I smile, taking a sip of my second cup of perfect coffee. I may have freaked out just a tiny bit when Cam’s mom strolled into the entryway earlier, because holy shit it was Cam’s mom, but I got over that in ten seconds flat because holy moly is she amazing. She is so much like my own family—immediately welcoming, openly crazy about her grandchildren, making me feel like I belong right here in this house—that I was instantly at ease. And if I had a little shot of anxiety at the thought ofwidening the circle of people who know about Cam and me and risking it getting out before we’re ready? Well, I told that anxiety to fuck right off because it has no business in this warm, cozy living room.
Besides, I jingled my rearview mirror disco balls before I knocked on the door, so I’ve got luck on my side.
“I eat fine,” Cam grumbles, and it’s so adorable I have to stop myself from actually squealing.
“But do you?” I give him a raised eyebrow. “You had all these bags of candy in your kitchen, and your affinity for tossing M&M’s into popcorn is…well documented.” My raised eyebrow turns to a devious smile at the reminder of all the candy popcorn we’ve shared.
In bed.
After.
When Cam’s eyes go molten, I know he knows exactly what I’m referring to, and when he slides his foot lightly up my leg, my pulse goes haywire.
“M&M’s in popcorn is brilliant.” Riley immediately gets up from the floor to go rummage through the kitchen pantry. She crows in victory when she comes up with a bag of popcorn, unwrapping it and sticking it into the microwave. “What?” she says at Cam’s look. “It sounds like something I need to try immediately.”
“Same!” Ethan says. “I’m still hungry.”
“Want another waffle?” Lisa asks.
“Nah.” Ethan shoves his plate away. “I’m not more waffles hungry. I’m M&M’s in popcorn hungry. Ry, make two bags.”
“On it!” she says, going back to the pantry.
Cam just shakes his head and smiles. The candles flicker as the rain drums quietly on the windows, the storm long over, and I think this is the best day I’ve ever had.
“So, what’s the deal with you guys?” Riley asks, flopping back down on the pillows and putting a giant bowl of popcorn in the middle of the fort, dumping a massive bag of M&M’s right intothe bowl and giving the whole thing a shake. “You’re, like, together right?” Her voice is casual, but when she looks up and her gaze bounces between Cam and me, she looks more like a detective interrogating a witness.
Did I say this was the best day I’ve ever had? What I meant was,Holy shit teenagers are terrifying and thank fucking god this teenager’s actual parent is in this room to answer the question because what even are words anyway, since I don’t know one single one.
Except that parent suddenly looks like he, too, has forgotten all the words, and Lisa is trying not to laugh, and how did this go to shit so fast?
Cam pulls himself together quickly though, tapping his foot against mine, his eyes saying,I’ve got this.
“Is that okay with you?” he asks Riley.
She rolls her eyes. “Duh. Maddy is, like, so cool, and she has a giant family and so many of them are women who talk to Zoe and me like we’re actual people instead of just kids. I love them. I’m glad you waited to have a girlfriend until now so it could be Maddy. This is great.”
Well shit. I will myself not to cry, even though Riley’s words make me feel like I won a gold medal and the Stanley Cup all at the same time. Teenage approval is no small thing.
“Wait, she’s your girlfriend?” Ethan asks, and his eyes go wide. “If you get married, does that mean I get to be related to Jeremy and Oliver Wright?”
The way Cam reacts to the wordmarried, the way he immediately looks at me with a smile curving his lips, his eyes crinkling at the corners, like this is something he wants, and he wants to make sure that maybe it’s something I want too, has my heart tripping in my chest becauseI could, is my first thought. I think I could want exactly that. When I give him a wink, his whole face lights up and he turns back to Ethan.
“No one is getting married right now. We like each other, and we like spending time together.”
“And I like spending time with you,” I say to both of them,before turning to Ethan. “But if you want to hang with my dad and brother more, they would love that.”
“I want,” Ethan says immediately, making everyone laugh again.
Lisa takes my hand and squeezes it, and Cam looks like someone just gifted him the keys to the universe, and the kids are both grinning while they shove handfuls of candy popcorn into their mouths. The kitchen is a disaster, and the blanket fort is littered with half-eaten waffles and empty mugs, and somewhere out there is probably a clock ticking down to the destruction of my career—but there’s time to worry about all of that later.
I am right where I’m supposed to be.
“Anyone want to see a movie today?” Lisa asks, glancing between Riley and Ethan. “I think a dark theater is the best place to spend a rainy day. And maybe dinner afterwards?”
“Tacos.” Riley says immediately. “Maddy mentioned tacos, and now I can’t think about anything else.”
Lisa nods. “Definitely tacos. Go get dressed and we’ll find a movie.”
