Breathe Me

Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Catherine

"HEY, CAM! Can I call you that?" I kneeled before Cameron, hoping I hadn't already offended him in record time. "I won't call you Cam if you hate it."

"That's okay. That's what Daddy calls me." He flashed a bright smile and immediately ran inside my apartment."Well, guess he's not that nervous about hanging out with you today." Samuel held out a small Elmo backpack. Taking it, I lifted an eyebrow, hoping what was inside wasn't anything I had to physically wrestle with. "Just a change of clothes and undies, just in case. Oh, and his favorite movies, Toy Story 1, 2, and 3. If you put them on an endless cycle, you'll be right as rain all day!" He chuckled, looking nervous as his feet shuffled back and forth. "Cam, don't break anything!"

I placed a hand on his chest, which made him stop moving as he peered back toward me. "It's going to be just fine, believe me. I'm more nervous than you are, but I got this." I winked and watched him visibly relax. "How hard can a five-year-old be? It's not like he's a baby in diapers." I wrinkled my nose at the thought. "Thank goodness."He chuckled nervously. "Right. He can be hyperactive sometimes though."

"You don't believe in that ADHD crap, do you?"He scratched his head, shaking it and smiling. "No, I just try to be consistent with him. It's a big change. He's had the same sitter for two years. I'll be looking for a new one soon, though. She's heading off to finish her MBA out of state." "Oh, that sucks. Well, not for her, but for you, I mean." I wanted to slap my forehead at how dumb I sounded. "I hope the search goes well."

"Me, too." His eyes were already scanning behind my shoulder, looking scared as he observed and listened for any damage."Okay, off to work for you." I grinned and slowly started to shut the door to get the message across.

"Wait! If you need anything, anything at all, call my cell. I'll answer right away." "Sure thing Sam" I winked and closed the door, locking the deadbolt before he could change his mind. Boy! Was he a Nervous Nancy. Seemed he was more scared of dropping his kid off with a stranger than Cam was of being left there. The thought made me wrinkle my nose; I wasn't a stranger, was I? I guess, in a way, I was. But less so than a complete stranger, right?

Hearing Samuel hesitate on the other side of the door before his footsteps finally echoed down the stairwell, I leaned on the doorway, smiling widely and feeling happy that I had put him in his place. Now for the fun to start."Cam, honey, are you hungry? What do you want to do first?"

The boy was jumping on my couch. It took all my strength to not gasp and throw an epic, raging scream at him. Okay. Now I knew why Sam was just a bit nervous. I stood there, not believing my eyes, but took a deep breath in before I lost my top.

" Cam?"

"I want ice cream."

"Okay, but boys who jump on furniture aren't supposed to have ice cream, God says." I crossed my arms and drilled my eyes into his little blue ones. He stopped hopping and took in my unrelenting stare. It must've worked because he slipped down and seated himself properly. I brought his Elmo backpack, propping it on his end of the couch before sitting down next to him.