Glancing at me as he removed them, he gave me a half smile. “You sure seem to be watching with avid interest. Do I still make you blush?” Smiling softly, I nodded against the pillow, drawing the blankets up closer around me.
Leaving his clothes and shoes where he’d dropped them, he came around to his side of the bed, climbed in and scooted over beside me, slipping his arm under my head. I rolled over, curling into the warm cocoon he created.
“What’s worrying you, Goody?” he asked, not missing a thing. “I can practically see the gears shifting in your head. Talk to me.”
Tracing my finger over one of his pecs, I sighed. “I’m just having a bit of a pity party today is all.”
“You’ve earned a pity party. Am I invited?”
I gave a small laugh. “You always are.”
“Are you thinking about what the doctor told you?” he asked, pegging my reason for worrying with ease.
Nodding, I closed the mere millimeters between us, wrapping an arm around his waist as he hugged my shoulders, rubbing my back in a soothing manner.
He sighed heavily. “I know it’s not an easy thing, but I think you should concentrate on getting better and we’ll deal with each step as it comes. What if all the worrying is for nothing? Then you’ve wasted all that time and energy on it.”
“Dylan. I don’t think I could ever get over not being able to have any more kids. My arms ache for my baby. To think there may never be another, it’s almost more than I can bear.”
“Listen. We’re going to do the best we can. We’ll let you heal for at least a year and then, if everything checks out, we can try again. The doctors can reevaluate the scar tissue and we’ll go from there.”
“And if it doesn’t work?” That was my real fear.
He held me tighter. “I promise you, I’ll get you a baby one way or another– even if we have to adopt.”
“But I want your babies—you and me together.”
“Then we’ll hire a surrogate if needed, but I don’t want you worrying about this right now. I know it’s scary for you, and it’s a terrible thing for me to ask, but I want you to focus on now and getting better.”
“Will you be disappointed? Will you regret your choice?” I asked, my voice small, a crazy need to hear him say whatever he was feeling overcoming me.
“Cami, honey, I want you no matter what. If you had told me you couldn’t have kids when we got together, I still would have chosen you. If you were maimed, blind, deaf, or dumb, I’d still want you. Just having your presence in the same room with me is enough. I love you. You’re perfect for me now, right here, in this minute.”
I smiled against his skin, his declaration warming me. “So, you’re saying you wouldn’t change anything about me?” He paused, and my breath caught, wondering why he was hedging. Lifting my head, I stared up at him. “What’s wrong?”
Locking gazes with me, he smiled softly. “Nothing, but there is one thing I’d change.”
My heart fell a little with his words. “What’s that?”
“Can we please get your hair put back to your natural color? I miss my redhead.”
I laughed and pinched him.
“Ow! What was that for?” He grinned.
“For scaring me. You,” I searched for a word, “. . . big meany.”
Laughter rumbled through him and I snuggled against him. “I could never be mean to you, Goody.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Dylan-
“What do you think?” I asked Cami. “I know it’s only temporary, but it can be ours while we decide what we want to do, whether buy or build.” Watching her as she stood on the sidewalk, her gorgeous red hair stirring in the slight breeze, I thought she looked beautiful as she stared up at the house. “I know it might be a bit more modern than our style, and it’s not quite as big as our other house, but it’s loaded with all the bells and whistles. And we can swim everyday—not to mention it’s furnished, which is a huge plus for us right now.” I waited, hoping she’d say yes.
She glanced over at me. “You aren’t fooling me one bit, you know.”
I smiled, knowing she was teasing me. “And what does that mean?”
“You’re in love with the man cave in the basement. That theater room is calling to you like the song of a siren. Right now, you’re imagining all the action flicks you and Russ could watch together, or all the video games you can play on that screen.”
Laughing, I pulled her into my arms. “And you. Don’t forget I can do all those things with you, too.”
“Mmhmm.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Do things with me? Is that code for yelling at me to bring you more popcorn?”
I laughed harder. “You have no faith in me. Don’t you remember that baby grand piano you ran your fingers across so lovingly? Admit it. You want that just as badly. I could see you writing and transposing music there. Plus, the rent is month to month, so we aren’t stuck here. We can leave whenever we want.”
She sighed, smiling at me. “Rent the house, Dylan. You don’t need to keep trying to convince me. I’m more than ready to have a place of our own, again. I mean, staying with your parents has been great and all—.”
“Goody. I get it. No need to explain.” I loved that she rattled on when she got all nervous or excited about things. And this was definitely making her nervous. Hugging her tighter, I turned to the realtor who was waiting patiently over by her car while we discussed things. “We’ll take it,” I called to her and she smiled.
“Perfect. I’ll get the contracts out and you can sign them right now. I’ll process everything tonight and you can have the keys in the morning.”
“Come on,” I said, loosely draping my arm around Cami’s shoulder as we walked over to the agent. “You can’t tell me you don’t love the house. I know you too well, and I know that you’re excited, too.”
She smiled and elbowed me slightly in the ribs. “Quit picking on me. I already gave in to your persistent persuading.”
“Hey, how are you holding up so far today? Are you feeling okay?” I asked, worried about her. “I don’t want this to wear you out. You can sit in the car if you want and I’ll bring anything that needs signing to you.”
“Dylan, I’m fine,” she replied, sounding annoyed. “You don’t have to keep asking. I promise I’ll tell you immediately if, for some reason, I’m suddenly not fine.”
My ringing phone drew my attention away from the transaction. I retrieved it from my pocket, seeing it was Chris on the caller ID. “Hey, Chris. What’s up?”
“I’m sorry to bother you. I went by the house, but your mom said you were out taking Cami for a drive.”
“We’re actually house hunting.”
“Really? How’s that going for you?”
“It’s going great, actually. We’re signing the rental papers on a new place right now. I can’t wait to show it to you. Maybe Cami and I can host a get together with you and Sheridan, after Cami feels better.”
“We’d love to do something with you both. Congratulations. I can’t wait to see it.”
“So, did you need something?” I asked, curious about why he called.
“Actually, I just had some news, not that it’s any big surprise.”
“Okay.” I found my shoulders tensing in anticipation of whatever he was going to say.
“We got a ballistics report back on the gun. It was a perfect match for the bullets recovered from the crime scene. Gabby’s prints were also on the weapon, too. So you can rest easier about that.”
“Did they find out where she got the gun?” I asked and I noticed Cami immediately stiffened in reaction to hearing that word. Reaching out, I began running my hand over her hair and down her back, mouthing the words, “It’s all good,” so she wouldn’t worry. The realtor was still grabbing things out of her car, so I motioned for Cami to walk away from the vehicle with me, not wanting to alarm the woman with our conversation.
“Not yet. They have managed to pull some of the ser
ial numbers off and they’re running partial numbers to see if it might match up with one reported lost or stolen. They’re still working on it, though. So far everything is looking great and adding up nicely. That’s really the only loose end, and it won’t make or break the case, anyway. I just thought you’d like to know.”
“Well, at least that’s something. What about her family? Have we heard anything about them? I can’t imagine what it would be like to hear your kid was involved in a crime like this.”
“I’m told they didn’t have a lot to say. Apparently they’ve had problems with her for a long time. They’d hoped she’d straightened up after going to jail. They claimed her remains and were given the pertinent details of what happened. Your identities were left out of that, so they haven’t been passed on to anyone else.”
I grunted. “So, you’re saying I don’t have to keep looking over my shoulder for angry family members who hold a vendetta anymore?”
He chuckled. “Yeah. Something like that.”
“Thanks, Chris. I’m glad we survived all of this. Now I’ve just got to live through telling mom that Cami and I are moving out.”
“Good luck, bro,” he replied with a laugh. “I don’t want to be in your shoes. I know she’s liked having you there where she can cluck over you like a mother hen.”
“Yeah, and the clucking is getting to be a little much—not that I don’t love and appreciate it.”
“You don’t have to convince me. I remember when Sheridan and I stayed with them while we were waiting to close on our house. Love them? Yes. Live with them? No. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. Let me know how things go with the house and if you need any help with anything.”
“Will do. Thanks, Chris.” I ended the call and glanced at Cami. “So, did you get the gist of all that?”
She nodded. “I’m assuming they got the match between the gun and the bullets.”
“Yeah. They said the only thing that hasn’t come back is a confirmation on the serial number, but that won’t affect the case at all. The police just wanted to know where the weapon came from.”
“Knowing Gabby, she probably could’ve picked it up from any of the people she hung out with.” She pursed her lips together. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t talk about her like that. I’m just a little . . . bitter.”
“You aren’t saying anything that’ll hurt my feelings. I understand exactly how you feel.”
“And yet, you still took the time to ask about her family.” She slid her arm around my waist. “That’s why I love you so much; you know that, don’t you?”
Arching an eyebrow, I glanced at her. “Because I asked about someone’s family?”
“No. Because you can be this big tough go-out-and-get-the-bad-guy kind of guy and then turn around and be so compassionate to someone you could possibly lay blame on. It’s inspiring.”
I sighed. “I just,” I stopped, not wanting to upset her.
“What? Tell me?”
“We just lost our child. They lost theirs, too. And whether or not Gabby was a good person, she was still their little girl. You don’t just stop loving your kid because they’re troubled. My parents taught me that. Now that I’m in that realm of parenthood, I understand; and I sympathize with them.”
“How’d I get so lucky to get such a good man?” she asked with a smile.
“I’m the lucky one.” I winked at her. “Now let’s rent this house.”
***
“You’re moving out?” I did my best to remain serious, since I knew she was genuinely upset. “When?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? That’s impossible. You have no home, no furniture, nothing. You wouldn’t even have the clothes on your back if your sister and I hadn’t gone shopping for you. You can’t just come home and say, ‘Mom, I’m moving out.’ That’s completely unacceptable!”
“Well, Cami and I have already signed the rental papers on a place, and it’s furnished. So we won’t have to worry about that. You’ll love it. It has a great set up for family dinners. I can’t wait to host a party.” Cami was sitting in the chair behind my mom, shaking her head as she tried not to laugh.
“Does it have double ovens?” my mom asked with interest.
I nodded, hoping to keep her distracted. “Yep, and a built in barbecue in the backyard that will showcase all of dad’s great grilling skill.”
“What about a bar?” dad asked, his interest piqued as he sat on the couch, sipping a glass of wine.
“Not only a bar, but a man cave. It’s in the basement,” Cami said. “It has a pool table, popcorn machine, and a theater room filled with leather recliners.”
Mom turned back, shaking her finger at me. “Now the truth comes out, mi hijo. You want to play with a shiny new toy!”
I laughed, knowing she was partly correct. “Actually, I want a place where Cami and I can spend some alone time—not that we don’t appreciate everything you’ve done. I can’t tell you how grateful we are. But, we’ve been craving some time together ever since the baby—time without doctors, nurses, and well-meaning family. You understand, don’t you?”
“Yes; that I understand. And don’t worry; we’ll give you some time to spend to yourselves, free of interruptions.”
“Thanks, Mom. We won’t be that far away—even closer then we were before. Then we’ll have time to decide if we want to buy or build again.”
She gasped. “You aren’t going to build on the same property, are you?”
I shook my head. “No. I’m going to have the property cleared and then put the land up for sale.” I glanced at Cami. “I don’t want any bad memories haunting us. This is a new, fresh start and I intend to make the best we can of it. So, all of you can consider this our “honeymoon” in our new house. Well, so to speak. Maybe honeymoon is a bad word.”
“How about “retreat?” Cami suggested.
“That’s perfect. A retreat,” I agreed. “Tell you what, you give us three days to ourselves, and we’ll host our first party next week and invite you over. Deal?”
She sighed. “What about phone calls?”
I laughed. “No phone calls. Three days of complete privacy. That’s all I’m asking.”
Lifting her hands, she shrugged. “How can I say no to that? You win. Is that what you want to hear?”
Laughing, I hugged her tight. “I want to hear that you’ll love me no matter where I live. And that you’ll still surprise me with all the good food you make. The guys at the fire station love your visits. It’s a good thing we have a gym at work or we’d be a bunch of fat firefighters.”
She pushed me away, scoffing. “There isn’t an ounce of fat on any of you. Plus, you don’t have the genes for it.”
“If you say so.” I glanced over at Cami. “Do you want to go upstairs and help me pack what clothes we do have? I figured we could take our things over in the morning when we get the keys. Then, if you feel up to it, we’ll go grocery shopping. If you don’t, I’ll take care of it.”
“That sounds good to me,” she replied, slowly getting up to join me. “I think it’ll be fun.”
“All right. We have a plan.”
My dad raised his wine glass. “Hear, hear!”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Cami-
“Wait,” Dylan said, setting the suitcase down. “I need to carry you over the threshold.”
I giggled as he picked me up and stepped inside. “That was so romantic,” I said and he set me back on my feet on the other side. Folding my arms, I made a pouty face. “What? You aren’t going to carry me to bed like you usually do?”
He laughed. “Of course I will; but let me get the keys out of the door and our suitcase inside.” He winked at me and I watched him step out to grab our things. “Besides, it’s not very fair of you to tease me about that. Especially when you know I can’t follow through with anything, yet.”
“Feeling a little lonely, are you?” I bit my lip, smiling at him.
He sighed,
shaking his head as he shut the door, locking it. “Yes, and that means no tempting me, either. It’s hard enough as it is.”
“I bet it is,” I replied, grinning as my gaze trailed down his body.
“You are not playing nice.”
“That makes it more fun.” A sudden bout of dizziness caused me to reach for him.
“Whoa,” he said as he grabbed me. “What’s wrong?”
I shook my head. “Just a little tired, I think. After we packed our things last night, I had trouble going to sleep. I think I’m feeling a little over-stimulated, with the baby’s service, moving, and trying to recover. It’s catching up with me.”
“Well, that’s why we’re here, so we can have a break and get some rest. Why don’t you lie down and take a nap while I run to the store and get a few groceries? I’ll pick you up some melatonin too, and we can see if that will help you rest better.”
“Can I take that while I’m pregn—,” I stopped short, realizing my error. Tears flooded my eyes. “Oh my gosh, Dylan, I’m so sorry. It’s been such a habit for me to check everything because of the baby. I just slipped.”
“Honey, honey.” He held me close and I laid my head against him. “It’s a totally natural mistake. You’ve been pregnant for several months. It’s hard to just turn that off all of a sudden. And don’t apologize. We lost our baby. That’s not something to just sweep under the rug or ignore. You should be able to talk freely about him any time you want. Don’t keep it in, okay? You can talk to me about our son no matter where we are or what we’re doing.”
“The same goes for you. I’m here for you, as well.” I hugged him tightly.
“I already knew that.”
“How?” I smiled, loving being in his arms and hearing his voice.
“Because you are amazing.” Lifting me again, he carried me upstairs to the master bedroom. Laying me gently on the bed, he climbed beside me. “Welcome home, Goody.” His lips descended to mine and I placed my arms around his neck. Careful to not lie on my stomach, he deepened the kiss and I sighed, relaxing into him.