Ruining Mr. Perfect (The McCauley Brothers) Read Online Free PDF Page B
Author: Marie Harte
caught Vanessa’s gaze, he winked. She blushed before looking away. Vanessa, shy? Then he noticed Mike’s absence.
“Where’s Big Foot?”
Maddie and Abby glanced at Vanessa.
She glared back at him . “Not funny, Cameron.”
He frowned. “I meant Mike.”
Flynn and Brody laughed as Vanessa scowled at her roommates.
“He’s not coming,” his father said. “We asked him not to.”
The laughter around the table faded.
Their mother joined their father, not touching, not standing too close.
Cam had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Dad?”
Their father continued. “We were going to wait until after dinner, but… Your mother and I are working through some things. We’re going to be living apart for a while.”
“ What? Mom?” Flynn looked to their mother.
She had tears in her eyes, but none fell as she answered, “Your father thinks it best we live apart.”
“Beth,” James growled.
“And I agree. He’s moving out.”
Everyone sat in silence.
“Where will you go?” Brody asked, then nodded. “You can always stay with me.”
His father shook his head. “No, son. You’re busy, and Flynn, I know you and Maddie spend as much time at your place as you do at hers.” He cleared his throat but didn’t look at their mother.
What the hell was going on? How had his parents’ perfect marriage degenerated to this?
“I plan to continue to see my grandson,” Beth said with a firm bitterness completely alien to the woman who’d busted her ass baking cookies and chaperoning all his childhood field trips with a perpetual grin on her face. “I won’t be made to feel awkward because you need a place to stay.”
James blew out a breath. “Fine. I’ll stay with Cam.”
Everyone turned to him. He had no idea how to respond, so he said the only thing he could. “Sure, Dad. I’ve got plenty of room.”
Chapter 3
“I must be out of my fucking mind.” Cam stared at Mike the next morning at an impromptu emergency meeting. Flynn and Brody sat with him at Mike’s table. With Colin at school, they had the place to themselves. “Mike, did you know about Mom and Dad splitting up?”
Mike sighed. “Mom told me yesterday afternoon. She came over and filled me in because she didn’t want to make the announcement with Colin there. So we stayed home.”
“Wish I would have stayed home.” Cam groaned. “Dad moved his clothes in last night. What am I going to do with him?”
“Um, I don’t know. Deal?” Flynn snorted.
“It’s not funny,” Cam snapped. “Dad and I get along like oil and water. He thinks I’m a ‘Nancy,’ and yes, I know he still calls me that.”
“Not all the time,” Mike said kindly as Brody smirked.
“Mike. Please. Dad gets along best with you and the knuckle draggers.” He nodded to Brody and Flynn.
“Fuck you.” Flynn frowned.
“Yeah? Well fuck you too. This situation sucks.” He gritted his teeth. “I’m not just talking about Dad moving in. What’s going on? What did Mom say?”
They all looked to Mike, who sighed. “Not much. Just that she and Dad have been having problems for a while. She wouldn’t go into it, and I didn’t want her to cry, so I left it at that.” His gaze narrowed on Cam. “You need to talk to her. She confides stuff to you.”
“Yeah, fine. I’ll talk to her later today. I have to get to work soon.”
“Us too,” Brody said. “I just wish I knew how to fix this. I mean, we all noticed they hadn’t been as affectionate as they used to be.”
Flynn nodded. They’d had this conversation before. “Not in years. But it’s never been like this. Like Mom and Dad don’t like each other.”
“Do you think it’s another woman?” Cam asked.
Three sets of angry eyes turned to him.
“Hey, I’m not saying he’s cheating, but can you imagine any other scenario that would have Mom so angry with him they’d break up? Because yesterday she made it sound like it was all his idea.”
Flynn sighed. “I heard
“Where’s Big Foot?”
Maddie and Abby glanced at Vanessa.
She glared back at him . “Not funny, Cameron.”
He frowned. “I meant Mike.”
Flynn and Brody laughed as Vanessa scowled at her roommates.
“He’s not coming,” his father said. “We asked him not to.”
The laughter around the table faded.
Their mother joined their father, not touching, not standing too close.
Cam had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Dad?”
Their father continued. “We were going to wait until after dinner, but… Your mother and I are working through some things. We’re going to be living apart for a while.”
“ What? Mom?” Flynn looked to their mother.
She had tears in her eyes, but none fell as she answered, “Your father thinks it best we live apart.”
“Beth,” James growled.
“And I agree. He’s moving out.”
Everyone sat in silence.
“Where will you go?” Brody asked, then nodded. “You can always stay with me.”
His father shook his head. “No, son. You’re busy, and Flynn, I know you and Maddie spend as much time at your place as you do at hers.” He cleared his throat but didn’t look at their mother.
What the hell was going on? How had his parents’ perfect marriage degenerated to this?
“I plan to continue to see my grandson,” Beth said with a firm bitterness completely alien to the woman who’d busted her ass baking cookies and chaperoning all his childhood field trips with a perpetual grin on her face. “I won’t be made to feel awkward because you need a place to stay.”
James blew out a breath. “Fine. I’ll stay with Cam.”
Everyone turned to him. He had no idea how to respond, so he said the only thing he could. “Sure, Dad. I’ve got plenty of room.”
Chapter 3
“I must be out of my fucking mind.” Cam stared at Mike the next morning at an impromptu emergency meeting. Flynn and Brody sat with him at Mike’s table. With Colin at school, they had the place to themselves. “Mike, did you know about Mom and Dad splitting up?”
Mike sighed. “Mom told me yesterday afternoon. She came over and filled me in because she didn’t want to make the announcement with Colin there. So we stayed home.”
“Wish I would have stayed home.” Cam groaned. “Dad moved his clothes in last night. What am I going to do with him?”
“Um, I don’t know. Deal?” Flynn snorted.
“It’s not funny,” Cam snapped. “Dad and I get along like oil and water. He thinks I’m a ‘Nancy,’ and yes, I know he still calls me that.”
“Not all the time,” Mike said kindly as Brody smirked.
“Mike. Please. Dad gets along best with you and the knuckle draggers.” He nodded to Brody and Flynn.
“Fuck you.” Flynn frowned.
“Yeah? Well fuck you too. This situation sucks.” He gritted his teeth. “I’m not just talking about Dad moving in. What’s going on? What did Mom say?”
They all looked to Mike, who sighed. “Not much. Just that she and Dad have been having problems for a while. She wouldn’t go into it, and I didn’t want her to cry, so I left it at that.” His gaze narrowed on Cam. “You need to talk to her. She confides stuff to you.”
“Yeah, fine. I’ll talk to her later today. I have to get to work soon.”
“Us too,” Brody said. “I just wish I knew how to fix this. I mean, we all noticed they hadn’t been as affectionate as they used to be.”
Flynn nodded. They’d had this conversation before. “Not in years. But it’s never been like this. Like Mom and Dad don’t like each other.”
“Do you think it’s another woman?” Cam asked.
Three sets of angry eyes turned to him.
“Hey, I’m not saying he’s cheating, but can you imagine any other scenario that would have Mom so angry with him they’d break up? Because yesterday she made it sound like it was all his idea.”
Flynn sighed. “I heard