Close to You

  “Maybe I should take another test, just to be sure.”

  “Take all of them, I don’t care,” I reply, and hold her close. “Are you okay with this?”

  “I don’t have a choice.”

  I shake my head and guide us downstairs and sit on the couch facing her. “That’s not the answer to my question. We’ve never talked about this stuff. Do you even want kids?”

  She frowns when Scoot jumps into her lap and curls into a ball, not even batting an eye when she starts to rub his belly. “I do want kids,” she says slowly. “I just always thought they would come later.” She bites her lip and glances up at me, then continues when I nod. “I was so relieved when Brian and I didn’t ever get pregnant, or even have a scare.”

  The thought of her having a baby with anyone else makes my blood boil, but I sit silently and listen.

  “And that was just one more thing that I felt bad about. Brian wanted kids, and I refused to go off the pill because I knew, deep down, that our marriage wasn’t going to last, and I didn’t want to have a baby with him. It would have just complicated things.

  “So thinking about kids has never been an exciting thought for me.” She stops and swallows, still petting Scoot, who’s purring happily. “I have some mixed emotions.”

  “I think that’s perfectly natural when it comes as a surprise,” I say quietly, and rub her thigh gently. “But I have to ask you if you are tempted to . . . not have the baby.”

  “Like, abort it?” she asks with a scowl.

  “Yes.” I’m holding my breath.

  “No, I don’t want to do that.”

  And, I can breathe again.

  “I’m nervous and surprised, and I might need a day or two to wrap my head around it all, but I don’t want to get rid of it.” She takes my hand and kisses my palm, then snuggles her cheek into it. “It’s you, Landon.”

  I grin and pull her in for a soft kiss.

  “It’s us.”

  “HEY, MIA, I need you to do me a favor,” I say as I drive to my parents’ house the next afternoon.

  “I’m working,” she says, then pulls the phone away from her mouth so she can yell at someone who didn’t toss the Caesar salad enough. “I’m working with idiots.”

  “You hired them,” I remind her.

  “And what does that say about me?” She sighs. “What do you need?”

  “I need you to set up a table in the new space and get it all pretty.”

  “Pretty?”

  “Yeah, you know, candles, flowers, stuff like that.”

  “Do you need food for this romantic getaway you’re taking yourself on?” Her voice is dry, making me smile.

  “It’s for Cami.”

  “What’s the occasion?”

  “Can you just do it for me?”

  “When do you need it done?”

  “In an hour.”

  “An hour?” she shrieks. “I’m running a kitchen here, Landon.”

  “I knew you’d do it for me. Thanks!” I hang up on her, still grinning, and pull up to my folks’ house. I’ve never knocked on the door before going in, even after I’d grown up and left. I’m not about to start now.

  I walk through the door and am immediately enveloped in home. Mama’s cooking something for dinner. The furniture hasn’t changed much since I was a kid. The only difference being a new TV for Dad to watch football on.

  And then it hits me: this is my childhood home, but it’s not home. Cami is my home.

  “Mama?” I call out, and make my way to the kitchen.

  “Landon!” She comes around the corner, wiping her hands on her apron, and gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “This is a surprise. I don’t see you enough. Are you hungry?”

  I laugh and shake my head. “No, and I can’t stay too long. I need a favor.”

  “Oh?” She picks up a spoon and stirs the pot of red sauce on the stove. “What can I do?”

  I lean against the counter and watch her for a moment. She’s my mother, and that’s how I’ve always looked at her, but now I wonder if my father looks at her the way I do Cami. Does she take his breath away? Her hair has some gray in it now, and her hands are more frail than they used to be, but she’s the same woman that I remember from my childhood, holding me when I was sick and loving me when it felt like I didn’t deserve it. She’s an amazing woman.

  “I’m going to propose to Cami.”

  Her eyes fly to mine and immediately fill. “Oh, my sweet boy.”

  “It’s time,” I say, purposely not telling her about the baby. I want to tell her and Dad when Cami and I are together. “I was hoping I could have Nonna’s ring for her.”

  She pats my cheeks as the tears start to roll down her own. “Of course you can. She promised it to you, after all. You stay here and I’ll get it.”

  She rushes from the room to her bedroom and is back quickly, carrying a small black box.

  “Your nonna wore this ring for sixty-four years,” she says as she passes it to me. I lift the lid and stare down at the vintage diamond-and-sapphire ring. “But even more special than that, your nonna knew.”

  “Knew what?”

  “That it would be Cami who would wear it one day.”

  I frown. “What do you mean?”

  “She said to me one day, ‘Cami is for our Landon. She will make him a good wife one day.’”

  “How did she know?”

  “We all have eyes, don’t we?” Mama asks with a smile. “You’ve always looked at her differently than anyone else. She is for you.”

  “Yes.” I swallow and close the box. “She’s the only one for me.”

  I MANAGE TO sneak into the new construction side of the restaurant without Cami knowing and sigh in relief. Mia is putting the finishing touches on some sunflowers on a small table, adorned with a red tablecloth and flickering candles.

  “So what’s the big secret?” she asks when she sees me. “You’re acting weird. Cami’s acting weird. Based on the flowers and candles, I’m led to believe you fucked up big-time and are about to beg for forgiveness.”

  I smirk. “No, we aren’t fighting. I guess Cami didn’t say anything to you yet, but you’re my sister, and I have to tell someone, but I need you to keep this on the down low.”

  Her brows climb into her hairline. “Okay.”

  “I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

  “Holy shit!”

  “And we’re going to have a baby.”

  Her mouth drops, and then, to my utter shock, she starts to laugh. “You always surprise me,” she says when she can breathe again. “Life is never dull with you around, Landon.”

  “True.” I smile and tap the box in my pocket, suddenly nervous. “I hope Cami’s okay with the thought of that for the rest of her life.”

  “You already know the answer to that,” she says with a smile, and gives me a hug before heading back to the kitchen. “Break a leg!”

  I’m hoping I don’t get a broken heart.

  I take a minute to look around the new space. The booths are already in and ready to go. All that’s left is some trim work and decorations and it’ll be ready.

  Who would have thought three months ago when this project started that this is where I’d be?

  Definitely not me.

  “Oh my God.”

  I spin around at the sound of Cami’s voice. She’s in a sexy black skirt with a blue blouse tucked into it and she’s in her sexy heels. Her hair is up and her face is beautifully surprised.

  “Hi.”

  Her eyes find mine.

  “Hi. Mia said you needed to see me over here.”

  “She was right,” I reply, and cross to her. “How do you feel?”

  “Curious.” She pokes her head around me so she can see the table again. “Are we having lunch over here?”

  “That wasn’t really my plan,” I reply, and lead her to a chair at the table. She sits, and stares at me when I sit next to her, keeping her hand clutched in mine. “It’s funny
how you can know someone for so long, and then one day you realize that you never really knew them at all. Our friendship has always been important to me, Cami, but it’s only been in the past few months that I’ve truly grown to know you. Inside and out. What makes you tick. What makes you laugh and what scares you and that you’re bad at buying things for your kitchen.”

  She laughs and tilts her head, listening intently.

  “Loving you has always come as easy as breathing for me, and falling in love with you is no different. I admire you. Your strength of character. Your humor. Your intelligence. You are impressive and not a little scary, Cami.

  “I didn’t think I believed in soul mates,” I continue, the words flowing effortlessly out of me now. “It’s always sounded like a romantic notion for movies and books, but I’ve realized that a soul mate isn’t someone who just slips into your life and one day you realize, Oh, there you are. It’s the person that you measure time against.”

  I swallow and she leans closer to me.

  “All I know is, there was my life before knowing that you’re my world, and this is my life after, and everything before just seems so . . . small. You have shaken up my life. You make it brighter, and we’re about to be in for the adventure of our lives, and I can’t wait for it. I want to start this chapter with you as my wife.”

  I slide down to one knee and pull the box out of my pocket, open it, and look up into the most beautiful green eyes I’ve ever seen.

  “Please marry me, Camille.”

  She’s staring down at the ring, then closes her eyes and impatiently wipes tears off her cheeks.

  “You don’t have to do this just because I’m pregnant, Landon. We can—”

  “That’s not what this is,” I say immediately, and set the ring on the table so I can cup her face in my hands and look her in the eye. “The baby may have sped it up a bit, but, Cami, I’ve been thinking about proposing for a while. I just thought I’d have more time to make it more romantic than this.”

  “This is pretty romantic,” she murmurs, more tears spilling from her eyes. “Are you sure?”

  “Sweetheart, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I want you. I need you.” God, I’ve never felt more vulnerable in my life. She’s holding my heart in her hands.

  She bites her lip and then she nods and smiles brightly.

  “Is that a yes?”

  “It’s a yes.”

  I sigh in relief, then kiss her, softly at first, but I can’t hold back. I deepen the kiss, exploring her mouth, nibbling her lips. My hands are brushing up and down her sides, and then I just pull her into my arms and hold her against me.

  Finally, I pull away and show her the ring.

  “This was my mother’s mother’s ring,” I begin. “If you don’t like it, we can find you something new.”

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “Cami, you’ve been a part of my family for so long, it just seems right that you wear her ring. And I know that she’d be proud for you to wear it.”

  “Landon, it’s beautiful. I loved your nonna,” she says, and stares down at the ring. “I remember admiring this ring when I was a kid and I would come over to your house for Sunday dinners. She was always so kind to me.”

  I slip it out of the box and onto her finger.

  “It’s so pretty,” she says quietly, staring down at the ring. “Can we tell the girls right away?”

  “I already told Mia I was going to ask you. She helped me set this up.”

  She nods and grins widely. “She’s going to be my sister.”

  “She’s been your sister for a long time, sweetheart.”

  She starts to cry again. “My hormones are all over the place. It makes my eyes leak.” She looks up at me. “Are you crying too?”

  “No,” I lie, and wipe my eyes. “I must have gotten something in my eye.”

  “Starting this whole thing with lies,” she says, and stands. “I see how it’s going to be.”

  She’s joking, but I yank her against me and press my lips to hers. “You take my breath away. And I’m so happy you said yes.”

  “I’m happy you asked.”

  Chapter 17

  ~Cami~

  Did that seriously just happen?

  I glance down at my left hand, and yep, it sure did. Landon proposed. I’m wearing the ring I’d admired on his nonna for years. The ring is classic, vintage, and because of the sentimental value it holds, it’s absolutely perfect.

  But the words that came along with it?

  Holy. Crap.

  “Let’s go tell the others,” he says, and takes my hand in his, then leads me into the restaurant and back to the bar, where Mia, Kat, Addie, and Riley are all sitting. They break into applause as we walk in. Kat is already pouring drinks.

  “We’re getting married!” I announce.

  “And having a baby,” Riley says, and throws her arms around me.

  “So much for keeping it on the down low,” Landon mutters beside me.

  “Yeah, like I’m going to keep information like that to myself,” Mia says, rolling her eyes. “Did you say yes?”

  “Of course she said yes. I’m a catch,” Landon says. We all gather around the bar as Kat passes out the drinks, passing nonalcoholic ones to Addie and me, then she raises her glass in a toast.

  “To Cami and Landon. May you have many years of great sex together.”

  “I’ll drink to that,” I say with a laugh, and sip my drink, the bubbles from the cider matching my mood. I feel light and happy. I can’t stop smiling.

  I glance up at Landon and see that he’s already watching me, a grin also spread over his lips.

  Love you, he mouths. I tug him down so I can kiss his cheek and whisper the sentiment in his ear.

  “We get to start planning a wedding,” Addie says. “We should go dress-shopping right away.”

  “Why? I’m going to be huge,” I reply with a frown, and then pout. “I don’t want to be one of those pregnant brides the size of a house in a huge white dress.” Jesus, just the thought of it is depressing.

  “You don’t have to be,” Mia says. “You could get married before you start to show.”

  “That’s fast,” I reply, but the idea doesn’t sound bad at all.

  “You should just go to the courthouse in a couple of weeks,” Riley says. “Then you can still wear any dress you want.”

  “A couple of weeks?!” I ask, as if she’s lost her mind. “We can’t pull a wedding off in a couple of weeks, even if it is at the courthouse.”

  “Why not?” Kat adds. “We have a reception hall right here with the best chef in the city. We buy some flowers and a cake, and there you have it.”

  “You’ve never wanted a big, fancy wedding,” Riley says, nodding. “Your sister and her family can easily come down from Seattle for it, and we’ll all be there.”

  I’m looking around the room, trying to take it all in. Finally, I glance up at Landon.

  “What do you think? Is it too fast?”

  “I think it’s a great idea,” he says. “If I had my way, I’d fly us down to Vegas tonight.”

  “No. No eloping. Mom and Dad would never forgive you,” Mia says.

  “Sounds like it’s the courthouse in a couple of weeks, then,” Landon says with a grin. “Unless it’s too fast for you?”

  “It’s a lot to take in,” I reply, and glance around the room at my best friends. They’re smiling and Landon’s hand on the small of my back is reassuring. Wow, this is overwhelming.

  But, it’s what I’ve always wanted.

  “Okay,” I say, and shrug. “Let’s do it!”

  “Right on!” Kat says, clinking her glass to mine.

  “I know I’m a selfish bitch,” Addie says, and laughs, “but I’m a little happy you’re doing this before I’m the size of a house too.”

  “Oh my God, our babies are going to grow up together!” I wrap my arms around her and hug her tight. “And we get to go baby-shopping and stuff too
!”

  “I know, I’m so happy,” she says, sniffling. “And I’m warning you, everything makes me cry. Everything. I heard a Britney Spears song in the car this morning and had to pull over because I couldn’t see the road anymore.”

  “I’m already a little weepy,” I say with a nod.

  “Oh, goodie,” Mia says, rolling her eyes. “We’re going to have two emotional pregnant women on our hands for the next nine months.”

  “But then we get two babies to snuggle,” Riley says with a smile. “And I didn’t have to give birth to them.”

  “Me neither,” Kat says, fist-bumping Riley. “I’m not having kids. Y’all can just keep shooting them out for me and I’ll spoil them like crazy. Aunt Kat is going to be their favorite.”

  “One at a time,” I say firmly.

  “Unless there’s two,” Landon says thoughtfully.

  “What?” My gaze whips up to his. “You don’t have twins in your family.”

  “On my dad’s side,” Mia says with a nod. “There are a few sets. So good luck.”

  “You’re mean,” I reply, looking back and forth between the two. “And if there’s even a tiny possibility of that, we definitely need to do this before I really do look like a house.”

  “It’s okay, baby, you’ll be a beautiful house.”

  THE FIVE OF us all took the day off from the restaurant just a few days later to go shopping. That’s unprecedented. We’ve only ever left it unattended once or twice before, and that was for Addie’s dress shopping and her wedding.

  It’s a nice tradition.

  We walk into a boutique wedding-dress store in downtown Portland, just down the block from the mall, and I am immediately overwhelmed. The girls all split off, oohing and aahing over frilly dresses in every corner of the store, calling out suggestions for which ones I should try on.

  And I’m just . . . paralyzed. There’s so much to take in. There are mannequins in white dresses with veils and flowers. There’s a display table with a guest book and a basket full of pink rose petals.

  Chandeliers dripping with crystals float overhead, casting the space in soft light, and there are deep, soft couches placed strategically before trifold mirrors with a pedestal where the bride can show off the gown she’s chosen to try on.