Cameron POV
Nash is pretty distraught to find out his father had been stealing money from him. I pull him into my lap and he buries his face in my neck, I can feel his hot tears soaking into my shirt and I honestly could kill Chad for what he's done to Nash. He's betrayed him in ways a father should never betray his child. Instead of looking out for his child's best interest, he used him and took the money that Nash earned through sponsorships but also from the hours of sweat that Nash put in training and making sure he's a high caliber swimmer. That's the only way he got the sponsorships, they don't come to mediocre swimmers.
I rub his back and make soothing sounds, his body shakes with the force of his cries. He trusted his father to look out for his best interests and instead his father was taking money that rightfully belonged to Nash and pocketing it to do God knows what. My phone buzzes in my pocket but I ignore it, Nash is my priority right now. When his sobs slow down, he lifts his head and I wipe his tears gently.
"I know it's difficult to deal with something like this, baby. I'm with you every step of the way, I'll do whatever you want. If you want to go after him, we can do that or if you just want to write it off we can do that as well." I murmur gently and I brush his hair out of his face tenderly. He let it grow a bit during his break but he'll cut it shorter once he begins training again.
"I don't want to go after him, he can keep the fucking money. But I will let him know that I hope the money was worth it because he lost a son over it. I'll return to North Carolina to visit my mom and my siblings. He can rot in hell for all I care," Nash replies bitterly and I sigh softly because I know he's hurt and angry and it's just going to have to be something he works through, I know my words won't take the pain away but I will support him in anyway possible and try to make it easier for him. He has me 100% of the way.
"I'm with you, baby." I whisper tenderly and he gives me a small smile. My phone buzzes again and this time I pull it out of my pocket and look at who's messaging me. It's Shawn. He called me and I ignored the call but then he sent me a message a few days ago about attending a show of his this weekend. I already have plans with Nash and even if I didn't I wouldn't attend. Shawn is my past, Nash is my present and my future. I have no desire to ever see Shawn again.
Shawn- Cameron you didn't pick up or reply to my message. I really would like you to come to my show tomorrow night. It would mean so much to me if you did.
Shawn- I know this is kind of low but if you ever loved me then I'm begging you to come tomorrow, there's something special for you there.
I sigh and then throw my phone on the couch, I need to get my number changed. I don't understand why Shawn is so persistent now after years that I spent missing and pining for him. The love I have for Nash very clearly shows me that what I felt for Shawn was not love. This is love. This boy cuddled up in my lap showed me what true love is.
"I want to call Chad," Nash says a while later. We've been sitting here in silence, I'm letting Nash process the situation in his head and I also want to be here to give him what ever comfort I can.
"We can do that, Nash." I reply and I grab his phone, I find the contact and press the green call button. I put it on speaker phone so we can both hear. He sits sideways on my lap and then lays his head on my shoulder. He closes his eyes while we wait for Chad to pick up the call. Part of me wants to get this over with but the other part wants to avoid getting Nash more worked up and upset than he is now.
"Nash." Chad says firmly when he picks up the phone.
"Chad, I'm sure you know what I'm calling about," Nash says quietly and I can hear the pain in his voice. I rub his back gently, I know he's trying hard not to cry again because he doesn't want Chad to know exactly how much this has affected him.
"Actually no I do not. Unless you came to your senses and realized that letting someone like Cameron manage you is a colossal mistake. He won't care if he screws you over, you're not his family. I'm your father and I will always look out for your best interests." Chad says and he lies so easily that it's truly disturbing.
"I took my bank paperwork and my sponsorships contracts from your office before I left." Nash says and Chad is silent, he knows what the call is about now.
"How could you steal from your own son? I trusted you, Chad. I trusted that my father wouldn't screw me over, I thought you would be the perfect person to manage the business side of swimming competitively. I was so fucking wrong and it's honestly so upsetting to find out that your father has stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from you on top of the 100k you were getting as my manager." Nash articulates his feelings so well, one would think he's not an 18 year old.
"I owed some money to some people, I had to come up with it somehow. My life was on the line," Chad explains and he might not be lying but can't trust anything he says now.
"I'm not going after you because of the missing money but know that I'm no longer your son. You lost me and I hope the money was worth it." Nash replies and Chad is silent again, I wish I could be a fly on the wall in Chad's office just to see his face. Nash hangs up the call and sighs softly. I caress his cheek gently and he turns his head into my hand and kisses the palm gently.
"I honestly wouldn't know where I'd be without you, Cameron." He tells me softly with a hint of vulnerability in his voice. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."
"Oh baby, I love you so much." I whisper gently. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me as well. You're my world, Nash and I know people might say it's not healthy but I don't give a fuck. I'm completely devoted to you, you are my number one priority."
He turns so he's straddling me, he cups my face with his hands and we look into each other's eyes. He leans in slowly and then kisses my lips gently, he swipes his tongue across them and when I moan he slides his tongue right into my mouth. He strokes my tongue with his in a slow, lush dance that sets me on fire. I grip his waist as we kiss and he starts to grind his erection on top of mine. We moan into the kiss, I'm so hard and I need him so much.
We're interrupted by his phone ringing and I sigh when he pulls away and picks up the phone, he puts it on speakerphone.
"Nash?" Elizabeth says softly and I wonder what lies Chad told her.
"Yeah, mom." He says and he sounds so sad now. My rage for Chad is steadily rising, I just can't believe what he did to his own son.
"What happened? Chad just had a complete meltdown, his office is completely destroyed. He said it had something to do with you before he left, he was so angry and he wouldn't tell me what he was doing," she says and Nash rubs his face, I massage his lower back gently, trying to comfort and relax him in anyway I can.
"Well, Chad thought it was a good idea to steal money from me on top of the salary he gave himself. I only found out because I took my bank and sponsorship paperwork before I left. Cameron and I were going through everything and Cameron figured out that he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars. The companies that sponsored me would send him a check, I guess he would just deposit a portion and then keep the rest for himself. I finally figured out why he so tightly controlled everything about my life and he never let me look at any of the contracts," he finishes and his mom is silent on the other line. It's a lot to take in, especially as the other parent. She must be shocked.
"So basically I told him I'm no longer his son and that I hope the money was worth it. I really don't care about the money, mom. It's just that he used me and he stole money from me. I worked hard to get where I'm at, he wasn't even interested in my swimming until I started swimming in state competitions. You're the one who woke up early with me to take me to the swim club. I don't understand why he went behind my back and lied to me. That's what hurts the most. He only cares about the money, not about me." He adds in and I kiss his cheek gently. His mom hasn't replied yet and I know Nash is starting to get nervous, her opinion matters to him.
"I can't believe Chad would do that to you, Nash. His own flesh and blood, never could I have imagined that he'd be using you instead doing what's best for you. I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I understand your anger towards him, he betrayed your trust." She says softly and the sadness is clear in her voice.
"He didn't even say what he took the money for, mom. It's hundreds of thousands of dollars that are missing. All he said was he owed some people money and his life was on the line. Like what does that even mean?" He asks and he's getting frustrated the more he thinks and talks about it. Those are valid questions that only Chad can answer and even then he could still be lying.
"I'm going to talk to him when he gets home, okay sweetie?" She says.
"Okay, I'll talk to you soon," Nash says and when she says goodbye he hangs up. He groans, I lean in and give him a soft kiss on his lips. I stand with him in my arms, he wraps his legs tightly around my waist and his hands around me neck. I walk us to the bedroom and I lay him down on the bed gently. I lie down next to him and pull him close to me. He throws his right leg over my body and he lays his head on my chest. I kiss the top of his head gently.
Nash's talk with his mom deflated our mood from earlier so we just cuddle.
I just want to move on from that whole situation, it doesn't matter the reason, the fact is he stole from his son. I can't forgive him, I don't want to.
A/n- oh man dat show comin up soon 😇