I give his shoulder a shove.
He only laughs as he latches on to my hand again. “What else?”
“I went full vegetarian for a year after watching a documentary.”
His eyes stretch wide. “Was your mother alive at the time?”
“Yes. She was completely horrified by the idea and unofficially revoked my Colombian citizenship.”
He chuckles under his breath. “That sounds just like her. That woman loved her churrasco more than anything.”
“I know. Why do you think I started eating meat again? She didn’t give me much of a choice.”
His smile widens.
“Also, I’m now a morning person. No more snoozing and skipping alarms for me.”
“Shame. I used to love finding new ways to motivate you to get out of bed.” He smirks.
My eyes roll. “More like you found ways to keep me in bed for as long as humanly possible.”
“It was a noble effort.”
“The only thing noble about you was your commitment to making me come first.”
“It’s an obsession, not a commitment.”
We both laugh. I continue telling him about the different things that changed for me, which in reality aren’t many once I list them. The most life-altering event was becoming a mother, and Cal already knows all about that.
“What about you? Anything changed?” I nudge him with my shoulder.
“My life is pretty uneventful.” He sighs.
“That’s not true. You’re a cat dad.”
“Right. The pinnacle of my life right there.”
“No job?”
“Nope.” He taps his fingers against his thigh in a random pattern.
“Come on. Something has to have changed in six years.”
“I’m no longer afraid of clowns.”
“What?” I gasp. “Since when?”
“Since Iris convinced me to go to a haunted Halloween maze. Turns out the theme that year was—”
“Clowns?” My pitch rises.
“I should have known she was setting me up the moment she asked me to go with her. I don’t do horror, but for her, I was willing to put on a brave face and try. Plus, Declan seemed pissed when she talked about us going out together.”
“Why didn’t you turn around and leave when you found out the theme?”
“Because Iris blackmailed me.”
“How?”
“She threatened to release this video if I ditched her.” Cal pulls out his phone and plays a video of him using an umbrella as a weapon against a creepy clown.
“I think I love her.” I wipe the tears from my eyes after the minute-long video finishes with Cal shrieking.
“I’m positive you two will become instant best friends the moment you meet.”
My chest warms. “I can’t wait to share the photo I have of you at your fifth birthday party.”
His eyes bulge. “Tell me you didn’t save that.”
I grin. “Of course I did. It always makes the bad days better.”
His hand holding on to mine tightens. “I have one of those too.”
My cheeks heat. “Please don’t say it’s the one of me trying on makeup for the first time.”
His eyes spark. “No, although that one is a classic.”
I scratch my head. “I thought I got rid of all my mom’s incriminating photos.”
He shrugs. “Maybe you didn’t.”
I shake his shoulders. “You need to tell me which one.” I will not rest until I know which embarrassing photo Cal keeps of me for the bad days.
“Relax. I was just joking. I swear it’s not bad.”
“Like I should believe you,” I scoff.
His eyes roll as he pulls a photo out of his wallet and tosses it on my lap. “Consider this our first test in trusting one another.”
My hands shake as I lift the photo Cal saved in his wallet.
“Is this…” I flip the photo, answering my question for me.
Get drunk on life, not alcohol.
Love,
Lana
“You saved it.” I turn it over again and stare at the younger versions of us. The photo has lightened with age and light exposure, and the edges have worn over the years. “This is what you look at on the bad days?”
He swipes the photo from my hands and tucks it back inside his wallet. “Yup.”
“Of all the photos, why this one?” My voice shakes.
“Because it reminds me that there was once a time when I was truly happy.”
I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him into a hug. “I want you to be truly happy again.”
His arms tighten around me. “I’m getting there.”
The private car drops us off at the fanciest hotel Dreamland has to offer. Cal takes us up to a penthouse suite with its own private elevator, chef’s kitchen, movie theater room, and a perfect view of the lake that makes up a large part of the Kane Company property.
“This is so cool!” Cami gets lost somewhere between the dining area and the chef’s kitchen.
Never in my life have I stayed somewhere quite like this.
Rowan, Cal’s brother who I haven’t seen since he was wearing braces and freaking out over comic books, left a note about the all-access VIP passes.
Food. Drinks. Behind-the-scenes exclusive experiences.
I’ve spent my whole life around the Kanes’ wealth, but this is the first real time I’m able to enjoy it myself. Since Cal said to spare no expense, I call room service and order three expensive steaks and an overly priced bottle of orange juice for Cami.
I have a Michelin star taste on a Betty Crocker budget, so I might as well enjoy the finer things in life while they last.
When in Dreamland…
A loud foghorn snags Cami’s attention. She runs back to the sliding door and presses her face against the glass, making it fog from her hot breath.
“Look! A boat!” Cami points at a ferry pulling into the dock to drop off the families.
I kneel beside her. “I see that.”
“We can take the ferry tomorrow if you want.” Cal kneels on the other side of Cami.
“Really?” Her eyes go big with wonder.
“For sure. Whatever you want.” He rubs the top of her already-messy hair.
This is the reason I’m willing to wait for Cal. Because love like that—the unconditional kind that comes straight from the heart—isn’t easy to find. I would know after searching for it and failing miserably since he left.
“Thank you!” Cami throws herself into Cal’s arms.
Cal blinks twice at my smile before returning my grin with one of his own. Before I know it, he is swooping me into his arms too, smushing me against Cami. The added weight throws him off-balance and the three of us crash against the carpet, with him taking the brunt of the weight. Cami giggling between us makes both Cal and me both laugh too.
Cami wiggles free and takes off to claim her bedroom. Cal’s arms remain wrapped around me and adjust my weight so I lie on top of him. I suck in a breath as his hand runs down my spine, leaving sparks behind.
His hand pauses on the small of my back. “I want to make the two of you laugh like that for the rest of our lives.”
A tingle spreads through me, starting at my cheeks and heading toward my toes. He cups my cheek and drags me closer to his face.