“Half an hour, but she’ll hurry to get her stuff together if she knows you and Toby are waiting.”
“Then I’ll see you in half an hour or less. I’m in the takeout line right now and about to pick up my order. Talk to you in a few. Love you.”
Love. You? Elena nearly rear-ended the Beemer ahead of her. “Camden? Did you just say…?”
But the line was dead.
Love you. The way Camden said them, the words sounded so natural, something a husband would say to his wife on any given day at the end of a call. Like it was a given, a well-worn but cherished sweater you’d put on to feel cozy. And they sounded like they’d just slipped out of his mouth without hesitation, without a second thought.
Camden loved her. Full-stop.
And I love him.
No use denying it. No use hiding behind shyness or widowhood or momhood or any other excuse that kept her from feeling it. She loved him. She wanted to be with him. She wanted her daughter to know what a good and loving relationship looked and felt like. But even beyond that, Elena wanted to feel loved and cherished and protected by a man again. And there was nothing wrong or selfish about that. It didn’t mean she loved Antonio any less, or that she would ever forget him. All she had to do was look at her smart, beautiful, sweet daughter to see that Antonio lived on, in the best way possible.
All this time, I’ve been afraid that Tina wouldn’t remember her father if I fell in love with another man. Maybe I’m the one who’s been afraid of forgetting my husband.
But there was an even bigger fear lying under that realization, one that Elena wasn’t yet ready to face. She pushed it down deep and tried to focus on picking up her daughter and preparing for whatever Camden wanted to talk about.
And, deciding if she was ready to say out loud that she loved him back.
* * *
Tina burst through the glass doors and ran straight to Camden and Toby. Camden stood up from the bench beside the elevators, opened his arms, and swooped the little girl up over his head before tucking her to his side. Toby stood wagging his tail, waiting for his turn to marinate her in love.
“I’ve got the food,” Elena said, grabbing the good-smelling bags on the bench with one hand and reaching for the elevator button with the other.
“Now, now, just wait a minute,” Camden said as he took her outstretched hand before she could hit the up button. He turned his head to the side to look Tina in the eye. “With your permission, Mermaid, I would like to kiss your mother hello.”
Elena’s eyes went wide. She tried to remember if Tina had ever actually seen them kiss beyond a peck on the cheek. She studied her daughter’s face for any sign of hesitation. Instead, she found sudden surprise, followed by a brief look of joy that she quickly minimized to nonchalance. Elena felt like she’d just caught a glimpse of the future—Tina as a teenager was going to be a challenge.
Tina shrugged. “Yup. You can kiss her.”
Camden turned to Elena, his expression neutral but his eyes dancing with humor. “Now that I have permission from the mermaid, I’m asking you. May I have the honor of kissing you?”
Remembering what she and Camden had done on the couch, Elena stifled a laugh at his mock-chivalry. He certainly did earn his nickname, Joker. “Well, sir, it is a bit bold for you to ask, but I shall grant it.”
There was nothing pretend or joking about the smile he gave her. It was warm and serious and grateful and full of love.
He loves me.
She put the food back on the bench as he set Tina down, then took Elena in his arms. He brushed her hair back. “Welcome home, Gorgeous,” he whispered, then pressed his lips to hers in a soft, sweet kiss that still managed to get Elena excited for what she hoped would come later.
“You’reblushing, Mama,” Tina said. Elena blinked, realizing it was true.
“Let’s get upstairs and get you fed,” she said, mentally adding,and get you to bed a little earlier than normal.
“Mama and Camden sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S—”
“And that is enough ofthat, young lady,” Elena said, putting her hand on Tina’s head as the elevator doors opened. Over her daughter’s head, she rolled her eyes at Camden. But his expression had turned serious and distant—almost angry—before he covered it with a smile and mirrored an eyeroll back at her.
She raised her eyebrows with the silent question,What’s wrong? Her stomach knotted up at the thought that Tina had somehow offended him.
He shook his head and gave her another smile, one he probably thought looked reassuring and was anything but.
Her stomach knotted up more, and she knew, justknew, that look had nothing to do with Tina’s antics and everything to do with Cici…and Lawrence Franklin.
Her deepest fear gripped her in its sharp, pitiless teeth.
