His enthusiasm is infectious, and I grin. “I’m ready. Just getting everything organized now.”
“Awesome. I’ll see you soon. Love you!”
“Love you too.”
I feel so much better as I hang up and throw myself into prepping for an evening of painting. Painting, creating, building something with my own two hands… it’s always been therapeutic for me. And right now, it’s exactly what I need to quiet my mind and steady my heart for the conversation to come.
Grabbing the paint can I picked up this morning, I pop open the lid. The cream color Cam and I chose is warm and inviting, perfect for our little kitchen, the heart of our home. As I stir the paint, my mind wanders to the good times Cam and I have shared in this kitchen. The way he looks at me over his coffee mug in the mornings, sleepy-eyed and smiling. The way we dance around as we cook, stealing kisses between tastes of whatever it is we’re whipping up. So much laughter and love. I can’t resist and paint a small section of the wall next to the window.
And that’s how Cam finds me when he bustles through the door a short while later, arms laden with takeout bags, his face split in a grin. “Looking good, babe!”
I set down my brush and go to him. “It’s going to be perfect,” I say, and pull him in for a kiss. And for the first time since leaving the doctor’s office, I truly believe it.
Chapter Fifteen
Cam
Greg stirs and stretches.His eyes light up when he sees me looking at him and he smiles. “Morning, sunshine,” he says, his voice deep and rumbly and croaky with sleep.
“Morning, yourself,” I reply, carding my fingers through his riot of messy curls.
“What’s on the agenda today?” he mumbles.
“Mmm, nothing too exciting. Just another day at the grind.”
“Oh, right, another day of flirting with all the pretty boys of Collier’s Creek,” he teases.
“Hey, I’m a one-man man and you know it!”
He laughs as he props himself up on one elbow. “Wanna prove it?”
“Anytime.”
Damn, it good to see him wake in a playful mood after the serious talk we had last night. He was so down and despondent. Hopefully he’s taken my words on board. I grin and lean over to bring our lips together in a slow, sensual kiss.
When we part he frowns and reaches for me. “Don’t go.”
“Oh, I have no intention of leaving this bed until you’re a panting, disheveled mess. Then I’ll leave you here to recover while I head off and get to that flirting.”
He laughs, and I pounce, this time taking his mouth in a deep kiss. I explore his body, tracing his sleep-warmed skin with my fingertips until he’s squirming beneath me, pushing his hips into mine and seeking friction. I give him what he wants, and true to my word, thirty minutes later, he’s looking up at me, with hooded eyes and a soft smile.
“Hey,” I say, just as I’m about to climb from the bed, “how about I take the afternoon off and we go for a hike? Not a long one, just long enough for a bit of exercise and some fresh air.”
His smile widens. “I like the sound of that. It’ll be good to get out of the house for a while, and the weather has been good. How about we head up the mountain?”
“It’s a plan.” I lean across for one last kiss before hauling myself from the sheets and hitting the shower—the quicker I get to work and arrange for someone to cover the afternoon shift, the quicker I can be home.
Just after lunch, we’re rugged up, thick wool scarves snugly around our necks as we set off along the trail. The sun peeks through the bare canopy above us and the crisp air nips at my nose.
“It’s so peaceful out here,” I say, inhaling deeply. The scent of damp earth and decaying leaves fills my nostrils. “No customers to serve, no orders to fill. Just you, me, and the birds.”
Greg chuckles. “And the occasional bear. Don’t forget them, babe.”
I playfully elbow him in the side. “Hey, don’t jinx us! With our luck, a grizzly will come barreling out of the bushes any second now.”
“Given it’s winter, I think we’re safe.” He laughs, the sound loud in the quiet woods.
It feels good to get away from the bustle of the coffee shop and town, even just for an hour or two. To simply exist in nature, our boots crunching rhythmically against the snow-crusted dirt path.
