Chapter 20

twenty

Cam groaned as he sat on the floor next to Fi, holding her hand as they rested their heads against the couch cushions. His gaze tracked over the cups and plates scattered on the coffee table and then the mess of cardboard boxes and dining room chairs, where the boys had made forts with every blanket he owned instead of playing in the four-person tent he'd set up in the center of the great room.

It was safe to say the place was trashed . Luckily, the boys had finally fallen asleep in their sleeping bags when Cam turned off all but one light above the stove at ten thirty.

"What was I thinking when I offered this up?"

"That you wanted to make your little boy happy." She lifted his hand to her lips, kissing his knuckles. "Mission accomplished."

The rain pounded harder beyond the French doors as firelight flickered in the fireplace and the air-conditioning blasted through the vents.

He lifted his head to look at her. "You saved my ass, Fi. Again. That rain came out of nowhere . It was supposed to be clear skies all day."

She grinned. "Rule number one of event planning is always have a plan B. If you're smart, you have a plan C, too."

He loved that she'd been here with him—that they'd worked together to pull off Brady's first sleepover. They'd always made a great team. Nothing had changed about that. "The dance party and movie with the popcorn and candy in those cool popcorn boxes was clutch. And the cardboard box forts pretty much saved my sanity. I never would have thought to give them rolls of painter's tape to decorate with."

She smiled again. "The boxes and tape were pretty much guaranteed to keep them occupied in one space. They definitely don't sit still for very long."

" No , they don't.

She stood in the sweat shorts and T-shirt she wore, grabbing the paper cups and plates off the coffee table, bringing them to the kitchen. When she got there, she stopped to fix her ponytail.

Cam stood in athletic shorts and a T-shirt, heading for the thermostat. "I guess I'll turn off the fireplace and turn the air-conditioning back up." He frowned as he hit the switch. "That's a sentence I never thought I would say in late July."

She chuckled, tossing several items in the trash. "You can't have a tent without a campfire."

"True." He walked her way as Fi got to work on cleaning up the mess in the kitchen, where the boys had made their own pizzas when they ditched the hot dog idea due to the downpour. And then there was the disaster of hot fudge and a dozen other toppings smeared onto a third of the opposite countertop, where the sundae bar had been set up.

Stopping behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her neck as he pulled her close. "Thank you, Fi."

She turned in his arms, locking her wrists at the back of his neck. "You're welcome."

He brought his mouth down on hers, taking her deep, kissing her the way he'd wanted to for hours. "You taste good."

She smiled. "You do, too."

He slid his knuckles along her jaw, always eager to touch her. "I guess tonight officially wraps up Brady's injured reserve stint."

"I guess it does."

"Will we still see you around here now that day camp is starting on Monday?" Because he was afraid things might change now that Fi wasn't helping him out anymore. Their summertime crunch made every moment they had together feel all the more urgent.

She shrugged. "I guess that depends on whether you want to see me."

"You know we do."

"Then try to keep me away."

"I like that answer." Grinning, he kissed her forehead. "Tomorrow, I was thinking about taking Brady school shopping, which might be a terrible idea considering he'll be coming off of a sleepover. Do you want to come with us?"

She nodded. "I do."

He sighed as he settled his forehead against hers. "The first day of kindergarten is coming up fast. I think he's as nervous as he is excited. I guess I am, too."

"Aw," she said as she pulled him closer, nuzzling her nose against his. "I think that's pretty normal. For both of you."

He closed his eyes, loving Fi's affectionate gesture. "I imagine it is."

Easing back, she kissed his lips. "I saw a great dinosaur backpack online that I really think he'll like. How do you feel about me ordering it for him?"

"I feel fine about it."

"Unfortunately, it's on backorder. When I looked a couple of days ago, it said it wouldn't arrive for a week or two."

"That's still plenty of time before school starts."

"Mm-hmm."

He slid his fingers up her spine. "After we shop, do you want to come home with us and go out on the boat?"

"Definitely."

"We can have dinner, and Brady will undoubtedly go to bed early. After I tuck him in, we could watch a movie and make some popcorn. We can add the M&Ms to the mix, which is surprisingly good."

She grinned. "I told you it was tasty."

"You did," he muttered against her lips. "Then I'm going to take you to bed."

She batted her lashes. "Yes, please."

He chuckled.

She grinned. "It's supposed to be pretty nice on Sunday—a little cooler than it has been. We could take a picnic to the park."

He nodded. "Sign us up. Especially now that Brady can use most of the playground equipment again."

She smiled. "It sounds like we have a fun weekend ahead."

"Those are the best kind."

"They are." Then she looked around. "But we should probably deal with this first. Let me help you clean up before I go home."

He glanced around the disheveled space again. "Maybe we'll just move."

She laughed. "It's not that bad."

He lifted his brow. "Have you seen Brady's room?"

She winced. "You might have a point there. It's certainly not pretty upstairs."

" Just upstairs? It's like a Lego minefield in the living room."

She grinned. "There's not much we can do about the Legos or Brady's room tonight, but I'll put a donut platter together and pop it in the fridge for tomorrow morning. I'd stay so you don't have to deal with three active boys alone, but that's probably not a good idea."

He wrinkled his nose when he wanted nothing more than to open his eyes to Fi in the morning light. But that wasn't an option. "No, probably not. But you can come and eat gluten-free donuts with us and be my partner. Because there's safety in numbers, and I'm slightly afraid."

Chuckling, she stood on her tiptoes, kissing him. "I'll be here bright and early."

"Thank you again, Fi."

"Anytime. Now, let's get to work because I have a feeling you aren't going to get a lot of sleep."

He nodded. "Let the cleaning begin."