Page 81 of Flawless

He turned on the radio, a country station that often played my music. It made me think of putting my career on hold, and the fact I wasn’t even sad about it anymore.

“Luc’s been so great about postponing my tour.”

“Yeah, bet that’s a relief, huh?”

“It is.” He assured me the label had been built on the ‘family first’ motto and that would never change, confirming I made the right decision when I signed with them. “He promised me they’d work hard behind the scenes to keep my music out there, and continue to build my fan base, so when I’m ready, I can hit the ground running.”

“I’m sure you won’t want to be on the sidelines for long. Music is a part of you. You love it. And I want our daughter to grow up knowing what passion like that looks like.”

I loved Cam even more for not making me feel like I had to choose between our daughter and my career. “Luc told me not to rush back. He said, as a parent himself, he didn’t want me to miss those precious infant days because they went by way too fast.”

“I bet they do.”

He was driving out of the city toward Franklin, making me curious, but I didn’t want to ruin his surprise.

“Maybe we’ll have to have a few kids. You know, so we’ll get to enjoy those infant years a little longer, hmm?”

“Maybe we will.”

He lit up when he talked about having kids with me. And that lit me up. My whole life I’d wondered what it would be like to have a family, and thanks to him, I would finally get to experience it.

“Seriously?” he asked, sounding surprised. “You’d consider having more than one or two kids?”

I smiled. “Why does that surprise you?”

“I know how much your career means to you. And it wouldn’t be easy, being pulled in so many different directions. That was one of Austin’s concerns, actually. He knows how talented you are, and how hard you’ve worked for this opportunity. He doesn’t want to see anything or anyone get in the way of that.”

I caressed my tiny bump absently. “I love Austin, and I appreciate his concern, but he couldn’t possibly understand what this is like for me. Like you, he grew up in a nice, normal family, right?”

“Yeah, they’re good people.”

“When you grow up alone, the way I did, all you want is people to love you.” I breathed through the heaviness in my heart. “When you finally get that, winning awards or becoming rich and famous can’t compare. Nothing can compare to that feeling of belonging.”

I bit my lip to stem the flow of tears. I knew it was probably healthy to let these emotions out, but sometimes I feared if I started, I’d never stop sobbing for the little girl I used to be.

“And you’ve made me feel like I belong… to you. Our baby. Even your family. I mean, I already loved Eden like a sister. But now that she’s going to be my baby’s auntie, we’ll officially be family.”

“Don’t forget my parents.” He rolled his eyes. “Believe me when I tell you, you’re their new favourite person since they found out you’re giving them their first grandbaby.”

I giggled, feeling a rush of warmth infuse me. Just knowing they accepted me, and my relationship with their son was everything.

“You had a little something to do with it. I hope they won’t forget to give you credit.”

He chuckled. “They’ve been on me for years about what the hell’s taking so long. Not sure they’re gonna give me much credit for finally making it happen.”

“You ever think about what your life would’ve been like if you’d married Kelly and had babies with her?” Just the thought turned my stomach, but I needed to know he didn’t have any regrets about the way things turned out.

“Yeah, she would’ve cheated on me so we’d probably be divorced by now. And I’d be miserable if we’d brought kids into the world and—” He shook his head. “None of that matters now. I can’t even imagine doing this with anyone else, Ry. You were meant to be the mother of my children.”

He had a way of soothing my soul with just a few words and that was a skill I’d never take for granted.

“I’m glad you feel that way. Because my life is kind of divided into two parts now. Life before and after you, and before… just doesn’t seem to matter anymore.”

“I love that,” he said, kissing my hand. “I feel the same way, sweetheart.”

I frowned when he turned into a long gravel driveway. We pulled up to a tidy white, two-storey farmhouse with black shutters and a pitched roof. There were rockers on the wraparound porch, with a red door and lush ferns hanging from hooks between pillars decorated by white railings.

The sold sign on the lawn had me thoroughly confused. “Um, what are we doing here?”