Cam hopped back inside his vehicle. He guided the SUV through the open gate, deciding not to close it behind them. They likely wouldn’t be long. Cam was prepared for the worst, but a little beacon of hope remained in his heart.
Not wanting to jinx anything, Cam didn’t say anything or look in Ria’s direction until he got to his favorite spot. He drove along the narrow dirt road leading over a small hill. At the hill’s crest, the view was perfect. The edge of the lake, the wooden dock leading out to the water and the old cabin could be seen all at once. He loved it.
Beside him, Ria sucked in a deep breath. “Ooh, it’s so beautiful, Cam.”
Her awestruck expression sent a rush of newfound hope to fill the previously cold spot in his heart.
Cam pulled his vehicle up next to the cabin and parked. He hadn’t even gotten it into gear before Ria popped open her door, jumped out and raced toward the dock. He quickly got out and followed her to the water’s edge and the long row of sturdy wooden planks leading out into the lake.
“Look at all that water. It’s so lovely. So perfect. I love it, Cam.” She pointed at the cabin. “And I love the tall old wooden house, too.”
“It’s called a cabin.”
“A cabin,” she said as if tasting the word on her tongue and finding a new flavor she liked.
“It’s a rather ramshackle old place. The outside is very weathered and so is most of the inside, but it’s definitely interesting in there, too.”
“I’m sure it’s perfect.” She twisted back to stare at the lake, dropping to sit on the roughhewn wooden planks of the dock. She crossed her legs and stared from all the way left to all the way right.
Cam lowered himself to sit beside her. He wasn’t even fully seated when she hugged him around the middle. “Thank you so much, Cam. Thank you for bringing me to this wonderful, magical place. I truly love it. It’s my favorite place so far. We should have come here sooner.” She transferred her hug to his neck, leaving her arms around him as she studied the lake. The wind picked up, sending wavelets across the water to lap against the dock posts.
She rested her head on his shoulder and stared out at the water as if transfixed, releasing a long sigh of what sounded like utter and complete happiness.
Cam circled his arms around her and they sat quietly, simply watching the surface of the lake ripple in the early morning sun.
“I love you, Cam,” she whispered as another soft sigh escaped her lips.
Chapter Thirteen
Ria said the words she’d longed to shout since waking up in Cam’s bed the morning after her karaoke bar adventure. He was perfect in every way and each day they’d been together proved that truth a little more.
Each time the phrase, “I love you, Cam,” bubbled up inside her, she’d tamped it down because she was afraid he wouldn’t reciprocate. What if he planned to be through with her once she was gone? What if he didn’t want to hurt her feelings before she was safely away from Earth and locked in a life she hated on another planet? A tiny, depressing voice inside her head warned he was only counting down the days until she left, being nice only because their time together was limited and if something happened to end her stupid arranged marriage, he would stutter and find some reason to break her heart.
An equally vocal optimistic voice was certain that of course Cam loved her as much as she loved him. They were obviously meant to be together forever and if she could get out of her engagement to Dirt Bag FitzOsbern, he’d drop to a knee and propose earthling-style in an instant. She wanted that so much, it brought tears to her eyes whenever she thought about it, so she shoved it from her mind as much as possible on a daily basis.
At this juncture, Ria simply hoped he cared about her and didn’t want her to leave him forever, never to be seen again on Earth.
Once the provocative, “I love you, Cam,” hung in the air, Ria became hyper alert to everything Cam did. Good news, he didn’t stiffen in her arms so much as startle the moment she uttered the heartfelt but totally inflammatory phrase. It felt more like he was surprised rather than horrified. She hoped. Was that a good sign? Or a bad sign? Or perhaps an indifferent sign? Unclear.
She squeezed him harder, afraid he would say that although he really liked her a lot, he didn’t feel the same deep affection she’d expressed. Or worse, somehow dismiss her feelings as foolish or impulsive or silly schoolgirl fodder. He didn’t. He also didn’t move or utter a single syllable. But she got the sense he was at least carefully considering what she’d said. Perhaps he wanted to ensure he responded the right way. Or perhaps he’d never respond, ignoring her earnest declaration of love no matter how many times she repeated it. Should she repeat it?No. Shut it.
They remained silent and still, watching the beautiful water together. The surface of the lake was mostly smooth, but every so often a leaf or something would fall from one of the many impossibly tall trees and the resulting ripples near the shoreline were mesmerizing. Then the wind came up and gentle waves grew in the center of the small lake, rushing toward shore. Ria could have sat with Cam until the sun set.
After a long silence, he shifted and said, “Want to see inside the cabin?” His voice was hushed, but after so much silence it seemed loud. He didn’t sound dismissive or angry, so she decided either he didn’t hear her declaration or didn’t plan to address it quite yet.
“Yes,” she said. “I’d love to see inside the cabin.”
He stood up, reached a hand down. She placed her palm against his and he pulled her to her feet. He didn’t try to hug her or kiss her before starting toward the tall cabin. She grabbed his hand as they approached the porch steps, slipping her fingers in between his. He squeezed her fingers as they walked.
No matter what he said, she loved him. She would love him until the day she died. She wished above all else that he at least cared and would remember her fondly once she was gone.
He entered a six-digit code—that she memorized without meaning to—into the number pad mounted on the doorframe and opened the rustic door to reveal an equally rustic interior. All wood as far as the eye could see. Dusty surfaces as far as the eye could see, too.
She sneezed twice in rapid succession.
“Bless you,” he said. “It’s pretty dusty in here, but—”
