by Dawn Martens
Mom squeals in delight. “Of course, yes. Anything, Son. Love you. I need to go. I’ll be by on Friday to see my girl.” Mom clicks off.
“Mom’s excited,” I say dryly.
Loretta smiles. Jeff kisses his wife’s cheek. All will be fine. I’m getting my life back—well, the one I should have had all along. I want to give Ava the love her parents have shared. The two of them still can’t keep their hands to themselves. It’s inspiring. Their wedding pics line the walls next to pictures of Ava throughout the years. I want that in our home, for our child to see the love we have shared as we grow older together.
Chapter 26
The Day Cameron Proposed
Ava
It’s been a crazy few months, dating Cameron, but he’s so amazing. We haven’t done it yet; once I told him I was a virgin, he told me we should wait. I don’t know any man like that. They all want sex, but Cameron is different. He doesn’t push. We’ve made out, had over the shirt and humping action, but that’s it. If it starts to get super heated, he pulls away.
I’ve been neglecting Kristi lately, and Trixie, well, she’s almost non-existent these days. She’s planning her wedding and the birth of her first child. It’s like she’s pushing everyone away. Tonight, I had plans to hang with Kristi, but ended up backing out because Cameron called and wanted to take a trip with me to visit Banff.
I saw him talking with my parents the other day, but no one would tell me what they were talking about. Last week, I even had the opportunity to meet Rebecca Veldhuizen, and it wasn’t all that pleasant. She seemed nice enough, but whenever I caught her staring at Cameron, I got jealous. They say they are just friends, but something is weird. He might say ‘just friends’, but you can tell she wants more.
“Avalynn!” Dad booms from the bottom of the stairs.
“What?”
“Cameron is here, Miss Sassy Pants.”
I smile and skip to the front door. “Bye, Daddy. Love you. Tell Mom I’ll take lots of pictures for her.”
“Will do, baby girl.”
I open the door and jump into Cameron’s waiting arms. I was nervous at first, thinking today might be the day that I finally have sex with him, but seeing him now, all the nerves are gone.
*~*
We’re sitting in the park when Cameron starts fishing in his coat pocket and pulls out a box—a very tiny box. Holy shit, I know that box. That’s from Michael Hill.
“Avalynn, will you marry me?” he asks, opening up the box to reveal a beautiful white gold engagement ring.
“Yes!” I say, even though I should probably be thinking about this first. It hasn’t been that long, only a few months. It’s too soon, but at this moment, I don’t care.
We seal the moment with a kiss.
Today was perfect. When we got to the park, Cameron had everything set up—blankets, food, and even candles for when it got dark.
Now, I’m marrying the man of my dreams.
Our kissing starts to get more aggressive, and he lays me down. “Wait,” I say as our lips break.
“What?” he asks me.
“I’m um... I’ve never...” I stutter out.
He grins at me. “I know, Ava, and we’re not doing that. I want to wait. Our wedding night will be when I finally have you.”
I smile up at him. “I love you, Cameron.”
Cameron smiles at me and kisses me. Today was perfect.
Chapter 27
Present
Ava
Cameron and I make it home after driving for two hours. Finally. I really hate driving behind him, because he’s so damn slow. He drives ten under the speed limit. Always. Drives me bonkers. I start to help him unload our cars when he stops me. “Don’t even think about it. You get in the house and rest up,” he bosses me.
I roll my eyes but do as he says. As I walk in, Connie rushes out from the kitchen, throwing her dishtowel behind her. “You’re back!” she screeches, charging at me for a hug.
“Connie, be careful. She’s pregnant,” Cameron scolds her.
“Oh, stop that,” she says, batting him away.
“What? You don’t miss me, too?” He tries going in for a hug.
“Not even a little bit. But I sure missed Avalynn, as did Jennica,” she says, beaming.
Cameron pouts as I laugh. “Go put our stuff away,” I tell him, winking.
Connie loops her arm in mine, taking me into the living room to sit on the couch. “Do you know what you’re having yet?”
“No, not yet. I have an appointment in two days. We’ll find out for sure how far along I am then, and go from there,” I tell her, excited.
“I hope it’s a girl. They make the cutest little girl’s clothes, and it will be fun to watch Cameron squirm as she gets older,” Connie says, laughing.
I hear Cameron coming back down the stairs just as the doorbell goes off. “I’ll get it,” he says, seeing us on the couch.
I warm up at the sight of him.
“So, you finally realized it’s for real, huh? Should have taken my advice before, Avalynn, and talked with him,” Connie says.
“Yeah, yeah,” I mutter.
“I told you to get the fuck gone!” Cameron bellows.
I look to Connie and raise my brows.
“No way, no fucking way! We’re talking, and I don’t care if the bitch is here for this talk, either. I’ll say what I have to say, and too bad for you,” I hear Becky’s voice ring out.
“Oh, shit,” I whisper, horrified.
Just then, both Becky and her father walk into the room, Cameron trailing them, looking pissed.
Connie takes my hand in hers, warning me to stay seated and offering her comfort and support. This isn’t going to be good. I get a sick feeling, my stomach twisting in knots. I was afraid this was too good to be true. I feel faint, dizzy even. I can’t take any more heartbreak after I just let Cameron back in.
Cameron
“Now that you are in my home, want to tell me why?” I demand.
Mr. Veldhuizen stares at Ava in disgust and then turns to me. “We made a deal, Cameron. You were to marry my daughter at the six-year mark.”
“Yes, and I’ve already told you that would never happen.” Unbelievable. Still with this tired shit!
“Well, that’s just too bad, isn’t it?” He sneers at me.
“No, not really. I don’t love Becky. I never did, and hell, I don’t even fucking like her. Why would I marry her?”
His nostrils flare in anger. “If you don’t marry her, you can count on me pulling out of our business together,” he says smugly.
I shrug. “Do it. I don’t give a shit.”
He rears back in shock.
“You only want me hitched to Becky now because she’s a whore and got knocked up by an asshole who already had a girlfriend.”
His face goes red.
Becky speaks up, trying to reason with me. “Cameron, come on. We’ve been in each other’s lives since we were kids.”
“Yes, and one of the reasons I never married you to fulfill my father’s terms was because he told me if I married you, ever, I would lose the company instantly. He might have been friends with your dad, but he knew the kind of woman you are and always were,” I tell her, shock written all over her face. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, you need to leave. I have a wife to ravage.”
Both just stand still, staring at me, when Becky turns to Ava, sneering at her. “You think you have him, but you don’t. He’ll cheat on you. It’s what he’s good at.”
Ava gets a sweet smile on her face. “That might have been true when he was dating you, but, you see, I’m the best he’s ever had. He steps out on me, it would be his loss not mine. Now, run along home. You probably have some boy toy to play with.” She gives a small finger wave that has Becky sputtering.
Connie then takes that moment to invade the moment. “Get off the property before I make you.”
“Come on, Rebecca. Let’s go home. Obviously, you dodged a bullet s
ince Cameron here is beneath you. Thank God I realized this now,” Becky’s dad says, looking at me pointedly.
They leave, slamming the door behind them.
“Good riddance,” Connie declares, smiling.
Chapter 28
Ava
Their presence pissed me off, but I was glad it happened in a way. Maybe now they’ll stay gone for good, and I won’t have to deal with the drama of Becky ever again.
I look to Cameron. “If he backs away from business with you, will that hurt your company?” I ask him.
He smiles at me. “Not even a little, considering I now own his company. I’ll have the board vote to get rid of him.”
I smile up at him. “Awesome.”
He chuckles. “Damn right. Although, I doubt he’ll leave quietly.”
“Probably not.”
“Let’s not worry about that now. I have a wife to give all my attention to,” he says in a low voice. With that, Connie makes herself scarce, and he kisses me. “What you did in there, standing up to Becky? Fuck, Ava. That was hot.”
"You think so? I have a lot more sass where that came from,” I joke.
“Oh, baby,” he says with a sexy smirk. “The things you do to me.”
“What about the things I want to do to you?”
He groans, his forehead resting against mine. “I believe I need an example of these things.”
My teeth graze his bottom lip, and I whisper against his mouth, “First, you have to get naked.”
“That I can do,” he promises, taking me by the hand and leading me upstairs to his room. The thought hits me that I’ve never slept in his bed with him. We’ve always stayed in my room.
“It’s kind of like it is our first time.”
“Why do you say that?” He looks confused.
“We’ve never done it in here,” I confirm, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. “Thought I told you to get naked.”
“That you did.” He grins, pulling his shirt over his head and kicking his pants off.
He pulls me down on the bed with him. “I’m not naked yet.” I giggle.
“Oh, I can take care of that.” He makes quick work of getting my dress off, throwing the skirt over my head.
I laugh louder as he kisses my stomach softly.
“Stop or you are going to make me pee,” I warn. I swear, if things don’t speed up, it will happen. I have a small bladder as it is, and now with a baby in there, my need to pee is worse.
“Can’t have that right now, can we?”
We roll around on the bed, fighting for control—nipping, sucking, and biting at one another until we are both out of breath.
Cameron pins me down on the mattress and makes sweet love to me.
“God, I love this,” he whispers against my mouth as he rocks his body against mine.
“I love this, too,” I tease, squeezing his ass.
He laughs into my neck and bites down on my collarbone, sucking my skin between his teeth and nipping me.
Cameron
I wake Ava up, trailing kisses along her slightly swollen stomach until she sits up, looking at me. “Morning.”
“Mmhmm, morning,” she says back.
“I have something to ask you,” I say, slowly kissing my way up her body.
“Mmm, yeah?” she whimpers as I kiss under her breasts.
“Marry me again?” I ask, giving her left nipple a quick lick.
“Oh, yes,” she moans. “Wait. What?” she asks, pushing my head away from her chest.
“Marry me again. Next weekend.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Then, yes, let’s do this. A new start, the two us of. Well, soon to be three.” She smiles at me, bringing my head back down to hers for a kiss.
I break our kiss and roll out of bed. “Get up. I’m going to make you some breakfast.”
“No eggs. Please, no eggs,” she shouts at my retreating back.
I already knew that, considering her mom made eggs the other day and Ava spent a good hour tossing them back up.
I head down to the kitchen and see Connie already in there. “Hey, I was, uh, going to cook breakfast for Ava.”
She smiles at me. “I already started. Just some French toast and bacon.”
“You rock, Connie.”
“I know.”
I go to the stairs and shout up to Ava, “Come eat!”
Ava comes down the stairs in a blue nightgown that barely covers anything and smiles at me. “Let me guess. Connie made it?”
“Yes,” I grumble.
“It’s the thought that counts,” she says, laughing as her tummy rumbles.
We sit at the kitchen counter with our food, and Connie joins us. As we start eating, Ava looks around. “Where is the syrup?”
“Oh, did I not put enough on?” Connie asks.
“Oh, you did. I just want syrup for my bacon,” Ava replies.
I watch as Connie hands over the syrup and Ava drenches her bacon in it, and then grabs a handful of mine for herself, too. I frown at her as she eats and moans, chewing her disgusting syrup bacon.
Pregnancy tastes are strange.
“My boy must be hungry,” I joke.
“What gives you the idea that it’s a boy?” She raises a brow at me.
“Just a feeling,” I tell her.
“Good answer.” She sticks her tongue out at me.
Chapter 29
Ava
“You ready yet?” Cameron asks, sounding impatient.
“Yes, God,” I groan at him, stomping down the stairs. He’s been asking me that for the last hour. “We have to wait for your mom, though. She wants to come with us.”
“I’m surprised she’s not here already. She was chomping at the bit to spend time with you when we arrived the other day,” he grumbles
“Stop it,” I scold him, shoving him playfully.
He catches my arm and pulls me to him, my small belly making it a bit awkward between us when he kisses me.
A throat clearing breaks us apart, and I look over Cameron’s shoulder. Jenny is grinning like crazy, and for a moment, it looks like she’s going to start clapping. “Hey, Jenny,” I greet her quietly.
“I’m so happy you’re back!” Jenny says, rushing to me and hugging me. She pulls away slightly and just stares at me. “I’m so happy my idiot son saw the light.”
I giggle as Cameron snaps at her. “Hey!”
Jennica looks at him and grins. “Well, for the last few years, you were. I’m glad you got that wretched skank out of your ass.”
Cameron’s eyes go wide, and I lose it, laughing so hard my face is hurting.
“I’m so happy you were able to book your ultrasound appointment here instead of down in Red Deer. That drive on a good day is brutal. That drive during peak hours is a disaster.”
I smile.
“Are we going to get a bite to eat first or just head straight there?”
“Just straight there. Afterwards, Ava wants McDonalds.” Cameron shudders.
“Pregnancy cravings?” Jenny asks.
“Yes, yesterday morning, I thought Cameron was gonna hurl all over the place watching me eat my bacon with syrup.” I laugh.
She smiles at me. “When I was pregnant with Cameron, I loved to smother my bacon in egg yolk. Heck, to this day I still love it.”
“That’s just wrong. And gross,” Cameron declares.
“Okay, let’s go. Don’t want to be late,” Jenny says chirpily.
Jenny makes me sit in the back with her, despite Cameron demanding I sit up front with him. Jenny, of course, won. The whole way to the ultrasound clinic, we make small talk, and Jenny decides to help me pick out a dress for a vow renewal tomorrow.
Her excitement is contagious.
Cameron
I take Ava’s hand in mine as the ultrasound technician moves the wand over her stomach, settling on a spot finally with a smile.
“See this blob right here?” he asks us.
>
“Uh, sure,” I say, scratching my head. I have no idea what I am looking at.
“That is your baby.” I stare, confused. It just looks like nothing. I don’t get this. He moves the wand around a few more times. “You are estimating to be at ten weeks, three days. Your due date is December 20th.”
“That’s my mom’s birthday,” Ava says, smiling up at me.
“Congratulations, Mom and Dad. We’ll see you in here again in about eight weeks, and maybe you’ll be able to find out the sex of the child.” He prints out a few pictures, and I grab them from him and stare.
*~*
My mom ends up taking us for lunch, and since Ava is craving McDonalds, that’s where we end up.
“Can’t I just drop you ladies off and go somewhere else?” I ask, looking up at the menu in disgust.
“Nope, you will stay right here with us. Spend time with us. It will be fun,” Mom says, sounding amused.
I tell my mom to just get me something with chicken, and I go find a seat. Minutes later, they come find me and sit down. I watch Ava eat, mayonnaise leaking out of her burger.
“What did you do, ask for extra mayo?” I ask her.
“Mmmhmm,” she says, her mouth full.
Watching Ava eat lately has been amusing. The way she just consumes food, half the time, I don’t know if she’s actually chewing it.
*~*
Mom ends up dragging Ava and I shopping. She wants to start looking into some baby items, and Ava decides she may as well get started, but she puts her foot down when it comes to baby clothes and blankets. She says there is no way we are buying any of that stuff until we find out the sex.
I agree, mainly because I don’t want to be in this place any longer than necessary.
“So, why did we have to come here for a crib and a car seat? We can go to Walmart. It’s so much cheaper,” Ava whines.
I chuckle as I watch my mother shift into scary mom mode. “My grandbaby isn’t going to sleep and sit in Walmart items!”
