Princess: Text me when you’re on your way, okay? We will wait for you to pull up.
Me: Headed out now, be there in about ten or fifteen.
I added food to Chaplin’s bowl and gave him fresh water.
I gave him a few more pets before saying, “Hold down the fort, Chap. I’ll be back before you know it.” He let out a small meow before heading back to his cat tree.
I grabbed my keys, bag, and phone and headed to my car.
The drive wasn’t too bad. Although it was snowing, it hadn’t stuck to the roads yet. I pulled up to Cam’s house, parking my truck on the street. The garage was open when I glanced at the house. I turned off my truck, grabbed my shit, and got out. When I was walking up the driveway, there sat Harper and Cam in the garage on the porch swing that previously took up residence outside the front door.
Harper was covered in blankets while Cam kept an arm around her shoulders. Thankfully, since he spent a lot of timeworking in his garage, he had a propane heater, which seemed to help a bit.
Her smile grew the closer I got. I adjusted my backpack that rested on my right shoulder and gave her a small smile and a wave.
“Waiting for me, princess, or enjoying the snow?” I said, finally making it into the garage. I dropped my bag next to the swing and sat on the opposite side of her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“Both. Definitely both.” She opened up her blanket, sharing some of her warmth with me.
“You have seen snow before, Shortcake, so can we go in?” Cam huffed, clearly trying to be patient with her, but also freezing.
Harper sighed. “Yes, but only because I’m cold too.”
I laughed and shook my head. “You two are something else.”
Harper and I quickly folded the blankets while Cam turned off the heater and closed up the garage. He grabbed my bag, and we headed inside.
“Fuck, it was freezing out there,” Harper whined as she placed the blankets back in the living room. I swear, since she had been staying here, a new blanket appeared almost weekly.
“It’s almost like I didn’t say that a thousand times.” Cam rolled his eyes while laughing. He walked towards his room with my bag and returned without it.
“Wren home?” I asked, toeing my shoes off before heading into the living room, where Harper was. I always like to make sure we were on our best behavior when she was. She didn’t need us to traumatize her twice.
“No, she and Reed are house hunting,” Cam replied, sitting on the loveseat next to the couch. “They didn’t know it was supposed to snow, but kept their plans anyway.”
Harper stiffened as Cam’s eyes met hers. I glanced betweenthem, trying to figure out what was going on without asking. I was old enough to infer what was going on.
I scooted closer to Harper, placing a hand on her knee. I leaned in close, but I’m sure I was still loud enough for Cameron to hear me. “Sugar, her moving out isn’t her moving on or away from you. She loves you. You are her best friend as much as she is yours. Plus, you won’t be alone when she is busy; you have us.” I gave her my best toothiest grin and received a smile in return.
“Thanks, Tuck. I know. Growing up is just weird. I get it, we are getting closer to thirty, but thinking about her moving out, one of us getting married, or having kids, it’s just weird. I still feel eighteen, but obviously that’s not the case. I am happy for her and my brother, truly. I just don’t like change.” She sighed, her brown eyes meeting my green ones.
I pressed a kiss to her nose. “Most change isn’t bad, love, just different. Get used to the new norm. You’ll be okay.”
She nodded and said, “I love you.” I swear my heart was going to skip a beat every time I heard her say that.
“And I love you, princess.”
She pressed a kiss to my lips before standing and walking towards Cam. She stood in front of him gently, pushing open his legs with hers. He opened them and placed his hands on the backs of her thighs.
“Shortcake?”
“Loverboy.”
“You, okay?”
“I love you, Cam.”
His smile grew as he stood. He towered over her, meeting her eyes as he spoke his truth. “I love you. I have loved you since that moment you danced around my kitchen in your pajamas and fuzzy socks and ended up falling. You laughed until you cried, and I swear I fell for you right then and there. You havehad my heart for years, and I am sorry it took me so long to tell you.”
