Chapter 32

thirty-two

Fiona groaned as she blinked her eyes open in the dim light of dawn, pressing a gentle hand to her stomach. She rolled from her side to her back, frowning when saliva pooled in her mouth, and goosebumps puckered her skin. Yanking her covers back, she hurried to the bathroom, well aware of what that meant.

She made it to the toilet just in time, getting sick. Groaning as she flushed, she didn't dare move when she couldn't be sure she wouldn't vomit again.

Footsteps moved through the bedroom, stopping in the en suite doorway. "Are you okay?" Cam asked as he walked in wearing black boxers.

She shook her head before she got sick again.

Sighing as he turned on the faucet, he offered her a paper cup of water. "Rough morning."

Nodding, she sipped, swished, and spit the water into the toilet before she flushed. "You could say that."

Sympathy filled his gorgeous green eyes as he crouched by her side, rubbing her back while she wore a sports bra and sweat shorts. "What can I do to help?"

She shrugged, still feeling like crap. "I have no idea."

Moments later, more footsteps headed their way as Brady walked in, sleepy-eyed and wearing Avengers pajamas. "Does your tummy feel bad?"

Nodding, she tried to smile. "A little bit."

Cam sat on the tile next to her as he continued to slide his palm up and down her skin. "Brady, can you be my big helper and get the crackers from the bottom shelf in the pantry? The ones without your stickers on them."

"Yup," he said as he ran off.

Fiona grimaced at the idea of eating anything. Because it was doubtful she would be able to keep it down. "I don't want crackers, Cam."

He tucked her hair behind her ear. "Maybe try a couple of nibbles. An empty stomach can make morning sickness worse."

She nodded. "It's pretty great that this isn't your first time doing this."

"I'd say it's pretty great that I'm doing this with the person I wanted to do it with all along."

Her heart melted. "Aw."

Tossing her a wink, he grinned, gently nudging her chin up, studying her face. "Your color's coming back a little."

"That's a good thing because I have to meet the florist at the church in a couple of hours. It's officially the big day."

"Promise me you'll take it easy."

She nodded. "I'm not doing anything to risk this baby."

"I know you won't," he said, bringing her knuckles to his lips. "While you're working, Brady and I will start packing this place up so the real estate agent can do her thing tomorrow."

"Thank you. She's confident it won't take long to get this place sold. She already has a buyer in mind." And then she closed her eyes when her stomach roiled again.

"Are you going to get sick?"

Opening her eyes, she stared into his. "Maybe. Probably. But I'm okay with it."

Cam raised his brow.

She shrugged. "I'm pregnant."

He grinned. "I heard something about that."

She huffed out a small laugh, enjoying Cam's humor even when she wasn't feeling great. "I didn't think this would ever happen for me. For us. I'll take a few miserable mornings."

He sighed, sliding his knuckle along her jaw. "You're amazing, Fi."

Her shoulders moved again. "This is our miracle baby. I don't know if we'll get another chance to do this?—"

Brady ran back with the box of saltines. "Here, Fiona."

She took the sleeve he pulled from the box. "Thank you, buddy."

Moving closer, he gently patted her head. "Crackers will make you all better."

She hugged him. "I love your kind heart, Brady."

He hugged her back. "I love your kind heart, too."

Cam pulled Brady into his lap, wrapping his arms around him, kissing the top of his head. "You're a great helper. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Eat your crackers, Fiona."

She chuckled as she hesitantly nibbled her first few bites, waiting to regret her decision as she chewed and swallowed.

"How's it settling?" Cam asked.

She nodded, nibbling again. "Pretty okay."

"How about we get you back into bed while you eat a couple more?"

"Sure."

Brady stood. "I'll snuggle with you. That will help you feel better."

She smiled as Cam took her hands, slowly helping her to her feet. "I would love that."

"Brady, why don't you grab a book, and I'll read while we all cuddle up for a bit," Cam suggested.

"Okay." Brady rushed off again.

Cam gave Fiona his attention. "How's standing working for you?"

"I'm doing better. The nausea isn't quite so bad."

"Good," he said, kissing her forehead as he wrapped his arms around her.

Sighing as she closed her eyes, she returned his embrace, breathing in the scent of his warm skin. She certainly wasn't feeling her best, yet gratitude overwhelmed her. Because at this moment, she had everything she'd always wanted. "I love you, Cam. I love that this is my life—that this is our life."

He nodded. "It's not too shabby."

Grinning, she pressed her palm to his cheek. "I'd say it's perfect."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Come on. Let's make sure you're good to go before we try to get some breakfast and a vitamin into you."

"Okay."

"It might not be a bad idea to put a couple of granola bars or breakfast bars in your purse. You don't want to let yourself get hungry."

She nodded, walking with him to the bed, settling under the covers with Cam as Brady pounced onto the mattress with a book about the first day of school. "This looks like a good one."

"Yup." Brady got under the covers, resting his head against her shoulder. "It's my favorite. The llama was scared, but then he had a fun day at kindergarten."

Cam opened to the first page, and they all got lost in the adventure as Fiona nibbled on another cracker.

Cam wrapped the final candle jar in the packing paper he and Brady had picked up at the U-Haul store, setting it among the last of Fi's living room décor they'd packed in the box.

"I can close the flaps," Brady said, standing by Cam's side.

Cam stood straight, stretching his back. "Do your thing, helper."

Brady folded the flaps down in no time flat, adding a little flourish as he batted at the final piece of cardboard.

Cam nodded. "You get style points for that."

Brady grinned. "Because I made it look super fancy?"

He chuckled, loving that Brady was such a fun kid. "As far as box closing goes, that was the fanciest I've seen."

Brady laughed. "Dad, you're silly !"

Smiling again, he taped the box and labeled it, glancing around the disheveled space.

They'd made decent progress over the last couple of hours. Everything that wasn't being used in the guest room and kitchen had been packed away. But he wanted to get even more accomplished so Fi could rest tomorrow instead of getting ready for the movers that were set to arrive in less than forty-eight hours.

He'd been relieved when she kept down the eggs, toast, and fruit she ate for breakfast. When she left looking professional and gorgeous, he'd relaxed even further because it had been impossible to tell she'd been vomiting only a couple of hours before. Fi was definitely a trooper, but that didn't mean she didn't need to take it easy.

"How about we set up another box? Then you can have a cartoon break."

"Yeah!" Brady grabbed another box from the stack in the corner. "Can I watch two cartoons?"

Cam narrowed his eyes as he nodded slowly, letting Brady know he was considering it. "I think we can make that happen."

Brady jumped up and down. "I like this idea."

Cam grinned. "You've been a big help." But he could move faster if Brady was occupied. An electronic babysitter wasn't ideal, but a couple of cartoons would help him out for the next hour. "Go ahead and find something to watch."

"Okay." Brady hurried to his favorite corner of the couch, snatching up the remote and turning on the television.

Cam grabbed for the box as his phone alerted him to a text. Pulling it from his back pocket, his stomach sank when he realized it was Ally.

I'm officially settled in my new apartment. I'm heading up to Maple Ridge. I'll drop the papers off with Darius. Is there a chance we can meet up?

He sighed as reality slapped him in the face. He and Fi were having a baby. Brady was thrilled that Fiona was moving home with them. But that didn't mean Ally would be okay with any of it. Thanks for taking care of the paperwork. Brady and I are out of town for a couple of days. We'll be back Tuesday evening.

Oh. Good to know .

He rubbed at the back of his neck as the tension he hadn't felt in days immediately made his muscles ache. I'll reach out when we get home. Maybe we can meet at the park on Wednesday.

How about we grab a cup of coffee instead?

He exhaled another long breath. Sure.

I'm looking forward to it, Cam.

I'll see you then , he responded. Because he certainly wasn't.

It felt wrong not to mention that he and Brady were in Seattle—that they had been on the West Coast for the last four days. He and Ally certainly had plenty to talk about, but he wasn't telling her anything until they were face-to-face. Because if history had taught him anything, it was that Ally had a penchant for going off half-cocked. The last thing he wanted was her losing her shit when he was hundreds of miles away.

Shoving his phone back in his pocket, he got busy filling the next box. But he worried as he wrapped Fi's pretty vase in paper. He and Ally had worked amicably up to this point, but it was possible all of that would change now that Fiona was very much back in the picture.