Chapter 38

thirty-eight

Fiona held Cam's gaze as she buttoned her cream-colored corduroy jacket in the entryway. "The way I'm dressed… This is okay?"

He nodded as he snagged his green plaid shirt jacket off one of the bench hooks, putting it on over his long-sleeve tee as he wore a pair of dark-wash jeans. "It's perfect."

"Okay." But even as she said so, she racked her brain, trying to figure out their mysterious date. Cam had told her to dress comfy and warm as he left to drop Brady off for a sleepover at Grammy and Grampy's.

Yoga pants and a soft pullover had been her clothing of choice because her sweet little bump had officially made its appearance. The early days of her second trimester were treating her well. She hadn't vomited in over a week, and she felt much less tired.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded, loving that he grabbed his favorite black ball cap, putting it on backward the way she liked best. "I am. I can't wait to see where we're going."

"You can't figure it out, huh?"

She wrinkled her nose as she shook her head, grinning as he did.

"I think you'll like it. Come on." He reached for her hand as they stepped outside, walking toward the truck in the cool night air. "Your seat," he said as he opened the passenger side door.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

She buckled up as Cam got behind the wheel and turned over the engine. He paused to scroll through the playlists on the touchscreen, selecting the one called Fi and Cam.

She beamed when "Mirrors" by Justin Timberlake filled the cab. "I didn't know we had a mix on here."

He nodded. "I added it this afternoon. It's a bunch of the songs we used to listen to back in the day."

Her heart melted at such a sweet gesture. "Cam, I love it."

"Good. Our date's off to a decent start, then."

She nodded. "I'm having a great time already."

He chuckled as he accelerated down their private drive. "I'm happy this is working for you, but I think we can do better than music in the driveway." But then he stopped as they made it halfway to the main road.

She frowned. "Did you forget something?"

"Nope," he said, putting the truck in reverse, backing down a barely there track hidden among the trees.

"Cam," she whispered, pressing her hand to her heart, understanding that this was their date. "Our spot."

He took his eyes off the road long enough to toss her a wink as he navigated his way closer to the water, eventually stopping several feet from the dark depths.

She glanced around at the forest surrounding them in their special place—at the view that hadn't changed much even though it had been years since she'd been there. "How many times did we do this? How many times did we come here?"

"It's hard to say."

"It's been so long , but at this moment in the dark, it feels like it was yesterday."

He nodded. "Grandpa and I came down this way when I was in sixth or seventh grade. He was looking for a good fishing spot. There was something about this place that felt peaceful. Special. I never forgot about it. After I finally convinced you to go out with me, I knew I wanted to bring you here."

She held his gaze in the glow of the dashboard lights, loving his story. He'd told it to her before—that she was the only person he'd ever brought to the clearing in the woods. But hearing it again made the evening all the sweeter. "I'm so glad you did. It's such a huge part of our history."

He nodded. "I wanted to bring you down here this summer… When we were trying and failing at the whole friendship thing…"

She snorted out a laugh. "That didn't last very long, did it?"

He shook his head. "Thank God."

She chuckled.

"I thought better of the idea because I was afraid I might spook you. Then you left, and the only thing that mattered was getting you back. We haven't had a whole lot of time since."

"Life's been pretty crazy."

"I love our crazy life."

She grinned. "Me too. But things are definitely settling down."

"That they are. Nugget's growing fast, and Brady's doing awesome at school."

Nodding, she smiled again. "He's already starting to read , Cam. He knew all of those sight words when we practiced today."

"He's our smart cookie."

She sighed, thrilled that Brady was thriving—that their little family had found a solid rhythm that worked well for all of them. "Yeah."

"Should we get out and take a look around?"

She nodded her enthusiasm. "Absolutely."

"Don't trip," he said, turning up the music as one of Adele's hits played through the speakers.

"I'll be careful."

Getting out, she met him at the back of the truck, laughing when she recognized the old sleeping bags piled in the bed and the lantern Cam had always borrowed from his parents' garage as he released the tailgate and turned the light up to a dim glow. "You thought of everything ."

He shrugged as he grinned. "If we're taking a walk down memory lane, we've gotta do it right."

She touched his cheek. "Out of all of our dates over all of these years, this is certainly one of my favorites."

"So, you want to snuggle up with me in the dark?"

"I do."

He hooked his hands around her hips, hoisting her onto the tailgate, staring into her eyes as he slid his palms up her sides. "So many amazing things have happened right here."

"They have."

"The first couple of times we came out here and just talked… The first time I kissed you."

She sighed, remembering the sweet moment. "I love that memory."

"It's one of my favorites." He caressed his knuckles along her jaw. "The first time we made out?—"

She laughed. "The first time I made out with anyone . It's pretty lucky one of us knew what we were doing."

He grinned. "I love that this was our place. That we talked and dreamed right here. That we stared up at the stars. That you gave me your virginity on that pile of sleeping bags."

"Mmm," she said as she smiled. "That was a magical night."

"I always want there to be magic here. I always want this to be our place."

She nodded, staring into his gorgeous eyes.

"This is where I want to tell you how much I love you—how much I adore every single thing about you."

"Cam."

"I love that you're an amazing mother to our son. I love the way you already love this baby. I love the way you love me, Fi. Nothing feels better than how you love me."

She wiped at the tear trailing down her cheek as his words touched her heart.

Then he reached into his front pocket, pulling out a stunning ring. "This is the part where I'm supposed to get down on one knee, but it's pretty muddy, and we won't be eye level anymore, which will kinda ruin the moment."

She laughed, loving this man.

"Marry me, Fiona. Raise our children with me. Make more babies with me if we can. Let me try to make you as happy as you make me."

She nodded. "Yes."

He slid the encrusted silver band on her finger as she stared at the gorgeous two-carat oval diamond.

"It's beautiful ."

"You're beautiful."

She grinned, certain she'd never been happier—that nothing had ever felt more right than this moment.

"I've wanted to put a ring on your finger for such a long time , Fi."

She smiled. "I've wanted this, too. I love you."

"I love you, too," he whispered, cupping her face in his hands, gently bringing his mouth down on hers, slowly taking her deeper as the water lapped at the edge in the distance.

Time spun out before she eased back. "Do you want to climb in here and make out with me?"

"Yup."

She laughed when he wasted no time sitting on the tailgate to take off his muddy boots.

"Come lie down with me," he said, snuggling her against him among the pile of sleeping bags—just like they had always done.

"Mmm, this is nice."

He kissed her forehead. "It's perfect."

She breathed in Cam's familiar scent, studying the glint of her new ring in the lantern light. "We're getting married ."

He smiled as he nodded, wrapping her up tighter. "What are we thinking about for a wedding—before or after baby?"

"Before. And soon. I want to be your wife. The trees will be turning before long, and my tummy's still mostly small."

"So next month?"

She nodded. "It's not a lot of time, but we can make it work."

"If only we knew an event planner."

She grinned as he did. "If only. And Leo and Melody are definitely going to want to help, not to mention both of our mothers… In fact, I think we should expect a visit from Leo and Felix sooner rather than later after I tell them the great news."

"It'll be nice to see them."

"I can't wait."

He snuggled her closer, staring into her eyes. "We have a kid-free night. The next few hours are just for us."

She batted her lashes. "I wonder what we should do?"

"Be with me, Fi. Right here at our special place."

She nodded as his mouth met hers. Because there was nowhere else she wanted to be.