by Noelle Adams
“Are you mad at me?” Lily asked as she writhed beneath him.
“Mad?” he asked between kisses. “Why would you even ask that?”
“Your rules,” she said breathlessly. “I’m making you break your rules. I know how you hate that.”
“To hell with the rules,” Cam growled as he worked his way back up to her lips. He felt her smile against his own. “I need to break the rules more often.”
“I don’t know,” she said as she pulled Cam’s shirt over his head. “I think I’ve become a very bad influence on you.”
As soon as his shirt was off, he returned the favor and rid Lily of hers. “I don’t look at it that way at all,” he said as he reverently ran a hand over her breasts and heard her sigh of pleasure. “You’re finally freeing me to live.”
And that was the end of that.
***
Christmas Eve dawned like something on a Christmas card. Snow was falling, the house smelled of freshly baked cakes, cookies and pies as Christmas carols played on the sound system. Lily skipped down the stairs – in her Santa hat – with a grin from ear to ear. When she entered the kitchen she found her mother and Angela hard at work doing the preparations for the evening meal.
Clapping her hands together Lily asked, “Okay, what can I do to help?” Both women looked up at her and gave her a knowing smile. “What? What’s with the creepy smiles?”
“Look at you,” her mother said. “You’ve got a spring in your step and a smile and glow on your face…Cam is good for you.”
“Eeww, Mom, please…”
Angela nodded. “And you’re perfect for him. I always knew that. When I see him being affectionate with you? It just makes my heart smile. Cameron’s always been a bit…standoffish and yet with you, he just seems…lighter. Happier. It’s just so obvious that he loves you.” She came around the counter and hugged Lily. “I am so happy for the two of you. You’ve given us the best Christmas present ever.”
Lily felt majorly uncomfortable. She hated lying to her parents and the Greene’s but if she had her way, it wouldn’t be a lie for much longer. She and Cam had made love all through the night. And for as much as he had talked way back when about rules and them not doing this again, the boy scout in him had come prepared.
She loved that about him.
A blush crept its way across her cheeks and both women laughed and hugged her again. “It’s good to see you so happy, too, Lily,” her mother said. “Maybe with Cam’s guidance you’ll finally be able to settle down and find a career.”
And there it was. Lily knew last night was too good to be true. She had had such a wonderful time just sitting with her parents and talking about current events and things that interested her without them making snarky comments on how she lived her life but clearly Mary Cavanaugh could only keep her opinion to herself for so long.
“I don’t think Lily needs any such guidance,” Cam said as he walked into the kitchen. He walked straight to Lily and kissed her so that it left no doubt in her mind that he wanted more of what they had shared last night. When he finally stepped back, he smiled when his mother handed him a cup of coffee with a sappy grin on her face. “Good morning to you too, mom,” he said and kissed her cheek.
He took a sip of the hot beverage before returning his attention to Mary. “You know, Mary, not everyone has to have a nine-to-five job to define them. I happen to love that Lily is out there exploring all of the things that she loves and when she finds the one that she wants to stick with, then maybe she’ll make a career out of it. In the meantime, you should be proud that she has so many talents.”
“Well, I realize that she has always been creative but she’s easily distracted and I think that’s why…”
“Maybe it’s not that she gets distracted but that she doesn’t get encouragement or support from the people around her to make her want to stay with any one job or position. Every time somebody shoots down or puts down what she does, maybe Lily takes that as her cue that she has to move on to something else in order to please you. Have you ever thought of that?” His words weren’t harsh but they were truthful. Cam had always felt that part of Lily’s inability to choose a career was because her parents always disapproved of the things that she did.
In his heart, Cam knew that Lily wasn’t a typical career woman; she would never be happy sitting in an office or a cubicle. She was too carefree for that. When he pictured Lily, he saw her working with kids or with animals; something that allowed her to nurture and be creative.
Lately he pictured her being the mother of his children but he wasn’t going to say that in front of their mothers because they had been on their best behavior with not going crazy talking about planning for weddings and grandchildren. No need to go putting ideas in their heads.
Mary put down the spoon she was using to whip up another batch of cookie dough and walked around the counter to hug Cam. Taking his face in his hands she forced him to look her in the eye. “I always knew that you were the one for Lily, Cameron. When I hear you defend her and put me in my place by reminding me of how often I forget how gifted my daughter is, it just reinforces the fact that I was right about you. I’ll never have to worry about Lily as long as she has you.” She kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”
Then she turned to Lily. “I know that saying I’m sorry doesn’t make up for all of the times that I’ve belittled the things that you do,” she began as tears welled up in her eyes. “But I want you to know that not a day goes by that I’m not proud of you. You’re a beautiful, independent woman. Believe it or not, I envy your ability to go out into the world and try new and different things. I’m sorry if I ever made you feel inferior. I’m so sorry.” She wrapped Lily in her arms as the two of them cried.
Angela looked over at her son as her own tears began to fall. Cam rolled his eyes as he put his mug down on the granite countertop and pulled his mother into his embrace. “You’re quite a fine young man, Cameron,” Angela said as she held her only son tight. “I am so proud of you and I love seeing this new side of you. I knew it would be Lily to bring it out in you if only the two of you would give one another a chance.”
He didn’t know how to respond to that and so he simply held on to his mother until she was ready to let him go. “How about some breakfast?” Angela finally asked when she stepped away from Cam and wiped at her eyes. “I could whip up some pancakes if you’re interested.”
Picking up his mug, Cam smiled at her. “You know they’re my favorite.” Turning, he saw that Mary and Lily had moved to sit down at the large kitchen table and he continued to smile. He had done something good here. Even if he was forced to go back to just being her friend, Cam knew that during their short time as fake boyfriend and girlfriend and real lovers, that he’d helped Lily and her mother repair a relationship that had been broken for far too long.
Just as Lily was repairing a part of him that had been broken for far too long.
***
They ate dinner in the massive dining room that easily could have housed another two dozen people. They talked endlessly about previous Christmas’s and what their hopes were for the New Year ahead. Cam was puzzled by how much the focus on he and Lily had toned down. It was almost as if their parents had some sort of insight on the things that he and Lily had talked about and were purposely pulling back so that there would be nothing for them to argue about.
Everyone helped with the cleanup and Richard called them all into the family room to hand out a small part of the pile of presents under the tree. As was tradition, each child (and he used the term lightly) got to open one present on Christmas Eve and they could each decide if they wanted to give any presents that evening as well. He reminded them all to make sure that there was something left under the tree for everyone to open on Christmas morning.
In keeping with tradition, Lily and Beth both received new Christmas pajamas. “Seriously, mom,” Beth said. “Aren’t we getting a little old for this?” Her tone was light but it ha
d been an on-going argument for years. “How do you know I even wear pajamas?” she teased and watched as both of her parents blushed.
Lily joined in the laughter with her sister and it was the first time in recent memory that the two of them seemed to be on the same page about anything. While Beth’s pajamas had been of the tailored, two-piece design, Lily’s, much to her embarrassment, were much more risqué. “Mom!” she said with embarrassment as she pulled the slinky green silk from its wrapping. There were hoots and hollers all around and she saw that Cam was grinning from ear to ear.
“What?” he said. “You don’t think I’m going to complain and tell her to stop, are you?”
“That’s my boy,” Mary beamed at him. “Consider it a gift for the both of you.”
Cam shifted in his seat, more than a little uncomfortable with that thought but smiled and thanked Mary anyway. Lily quickly put the garment back in the box and put the lid on and inquired who was opening the next gift.
The Greene’s didn’t quite have the same tradition but each of their children received their practical gifts on Christmas Eve. Cam was expecting a new shaving kit or a robe or something of that nature and nearly choked when he saw green silk that looked suspiciously like it matched what Lily had just received. “Um…” he began and looked up to see everyone grinning at him.
“Whatcha got there?” Lily said teasingly as she nudged his shoulder with hers. “It’s not fun when the shoe is on the other foot now is it?” Cam mumbled his thanks and quickly put the lid on the box and placed it on top of Lily’s as he glared at her. “What?” she asked innocently. “You don’t think I’m going to tell her to stop do you?” The entire room erupted with laughter as a blush crept up Cam’s face. Leaning over, Lily kissed him on the cheek and she whispered for his ears only, “I can’t wait for the fashion show when we get upstairs.”
Before he had a chance to respond, more gifts were exchanged and then everyone headed back into the dining room for dessert. Once around the table, Cam’s father stood and addressed them all. “I want you to know how much it means to me that you were all willing to take the time to come and spend Christmas here with us. I know that there are in-laws who are missing you right now but when the opportunity came up to rent this house, I just couldn’t pass it up. So I thank each of you for indulging me.”
Taking a moment to compose his thoughts, Richard looked at his wife and smiled. “We have so much to be thankful for; you kids are such a blessing to me and your mother. We’re so proud of each of you and it does my heart good to see each of you doing so well.” He turned to the Cavanaugh’s. “Jack, Mary,” he began, “you’ve always been more like family to us than friends and Angela and I are so thankful that you wanted to spend Christmas with us like this. We’ve been friends for a long time and your friendship is the greatest gift we could ever ask for.”
With a final mental nod, he turned toward Cam and Lily. “We all want you to know that we realize that we went a little overboard when you first announced that you were dating and it became very obvious that you were both uncomfortable with all of the attention. We’re trying to tone it down but we want you to know that it was the greatest surprise when you announced that you were a couple. We don’t want to put any pressure on you because you’re still in the early stages of your relationship but nothing would give us more pleasure than seeing the two of you build a life together. You’ve always been the best of friends and that is the single greatest component to a successful marriage. So we promise to do our best to stand back a little and give you space to explore your relationship but just know,” he said with a laugh as he looked to his wife and his friends, “that we would not be opposed to some grandchildren.” Holding up his wine glass, he toasted their group and sat down.
Dessert was being passed around and Lily had lost her appetite. No one seemed to notice that she was pushing her pie around her plate and that she wasn’t really participating in any conversation. Grandchildren? Heck, she was just wrapping her head around not being in a fake relationship with real sex and everyone was already thinking about grandchildren? That signified marriage and futures and…forever. The sigh escaped before she could even stop it.
“Are you okay?” Cam whispered as he leaned toward her, his voice laced with concern.
“Yeah, sure,” she lied, unable to meet his knowing gaze.
Cam wanted to pursue the topic but sitting around the dining room table with ten other people was not the place. He rejoined the current topic of conversation – which was whether or not they were going to hike or ski over the next week. Cam wasn’t athletic in any way, shape or form and so if it was up to him, he’d opt for hiking. Less chance of embarrassing himself that way.
He wasn’t immune to the fact that Lily had gone quiet after his father’s toast but he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do about it. They knew from the get-go that their folks were going to start planning their future and if he was allowed to be honest, there was nothing that Cam wanted more than to plan a family with Lily. He glanced at her and saw that she was still playing with the pie on her plate and figured that it wasn’t a good sign that she was on the same page as him. Clearly the thought of having kids with him wasn’t appealing.
Now he fell silent.
Conversation was flowing and without looking at Lily again, Cam excused himself from the table and left the room. He didn’t expect anyone to follow and he wasn’t disappointed. There was something that he had to do and it seemed like now was as good a time as any.
***
Where the heck did Cam go?
Lily watched as Cam left the room and had to wonder at where he was going. True, it could just be a simple trip to the bathroom but she was still kind of irritated that he left her alone with the grandchildren-hungry family.
Okay, so maybe that was an over-exaggeration; no one had picked up where Richard had left off and so maybe they weren’t as baby-crazy as Lily was telling herself. Maybe she was the one who was feeling a little baby-crazy. And speaking of babies, why weren’t their sisters being harassed about procreating? Why did the grandchildren comment have to solely be directed at her and Cam? Seriously, each of Cam’s sisters had been married for over three years and Beth had been married for two. Where were the grandchildren requests to them?
“You’re frowning, Lily,” her mother said from across the table. “Are you all right?”
Lily looked up and saw everyone looking at her. “What? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Just a little tired. Mountain air and all that.”
“Hmm…,” Mary said and winked at her daughter before addressing the table. “I know that we have a mountain of desserts here but I also brought all of the makings for S’Mores! Who wants to join me out by the fire pit?”
You would have thought that none of them had eaten in days with the level of enthusiasm that request was met with. Before Lily knew it, they were all sitting around the fire pit roasting marshmallows.
Except Cam.
Lily kept looking over her shoulder for him and she had finally put together her very first gooey concoction when he reappeared. “Everything okay, Cameron?” His mother asked from across the fire.
Cam nodded and took a seat behind Lily on the lounge chair she had pulled over and pulled her back against his chest. He loved the way she instantly relaxed against him and then he smiled when she offered him her very first S’more. Reaching out, Cam wrapped one large hand around Lily’s wrist as she fed him the first bite. His eyes never left hers. As the sweet chocolate melted on his tongue, he nudged her to take a bite. Hesitantly, she did. They held one another’s gaze as they each finished their taste and then Cam noticed the chocolate at the corner of Lily’s mouth. Lowering her hand, he did his best to turn her toward him as he leaned in and touched his tongue to that sweet spot and slowly licked the chocolate away. He heard her soft whimper right before claiming her mouth with his.
Audience be damned. Lily Cavanaugh was like an addiction that Cam couldn’t get enough of. He ma
y never get enough of and that suited him just fine. For once no one seemed to be paying them any attention and so he took his time teasing her lips with his tongue before she opened for him. Cam deepened the kiss and wrapped a hand around the nape of her neck and into her hair to hold her to him. He never wanted to let her go.
A popping sound from the fire startled them both and they reluctantly ended the kiss. They shared the remaining few bites of their treat before Lily leaned forward to make another one. Deciding to reign in the passion that was becoming so easy to ignite, Lily handed that one to Cam for him to enjoy on his own. “Spoilsport,” he murmured against her ear and she shivered with delight.
They sat around the fire until well after midnight before everyone began to rise and say their goodnights. “Being that we’re all adults here,” Jack said with a smile as he, too, stood, “there’s no need for us to be up too early. Let’s plan on brunch for eleven and then we’ll open the rest of our presents. How does that sound?”
Everyone was in agreement and soon Lily and Cam were approaching the door to their room. “Where did you go earlier?” Lily asked as Cam stopped and blocked her entry.
Cam shrugged. “I just had some last minute Christmas wrapping to do.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “You are such a guy,” she said with a laugh. “I could have helped you when I was wrapping all of my stuff.” Without another word, Cam opened the door to their room and Lily gasped with surprise. She turned to him with wide-eyed wonder. “You did all of this?” He nodded.
The room was set up as their own Christmas wonderland. As Lily walked around, Cam went about lighting some of the candles that he had strategically placed around the room. Twinkly lights were scattered around the room, a small live tree sat on top of a makeshift stand in front of the large picture window and beneath it lay a pile of presents. Cam walked over and flipped a switch and the tree lit up with what seemed like hundreds of white lights. He watched as Lily stepped closer and looked at the decorations on the tree before turning to look at him. “How did you do all of this?”