Kaci shouted with her right hand in his face.
River’s fiancée stared at Kaci in bewilderment. Cami overheard someone in the crowd mention something about getting the store manager. Now she knew it was time to leave.
“So what are you going to do threaten me for my entire life? The last time I checked I was dating your sister and not you,” she heard River say to Kaci.
“So!” Kaci said.
Do you even know why our relationship didn’t work out?” Cami said in a low voice. He looked from Kaci to Cami.
“Because of you,” she blurted out.
“What?!”
“Yeah, you! You’re the one that ended our relationship. You dumped me. Then you got her pregnant?”
He shifted from foot to foot. She could tell that he was nervous. “What I do is none of your business,” he said while looking into her eyes.
“Just like what I do is none of your business,” she retorted. She grabbed Kaci by the arm, paid for the groceries and magazines, and angrily stormed out of the store.
He’s engaged to some rich girl while she’s pregnant with their first baby. What a happy soon-to-be family.
Chapter 5