The Manny
Page 18
Cameron bit his lip as he tried to calm his mind.
“I don’t want to leave.”
“Then stay.”
“I want to adopt the baby. But not as a single dad.” Cameron couldn’t believe he was saying this out loud; it had to be the craziness of the day. It was affecting his filter.
“What do you mean?”
“I want to adopt them as a couple. With you.”
Nathan stared at Cameron, his jaw dropping slightly.
Before Cameron could try and take back what he said, Nathan let out a bark of laughter.
“What?” Cameron asked when Nathan stopped laughing and instead grinned at him.
“You beat me to it.”
“What?”
“I was going to ask you to marry me if you decided to stay. I was going to give you a week to settle and make up your mind about the baby, and then I was going to propose.”
“But I didn’t propose,” Cameron protested.
“You asked me to adopt a baby with you. That’s a proposal in my book.”
“No way.” Cameron shook his head. “Nope. Doesn’t count.”
“You don’t want to get married?” Nathan’s smile fell, and he suddenly looked uncomfortable.
“I do, but I want a proposal. A real one. I’m talking romance and kneeling and the sweeping of me off my feet.” He grinned at Nathan. “And a ring.”
“Well.” Nathan rolled off the bed and went to his dresser. He dug around in one of the drawers for a moment before turning back to Cameron. “This isn’t very romantic, and I’m sure you’re going to stay firmly planted on your feet, but I do have a ring.”
“You have a what?” Cameron’s jaw dropped as he stared at the small velvet ring box in Nathan’s hand.
Nathan motioned for him to get up, and Cameron scrambled off the bed.
“Cameron Adams.” Nathan dropped to one knee in front of Cameron and held up the ring. “I love you more than I ever thought possible. You made me whole after I was sure I’d be broken forever. You’re the brightest part of my day and the best thing I could have ever asked for. You’ve already become part of our family, will you make it official?”
“Oh my god.” Cameron couldn’t help the quiet exclamation that slipped out. This was really happening.
“Cameron, will you marry me?”
Cameron threw himself into Nathan’s arms, almost knocking them both over in his haste. Nathan caught him and held him close, pressing soft kisses against his neck as Cameron tried to find his voice.
“Yes.” It came out as a whisper, but it seemed to be enough for Nathan, and he covered Cameron’s lips with his in a deep kiss filled with all the emotions flowing between them.
“You ready to become a family of six?” Nathan asked softly when they finally stopped kissing. They were still on the floor wrapped around each other, but neither seemed all that inclined to move.
“I am. Are you?”
“I’ve been ready since the day I walked into my living room and saw you sitting on my too tiny sofa.”
Cameron laughed and wiped a few tears from his cheek. “You know we’re going to have to talk about some of the décor in this house.”
“A change is long overdue.” Nathan smiled. “I think we can figure out a way to make this our home, one we can both be comfortable in.”
“And you’re going to have to meet my sisters.”
“I can’t wait.”
“And you’ll have to give me that ring at some point.”
Nathan laughed, only then seeming to realize he was still clutching the ring box in his hand. In one swift movement, he swept Cameron up in his arms and carried him over to the bed.
“I don’t know about you, but that definitely counts as sweeping me off my feet.”
“What about the romance part?” Nathan asked as he set Cameron on the bed and sat with him.
“The proposal speech took care of that part.”
“Then here’s the last element. The ring.”
Nathan opened the ring box, and Cameron gasped. Inside were two wedding bands. The rings themselves were white gold but had a thick yellow gold center that had an intricate design etched into it. They were perfect.
Nathan pulled the smaller of the rings out of the box and slipped it on Cameron’s finger.
“I love you,” he said softly as Cameron pulled the second ring out of the box.
“I love you.” Cameron slipped the ring on Nathan’s finger and then stared at their hands. They were engaged. He was going to marry Nathan, the man he was in love with.
He was finally getting the family he always wanted, and he would have it with the best man he could have asked for.
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my book. As an independent author, I rely on word of mouth and reviews to get my name out there to other readers. If you enjoyed the book, I would be grateful if you could leave a review on whatever site you purchased/read it from.
I also love to connect with my readers in my FB reader group Amanda's Den Dwellers. And any kind of feedback on my work is greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
A.T.
Dedication and Acknowledgements
To E.L. - for your friendship and encouragement.
This book would not have been possible without my awesome beta readers; Kyleen, Jill, Kaity, Nora, and Jessica.
Thank you to my proofreader Tanja, for another awesome job.
I can never forget my BFF and partner in crime, Tiffany, and my sisters from other misters: Jen, and Erica.
Coming Soon/Now Available
Seasons
~ A four-part novella series~
Now Available
Book 1 ~ Spring Passion (m/f)
Book 2 ~ Summer Heat (m/f)
Book 3 ~ Autumn Lust (m/f)
Book 4 ~ Winter Connection (m/f)
*Also available as a collected anthology
Wrong Place, Right Time (m/f)
Solitary Soldiers Book One
Now Available
The Way We Were (m/f)
Solitary Soldiers Book Two
Now Available
The Long Road Home (m/f)
Solitary Soldiers Book Three
Late 2018
Taking Chances (m/m)
Robson Brothers Book One
Now Available
Letting Go (m/f)
Robson Brothers Book Two
Now Available
Only You (m/m)
Robson Brothers Book Three
Now Available
All In (m/m)
The Den Boys Book One
Now Available
Healing Him (m/m)
The Den Boys Book Two
Now Available
Breaking Free (m/m)
The Den Boys Book Three
Now Available
The Manny
Now Available
Sweet Surrender (m/m)
The Den Boys Book Four
Spring 2018
Holding On
The Den Boys Book Five
Summer 2018