“Cal…” I warn. “What about Cami?”
The squeak of a mattress and the steady thump of someone jumping makes him smile.
“I think she’s a bit busy at the moment.” His thumb brushes my bottom lip.
“Still.”
He removes his hand, taking his warmth with him. “I dare you to kiss me.”
I blink. “What?”
“You heard me. Either kiss me or be forced into giving up a secret.” The low rumble of his voice makes my lower belly clench.
“That’s not fair.” My voice cracks. Dares have always been a weakness of mine, right after the man who instigated them in the first place.
He tugs my chin closer. “Truth or dare? Choose carefully.”
I bite down on my lip. “I’ve got a lot of dares to make up for. Fifteen, to be exact, according to my last tally count.” The piece of wood on the dock might be long gone, but the memory lives on in my head.
“At this rate you’ll never catch up to me.”
“Only because you’re a daredevil.”
He grins. “And you’re a coward.”
Coward? I’ll show him.
I rise to Cal’s challenge and kiss him. Our lips mold together, the zap of energy sparking between us. He sucks in a breath as I trace the curve of his bottom lip with the tip of my tongue. The sound travels straight toward my clit.
My entire body is overwhelmed by the taste and smell of him, turning the experience into sensory overload. I try to place what the feeling in my chest is, but Cal doesn’t let me get distracted for long as he cups the back of my neck.
Control slips from my grasp as Cal dominates. The world I know shifts as Cal becomes my center of gravity, grounding me to him.
“Mommy and Cal, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”
Cal and I break apart. Both our eyes are wide as we take each other in. His lips are as swollen as his dick pressing against my stomach.
“First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes Cami in a Dreamland carriage!” She throws herself on top of me, squishing me against Cal’s chest.
So much for not getting caught.
“Are you and Cal getting married?”
The comb I was using to brush Cami’s wet hair slips out of my hand. “Umm.”
“Can I have a sister?” Her smile expands until it takes over half her face.
Shit. Shit. Shit. I knew Cami would have questions, but things are escalating far too fast for me to keep up with.
I reach for the comb and place it on top of Cami’s king-sized mattress. “Cal and I aren’t getting married.” My tongue suddenly feels heavy.
“Why not?”
“Because not everyone who likes each other gets married.” And because I have no idea if we will ever get to a place where that is even remotely possible.
Don’t be so negative.
Hard not to be when pessimism is practically a default setting for me on some days.
“So, you do like him?” She punctuates her question with a few air kisses, making me laugh.
“Of course.”
“Me too.” She grins.
“You do?” Her answer doesn’t surprise me, but it’s nice to get confirmation, especially after everything that happened with Victor.
“Yes. He’s nicer than Victor. He listens to me and likes to ask me questions and doesn’t make me feel like I bother him.” The confession rushes out of her.
I try my hardest to keep my emotions in check. It’s nearly impossible, especially with Cami bringing up Victor. It’s my fault she was ever put in a situation where a man would treat her as anything less than a princess.
Never again.
I tuck a strand of wet hair behind her ear. “I think he’s a lot nicer than Victor too.”
“And he makes you laugh and smile.”
My brows rise. “I’ve always laughed and smiled.”
“Yeah, but you do it a lot more now.”
I’m at a loss for words. It’s such a simple observation on Cami’s part, but it is one that makes my entire chest ache.
Cami pops the bubble of emotion building in my chest with a random question, proving that six-year-old kids truly have the attention span of a puppy.
“Can I have a bedtime story now?”
I go along with Cami’s request, although her comment sticks with me long after she falls asleep.
Cal found his way into my bed while I was busy with Cami. I crawl under the sheets and snuggle against him, although I’m completely ignored as he continues reading his book. His look of concentration draws a soft chuckle from me.
He makes you laugh and smile.
Cal makes me do a lot more than that. He makes me want to have fun, enjoy life, and dream in a way I have long since forgotten over the years. Even with the odds stacked against us, he makes me want to believe we can work out.
But most of all, he makes me want to trust him. To fall in love once again.
With him.
41
CAL
Sun rays peek through the sides of the blackout curtains, basking Lana in an early morning glow. If I could, I would spend the whole morning here with her. Sneaking out of the bedroom before Cami wakes up is pure torture. Like every cell in my body is protesting against moving, making each step away from her impossible.
“I should go before Cami wakes up.” Even though Cami caught us kissing, we don’t want her to assume anything else is going on. I look forward to the day that I don’t have to sneak around my own place, hiding my feelings because of a six-year-old kid.
Lana’s only reply is to burrow deeper into my chest.
I try to untangle her limbs from mine, but she holds on.
“What if we told her?” she mumbles against my chest.
“Told her what?”
“That we’re dating.”
I pause. “Is that what you want?”
“She’s starting to ask me questions anyway.”
“Like what?”
“She wanted to know when she is going to get a baby sister.”
I choke on my inhale. “What?”
She peeks up at me. “Do you not want kids?”
“Of course I do.” Spending time around Cami made me realize just how fun children can be.
“Are you sure? You’re going to have to invest in a lot more swear jars.” A smile tugs at her lips.
“I better stock up on some hundreds then.”
She smiles in a way that not only reaches her eyes but her soul.
I can’t resist kissing her in that moment. To steal a little bit of that happiness for myself.
“Mommy!”
One second, I’m lying flat on the bed. The next, Lana shoves me off the mattress with an inhuman amount of strength that I never thought she possessed.
I land on the floor with an oomph. “Fuck.”
She peeks over the edge with wide eyes. “Oh my God. Are you okay? I’m so sorry!”
I lift my hand and give her a thumbs-up.
The knob rattles before Cami comes barreling in. “Morning!”
Lana intercepts her before she catches me hiding. “Whoa there. Look at your hair! Let’s go do something about it before breakfast.”
The door shuts behind them with a soft click, leaving me alone, wondering how the hell I’m going to survive sneaking around for much longer.
Outside of visiting Rowan’s house at the back of the Dreamland property for a company Christmas party, I have pretty much avoided the park since my mother passed, so Cami’s first experience at the park might as well be mine too.