Chapter 23

twenty-three

Cam picked up his and Brady's lunch mess while Brady sat at the dining room table, working on Fiona's picture. Brady had been all business when he finished his meal, grabbing crayons, markers, and a larger piece of the paper they kept on hand for his creative projects.

"It looks like you're working hard over there," Cam commented, noting Brady's furrowed brow and his tongue sticking slightly out as he drew with a black marker.

"Yup."

Cam put the gluten-free loaf back in the pantry, eager for a look at the picture he'd been banned from peeking at. "I have a feeling Fi's really going to like whatever you're drawing."

Brady exchanged his black marker for a brown one. "She will."

Heading for the sink, he grabbed the dishcloth, wiping up the crumbs from their sandwiches and the smears from the farmers market strawberries he'd piled onto each of their plates and somehow managed to get all over the counter. He glanced at the clock when he heard a car door slam. One thirty was earlier than he was expecting Fi.

Brady gasped as his head whipped up to look down the hall toward the door. "I'm not ready for Fiona to see my picture yet. I still have a lot to do ."

Feeling guilty for their errands taking longer than he'd planned, Cam headed toward the front of the house. "I'll talk to her in the driveway so you have more time to work."

"Okay." Brady immediately got back to his project.

Grinning on his way down the hall, he loved that Brady had such a big heart. He also didn't mind that Fi and Melody had finished early. The more time they had together, the better.

He opened the door, and his smile vanished when Ally stood next to a red convertible with rental plates. "Fuck," he said under his breath as dread slammed into his belly.

She smiled, settling her sunglasses on top of her head as her long blond hair blew in the breeze. "Hi."

Quickly closing the door behind him, he walked her way. "Ally, what are you doing here?"

She shrugged her sun-kissed shoulders, wearing a navy-blue tube top-style sundress. "I wanted to see you. I want to talk to you about Brady."

It was impossible to deny that she was beautiful as he stood before her. Ally's stunning face and killer body had gotten her several midrange modeling contracts down in Boston when they had been in middle and high school. "I thought we decided you would call—that you wouldn't just show up if this was a conversation you wanted to have."

She shrugged again as her bold blue eyes studied the house. "This place is gorgeous ."

He nodded. "We've lived here for the past couple of years now."

She turned her head, tracking her gaze up his cargo shorts and T-shirt. "You look good, Cam."

"Thanks." He scratched his jaw because he had no idea what he was supposed to do at this moment. "Ally, you can't be here. Brady's inside. This situation is far too complicated for you just to stop by."

She nodded as she looked down, staring at the blacktop. "I know I've made a lot of mistakes. I know I haven't been much of a mother to Brady at all . But I want to change that. I want to be in Brady's life. I want to be in yours."

He rubbed at the back of his neck as the sudden tension squeezing his shoulder blades gave him a headache. "I don't see that happening—for you and me."

She met his gaze again. "I meant I want to be your friend."

He nodded.

"I'm interviewing for a job at one of the top salons in Boston, so I'll be a lot closer. I'd like to get to know Brady. It can be on your terms, but I want to have a relationship with my son?—"

The front door opened, and Cam felt his world start to fall apart as Brady stared at Ally.

Ally gasped before she grinned. "Oh my goodness, look at you. You've gotten so big ."

Brady frowned as he looked at Cam.

"Brady, this is Ally," Cam quickly said before Ally had a chance to do any damage.

Ally's eyes widened as her gaze flew to Cam's, clearly surprised by the introduction.

"Ally and I are friends from a long time ago," he continued to explain.

"Oh." Brady looked at Cam again, clearly unconcerned. "Can you help me spell words?"

He nodded. "Sure. I'll be right there."

"Okay. But we need to hurry before Fiona gets here."

Fuck . And now everything about this situation just got worse. "Just give me one second."

"Okay."

Temper filled Ally's eyes as the door closed again. "Fiona? She's back?"

He steamed out a breath, well aware that Ally had always seen Fiona as her competition. "She's been in town for the last few weeks. Stella was in a car accident."

Now Ally crossed her arms as she stood hipshot. "So Brady knows who Fiona is, but he has no idea who I am?"

He nodded. "Pretty much."

She huffed out a bitter laugh. "Why am I not surprised?"

"It was easy to introduce Fiona as a friend. Things are more complicated where you're concerned."

Ally raised her brow.

"What should I have told him, Ally? Was I supposed to have shown him your picture over the years and said this is your biological mother. She wants absolutely nothing to do with you?"

Ally flinched. "Well, that's harsh."

"Yeah, no kidding." Then he shook his head because getting pissed and nasty wouldn't do Brady any good. "Look, why don't you come inside for a couple of minutes and visit with Brady. But I expect you to play by my rules. The only thing that matters is what's best for him."

She nodded. "Okay."

He walked with Ally to the front door, letting her into his and Brady's space. He felt none of the joy he remembered when he'd welcomed Fiona for the first time. "Come on in."

"Thanks." Slipping off her sandals, she followed him down the hall, stopping to let her gaze wander around the great room. "This place is so pretty . And your view…"

He nodded, noting Fi's touches scattered here and there: the cheery summer flowers in a vase on the kitchen island and the new cozy throw folded over the couch. "Thanks."

Ally moved to the table where Brady was still working on his drawing.

Brady looked up. "Do you want to see my picture?" he asked her.

She smiled and said, "Sure." Pulling out the chair next to his, she sat down. "That's really nice."

"Thanks. Dad, you can see it now, too."

Cam stepped closer behind his son's seat, staring at three smiling figures holding hands. Water had been drawn as waves off to the right, and something that had to be the Space Needle had been drawn toward the top left. Brady had written his name and several D s and plus signs all over the page. "That's great, buddy."

Brady nodded, all confidence and pride in his picture. "This is me and you." He pointed to the two figures with short hair and green eyes. "And this is Fiona in the middle."

Brady looked at Ally now. "Fiona has brown hair that's really dark, but yours is light."

Ally nodded. "That's true."

"This is the lake where we swim. And this is the Space Needle 'cause Fiona lives in Seattle. She makes parties when people call her business card," Brady continued to explain to Ally.

Ally sent him another small smile. "That's nice."

Brady nodded. "She's making a wedding for the governor's daughter in Washington. When Fiona does conference calls, I get to talk to Leo when the First Lady goes away on the computer."

"Fancy," Ally said this time.

Brady's brow furrowed a little at the unmistakable edge of her tone before he nodded again. "I wrote words. This is my name." He pointed to his name that he'd spelled out. "But I don't know how to spell mom."

Cam gripped the back of Brady's chair, entirely unsure of what to do as the already-awkward conversation continued to nosedive. "That's a great picture," he repeated, hoping to change the subject.

"Yup."

"Why do you want to spell mom?" Ally asked.

"Because Fiona's my best friend. And these words say, ‘do you want to be my mom?'" He pointed to the D s and plus signs all over the page as if he were reading words in a book. "When I asked her to be my best friend, she said yes. When I ask her to be my mom, she'll say yes again. That way, she can be my mom even when she's at Seattle."

Ally swallowed as she looked at Cam.

He stared back, worried that he couldn't tell if she was more hurt or angry. Because nothing good happened when Ally was upset.

"Do you like my surprise, Dad?"

Cam nodded. "It's a super big surprise." Because he'd been oblivious. At no point did he have any idea that Brady's thoughts were veering in this direction.

Ally stood. "I should probably head out." She started back down the hall.

He hurried after her. "I'm going to walk Ally out. You stay put in here."

"Okay," Brady said. "But I still need to know how to write mom."

He chased Ally down the hall, keenly aware that he was losing control of this entire situation, as she snatched up her sandals and hurried to the door. "In a minute, bud."

She yanked on the knob, moving to her car as Cam caught up with her.

"Ally—"

She whirled. "So, it's still Fiona, then? Even after all these years? I thought you introduced her to Brady as a friend."

"I did."

She rolled her eyes, clearly not believing him. "What is it about that woman? Because I don't get it. Even my son is obsessed with her."

He sighed because Ally had never been rational when it came to Fiona. For as long as he could remember, Ally had loathed everything about the woman he adored simply because Fi was amazing. "Our equation—you, me, and Brady—has nothing to do with Fiona."

She huffed out a laugh as she reached for the door. "Right."

He snagged her by the elbow before she could get in her seat. "This scenario is only about Brady."

She turned, facing him again, the mutiny in her eyes apparent.

"Are you truly interested in getting to know him? Because I'm not fucking around with this. We're not playing games with Brady."

She stared at the house for several seconds before she nodded. "I want to know my son."

He nodded, needing to believe that she meant it. But in all the years he'd known Ally, he'd never entirely trusted her. "Then we need to take this slow. I want to get a psychologist involved to help us navigate this."

She nodded. "Okay."

"Give me some time to wrap my head around everything. I'll call you tomorrow, and we can talk next steps."

She nodded again, getting behind the wheel. "Thank you, Cam."

He exhaled a quiet breath, slightly relieved that she seemed to be settling down a bit. "Yeah."

"I'll talk to you tomorrow," she said as she turned over the ignition and put the car in drive.

He waited for her to accelerate and disappear down the driveway before he clenched his jaw and let his head hang, trying to breathe when it felt like the wind had been knocked out of him.

Hadn't everything been hunky-dory when he woke up this morning? Didn't he make breakfast with his son and the woman he loved a few short hours ago? Because it was suddenly hard to remember something so wonderfully simple when the last thirty minutes had just changed everything . A shit grenade had just detonated in his life.

Pulling his phone from his pocket as he headed for the door, he texted his parents in the family text chain. I need to drop Brady off with you for a little while.

His dad responded. Bring him over. Is everything okay?

He wanted to say ‘not even close' as nausea roiled his stomach. It's a long story. I'll explain later. I'll honk when we get there if you can open the front door for Brady.

Because he had every intention of tracking Fiona down before she and Ally bumped into each other. Maple Ridge wasn't that big of a place.

Fiona picked up the wrapping paper scraps on her bedroom floor as she studied Brady's sweet new dinosaur backpack, which she'd filled with surprises for him to discover when he unzipped it.

Dressed in short shorts and a tank top, she grinned, finding herself even more excited to share her gift after spending the last few hours with Melody in her kindergarten classroom.

Putting up bulletin boards and sticking colorful name tags in cubbies and on tiny desks had been incredibly fun. By the time she and Mel had stepped out of the cheerful space, she'd been thrilled that Brady would soon have an incredible "big kid school" experience.

She grabbed the box of Legos she'd snagged when she stopped at the store for razors and a new bottle of shaving cream, wrinkling her nose for getting carried away again. It was safe to say she was a sucker for any project she, Brady, and Cam could do together.

This Lego Creator Kit was slightly advanced for Brady's age, but with a little help, Brady would do fine. Plus, he would have the option of making three different dinosaurs, which he would love.

Glancing out the window when she heard a vehicle slowing by the house, she smiled when Cam pulled into the driveway.

Heading downstairs, she walked outside, fixing her ponytail as he got out of the truck. "Hey, you," she said, hurrying down the porch steps. "I was just about to head your way." But her smile vanished when she noted his clenched jaw and the troubled look in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

He steamed out a breath as he met her halfway up the front path. "Ally's back."

She felt her eyes widen as she pressed her hand to her heart. Cam could have said just about anything, but she hadn't expected that. " What ?"

He nodded. "She showed up at the house about an hour ago. She says she's ready to be a part of Brady's life. Apparently, she has a job interview lined up at a salon down in Boston so she can be closer to us."

She shook her head, still trying to absorb what Cam was saying. "How's Brady? Is he okay?"

Cam nodded again as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "He's fine. He's with my parents. At this point, he has no idea who she is."

She settled her hand on his arm. "I'm so sorry, Cam. What can I do to help?"

He shook his head as he shrugged his unmistakably tense shoulders. "I don't know. Everything's a fucking mess." He raked his fingers through his hair. "Brady showed me his surprise picture for you. It's an invitation to be his mom."

She blinked her shock, taking a step back. "I don't—I didn't… Oh."

"Yeah." He steamed out another breath as he briefly looked down at the ground. "Brady's clearly confused, and that's my fault. I've gotten careless. He almost caught us in bed this morning because I don't have my head on straight. I've been more focused on what I want instead of what he needs, and that's not okay."

She swallowed because she had no idea what to say to that.

"I think it might be a good idea if we take a couple of steps back," he continued. "Just until I can get everything figured out. And I don't know that our trip to the water park is a great idea."

She nodded as she felt her world starting to crumble like it had so long ago. "That makes sense."

"I need to make all of this okay for Brady. Ally seeing you and me together right now won't do him any good."

She nodded again, trying her best to send him a reassuring smile. Because taking care of Brady's needs was what mattered most. "Okay."

He pulled his phone from his pocket, glancing at the screen. "I should go. I need to talk to my parents and get Darius' number from Ezra. He practices family law, and I want his advice."

She nodded yet again because the emotion choking her throat made speaking impossible.

Cam made no move to give her a kiss or show her any sign of affection as he walked away and got behind the wheel. Turning over the engine, he tossed her a wave as he backed up.

Sending him a wave, she waited for him to drive off before she turned, blinking rapidly as tears filled her eyes. The sudden rush of nausea and her inability to breathe felt exactly like it had the last time her life had changed without any warning. Because her "simple" friendship with Cam had just come to an abrupt ending.

Heading inside, she hurried upstairs, letting her tears fall when she made it to her room. "Oh God," she whispered as her gaze landed on the framed shot of her, Cam, and Brady snuggled up at Grandpa's party.

More tears trailed down her cheeks because they did look like a gorgeous family. But they weren't. Because this wasn't her place and they weren't hers. Her time in Maple Ridge had been a much-needed break, but nothing about her life here in Vermont was real.

Grabbing her phone from her back pocket, she scrolled through her contacts, finding Simone's information, pressing the number to her direct line at Laurier Group. Because she no longer had a reason not to.

"This is Simone Laurier."

Fiona cleared her throat, not at all surprised that her boss had picked up on a Sunday. "Simone, this is Fiona Willis."

"Fiona," Simone said with pleasure. "Please tell me you're heading back to Seattle."

"I am." She swiped at her cheeks as she turned away from the happy image on her bedside table. "I should be in the office tomorrow if I can get a flight tonight."

"This is great news. I know you and Leo are running point on the wedding, but I have another project I want to hand off to you. It's smaller but important and very short notice. A dinner party for one of our VIPs. It's happening Saturday evening."

"I'm looking forward to it," she lied as she picked up her suitcase, unzipping it as she set it on her bed. "If you want to email me the preliminaries, I can look them over during my flight. I should be ready to run with it by the time I touch down."

"Perfect. I'll send it now. It'll be great to have you back. We miss your energy around here. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll see you then." Turning as she hung up, she gasped as her mother stood frowning in the doorway. "You scared me."

"Honey, what are you doing ?"

She headed for her chest of drawers, wiping at her cheeks when fresh tears fell. "I need to get back to Seattle."

Mom stepped farther into the room. "Why? What happened?"

She jerked her shoulders. "Ally's back."

Mom's frown deepened. "So?"

Fiona grabbed half of the shirts in her drawer, putting them in the suitcase. "So, Cam needs some space. Me being here makes things complicated for him and Brady."

"But you're happy. The two of you are so happy."

She shook her head and started to cry because her mother spoke the truth. But it didn't matter. "Our arrangement wasn't forever. Cam and I both knew that."

"Fiona—"

She whirled on her way back to her drawers. "They're not mine , Mom. It was easy to let myself forget that."

"He doesn't love that woman, Fiona."

"But he could." And the idea broke her heart all over again. "Cam and Ally have history, too."

Mom shook her head. "Nothing like anything you two shared."

"They have a child together."

"Because of a drunken one-night stand."

She couldn't bear to hear anymore. "You've always told me that everything works out the way it's supposed to—that fate always plays its hand. Clearly, Cam and I aren't supposed to be together."

Mom sat on the edge of the bed. "You're running on emotion, honey. Take a few moments to think."

She shook her head. "I don't need to. You're healthy again—busy doing the things that make you happy. It's time for me to get back to my life."

"Fi—"

She grabbed the rest of her tops. "Cam and I don't have a future. We never once talked about anything more than enjoying the summer."

"So, have a conversation."

She adamantly shook her head. "There's no point. We're heading down different paths. He wants what I most likely can't give him. Brady deserves brothers and sisters. Cam's such a good dad."

Mom sighed. "There's more to a love story than children."

She hurried back to the drawers for her shorts and jeans, eager to be gone and get lost in her work. "Cam and I don't have a love story. If we ever did, it's well in the past."

Mom toyed with the zipper on Brady's backpack beside her on the bed. "You're sure this is what you want? Because you're scheduled to stay until next Wednesday."

"I'm sure," she said as she wiped at more tears. "I need to finish packing and drop off the truck. Can you give me a ride to the bus station?"

Mom stared at her for several long seconds before she nodded and stood. "Let me know when you're ready to go."

"I need to take care of a couple of things, but I'll be ready in a few minutes."

"Just let me know," Mom repeated as she walked out of the room again.