“You don’t help at all,” he declares firmly, but that happy smile is back. “Go take a shower, put on some comfy clothes, then come back here and we’ll watch a movie, okay?”
“Okay.” I think for the first time ever, I’m smiling as widely as he always does. That’s how much he’s changed my world. I know I love him already, I’ve loved him for years, but it’s still too soon to say anything, so I kiss him again to stop my lips from forming the words, and promise myself I’ll show him later instead.
And every day he’ll let me.
EPILOGUE
CAM
Two Weeks Later
“I knewsomething was different as soon as I saw you, baby,” Mom tells me with her wise-ass smirk. I’d never call it that to her face, but that’s exactly what it is. And what she can be... sometimes.
“Yeah, well, it’s real now,” I admit.
“Of course it is.” She waves a careless hand over her head. “That boy is a good man, and so are you. There’s no reason why you two wouldn’t be together.”
I open my mouth then quickly close it.
What would be the point in explaining how straight AJ thought he was before hekissed me?
The only thing it would do is have Mom teasing me about magic kisses and crap like that.
“Besides, I can tell you’re happy.” I rest my head on her palm when she cups my cheek. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you, it’s why I gave that boy Justin Kirkwood your email so he could invite you to the reunion.”
“Youdid that?” I demand. I’d completely forgotten I wanted to find out who gave my email away. “Why?”
“I thought you needed to take a hard look at the past, sweetheart. That maybe it could give you a new perspective on your present and show you how well you’ve done for yourself, how happy you can be if you just let go.”
What can I say to that? She’s right of course, she always is—which is something I should accept as a fact and move on.
“I am happy,” I tell her honestly. I’d be happier if AJ had been here for the full conversation, but summer camp started just three days ago, so I had to tell Mom by myself.
It went better than I ever could’ve imagined, and now that she knows everything that went down with Soren back in high school, as well as our scheme back in May, I feel like I’m about two hundred pounds lighter.
“Also, since the reunion, some things have changed around Gomillion.” The twinkle in her eye has me leaning back and looking more carefully at her. “So maybe you two will visit more often, huh?”
“Tell me everything.” I lean forward. I bet it’s some juicy gossip.
AJ
I peek around the french door, and when I catch Cam actually covering his open mouth in total shock, I know it’s safe to go out.
Not gonna lie, when he told me he was going to come clean to his Mom, I was scared. Rosa is a force of nature, and Cam worships the ground she walks on. I know she loves me, and of course she was over the moon with us being together when we went to visit her for the reunion, but will the truth have changed her mind?
Seeing how relaxed they look now, I doubt it.
That doesn’t mean my stomach isn’t full of annoying nerves when I walk out to the lounge under Cam’s veranda.
“I see you two are having fun.” I try my best smile on them, and Cam answers with one too, but Rosa shakes her head at me, disapproving.
“AJ,” she says seriously. Despite the dread, I hurry to offer her my hand when she goes to stand. “You’re a bad influence on my boy, coming up with that scheme.” I stand completely still as she reaches up to cup my cheek. “Keep it up,” she whispers and thenwinksat me.
The relief is intense enough that I don’t even consider censoring myself.
“Oh, you better believe I’ll corrupt him every chance I get.”
“Jesus, AJ!” Cam shouts, then covers his face withboth hands and groans, but Rosa, well she laughs, obviously delighted by my irresistible charm.
