by Taylor Love
That was going to be the hard part. So she went into planning mode. She was going to treat this like one of her work problems. After all, she solved problems and made companies better on a regular basis. She had to figure out, what would make Camden believe she wanted him for the long haul? Once she started to think of her problem in business terms, a path forward started to become clearer.
* * *
It was late August and Camden was sitting in his house, drinking a beer. He’d finished his last project around three o’clock that day. He just needed to make another pass over everything before he sent it to the client tomorrow. Now that it was done, he could move on to thinking about Andrea twenty-four seven. She had reached out to him during the last week of July to ask if they could meet up and talk. Once again, he’d ignored her…and that had been the last time he’d heard from her. Almost a full month ago. Maybe Robert had been right. Maybe she’d given up. But didn’t that confirm what he’d been trying to prove? That she didn’t want this relationship as much as he did? That she wasn’t willing to fight for it? It hurt and pissed him off that he’d put every single thing he’d had into building a relationship with her. After his parents’ death, he’d never wanted to risk feeling the kind of pain of losing someone he loved. He’d taken a chance on Andrea. Was it so wrong of him to want the same from her?
During this last month, he had become resigned to the fact that it was basically over. He still felt that dull ache in his chest every time he thought about what they had, but conversely he also realized that he should have tried one more time to connect with her. It was true that maybe he’d jumped the gun on proposing. He hadn’t talked to her directly about if she wanted to get married anytime soon, or what the path to marriage looked like to her. Robert was right, he’d hadn’t wanted to accept anything less than her saying yes.
They could have talked about their differences and still been together. If he had given her a little more time…just a little, then maybe they could have reached a compromise. Instead, he’d drawn a hard line in the sand. He had wasted the countless times she had reached out to him. Now, he was spending all his nights alone, sitting in a house that still wasn’t quite a home. If he had another chance…well he hoped like hell he wouldn’t let his pride and bruised ego get in the way again.
Andrea’s insight from the beginning of the month had put her on this current course of action. She had worked up the courage to do this all week long. She’d thought about waiting for Friday to arrive, but she was tired of the butterflies in her stomach. So, on Thursday after delaying at work, she found herself driving to Camden’s house. She prayed the whole way there that he was at home, and more importantly, that he wouldn’t slam the door in her face. She was on a mission to get her man back!
Pulling into his drive unleashed a lot of emotions as she saw the familiar house. It had become like a second home to her, she had missed being here. Parking the car, she made her way to the door. She was in a light summer dress and held a clutch purse in her hand. The only other thing she had was her courage. She gave the doorbell a long push and waited. He opened the inside door, only to gaze at her through the locked screen. When he didn’t move or speak, she offered a small smile and asked, “Can I come in?”
Camden was shell-shocked. He had just been thinking about her, wishing he had another chance, and now she was on his doorstep. He was busy drinking her in. Another woman had never looked so good to him. He’d looked at pictures of her during the separation, but there was nothing like seeing her in the flesh. And just that quick, it was obvious another part of his anatomy besides his heart had missed her.
Opening the screen door, he said. “What are you doing here Andrea? And don’t tell me you were just in the neighborhood.”
“Okay…I won’t. Can I come in? It’s hot out here.” She had been checking him out too, and he was still as fine as she remembered. She could tell he was still mad as well. While a part of her had known this wouldn’t be easy, she wouldn’t have minded him showing some enthusiasm upon seeing her.
“Fine.” He stepped back so she could enter. “I suppose you’re dying for some water as well. After all, we wouldn’t want you getting dehydrated again, now would we?”
Andrea flinched at the reference to the night they’d split, squaring her shoulders even more she turned to face him in the hall. “Actually yes, a bottle of water would be good.” As he veered off to the kitchen, she debated whether she should stand or sit. In the end, she took a seat on the couch.
Cam returned and handed her a cold water, eyeing her warily. He stood watching her take a sip while his mind ran a mile a minute. Why was she here now? He realized thus far, he’d been a bit of an asshole, but he had a lot of conflicting emotions going through him right now. Even so, he needed to calm down and not blow what might be their final chance of reconciliation. So it was a shock to him when this popped out his mouth. “So what? Are you here to return the ring?”
Andrea took another slow sip to settle her nerves. Is that what he wanted her to do? It was in her purse, in case he demanded it from her. Feeling tendrils of doubt enter her mind, she pushed them away. She was here to fight. If that meant fighting Cam to get what she wanted, what was best for them, then so be it. “Not quite…but I did want to give you this.”
She pulled out the envelope from her purse with “return to sender” stamped on it, and handed it to him. He took it, sitting on the opposite edge of the couch. Looking at her before tossing the envelope carelessly on the table. When he just continued to look at her, she let a little of her own frustration come into her voice. “I got those range vouchers for you.”
“And I wanted you to take me to the range. They should have been for us.”
“They still can be Cam.” Andrea softened her tone. “I would love for them to still be for us.”
Cam lost his anger. Something about how she said his nickname always got to him. “Why are you here, Andrea? After two months?” He asked guardedly.
“The short answer…I love you.” Before he could speak, she put up a hand to stop him. “I wanted to see you, but you ignored me. Why did you do that for two months?”
After a pregnant pause, he answered, “I did it because I’m a stubborn ass sometimes and because I’m a man…we have egos.” When she gave him a sarcastic smile, he continued. “I love you too…I’ve missed the hell out of you.”
“I’ve been pretty miserable without you.” She moved closer to him. “I’m hoping we can talk, and work this out.”
Cam nodded slowly. “I’d like that. Honestly, the first thing I need to know though, is why the thought of marrying me sent you into a panic?”
“For the same reason sleeping with you the first time had me trying to run. You make me feel things on a level I’ve never experienced before. You make me vulnerable in a way I’m not comfortable with. Feelings that I’m afraid to trust.”
“I guess…I can understand that. But baby, you know I’d never hurt you.”
“My head knows, but my heart knows that you have the power to do so. That wasn’t the only reason. Before, with Damon, I had it in my head this ‘plan’ of what a relationship should look like. I’d meet a successful guy that treated me well and after a year of dating, he would propose. I expected Damon to fulfill this plan of mine on our one-year anniversary. As we sat in that fancy restaurant celebrating, my proposal never came. I was confused and angry and flat out told him what I was looking for.”
Andrea paused and drank a bit more water as the feelings of disappointment, anger, and embarrassment rushed back to her. When she was steady, she looked into Camden’s eyes before continuing. “He laughed at me, Cam. Said I was jumping the gun. He told me we had potential, but that he wasn’t totally sold on me yet.”
“That son of a-”
“No, let me finish. I told him that wasn’t enough for me. That I had expectations of where this relationship was going. I thought stupidly, that he actually cared for me. He politely told me he couldn�
��t make any promises and that on second thought maybe we weren’t suited after all. That we were obviously not on the same wavelength. Basically, the same thing you told women that got serious about you.”
“Andrea, you’re different…”
“He took me home and that was that. He was done with me. Like the year I’d spent in his life meant nothing.”
“Baby, I’m sorry. I bet what happened with us reminded you of all of that.” Cam was kicking himself, for letting his boyish pride make him handle the engagement situation the way he had. He’d only compounded things when he’d ignored her time and time again. “I’m sorry he hurt you like that. I’m sorry I hurt you.”
Andrea smiled sadly and shook her head. “Recently I realized I never loved him, just like he never loved me. News flash, women have egos too, and at the time, mine was crushed. It left me feeling insecure of my own judgement, of whether I would ever find what I wanted. What I thought I wanted…before I met you. So that’s the long answer to your question about why I reacted how I did. I’m sorry I hurt you. I didn’t mean to. It was never my intention.”
“I’m sorry for being an insecure ass, and for how I treated you. I was putting my heart on the line for the first time with a woman, and I didn’t like how it felt to be rejected. You were right, in that we never talked about marriage. That’s my fault too. I was too much of a coward to broach it directly. Marriage is a big step that we should have considered together. I had it all settled in my mind and I just assumed you’d go along with it. I should have handled the entire situation from beginning to end better, and I regret that I didn’t.”
“Well…it looks like we both made mistakes. I’m here today hoping we can get past them. I miss being with my best friend.”
“Same here.” For the first time in months, Cam’s genuine smile returned to his face. “I’m willing to let it go if you are.”
“I am! But I do feel there is one more thing, I need to do before we can move forward.” She reached back in her purse and pulled out a ring box. She saw uncertainty flicker across his face as he glanced at the box, then back to her. She flipped it open. “I got you a purple diamond, as well. Purple is the color of royalty. You have always treated me like a queen, and I want you as my king. Camden Joshua Holden, will you marry me?”
Camden looked down at the white-gold band that housed a purple diamond in the sunken center, two regular, smaller diamonds flanking either side.
With a light shining in his eyes that had been missing since walking out of her house, he gave a delighted laugh. “I sure will baby. I love you Andrea.” He pulled her in for a kiss, the first taste they’d had of each other in months. And just like the first time they had touched, electricity sparked through them. The simple kiss deepened, as their hands hungrily reacquainted themselves with each other, until they finally had to break apart to breathe.
“I’ve missed you…us,” Andrea said quietly, stroking his jaw.
“So have I, pretty eyes. I don’t want to be without you again. I’ll marry you whenever, however you want. I don’t care how long we wait, as long as we’re together while we do.”
A feeling of joy spread through Andrea and she kissed him again before saying the first thing that came to mind. “Let’s get married now! Let’s go to Vegas!”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Cam wondered if his hearing was off. He wouldn’t be surprised if all his systems were out of whack, now that he had Andrea back in his arms. “Are you serious?”
“Yes! Why wait any longer? I bet we can catch a flight out tonight. It’s only a little after seven. Are you in the middle of a big project?”
“No, I actually finished my latest one today. I need to do a final review, but that would just take me a few hours.”
“Great! I have tons of time off. My boss reminded me of that when I was freaking out over you.”
Now Cam grinned cockily. “I had you going crazy missing me huh?”
“Don’t get a big head or I might take my ring back.”
“Speaking of, hand it over so I can put it on.”
Andrea did, and as he was slipping it on, she reached into her purse one final time and withdrew her own ring box. “Would you do the honors for me?”
When Cam saw what she held, the last little bit of tightness in his chest eased. “I’d love nothing more than to put this ring on your finger, Ms. Cole.”
As he slid it on, she teased him. “Soon to be Mrs. Holden, if you’re not to chicken to jump on a plane.”
“Woman, that is one dare I have no problem taking. Do you want to head home and pack and I can meet you there?”
She reached out to entwine her hand with his, so that their rings touched. “No. From now on we do this journey together.” She pulled him up and gave him a lingering kiss before walking with him to the stairs. “You go pack, then we’ll head to my place. The airport is closer to me anyway.”
“I love you so much right now…you think we got time to get a head start on the honeymoon?”
She laughed and pushed him towards the stairs. “No, you got twenty minutes to pack. While you’re doing that, I’ll use my laptop to book our flight.”
Cam frowned and took a step back towards her. “I don’t want you paying for the tickets.”
“Give it a rest. I went to the same shop to get your ring. I know how much you paid for mine. You have no right to scold anyone about spending money. Go pack.”
“Yes, ma’am. I better get used to giving in huh?”
“Well remember, happy wife, happy life. Now, get.” Andrea watched him run up the steps before she burst into giggles and literally skipped out to her car to grab her work bag. Quickly booting up her laptop, she sent her boss a quick email letting him know she needed a week off. She explained that an urgent matter had come up, but that she would be available tomorrow morning by email to take care of any loose ends.
She couldn’t believe she was being this impulsive, but it felt good, it felt right! She thought about her parents, but then pushed the worry aside. This was about her and Cam, it was their moment. She just knew she wanted to marry Camden, everything else could wait and sort itself out. By the time he came back down, she had booked their flights.
“I’m all set. Just got to grab my laptop and phone off the table here.”
“Good. I booked us first class on the 10:15 flight out.”
“Andrea…”
“Hush. I’m getting married, so yes, first class. I also grabbed us a suite at Caesars Palace. Unfortunately, we’ll be getting in too late, to get our marriage license. However, they open up at eight and I pre-checked us in, so we should be fine.”
“Damn, you did a whole lot in twenty minutes.”
“I was motivated. Plus, you took twenty-five.”
“My bad. Let me lock up the house and we can roll.”
They raced to Andrea’s house where she took thirty minutes to pack a bag. She thought she did an excellent job, considering a woman had more necessities to consider than a man, but she wasn’t worried, as she could easily buy anything else she needed if she forgot something.
They made it to the airport a little after nine o’clock. After checking their bags, they proceeded to grab a quick bite to eat. Cam hadn’t stopped touching her. Her arm, back, waist, anything he could reach since they’d left his house. He admitted to himself he didn’t believe this was happening. So he had to touch her to reassure himself that it wasn’t a dream. It was hard to believe he had woken up this morning thinking he’d never be in her life again, and now they were about to get hitched.
While they waited at the gate to board, they discussed their honeymoon. They decided they wanted to go someplace neither of them had ever been, but wasn’t complicated to book quickly. Once they decided on Hawaii, he shot an email to his travel agent right before they boarded. Cam was positive his person would have options ready, first thing in the morning.
When the flight crew in first class found out they were newly engaged and on
their way to get married, they received a shot out from the Captain. In the air Andrea pulled up the hotel wedding options, and they quickly picked out the Venus Garden. Andrea wanted an outside wedding. After that, Cam spent the remainder of the time reviewing his project. He would probably have to put in a couple more hours tomorrow, but this way he’d be ahead of schedule. They touched down around 11:45 pm Nevada time, so it was going on one in the morning by the time they got to their hotel and checked in. They were both beat and agreed to call it a night since they had to be up early the next day.
The next morning, they were up with the sun to go get their marriage license. They were called into the back fifteen minutes after arriving, and fifteen minutes after that, walked out with a legal license. On the taxi ride back to the hotel Andrea started to cry softly, but not softly enough that Cam didn’t hear.
“Sweetheart what’s wrong? Do you want to do this a different way? Are you missing having your parents here?”
“No, it’s not that. I was reading that they can watch the ceremony live with an internet link. We can send it to my parents and your family in North Carolina.” They had yet to notify a single soul they were jumping the broom, so to speak.
“Then what is it?”
“I just can’t believe my best friend won’t be here. I mean, we’ll have a stranger standing up for us. That’s the only part of this I don’t like.” Andrea wiped the few tears she’d shed off her face and squared her shoulders. “But I can deal with it. The ceremony is only a handful of minutes anyway.”
“I feel you. I guess I always assumed Robert would be my best man, you know?” They were silent for a few moments and then Cam said, “What if we changed the wedding to Saturday evening and flew them out here? Would Mika come?”