A Previous Selection

Chapter Fourteen

"Wren!"

I turn around to see Cameron walking up to me with a smile.

"Hey, Cameron."

"What are you doing right now?" he asks.

"I'm talking to you?" I say, and he lets out a laugh.

"I meant, what are you about to do? Are you busy?"

"Umm, yeah, I actually am."

"Oh, umm, that's cool. What do you have planned? Something with the girls?"

"No. I'm actually hanging out with Oliver," I tell him.

"Really?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, I was hoping we could take a walk around the gardens. We haven't done that since before the Report," he says.

"Could I take a raincheck on that?"

"Oh, come on. I'm sure he won't mind."

"I'm sorry, Cameron. But I promised him a few days ago that I would play baseball with him, and I've already had to push it back two times because of you, mister. So I am going to hang out with your brother, and I hope that you won't be too mad to take me on that walk tomorrow."

He pouts a little, and I can't help but smile at how adorable he looks.

"Of course I won't be mad," he says with a sigh before smiling. "How can I be mad at the only girl that has tried to get along with my brother?"

"So the other girls still haven't even tried to talk to him yet?" I ask, and he shakes his head.

"Nope. I think it's just intimidating for them."

"Oliver's intimidating? I know he's a little prankster, but he's also one of the sweetest kids I've ever met."

"No, it's not necessarily him that they find intimidating. I think it's more that they're afraid that if Oliver doesn't like them, then it's going to affect their chances with me," he explains.

"Would it?"

He shrugs his shoulders.

"I don't know. Possibly. I want my family to like my future wife. I want her to feel like she is fully apart of the family, and if Mom and Dad and Oliver don't like her, then there will always be space between her and them. And I don't want that to happen," he says. "So I get where they're coming from. But also, how is Oliver supposed to get to know any of them if they don't take the time to try and get to know him like you have? And maybe that's another thing. They've seen how well you two get along, so they might be nervous to try and get to know him and just end up getting rejected because he's already so attached to you."

"Oh, come on. He's not attached. . . Is he?"

"He kind of is. He's always talking about you and absolutely loves hanging out with you. I'm just glad he gets along with at least one of you. I was afraid that he wouldn't get along with any of the girls that came in, and then it would be miserable for me to have to pick someone he hated. So, him liking you gives me hope. And maybe he would like more of you girls if they would talk to him."

"Well, maybe I could - "

"Wren!" Oliver comes running up to me and tackles me with a hug. I return the hug with a smile.

"Hey, Oli! How excited are you for our baseball game?" I ask.

"Very!" He turns to look at Cameron. "You're not stealing her away again, are you?"

"Nope. He isn't. I told him that it was HIS turn to take a raincheck."

"That's right, bud. She's all yours today," Cameron says, and I give him a smile.