“Aaw, yuck!” Audrey’s voice echoed from deeper inside. “Why’s he doing that?”
“Because I love her!” Cam called back, his arm still wrapped firmly around my waist.
“I LOVE EMILY TOO!” The screen door burst open and Alice came barreling out, pigtails flying, launching herself off the porch and straight into us. She wrapped her arms around both our legs with enough force to nearly knock us over.
Audrey came to the door, hesitating for approximately two seconds before her resolve crumbled. “Yeah, okay. I love her too.” She walked over with significantly more dignity than her sister and joined the group hug.
I looked down at these two little girls who had somehow become mine, then up at the man who had taught me what love actually looked like.
“So.” Cam’s voice was warm against my ear. “Think you can get used to this?”
The skywriting was starting to drift apart above us, the letters slowly dissolving into wisps of white.
But it didn’t matter. The message was already written somewhere far more permanent.
“Yeah,” I said, pulling all three of them closer. “I definitely can.”
“Good.”
“Can you stay for dinner? We haven’t seen you for aaaages.” Audrey’s gaze was hopeful.
“I would love that!”
“Alright,” Cam gave Audrey a playful nudge toward the door. “Inside. I think there’s still some ice cream left.”
“Yes!” Alice bolted back into the house.
Audrey followed at a cooler pace, though she looked back once to make sure we were coming.
Cam kept his arm around my waist as we walked up the steps. He guided me over the threshold, shielding me as the screen door slapped shut behind us. The house smell of coffee and laundry detergent wrapped around me.
He leaned down just as we stepped into the coolness of the hallway.
“I love you, Em,” he murmured against my temple. His voice was soft. For my ears only.
I leaned back into him. “I love you too.”
He pressed a kiss to my hair. “Now let’s go stop them before they eat all the rocky road.”
EPILOGUE
Cam
The presenter dronedon at the podium, stretching out the moment like he was being paid by the syllable. Emily’s knee bounced against mine. Her grip tightened another fraction, which I hadn’t thought was physically possible.
She was going to break my hand.
Not that I was complaining. If she needed to squeeze the life out of my fingers to get through the next few minutes, she could have at it.
Still, I brushed my thumb across her knuckles. “Breathe.”
“I am breathing.”
“You’re not.”
“If I don’t win, I’m going to throw up.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “And if I do win, I’m also going to throw up. So either way, prepare yourself.”
“Noted.”
