Chapter 33

thirty-three

Fiona stood on Cam's bedroom deck in her pretty chemise, breathing in the scent of the lake while the warm breeze kissed her skin. She stared up at the full moon as the water gently lapped at the shore, still struggling to believe all of this was real.

She was officially back in Vermont after her first-ever flight with an excited five-year-old. Her condo was under contract, and her suitcases and a couple of the boxes she'd overnighted were tucked away in the corner of the master suite. Tonight, she would fall asleep snuggled up in Cam's arms.

She smiled because this was her home now. With her two favorite people.

In just a few days, Brady would start his kindergarten adventure, and next spring, she and Cam would welcome their sweet baby right here in Maple Ridge.

"I love that you're standing here," Cam said as he walked her way in a pair of shorts, wrapping his arms around her waist as he stepped up behind her.

"Mmm," she hummed, resting her head against his naked chest as she settled her hands on his forearms, smelling his soapy scent after his shower. "Me too."

His palms wandered to her belly as he kissed her neck. "I've wanted to be here with you like this since the day we broke ground on this place." He kissed her again. "I guess if you hope for something long enough, it finds its way to you."

"Cam," she whispered as her heart melted. Turning in his arms, she locked her wrists at the back of his neck, kissing him. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He slid his hands up and down the silky sides of her waist. "How are you feeling? Are you and Baby good?"

She grinned as she nodded, savoring that he was so sweet and attentive. "We're good."

"I snagged some crackers and a glass of water after I locked up. For tomorrow morning."

"Thank you."

"But hopefully, you won't need them."

She wrinkled her nose. Because the last couple of mornings had been rough . "That's very optimistic of you."

He grinned. "I wish there was more I could do. Bringing you crackers and crossing my fingers that you don't feel like crap doesn't seem like much."

She laughed, adoring the man she never wanted to be apart from again. "Crackers and finger crossing are perfect."

He smiled. "Brady picked out a couple of books. He put them in the bathroom ‘so we can read while you're trying not to throw up,' he told me."

She laughed again, adoring Cam's son, too. "That's very thoughtful of him. I hope this baby's even half as sweet as Brady is."

"Of course he or she is," Cam said as he settled on his knees, talking to her nonexistent baby belly. "Right, baby? You're already perfect, huh? Just like your big brother."

She chuckled as she stroked her fingers through his damp hair, staring at the play of moonlight over his gorgeous face. "I don't think I could love you any more than I do right now."

He looked up, holding her gaze in the shadows. "I think that every day, but I love you more anyway."

"Aw." Her heart turned to goo as she blinked back tears. "Cam."

Gaining his feet, he slid his knuckles along her jaw. "Welcome home, Fiona."

"Thank you."

"I know you gave up a lot?—"

She adamantly shook her head. "I gave up nothing. I love that this is our home. I love that when we were dreaming up this place all those years ago, we were inadvertently creating it for Brady."

He smiled. "And for our little one, too."

She grinned as she nodded. "For our family."

He sighed as he settled his forehead against hers. "For our family."

She slid her hands down Cam's strong arms. "I was doing some reading on the plane… I was thinking that I might like to talk to a midwife if everything stays on track with the pregnancy."

He nodded. "Yeah, whatever you want."

"I really want to have an unmedicated birth."

"Sure. Let's do it."

"And I'm intrigued by the idea of giving birth at home."

He winced. "That idea sort of freaks me out."

She laughed. "Maybe we can learn more about it—talk about it some more. Because I love the idea of welcoming our son or daughter into the world right here at our special place by the lake."

He exhaled a long breath. "I just want everything to be safe. I want you and the baby to be okay."

"I want that, too."

He nodded. "We can talk to the midwife."

"Okay."

He kissed her. "What do you say we head to bed? I promise I won't make you hide in the closet when we wake up in the morning."

She laughed as he grinned. "That sounds like quite a deal."

"It's back to real life tomorrow."

She nodded. "Brady and I have major grocery shopping on the agenda. Then maybe we'll do some blueberry picking at the farm before we take a swim."

"Your day sounds better than mine."

She sighed as the easiness of the evening fell away. As they both thought of Ally. Because Cam had been texting with her over the past couple of hours. "How can I make this better for you?"

He shook his head as he shrugged. "I have no idea."

"I'm right here with you," she said as she stood on her tiptoes, nuzzling her nose against his. "Whatever that looks like and whatever that means, we're in this together."

He exhaled another breath as he wrapped her up tight. "That means everything."

She hugged him back. "Let's go to bed. Maybe I can distract you for a little while and help you relax so you can sleep. Unless you'd rather not."

He eased away, taking her hand as they walked into the bedroom, locking the door for the night. "I always want you, Fi."

Holding his gaze, she slid the spaghetti strap off her shoulder. "Here I am."