He dropped her hand and she immediately missed his touch. She should be careful what she wished for.
"My turn to feed him, I think." Cameron headed for the bottle sterilizer to prepare the baby's milk.
"Sit down and have some breakfast." Olivia pushed boxes of cereal nearer Alice's place setting on the table. "We've all eaten. I hope you don't mind that we didn't wait. I needed to get on with preparing lunch. Radley's parents will arrive soon."
Alice had just poured some muesli in a bowl and added milk. At the thought of meeting Radley and Cameron's parents, her appetite deserted her.
"Don't worry, they won't bite," Radley said, obviously catching her expression.
"Mum will love Sami," Cameron added, coming back with a full baby bottle. He lifted Sami and sat with the baby cradled in his arm and put the nipple in his mouth.
"Sandra and George are really nice." Olivia placed a rack of toast in front of Alice with some butter and spreads. "They both love children."
She met Cameron's reassuring gaze. Her nerves abated but didn't go away. His relatives had welcomed her, but it was impossible to shake off her fear. Growing up with her father had conditioned her to expect the worst of men. Cameron had shown her some men were considerate and trustworthy. But older men, men in positions of authority and power, still made her wary.
***
"Hello. We're here." A woman's voice from the hallway made Alice turn from the salad she prepared at the kitchen counter, while Olivia finished up the beef burgers and chicken kebabs for their celebratory barbecue.
"That's Sandra, Cameron's mother," Olivia said, grabbing a tea towel to wipe her hands.
Alice followed Olivia out the kitchen door and halted beside the stairs. An attractive older woman in a floral sundress and sandals with dark hair and glasses turned to greet Cameron as he came out of the games room, where the boys had been playing snooker.
Ordinary in a nice way, she was relaxed and confident without being too primped. Unlike Alice's mother who either resembled a fashion model or a train wreck.
"Cameron, darling, it's so good to have you home in one piece." His mother threw her arms around him and hugged tightly, then took half a step back and examined him critically, smoothing her hand across his cheek. "You're very tanned."
"It's hot there, Mum."
"I know. I hope you're careful not to overdo the sun."
Cameron and Radley exchanged long-suffering looks, and he squeezed his mother's shoulders. "I'm old enough to look after myself now, you know."
"You'll always be my little boy. I worry about you."
She turned as George raced out of the room, and scooped him up. "How's the birthday boy?"
"Have you got me a birthday present, Grandma?"
Glancing over her shoulder, Sandra checked the open front door. "Granddad will bring it in when he's finished fiddling with the car. He thought he heard a noise in the engine, so goodness knows how long he'll have his head under the hood. Not that he has a clue what he's looking at. Engines have never been his thing." The casual way Sandra talked about her husband gave Alice goose bumps. Her mother wouldn't dream of criticizing her father in front of others.
Sandra hugged Radley next, patting his cheek affectionately, then it was Olivia's turn for a kiss. Alice waited in the shadows beside the stairs, poignant emotions filling her. This was the sort of family life she had dreamed of when she was a little girl.
"Where's my little sweetie girl?" Sandra glanced around.
"Emma's napping," Olivia said. "I'll get her up in a few minutes."
Sandra's curious gaze found Alice, clearly surprised to see a stranger. "Hello, there."
"Hello, Mrs. Knight. It's lovely to meet you."
Cameron threaded his way through the group to Alice's side and put his arm around her waist. "Mum, this is Alice Conway, the woman who rescued the baby."
"Oh, my goodness, George mentioned he arranged an emergency visa for an injured newborn. You're very welcome here, Alice. I can only imagine how terrifying it must be over there." Her gaze settled on the cast covering Alice's arm. "I admire you for being so brave." She stepped forward and kissed Alice's cheek.
Alice returned the brief embrace awkwardly. "Sami wasn't injured. He just has a cleft lip. Cameron says it's easily fixed."
"Over here it's routine. Do you have the little one with you?" Sandra's eyes gleamed in anticipation.
"He's in the kitchen."
Before Alice could say more, Sandra hurried down the hall. Alice followed, the rest of the family on her heels.
"Oh, he's a darling," Sandra exclaimed, leaning over the baby seat.
Sami's intelligent brown eyes tracked the movement of the people crowding around him. He flapped his arms and kicked his legs, grunting with excitement.
"Would you like to hold him?" Alice asked, already unfastening her baby from his seat, sure of Sandra's answer.
"Absolutely." Sandra lifted Sami against her chest and rocked him gently. "You are adorable. Do you know that, little one?" She glanced up. "Did you say his name is Sami?"
Alice nodded. Sandra was such an easy person to talk to and be around. The nerves that had plagued Alice all morning faded.
"I adopted him." Alice's love for Sami bubbled up, making her grin. Sandra would understand her feelings. "He's such a good little boy. I can't believe how lucky I am to have been there in the right place at the right time to save him."
Cameron moved to her side and she grasped his hand enthusiastically. "Cameron was wonderful. I don't know what I'd have done without him."
Cameron's arm slid around her waist and she leaned into him, basking in the warm glow of this close, loving family.
"Actually," Cameron said softly, "we both adopted Sami."
Sandra's brows gathered. "Both of you?"
"Alice and I are married, Mum."
Sandra froze, her expression morphing from shock to surprise before a smile touched her lips. She glanced down at the baby in her arms, her eyes sparkling with pleasure. "Oh, that means Sami is my grandson."
A man cleared his throat, snapping Alice's gaze to the doorway.
"You're married?" The man looked like an older version of Cameron and Radley, tall and distinguished, his dark hair silvered at the temples.
His expression was carefully blank, leaving her unsure of his reaction.
"Yes, a few days ago." Cameron led Alice to his father and the two men embraced. "Alice, this is my father, George Knight. Dad, this is my wife, Alice."
She couldn't imagine ever calling this man by his Christian name. "Pleased to meet you." Her voice came out as little more than a whisper. Everyone had stopped talking to watch them. Cameron's father shook her hand, his grip firm, his hand so big hers disappeared.
"This seems rather hasty, Cameron."
Cameron's father disapproved. Alice dared not look him in the face. Instead she stared at the buttons on his jacket, her belly clenching in a horribly familiar way.
"It was the right thing for us," Cameron said.
"Where do you come from, Alice?"
"London." She felt like a naughty student called up in front of the headmaster.
"What does your father do?" That was exactly the sort of question her father would ask when surely he should be more interested in what she did.
"I work for the charity Safe Cradle." She risked a glance at his face and caught his slight smile as he noted she hadn't answered him.
"Yes, I know that. You're the young lady who rescued the baby."
Heat stung Alice's cheeks. Of course, Cameron's dad had been the one to arrange the visa for Sami. Maybe she was looking for a snub when none was intended.
"My father's a High Court judge."
"That's interesting. What's his name? I might know him."
Disquiet whispered through Alice. Her father had nothing to do with her life now. That was how she wanted it to stay.
"Sir Alistair Conway," she offered reluctantly.
"Ah, yes.
I am acquainted with him. We were at Oxford together."
Alice's gaze shot up to the man's face in horror. This was terrible. What if he told her father about Sami?
Chapter Eight
Cameron sealed the tapes on Sami's clean diaper, wiped his hands, and lifted the baby into his arms. He smiled down at the little guy and pressed his lips to the top of his head, breathing in his sweet baby smell. Alice's floral fragrance clung to the baby's hair as well.
"You smell so good I could eat you all up." Laying Sami on the bed, he blew on the baby's chubby tummy, making him kick his legs. Sami's brown gaze followed him with interest as he dressed him in a sleep suit.
Sami gurgled and his little mouth curved at the corners. His first smile! A burst of warm, protective feelings stole Cameron's breath. He lifted Sami into his arms and held him as tightly as he dared, rocking him back and forth. He loved this little boy so much it nearly overwhelmed him.
He loved George too, but this was different. George might be his biological son, but he had never been his to care for and protect. Not like Sami.
"Are you having a cuddle?" Alice wandered in from the bathroom.
"He smiled at me." Cameron's voice came out all choked up, and he cleared his throat.
"Really?" Alice pressed her face against his shoulder to look in Sami's face. "What a clever boy. Are you going to smile for me too?"
The baby yawned hugely and blinked. Cameron and Alice both chuckled, their eyes meeting over the baby's head. Another burst of feeling rocked through Cameron. Something about Alice touched him in a way he'd never experienced before. Was he falling in love with her?
He'd missed her last night, but he'd had to stay away. If they'd slept in the same bed he might have taken things too fast. He needed to give her space to get used to the idea of making this a proper marriage.
But he was done being a gentleman. One night would have to be enough space. Tonight he wanted to share his wife's bed.
"Do you want to give Sami his bottle?" he asked.
"Yes, just let me brush my hair."
Cameron rocked Sami in his arms, humming a nursery rhyme while Alice sat on the padded stool and picked up a hairbrush. She swept the bristles through the long golden strands falling around her shoulders, gleaming like silk in the low lighting.
His hand flexed, imagining the feel of her hair running through his fingers. Her beautiful golden hair had been the first thing he'd noticed about her when he rushed to her aid after she went down. That first time he saw her out in the desert felt like a different lifetime now.
Thank you, God, for throwing this woman in my path, he thought. Sami wriggled and Cameron circled his palm soothingly on the baby's back. Thank you for giving me a second chance to be a good dad as well.
This time he would put his heart and soul into caring for his baby and do the job properly.
***
Alice stood and slipped off the dressing gown Olivia had loaned her. The cream silk nightdress clung to her skin, still damp from her shower. Acutely aware of Cameron's gaze following her, she fumbled in a drawer for something, but she couldn't remember what.
"I'll take you into London tomorrow to pick up your things from that place you left them."
"The women's refuge. Are you sure you want to come?"
"No way are you going to that rough part of London on your own."
Did he really care about her as much as he seemed to? She couldn't believe it.
Excitement and nerves twisted and tangled inside her as she slid between the crisp sheets and arranged a pillow on her lap so she could lay Sami at the right angle to feed him.
"Here you are. One hungry little boy." Cameron gently settled Sami in the crook of her cast on the pillow and handed her the bottle. Sami's eyes drifted closed, but as soon as the nipple touched his lips he sucked it in and gulped down his milk.
Concentrating on her baby, Alice tried to ignore Cameron as he moved around the room, tidying up baby things. He kicked off his shoes and socks and started unbuttoning his shirt.
Alice struggled to breathe normally, her heart thumping, her skin tingling. What did he expect of her tonight?
"I'm just going to the bathroom."
Alice's gaze rose to Cameron's naked chest, his muscles sculpted with light and shadow by the table lights. He stood at the bottom of the bed, a toothbrush in his hand, and faded denim jeans riding low on his hips. Her breath rushed out in a strange little whimper. His eyebrows rose so she pretended to cough.
When the door closed behind him, she pulled the empty bottle from Sami's mouth and pressed a hand over her eyes. Cameron hadn't even climbed in bed yet and she had already made a fool of herself. She burped Sami and gathered the sleepy baby up to settle him in his bassinet.
Then she turned off all the lights except the one on Cameron's nightstand and lay down. Her breath sounded unusually loud in the stillness of the room as she waited.
He entered softly and bent over the bassinet to kiss Sami before he moved around the bed. Slipping off his jeans, he slid beneath the sheets wearing his underwear.
Alice lay stiffly on her back, sleep about as far from her mind as it was possible to get. She had never felt more awake, or more aware of Cameron, mere inches away from her in the bed. He slid closer, propping his head on his hand. "You're okay with this arrangement, aren't you?"
"Yes."
She rolled onto her side to face him, her pulse racing. She still couldn't believe he was attracted to her. Maybe he just thought they should try to make a go of the marriage for Sami's sake. Alice's teeth worried at her lip.
They stared at each other in the semidarkness, the small bedside light silhouetting Cameron, making it difficult to see his face. That actually made it easier to talk frankly. "I don't understand why you wanted this," Alice said.
"I didn't plan it." Cameron's fingertips brushed the hair back from her face, and lingered on her bare shoulder. "It seems like the right thing to do for you and Sami."
The small bud of hope inside her shriveled. His being here with her was due to his sense of duty.
"If you'd rather date someone else then I won't make a fuss. We only got together for Sami. I never expected you to give up your social life for me."
Cameron gave a wry laugh. "I don't have much of a social life."
"I guess not while you're deployed in a conflict zone, but surely when you come home on leave you must date."
"Yes," he said, reaching out and cupping the back of her head, drawing her closer. "I'm dating my wife. I want you, Alice. Not some other woman." Shivers of sensation flowed through her as he leaned closer.
He kissed the tip of her nose, her cheeks, her eyelids, then put his lips against her ear. "Now stop trying to talk me out of how I feel and kiss me, Mrs. Knight."
***
Alice barely noticed the London streets passing the window of the 4x4 as Cameron drove Radley's car towards the women's refuge to collect her stuff.
She was in love—something she had never thought possible. This wonderful man had swept her off her feet with his soft caresses and gentle lovemaking. She'd had no idea a relationship between a man and woman could be this way. For the first time she understood what people meant when they said they were walking on clouds. She felt both dreamy and excited at the same time.
The GPS directed Cameron to turn right. He swung the large vehicle through the traffic, a frown creasing his brow. "Is this the right way, love? It looks dodgy around here."
"This is where women need the refuge most." Not all women, of course. Some, like her mother, lived in expensive, fashionable parts of town. It didn't mean they didn't need help.
"We're nearly there. Find a space on the edge of the road if you can," she said.
Cameron parallel parked beside a parking meter and cut the engine. He climbed out and came around to open the door for her.
"The refuge is around the corner." She threaded her fingers through his as he took her hand.
They walked pas
t an empty lot littered with trash. Obscene graffiti covered a wall beside the railway line and dirt filled every crack. The area had always been scruffy, but it had deteriorated further.
They turned a corner onto a street of run-down houses. "It's number sixty-two."
A few people gathered around a man hammering on a door, shouting abuse.
"Not that place, I hope?" Cameron halted, keeping a tight grip on her hand.
"Yes. The man's wife is probably inside."
Cameron turned, pulling her with him. "Come on, let's go back to the car."
"No. I want to get my things. Wait a few minutes. Maeve, who runs the place, will have called the police."
Cameron hesitated, his lips pressed in a hard line. "Okay, but if the situation gets worse, we walk away, all right?"
***
Cameron really did not want to be here, but even more he didn't want Alice here. Thank goodness they hadn't brought Sami. They retreated to stand by a wall covered in graffiti. He tightened his grip on Alice's hand, keeping watch all around. Some of the houses had boarded-up windows and litter lay everywhere.
A siren cut through the air. A few minutes later a police car turned down the road and stopped outside the women's refuge. Two officers jumped out and tried to talk to the man hammering on the door. He stumbled down the steps and took a swing at one of them. They cuffed him, pushed him in the back of their car, and drove off.
Cameron couldn't believe it. "Don't the police take statements from anyone when this happens?"
"Not unless the woman inside files a complaint. They'll lock him up until he's sober and then release him."
Cameron shook his head. This was a different world from the one he lived in. He slipped his arm around her and hurried along the edge of the road, his gaze darting everywhere. "I can't believe you used to work here." He certainly wasn't going to let her work here again.
"Somebody has to help these women."
"I know, love." But it wasn't going to be her. They could argue about it later if necessary. Right now he wanted to get her in and out as quickly as possible. By the time they got back to Radley's expensive car, it would probably be stripped down.
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