Chapter 35

thirty-five

"What do you think about this option?" Fiona asked, holding up one of the many dinosaur T-shirts that was part of Brady's back-to-school wardrobe.

Brady casually kicked his legs as he sat on the edge of his bed next to Cam, dressed in his favorite Marvel pajamas for bedtime. "The T-Rex is better for my first day of big kid school."

Fiona nodded. "The T-Rex is definitely a good choice." She pulled the red and black short-sleeve shirt out of his drawer, along with pairs of denim and black athletic shorts. "Both of these would work with your T-Rex."

"The black ones. That way, I can show Owen and Davis my new dinosaur underwear."

"Uh, how about we don't do that?" Cam piped up. "Underwear is private."

"But they're really cool , Dad. The velociraptors even glow in the dark."

"That's true. But your dinosaur socks are cool, too. I think Owen and Davis will like them for sure."

Brady nodded. "Okay."

Fiona set Brady's outfit on his chair for the morning, struggling not to grin as she briefly met Cam's gaze. "I think we're officially all set for tomorrow. Your clothes are picked out. Your hair looks awesome?—"

Brady nodded as he ran his fingers through his fresh cut. "'Cause I went to the barber."

She smiled, noting how much Cam and Brady looked alike after they both took a turn in Mo's barber chair. "Your backpack is next to the front door. And I know what you want to be packed in your lunchbox."

"Maybe I should have three chocolate chip cookies for my treat."

Fiona wrinkled her nose. "That's a lot of treats, buddy. Especially when you have recess right after lunch. You don't want a sick tummy while you're running around having fun."

Brady sighed as his shoulders sagged. "Okay."

"But you can have two cookies. And I'll pick out the ones with the most chocolate chips."

Brady beamed at her. "I like your idea."

She and Cam laughed.

Cam stood, still chuckling as he pulled back the covers. "Let's get you tucked in for a couple of books. We want you getting a good night's sleep."

Brady settled against his pillows. "Because kindergarten makes you tired?"

"The first day is exciting," Cam said, kneeling next to his son as he captured Brady's hands. "Tomorrow will be a big adventure."

Brady nodded.

"Are you ready for the words?"

"Yup."

"You're smart and amazing. I love you to the moon and back. I'm so lucky I get to be your dad."

Brady smiled. "I like it when you say that."

Cam kissed his forehead. "I mean every word."

"Yup," Brady said again, looking at Fiona as she settled next to him on one side of the mattress while Cam settled on the other. "You can say your special words to me tomorrow."

She nodded. "You better believe it."

"'Cause that's how we do it now that you live at the lake with us. You and Dad take turns."

She grinned, loving that she was part of the nighttime routine—that Cam and Brady had welcomed her into their special ritual. "Yes, we do."

She winked as she touched her finger to the tip of his nose. "Who's reading tonight, me or your dad?" Because that was also part of their new routine—she and Cam taking turns with story time.

"How about you read one story and Dad reads the other?"

"That sounds good." She picked up the first book, reading about the llama who had been afraid to go to school but then had fun—Brady's new go-to favorite. "The end," she eventually said.

"Maybe I'll be like the llama." Brady looked from Cam to Fiona. "Maybe I'll be afraid at school tomorrow."

Fiona brushed his hair back. "Big kid school is something new. Everyone feels nervous when they try new things. Even grown-ups."

Brady blinked at her. "You feel nervous about stuff?"

She nodded. "Definitely. But my jitters go away when I try the things that make me feel afraid."

Brady looked at Cam. "Do you think my jitters will go away?"

Cam nodded. "I do. When you see Owen, Davis, and all of your other friends from preschool, I think you'll feel happy to play with them again."

"And your dad and I will be there to drop you off and pick you up," Fiona reminded him.

"But big kid school is big . I might get lost."

Cam shook his head. "When you go to big kid school, you walk in a line behind your teacher. Just like you did in preschool."

"But big kid school is much bigger than my little kid school."

Cam nodded his agreement. "That's true. But you'll learn your way around the whole school after a few days."

Brady blinked. "The whole school?"

"Yup."

"I'll definitely be a big kid then."

Fiona's heart melted as she grinned at him.

"Let's get to this other book," Cam said as he picked it up, reading about the bear who also experienced a first day at school—at kindergarten. "The end," he said as he finished the last page.

Brady yawned. "I know how to write my name like the bear knows how to write hers."

"That's because you're a smart cookie." Cam stood, leaning down to kiss Brady's forehead again. "Night, kindergartner."

"Night, Dad."

Fiona stood, leaning down to kiss Brady next. "I'm so excited for your special day tomorrow. We'll see you in the morning."

He nodded as he turned onto his side. "Okay."

Cam shut off the light and closed the door halfway, staring at Fiona as they stood in the dim glow of the hallway.

Sending him a knowing smile, she captured his hand, walking with him downstairs to the great room. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know. No," he amended as he pulled her against him, wrapping her up in a hug. "Between Brady starting school tomorrow and not hearing anything from Ally or her attorney…"

She settled her cheek against his chest as she slid her hands up and down his back. "Brady's going to do great. He's going to have an amazing day."

"Yeah," he said as he sighed. "He's growing so fast , Fi. It's going too fast."

"Aw." Lifting her head, she kissed him, loving Cam's sentimental heart. "That's why we're going to treasure every minute. With Brady. With this new baby."

He nodded. "I wish that's all we had to think about—to worry about."

"Hopefully, we'll hear something soon." Because the endless waiting was becoming unbearable for both of them.

"That would be nice."

"Come sit down with me," she encouraged, kissing him again before she took his hand. "Let's find something to watch on TV, and I'll rub your shoulders."

He stopped her from moving, pulling her back against him, trailing kisses along her jaw. "How about you come upstairs with me? We can work off some of this tension in bed."

She grinned as she tilted her head, giving him access to her neck. "I can get behind that."

His hands wandered from the sides of her waist to her breasts, teasing her sensitive nipples. "Maybe you can ride me for a little while. Then I can ride you."

She laughed. "I think we can make that work."

"I want to get lost in you, Fi," he said before his mouth found hers for a hungry kiss.

She hummed in her throat, playing her tongue against his.

"There's nothing better than getting lost in you," he whispered against her lips.

Feeling his erection, she teased his hard skin with her palm as she snagged his bottom lip with her teeth. "Let's get lost."

He grinned as he picked her up, quietly walking with her upstairs.

Cam stood next to Brady and Fiona in the chaos of a hundred other parents and kids outside Maple Ridge Elementary School's kindergarten drop-off spot. They'd found Mrs. Shultz's sign on the brick wall not far from the double doors. Now, they all waited for the teachers to walk out of the building.

"This is a lot of kids," Brady said, carrying his backpack on his shoulders as he held both of their hands in a death grip.

"Only some of the kids will go into Mrs. Shultz's classroom with you," Fiona assured him, looking pretty in slim-fit jeans and a pale-pink lace-panel tank top.

Luckily, her eyes were bright, and her cheeks had plenty of color. They had been blessed with another nausea-free morning for Brady's big day.

"Mrs. Shultz will come out, and you'll get in her line," Cam repeated for the umpteenth time. Because they'd rehearsed the morning during breakfast, after they took pictures, and again on the ride to school. "Then she'll bring you into your classroom."

"And you can't come with me?" Brady asked, holding their hands tighter.

Cam shook his head, hating that they had to leave Brady at the drop-off spot. But according to the email the teacher had sent last night, it was better to let the kids settle into their new routines with their peers instead of with their parents. "We'll give you hugs and wave to you right here."

"But I want you to come inside."

Fiona met Cam's gaze before she crouched in front of Brady. "Are you feeling nervous like the llama?"

Brady nodded as he played with Fiona's hair.

"Do you remember how much fun the llama had?"

Brady nodded again.

"I know for sure you're going to have such a great day. And this afternoon, you'll get to tell us all about it when we pick you up."

Cam crouched next to them. "And if I remember correctly, you mentioned something about wanting to celebrate your first day with a trip to the Hot Dog House."

Brady smiled. "I'm going to have two hot dogs."

Cam puffed up his cheeks as he crossed his eyes. "That's a lot of hot dogs."

Fiona laughed as Brady grinned. "That's 'cause I'm a big kid now."

"You're too big," Cam said, gently poking him in the belly.

"I imagine Grammy and Grampy will want to hear about your day, too," Fiona reminded Brady. "You'll have to tell them about your new cubby and who you sit next to at your table and how you got to eat in the cafeteria."

Brady nodded with more enthusiasm. "They'll like to hear about it."

"Definitely," Cam said as he spotted the teachers coming out the front door. "It looks like it's showtime."

Brady looked toward the group of teachers. "You're going to leave now?"

Cam nodded, not liking the idea any more than Brady appeared to. "For a little while. After hugs and waves."

Fiona kissed his cheek. "We'll be waiting right here when Mrs. Shultz brings you out this afternoon. Not too long after lunch and recess."

Brady pulled Fiona into a hard hug.

She hugged him back. "You're going to do great , brave boy."

Cam moved in for a hug, holding on to his little boy. "You're going to crush today."

"Like expert level?"

Cam nodded before he kissed Brady. "Like super expert level."

"Wow!"

"Let's get you into your line. And look. There's Owen and Davis."

Brady gasped, running to get in line with his best friends.

Cam chuckled, more than a little relieved to see his son smiling as he stood next to his friends. "And just like that, he's off."

Fiona nodded. "Off he goes."

"Okay, moms and dads," the perky raven-haired teacher spoke up. "We're going to say goodbye until this afternoon. We're off to have an exciting kindergarten adventure."

"Wait," Brady said as he ran out of line, crashing into Cam's legs, hugging him again. "Bye, Dad."

Cam hugged him back. "Bye, buddy."

Then he hugged Fiona. "Tell Leo and Felix I went to kindergarten."

She chuckled as she returned his embrace. "I definitely will. Bye, bud."

"Bye." Then he got in line next to Owen and Davis, waving enthusiastically as his class headed toward the building.

Cam used his phone to record the moment. He waved until Brady disappeared, then looked at Fiona, realizing she was blinking back tears. "Hey, you."

She shook her head as she rolled her eyes. "I can't help it. I'm excited for him. And proud. He's going to have such a good day, Cam."

"Definitely." He kissed her forehead as he hooked his arm around her waist. "Hopefully, he doesn't talk too much."

She huffed out a watery laugh, returning his embrace as they started toward the truck. "He's certainly chatty." She wiped her eyes as she looked at him. "How are you doing with all of this?"

He bobbed his head from side to side. "I'm happy and sad. Milestones like today's are bittersweet."

She nodded. "The house is going to be so quiet during the day."

"For now," he said as he settled his hand on her lower stomach. "Until our little one livens things up again."

"Aw." She grinned as she rested her head against his shoulder. "I can't wait."

"Me either." He winked, smiling as he kissed her before they started across the street with dozens of other parents.

It took several seconds for it to click that the blonde staring at them from the other side of the sidewalk was Ally. "Shit," he whispered.

Fiona frowned as she looked at him. "What?" And then her shoulders grew rigid when she saw what he did.

He looked from Fiona to Ally and back as they moved closer to her. "Uh, how about you give me a couple of minutes?"

She nodded. "I'll wait in the truck." Immediately, she moved in the direction they had parked.

Cam cleared his throat as he stopped next to Ally, then guided her with a hand on her arm farther out of the foot traffic. "Hey."

She didn't offer him a smile like she had the other day. Instead, she stood hipshot with her arms crossed, looking hostile yet pretty in a black spaghetti-strap sundress. "I wanted to tell you that I'm going back to Miami."

He frowned, completely taken by surprise. "What about Boston and your job? What about Brady?"

She jerked her shoulders. "It looks like he has everything he needs. His dad and the mom he wants."

Cam glanced across the street, realizing Ally had watched him and Fi sending their son off to his first day of school. "It doesn't have to be like this, Ally. Fi and I want to work with you to make this work for Brady. We can head to the house and talk all of this out."

She shook her head. "It was supposed to be us , Cam. The three of us."

He scratched his jaw. "I'm sorry things aren't turning out the way you wanted. But there's still room for you at the table. You can still have a relationship with your son."

She shook her head again. "Your table's crowded. Clearly, he's better off without me."

He sighed. "I don't think that's true. But I don't know what you want me to do here. Brady and I aren't a package deal."

She shrugged. "Have Darius send me the papers again. To my mom's address in Tampa. I'll sign them. Take care of him, Cam." And then she walked off toward her Jeep.

He exhaled another long breath as he rolled his neck, watching her get in and drive off without looking back.

With nothing more he could do, he headed for the truck, looking at Fiona as he got in.

"What did she say?"

"That she's leaving. She's going back to Florida. She wants me to have Darius send her the papers again."

Fi touched his arm. "I'm sorry, Cam."

Turning over the engine, he checked his mirrors before he pulled out when he saw a break in the traffic, struggling with a wave of anger. "I just don't understand why she's not interested in having a relationship with Brady if she can't have one with me."

"I don't know."

"She saw him today. It's his first day of school. It's one of his big moments. Why doesn't she want to be a part of that?"

"Not everyone's cut out to be a parent. If she can't be what Brady needs, it's better that she stays away."

He clenched his jaw as he tightened his grip on the wheel, knowing Fiona was right. But at the moment, it didn't matter.

"I'm not trying to be insensitive, Cam."

"I know that."

"Can you pull over?"

His gaze whipped over to meet hers. "Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"

She nodded. "We're both fine. Right now, I'm worried about you."

"Mostly, I'm fine." He flipped on his blinker, pulling into a parking spot at the public library. "I'm definitely pissed that Ally pretty much sucks. I'm also sad for Brady."

Fiona sighed. "Do you have a couple of minutes to walk? Or we can sit on the bench."

Killing the engine, he stared at the pretty wooden bench under the massive maple tree. "Yeah."

They both got out, heading toward the bench.

He sat down as Fi did, scrubbing his hands over his face. "I'm sorry about all of this, Fi."

She blinked. "Why are you apologizing to me ?"

"Because this has been a lot. Everything's been messy for weeks."

"And I can handle it." She captured his hand, holding it tight. "I'm sorry the last few weeks have been so hard on you ."

He jerked his shoulders.

"I know this situation isn't ideal. Brady deserves so much more. There's nothing I can do about Ally, but I can promise you that Brady will always feel my love. I adore him, and that will never, ever change."

He gave her fingers a squeeze. "Thank you for saying that."

She nodded. "I know this isn't the best time… When you think the time is right… I want to be Brady's mom."

He held her gaze, surprised that he suddenly felt possessive and protective of his son when this was everything he'd always wanted and dreamed about. Fiona being the mother of his children. "Taking Brady on… That feels right to you?"

She nodded. "Absolutely."

He swallowed.

"I know he's been just yours for such a long time. That's a special thing. Making room for someone else to love your little boy how you do… But I do love him, Cam. As much as I love this baby. I want Brady to be ours as much as this baby is ours."

Touched beyond words, he lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a long kiss to her knuckles. "How did I get so lucky, Fi? How did Brady get so lucky?"

She smiled, stroking her fingers along his cheek. "I'm the lucky one. I came back to Vermont and found my family."

He kissed her soft skin again. "I love you, Fiona."

Her smile returned. "I love you, too."

"This is a massive step, but there's no one else I could ever want to be Brady's mom."

"I imagine you'll want to have one of your special talks with him."

He shook his head. "I think this should be a talk between the two of you. He's made his thoughts on the subject perfectly clear. When you feel ready, I'm ready."

She nodded. "Okay."

"We also have to decide when we want to tell him about his brother or sister."

Fiona snagged her lip with her teeth. "I want to tell him so badly , but let's wait until we've seen the baby again—just to be sure everything's still okay."

He nodded. "I think that's a good idea."

"Hopefully we can surprise him next Thursday."

"Come here," he said, wrapping her up in a hug. "You're everything good about my life—about Brady's life."

She returned his embrace, holding on. "I can say the same thing about you two. You're the best part of my life."

He eased back enough to kiss her. "I love you, Fi."

"I love you, too."

He tucked her hair behind her ear. "As much as I want to spend the day with you, I need to head over to the building site for a little while. Especially if I'm leaving early. I haven't been doing my fair share the last couple of weeks."

She nodded. "I have a conference call with Leo at ten. He and I are chatting about me doing some work for him from afar—checking in with vendors and taking care of all of the stuff that he hates doing but I'm good at."

"That sounds interesting."

"Apparently, Simone likes the idea. There's a lot of buzz going on about Leo and my name after the wedding."

"And that works for you? Sort of event planning from afar?"

She nodded. "I worked my butt off for five and a half years. I enjoyed it. But focusing on our family feels good to me right now."

"I just want you to be happy."

"I am. And I certainly plan to keep my head in the game. Christina Gables asked your mom for my number for her parents' anniversary party." Her brow furrowed a little. "I need to order new business cards…"

"She's doing her thing, folks."

Fiona grinned. "Definitely." Then her smile faded. "This morning was a lot. How are you feeling?"

He nodded. "Better. A lot better."

"Good."

"I guess I can call the psychologist and cancel our appointment. I think we can navigate our family of three on our own."

She nodded. "I agree."

"Let's get you home," he said as he took her hand, standing as she did, wrapping his arm around her again. "Are we meeting at the school to pick Brady up, or do you want me to come get you?"

"How about you come get me since there's bound to be a ton of traffic? And maybe leave a few minutes to spare."

He raised his brow as he looked at her, catching her drift easily enough.

"It would be a shame not to take advantage of a quiet house," she added as she shrugged.

"Maybe we can take advantage this morning and this afternoon."

She grinned. "Yes, please."

He laughed as they got back in the truck.