Chapter 7

seven

Fiona glanced at the dashboard clock as she turned onto Little Lake Road. She'd waited until the party would be well underway before she hopped in her mother's car.

Two thirty seemed like an appropriate time to swing by a gift and then be on her way. Brady was undoubtedly having fun with his family and friends and wouldn't care whether she stayed or left.

Half a mile down the road, she spotted Cam's simple black mailbox with the orange, green, and blue balloons tied to the post. Turning right, she headed down the long paved driveway that had once been a wide dirt path. Cars were parked bumper-to-bumper up both sides of the private road.

Finding a spot, she eased in between a minivan and a pickup truck, nibbling her lip as she killed the engine, debating whether she actually wanted to do this. Seeing and talking to Cam at the house on Tuesday and then again at the park on Thursday had kept her annoyingly distracted. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get him off her mind.

Cam was a single dad—and a great one at that. He lived where the two of them had stared up at the stars and dreamed so many dreams. It wasn't difficult to admit that she was curious about the life he'd created for himself. Taking a little peek didn't have to be a big deal.

"Fiona, just go ," she told herself, grabbing the basket of gifts for Brady before she got out.

Wearing frayed jean shorts, a black scoop-neck tank, and strappy sandals, she started down the road, breathing in the smells of the water and pine, listening to the music, laughter, and hum of conversation through the trees.

Following the slight bend in the pavement, she gasped when the house came into view. Stopping in her tracks, she pressed her hand to her heart, taking it all in. Two stories of glass, stone, and blue-stained shingles stood like glory among the trees.

"Our house," she whispered, blinking back tears. She remembered so clearly the number of hours she and Cam had spent fiddling around with Ellie's interior design software.

Forgetting herself, she walked around to the back, drinking in the details. The large stone patio for family meals and the second-story master bedroom walk-out. The wall of French doors that had been destined for the great room. All with gorgeous lake and mountain views.

"Wow," she whispered, still completely stunned. Her dream house actually existed, and now it was Cam's.

She heard the footsteps behind her, already knowing they were his.

"You came," he said seconds later.

She nodded, still staring at the house. "You built it."

"The land sort of begged for it."

She looked at him now, ignoring the uptick in her pulse, noting how his fitted gray tank shirt accentuated his excellent pecs and arms. He wore black athletic shorts, a pair of aviators, and that damn ball cap backward, making his exceptional looks that much better. "It's beautiful."

He nodded. "The plans we made… It seemed like a hell of a shame to let them go to waste."

"It's beautiful," she repeated, suddenly feeling out of place as she looked around at the forty or so people enjoying a gorgeous Saturday at the lake. It didn't help that Melody and Ezra were out of town until tomorrow afternoon. "Where are your parents?"

"They were here earlier, helping me set stuff up. Grandpa needed a hand with one of his projects, so they left right after cake."

Her eyes wandered among the guests standing in the yard or playing on the beach fifty yards away, searching for Luke and Liam. "What about your brothers?"

"Luke's been living in Mass for the last couple of years. We've had homes going up in several different locations, so he has his hands full with that. Liam's been in Upstate New York for about three years now. He's keeping an eye on our projects there."

She blinked her surprise, knowing that expanding the company had been one of the Bennet's long-term goals. Apparently, they'd made it happen. "Cam, that's great."

He nodded. "Things are pretty busy, so we had Brady's family party on his birthday in May. This one's more for friends."

"It looks like a success."

"Yeah, we've had a good turnout." He sent her a smile. "Can I get you a drink? And there's plenty of food."

She shook her head. "Thank you, but I can't stay long."

"Brady will be crushed if he doesn't get a chance to say hello."

Her gaze tracked around the backyard, spotting a pink-cheeked and sweaty Brady running around with several of his friends and a squirt gun. "He looks like he's having a great time."

"Definitely. He should sleep well." Cam waggled his brow under his aviators.

She grinned, handing Cam the basket containing an adorable stuffed dinosaur, several wrapped books because she hadn't been able to pick just one, and a wrapped box of Jurassic Legos that had been age-appropriate and seemed fun.

Cam raised his brow. "You hooked him up."

She shrugged, well aware that she'd gotten carried away. "You only turn five once."

His smile was back. "Are you sure I can't get you a burger or a piece of cake?"

She wanted to leave, but it seemed rude to do so when she'd just arrived. And chatting with Cam wasn't so bad, especially when they stuck to small talk. "I guess I'll snag a piece of the dinosaur cake."

"It's pretty good."

She walked next to Cam on the manicured grass, noting the dinosaur-themed tablecloths secured to the tables, the multicolored balloons dancing in the wind, tons of food, and the juice boxes and bottled waters sitting in a mountain of ice. They stopped at the cake table, where a quarter of a two-tiered chocolate cake remained. "What a great cake."

"You should have seen it before we destroyed it." Pulling out his phone, he stepped closer to shade his screen and show off the green frosted confection that once had various dinosaurs standing on the two tiers.

"That's a work of art."

"Yeah, Brady loved it."

Her heart betrayed her, turning to goo as she heard Cam's pride and adoration for his son.

"Help yourself. We have enough food here for at least a year."

Chuckling, she cut herself a small piece of the cake, grabbed a plastic fork, and sampled a bite of chocolatey heaven. "This is really good."

He nodded. "There's a new bakery over by my parents' place. They make some great stuff. I think Mom's planning to get Grandpa's cake there."

"I'll have to check it out," she said over her next bite. "It's crazy how much Maple Ridge is growing."

Cam nodded again. "I think we're up to twenty-eight thousand now. Five thousand families in the last four years."

"That's what my mom was saying."

"We have houses going up all over the place. Dad secured several build sites in the big development over by the new activity park."

She couldn't help but be proud. This was what the Bennet family had worked so hard for over the last fifty years. They'd always had a thriving business, but this was next-level. "That's awesome, Cam."

Unable to stop herself, she glanced back toward the house—their house.

"I can give you a tour if you want."

She absolutely wanted to look around. But she was already occupying too much of Cam's time. "Maybe when things quiet down."

He opened his mouth to say something else when Brady walked over with far less pep in his step.

Cam frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I don't feel so good."

Cam's frown remained as he scooped up his son, holding him against his side. "What's not feeling good?"

"My tummy. And I have a headache."

"Again?" Cam lifted Brady's arms one by one, studying them, then lifted his shirt, scrutinizing his stomach. "I don't see a rash this time." Cam looked at Fiona. "Do you see anything on his back?"

Fiona lifted his shirt, examining Brady's baby-soft skin. "No."

"He's been getting on-and-off rashes for about four or five months now. I took him to the doctor, but it wasn't particularly helpful since kids can get rashes from just about anything. I can't figure out the culprit. The headaches and stomachaches are new, though." He hugged Brady to him. "Maybe we need to go see Dr. Shaker this week."

Brady rested his cheek on Cam's shoulder. "Okay."

Fiona's heart melted as she stared at the two of them. Setting down her plate, she grabbed a napkin and one of the bottles of water, tipping it to wet the paper.

Rising up on her tiptoes, she slid the cloth along Brady's forehead and the cheek she could reach, wiping away the sweat and dirt. "Maybe you got a little too hot."

"Maybe," Brady said, closing his eyes. "That feels nice and cool."

Cam craned his head back, looking at his son. "Do you want to lie down for a few minutes?"

Brady nodded.

"I'm going to take him inside."

Fiona nodded, sliding her hand up and down Brady's back. "You know how to throw a really great dinosaur party. I hope you feel better soon."

Brady lifted his head, holding out his arm to her.

Understanding that he wanted a hug, she returned his embrace, finding herself sandwiched between Cam and his son. She struggled to focus on comforting a little boy when she was entirely aware of her skin touching Cam's, of his firm muscles pressed against her body, and of how good he smelled.

Brady eased back. "You give good hugs."

She grinned as Cam did. "I'm glad you think so."

"Will you be my best friend?"

She winked, more than a little in love, as she touched her finger to the tip of his nose. "Definitely."

Brady beamed.

She chuckled. "Go rest your tummy and head so you feel good again."

Cam started toward the house, walking backward. "I guess we'll do a rain check on the tour."

She nodded. "I need to get home anyway and find out what kind of mischief my mother's gotten herself into. Undoubtedly, it's something the doctor says she shouldn't be doing."

"Good luck with that. Thanks for coming."

"Thanks for having me. Happy birthday, Brady."

"Thank you, Fiona."

"Aw. You're welcome, buddy."

He waved as he rested his head on his dad's shoulder again and eventually disappeared into the house.

Cam stopped by the large window in Brady's room, watching Fiona walk down the long driveway toward her mother's car. She looked good —summery and gorgeous.

She actually showed up, which wasn't all that surprising. Fi was too polite not to at least stop by when she'd told Brady she would. If he'd kept an eye out for her for the last hour and a half, that was neither here nor there.

Eventually, he'd gotten busy with the party and their guests, but he'd known the instant she arrived. An instinct had him turning toward the driveway. And thank God he did because he'd watched the moment she spotted the house—the shock and emotion playing over her stunning face as she took it all in. It had warmed his heart to see her reaction—to know she loved what they'd dreamed up together.

Maybe it had been a little weird to build the house he'd designed with his ex-girlfriend, but he'd looked at hundreds of plans when he'd been ready to build a home for himself and his son and always came back to theirs.

Their spot by the lake had always felt like home. Over the last few years, it had brought him as much comfort as it did despair.

"Dad, what are you doing?" Brady asked as he lifted his head and looked out the window. "Hey, that's Fiona."

Cam nodded. "It is."

"She has a pretty face."

He nodded again. "Yes, she does."

"She's my new best friend."

Cam smiled because everyone was Brady's new best friend these days. But he understood that creating and fostering friendships was an important part of his son's development. "Fiona's a great best friend."

Brady nodded. "I like her hugs. She's soft."

Cam swallowed as he stared at his little boy, forever worrying. The recent uptick in stomachaches, headaches, and the occasional rash kept him on edge. But he also worried that his amazing kid didn't have a mother who wanted to hug him and soothe away his troubles the way Fiona just did.

Brady was loved. He knew his little boy knew that. But he also knew that Brady was aware that he was the only child in his class without a mom who showed up for his special events.

He was doing the best he could. He read the parenting books and tried to be all the things Brady needed him to be, but sometimes he wondered if it was enough.

He kissed Brady's forehead. "Let's get you snuggled up for a little while. Maybe you'll feel better after we read a book."

"I'll pick one out."

"Okay." Setting Brady on his feet, he looked out the window where Fiona had been, longing for what he couldn't have.

Because wishing that everything had turned out differently did him no good. Loathing himself for the choices he'd made didn't do much for him either. But knowing so didn't stop his wanting .

The only thing that had remained the same after all this time was his need for Fiona. After seeing her and talking to her this week, his yearning was all the worse.

But reality was what it was, and he had a son to raise. Regretting how he'd handled things six summers ago didn't change a thing.