Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 137077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Outside, I burst out laughing, folding in half as I clumsily still try to walk to my car. Cameron laughs with me as he loads my suitcase and duffel bag. He helped me refold and pack all my clothes, which are going to need a wash anyway after being tossed to the floor so we could make better use of the bed.
At the driver’s door, he crowds in against me, his hands on my hips. It’s cold out, even in the midday sun, but I find myself not wanting to separate from him despite us having our own cars at the hotel. I don’t think he’ll change his mind in my absence, but still, I feel this desire to stay with him.
“You okay?” he asks, brushing a lock of my hair behind my ear.
I lick my lips, taking a big breath and really soaking in this moment. “Yeah, just thinking about what’s gonna happen when we get…” I pause, not sure if I should be the one to say the word.
“Home, Riley. We’re going home. We’re going to talk to Grace, who is going to be over the moon, so you should prepare yourself for that. We’re going to rearrange the closet so you can put all your clothes in there with my things. And then we’re going to have a good night. Probably eat dinner, watch a movie, drink some tea on the patio.” I tilt my head, giving him a bitchy glare when I remember that he apparently hates tea, but he just stares back because he also apparently likes me enough to drink it anyway. “And then we’re going to bed, together. The same way we will every night from here on out. We’re a family. You, me, and Grace.”
It's ridiculous. It’s fast. But the smile that lights up my face is bright and filled with years of longing. The small bit of wind dies down, leaving the air still like fate is telling me to be still too. This is where I belong, where I’m staying, where I’m putting down the deepest of deep roots. “Say it again.”
“What part?”
“All of it.”
Cameron throws his head back as he laughs from deep in his belly. His face is so relaxed and full of life, no sign that a frown has ever turned his mouth down. It’s a truly beautiful sight. When he sees me grinning at him, he arches a brow. “What?”
“Nothing. You look happy. I like it.”
He bends down to place a kiss to my cheek, then he whispers in my ear, “I am happy, and it’s because of you. From the moment we met, that’s all you’ve done… make me happy. I just needed you.”
“Bullshit,” I counter, pushing at him playfully. “You already told me what you thought when we met, and it definitely wasn’t that ‘you needed me’ despite your being in actual, desperate need of a nanny. I had to bargain with you, wheeling and dealing for a three-month trial period, remember?”
He hums, tilting his head like he’s thinking back. And then he shakes his head. “No, that doesn’t ring a bell at all. I just remember thinking… wow.” He purses his lips, trying in vain to hide his smile.
“Speaking of, we’ll have to renegotiate that deal,” I tease. “If I’m not just the nanny…” I trail off.
“You were never ‘just the nanny’, bang or otherwise. And now, you’ll be mine. And Grace’s. And we’ll be yours.”
There will still be more to figure out, but we’ll get there. First things first, though…
“Let’s go home,” I say, burrowing into his arms. Then, I hold up a finger, correcting myself. “Wait, Starbucks and then home.”
Cameron rolls his eyes. “I am so screwed.” I glare at him, and he relents all too easily. “I’ll do the drive-thru and meet you at home.”
“Deal!” I shout and then push him away to get in my car. “Extra whipped cream on mine and Grace’s, okay?”
It’s late afternoon by the time we get to sit down with Grace. Much to her consternation, Cole and Janey made her go to school today, saying that she’d already missed one day this week and couldn’t miss another.
It gave me time to realize that Cameron missed work too, because I’d been so caught up in… well, him, that I hadn’t thought about it. He doesn’t seem to mind, though, because while I did laundry and rearranged his closet, he was right with me, giving me more room than I could ever need.
Finally, it’s the three of us in the living room, Grace on one couch and Cameron and me on another.
“Grace, I know you said you were okay with me and Riley dating, but I… I mean, we,” Cameron corrects, taking my hand in his, “want to talk to you about it a bit more in-depth.”