“At least it wasn’t a ditch this time,” I whispered playfully as he laced our fingers together. “Apparently I can’t walk in a straight line when you’re around.”
“That’s okay,” he assured me. “I love every last clumsy inch of you.” He kissed me once more before we headed down the path again. When Rosalie’s house came into view, he released my hand and put his arm around my shoulders as we walked up the steps and into the yard.
“Are we really going to get a whole day together?” I asked dreamily, placing my head on his shoulder as we walked. “No book to write, no landlords calling…”
“I did promise Aunt Rosalie I would help her today,” he told me apologetically as he squeezed my shoulders.
“I guess part of the day is better than nothing,” I admitted as we walked up the back steps and he opened the door for me to step inside. Together we entered the kitchen and I retrieved two glasses for water. Once I handed his full glass to him, he only took a couple of sips before he moved toward me again, wrapping me in his arms. Resting my forehead against his neck, I put my arms around him. He held me there for a minute, and then I heard him humming softly. I waited until I could pick out the melody, and then I smiled against his t-shirt.
“’I Want to Know What Love Is,’” I told him, after which he abruptly stopped and took a deep breath.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize I was doing that out loud,” he apologized. “I know it’s annoying.”
“It’s not annoying to me,” I informed him. “You can sing all you want – I love to hear it.” He hugged me a little tighter, and I looked up as I heard a noise behind me.
“Well, I’ve located the infatuated teenagers,” Rosalie remarked as she brushed past us into the kitchen. Cole leaned away from me and smiled. “Do I need to ask what’s going on between you two, or can I assume that what I see is what I get?” She started messing with the coffee pot, and I glanced up at Cole.
“Camdyn’s totally in love with me, Aunt Rosalie,” he said, giving me a wink.
“Yeah, tell me something I don’t know,” she stated as she put a skillet in the sink. I shook my head as I felt the embarrassment registering on my face, and Cole laughed.
“I’ve decided to indulge her fantasies by allowing her to date me,” he told her. She put her hands on her hips and turned to face us.
“Really?”
“Well, that and I might be a little bit in love with her,” he continued. “Just a little.” He kissed me on the cheek and then moved to take a muffin from the counter, leaning back against the cabinets. Rosalie smirked at me quickly before she turned back to the sink to begin rinsing out a couple of bowls. I listened half-heartedly as she and Cole talked about the plans for the party later in the day, still a little in a haze. My world had been completely turned upside down in the last twenty-four hours, and I was having a hard time adjusting to my new reality. This was my home, for the next five weeks anyway, and the man standing in front of me was my fiancé. It all seemed a little surreal.
After listening to them for a while, I excused myself to take a shower. By the time I was finished, Cole and Rosalie had made their way outside and Cole was preparing to leave. I hurriedly threw on a t-shirt and jeans and headed out to Cole’s truck.
“Leaving already?” I asked as soon as Rosalie walked away. He sighed and reached for my hand.
“Yeah, Aunt Rosalie wants me to help Rachel set everything up for the party at B’s,” he explained. “She said you could help her with the cake and dinner.”
“Brave woman,” I murmured as I gazed up at him, and he chuckled quietly.
“Do not tell Aunt Rosalie anything,” he demanded firmly, a smile tugging at his lips.
“I will do my very best,” I assured him. He kissed me quickly before he jumped in the truck and I watched him drive away. Inside I felt a little like a pouty child – I didn’t want him to go help his sister, and I didn’t feel like assisting with dinner. I knew I couldn’t tell Rosalie no, however, especially after everything she’d done for me.
I walked back inside to where Rosalie stood in the kitchen beginning to work on the cake, and when I stepped up next to her, she smiled.
“So, you and Cole,” she remarked with wide eyes. “And to think, you thought when you proclaimed your love for him you might crash and burn.”
“I know!” I exclaimed, remembering the words I had said to her just the day before. “Go figure!”
-§-
After Rosalie and I worked on the cake all morning (which mostly included only watching on my part), she decided it needed to be delivered to B’s. I rode with her hoping that Cole might still be there, but he and Rachel had already gone home. When we returned to the bed and breakfast, she promptly started on dinner. I pretended to help her for a while, but soon it became apparent that she didn’t really need me, so I retreated to my bedroom to decide what to wear that evening. I decided upon a white sleeveless shirt embellished with black lace along with black jeans and glittery black flats, and then I worked on my hair for a while to make sure all my curls were neatly in place. When I was finished, I retrieved my ring from the drawer and slid it into my pocket before walking back out to the kitchen to help Rosalie carry dishes to the table.
“Well, you look dressed to impress,” she commented as she walked past me.
“It is a party, right?” I asked with a smirk as I grabbed some plates and followed her into the dining room.
“I can’t believe my little brother is fifty,” she said with a sigh. She relayed a few stories about the two of them growing up while we set the table and moved some of the food over from the kitchen, and then she headed off to clean up just a bit.
My solitude didn’t last long, because Cole’s sister Rachel and her husband Jeff arrived at Rosalie’s at about a quarter until five, with little Charlotte in tow. She leapt for my arms as soon as she saw me, and I scooped her up and folded her in a hug.
“Aunt Cammie!” she exclaimed, and I couldn’t help but giggle. “Are we having a fairy tea party?”
“Very soon, I promise!” I told her as I set her on the ground. Rachel was quick to step up next and put her arms around my neck.
“I’m glad you’re back, Camdyn,” she said, squeezing me tight.
“Me too,” I said as she released me, and I instinctively stuffed my hand in my jeans pocket, fiddling with the ring. Rachel wound her arm through mine and started asking me questions about the trip I had just taken to Louisville, and what I had done while I was there, but we didn’t talk long before Cole’s parents, Liz and Ted, came through the front door. Suddenly the whole place seemed chaotic – with Charlotte jumping up and down, Liz and Rachel both clamoring for my attention, and Jeff and Ted talking about a sports score, all covering the clanking sounds Rosalie made with pots when she emerged into the kitchen.
“Tell me all about the lady you met in Louisville,” Liz demanded, taking me by the arm.
“You mean Sybil?” I asked as Charlotte grabbed the bottom of my shirt and started tugging. I hauled her up into the air and placed her on my hip. “She was definitely a bit eccentric. I was afraid at first that she wasn’t going to let me in the door, but once I was finally inside, she had so much information. She remembered dates and names like nothing I have ever seen, and she had so many pictures…”
“Oh, I wish I could have been there,” Liz moaned, causing me to laugh as Charlotte started twisting a strand of my hair between her fingers.
“You will definitely have to visit her sometime. She had pictures of my grandma, and those old documents she had – absolutely unbelievable.”
“I’ll have to get you to take me then,” she insisted. “Maybe Rachel and Charlotte could come with us, and we could…”
Liz stopped talking mid-sentence and stared past me, and I noticed that Rachel was looking in the same direction. I cautiously turned to see what had everyone suddenly silent, and my eyes rested on Cole standing in the doorway in a grey button-up shirt and dark jeans
, clean shaven and every dark hair on his head perfectly in place. For a few seconds I felt a little slack-jawed, but I quickly composed myself.
That beautiful man is my fiancé. Mine.
“What?” he wanted to know, dragging those brown eyes from one face to the next. Even Jeff and Ted were looking at him expectantly then, and Rosalie had walked in from the kitchen. When they all started turning to look at me, my eyes went wide.
“What?” I echoed, looking back at him and shrugging as I felt the familiar rush of color spread across my face. Charlotte jumped down and ran over to Cole, breaking the tension for a second.
“Unca Cole!” she exclaimed as he picked her up and kissed her cheek. “I wore a pretty dress for Grandpa’s birthday!”
“I can see that,” he told her with a smile. “It’s very beautiful.”
“Seems like everybody got gussied up for my birthday,” Ted remarked with a smirk as he stared at Cole, who set Charlotte down and shook his head.
“A guy can’t even shave around here without everybody making a big deal about it,” Cole stated.
“Oh, most guys can,” Jeff interjected, “just not you.” Rachel giggled then, and I bit my lip to keep from laughing.
“Well, I think you look handsome,” Liz added a little louder than necessary.
“That’s really not helpful, Mom, but thank you.” He smiled at me then, and suddenly all eyes swung to me again. I felt the blush rising up my neck as I looked wide-eyed at Rosalie, begging silently for help. Wasn’t it time for dinner already?
“Am I missing something?” Rachel asked, glancing from me to Cole. “I feel like I’m missing something.”
“Rachel, you’re always missing something,” Cole teased with a smirk.
“Thank you, Cole,” she replied. “For a minute there I forgot that you were my annoying brother. I guess obnoxious isn’t cured by a razor and a comb.”
“Now it feels like my birthday!” Ted exclaimed, and everyone started laughing.
Rosalie stated then that dinner was ready, and everyone moved toward the table. Charlotte wanted to sit next to me, so I lowered myself between her and Cole. She seemed to think we were having another fairy tea party, and I played along for a few minutes while I helped her with her plate.
“Charlotte won’t stop talking about your tea party,” Rachel told me from across the table. “She always mentions that bats can’t come, though, which makes no sense to me.”
“That’s because Batman showed up at our last tea party,” I explained, glancing over at Cole.
“I’m pretty sure Batman wasn’t there for the tea party,” Jeff interrupted. “He just wanted to make out with the babysitter.”
“Nobody was making out,” Cole retorted. “You came home too fast for that.”
“Oh my heavens,” Liz said, her eyes registering shock.
“So, Ted, have you had a good birthday so far?” I asked, looking at Cole’s dad at the head of the table. He must have sensed that I was trying to change the subject, because he grinned slyly at me before he answered.
“Yeah, I suppose so. Lizzie made me blueberry pancakes for breakfast, and then I went fishing for a few hours. Didn’t catch much of anything, though. They weren’t biting today.”
“I’ve never been fishing,” I said then, and Ted looked at me as though I were from another planet.
“Never been fishing?” he asked incredulously. “We’ll have to remedy that, won’t we?”
“Careful, Dad,” Cole interjected. “You might not want to give Camdyn anything sharp when she’s near you. She roasted her first marshmallow at my place the other night and nearly set my yard on fire.”
“You’d never roasted a marshmallow?” Rachel asked in surprise. I smiled and shook my head.
“Have you been camping? Floating?” Jeff asked, fork hanging in midair.
“Floating in what?” I asked cautiously, causing Cole to choke a bit and cough next to me.
“In a canoe, on the river,” Jeff explained as though I were a child.
“No, I’ve never camped or been in a canoe,” I told him, and he turned to look at Cole with a grin on his face.
“I say next weekend we need to have a float trip, then,” Jeff stated, “so we can educate Camdyn.”
“Oh, I’m in!” Rachel exclaimed in excitement.
“Is a float trip like one of those snipe hunts or something?” I asked, glancing at each face down the table. “Tell me the truth, Rosalie.” Everyone started giggling.
“No, honey. A float trip is actually floating down the river in a canoe,” she explained sympathetically as they continued to snicker.
“I don’t know why you’re all laughing at me,” I told them defiantly. “I’m sure I’ve done things that none of you have.”
“Like written a bestselling book,” Liz offered in my defense. I smiled as I sat a little straighter.
“Yes, Liz, thank you.”
“Or been proposed to twice,” Rachel stated with a giggle, causing the laughing to continue.
“Five times,” Cole corrected, glancing over at me.
“Six times,” I stated as I looked at him through narrow eyes. He smiled and grabbed my hand under the table.
“Good grief son, you must like a challenge!” Ted interjected, but the twinkle in his eyes told me he was joking.
“Well, that doesn’t mean she won’t accept a proposal in the future, does it Camdyn?” Liz asked me with a smile, certainly expecting me to agree with her.
“Actually, no, I don’t think I would,” I told her, causing her to drop her fork on her plate.
“You mean you would say no to any future proposals, too?” she asked again, concern crossing her face.
“I would have to say no,” I stated with a smile. She glanced from me to Cole looking dejected, and then stared solely at Cole, letting her shoulders drop with a sigh. He chuckled and shook his head at her.
“Mom, if you’re worried that I’m going to be proposing to Camdyn, it’s not going to happen,” he assured her, and then he draped his arm across my shoulders. “I already proposed last night, so we’re good.”
“What?” Rachel asked in shock, staring at me. I slid the ring out of my pocket and onto my finger, and then held my hand up for her to see.
“I said yes,” I told her with a smile. Rachel screamed and jumped up, nearly upsetting her drink. Jeff grabbed it just in time as she moved around the end of the table. Cole and I both stood as she came near, right before she threw her arms around me.
“I can’t believe you’re going to be my sister!” she squealed, and then reached one arm around Cole. “I’m so happy for you both!”
“Thanks Rach,” he said as Liz grabbed him, tears filling her eyes.
“You two are really getting married?” she asked as she looked up into his face.
“Yes, Mom,” he hugged her tight as Rosalie touched my arm.
“I can’t believe you were with me all day and didn’t say a word!” she scolded me right before folding me in an embrace. Jeff and Ted were up by then, shaking Cole’s hand and patting him on the back. When Liz got ahold of me, I could feel Charlotte tugging at my shirt.
“Why’s everybody hugging?” she asked when I looked down at her.
“Uncle Cole and Camdyn are getting married,” Rachel explained as I smiled at Charlotte.
“Right now?” she wanted to know.
“No, not right now,” Rachel told her.
“The first of June,” Cole stated as he put his arm around my waist and pulled me to his side, smiling down at me in a way that made my heart skip a beat.
“That’s not enough time to plan a wedding!” Rosalie exclaimed, and Liz shook her head silently beside her.
“I guess if you all can’t handle the pressure, we could always run away to get married…” Cole suggested teasingly, looking down at his mom.
“No!” she stated emphatically. “June is good.”
Everyone settled back down at the table to continu
e eating dinner, and Cole laced his fingers through mine under the table as he and Jeff worked out details of a camping trip the next weekend. To be honest, it didn’t sound like much fun to me, but I owed it to Cole to give it a try. Besides, if Rachel was there, how bad could it be?
Rosalie and Liz started talking about cakes and food for the wedding, and I was glad that they weren’t asking my opinion about anything because I was a little distracted. Cole’s fingers were warm against my hand, and every time he moved his cologne drifted past me. I kept glancing over at him, partly because I was so unaccustomed to seeing him without his five o’clock shadow, and partly because he looked so incredible smiling there next to me. Truth be told, I was still having a bit of a hard time making myself believe that this man wanted me to be his wife. Me – Camdyn Taylor.
Please, God, don’t let me screw this up!
When dinner was finished, everyone decided to go outside and sit on the porch, so they started making their way out the door. Instead of following them, Cole caught my hand and drug me across the kitchen and into the hallway. As soon as we were out of sight, he leaned back against the wall and pulled me to him.
“Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?” he asked. “Every time I look at you, you’re staring at me, driving me out of my mind.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I don’t intend to stare, you’re just… I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.” I reached my hand up and traced my fingers lightly across his jawline, and he smiled and shook his head.
“Thanks to dinner with my parents, I now fully know the agony of not kissing you when that’s all I can think about,” he breathed quietly.
A Reason to Be Alone (The Camdyn Series Book 2) Page 2