Lily's Story: The Complete Saga

by Christine Kersey

  “We’ll see. I only met the guy two days ago.”

  “Haven’t you ever heard of love at first sight?”

  I tilted my head to one side. “Of course, but that doesn’t mean I believe it. Anyway, after the bad choices I’ve made in the past, believe me when I say I’m not going to rush into something with someone I’ve just met.”

  “That’s good, Lily.” She paused. “The reason I came by was to let you know that a bunch of us are going to try doing some karaoke. Do you want to come make a fool of yourself with the rest of us?”

  “Sure. That sounds like fun. I’ll meet you there in a little while.”

  “Awesome. See you in a bit.”

  Chapter 14

  When Natalie and I arrived in the karaoke lounge, Ty was standing in front of the microphone, singing his heart out. My gaze quickly swept the room and I saw Cameron sitting with his friends. He didn’t see me, so I slipped in the back and found an empty seat not far from Alyssa, parked the stroller, and held Natalie on my lap. She bounced to the beat of the music, which made me smile—she was having as much fun as I was.

  Everyone clapped and shouted when Ty finished. Ty walked over to Cameron and slapped him on the back. “Your turn, buddy.”

  Cameron laughed. “I’ll pass.”

  “You have to,” someone said. “You’re the best man.”

  “Yeah, come on,” a few other people said.

  He seemed reluctant, but Cameron got up and told the cruise ship worker what song he wanted to sing, then he stood in front of the microphone. The music started, and though he seemed hesitant at first, after a few lyrics, he seemed to get more comfortable.

  I watched him from my seat in the back, enjoying the show, Natalie bouncing on my lap, and then his gaze wandered the room and landed on me. He blushed and he missed a few words, before getting back on track. I smiled, somehow pleased that my presence had that affect on him. Alyssa turned around and raised her eyebrows. I just smiled at her.

  When Cameron finished, he glanced at me, then sat by his friends. I was a little disappointed that he didn’t sit by me, but I had to give the man a break. He’d only known me for a couple of days, I couldn’t expect him to spend every minute with me.

  I watched the karaoke for another half an hour, but I left before anyone else as Natalie was getting restless. I strolled around the shops, then went to the Lido deck, before heading back to our room. As I sat Natalie on my bed, I decided that cruises weren’t really meant for babies. “But I’m still glad we came,” I said to her.

  That evening at dinner I got to the dining room before Cameron, but didn’t save him a seat or do anything else to make him feel like he needed to sit next to me. Haley arrived before he did and she sat in the empty seat next to me, with Natalie between us. I smiled at her, figuring she might even help with Natalie during dinner. Ty’s mother arrived a moment later and asked if the seat on the other side of me was taken.

  “No, please sit,” I said.

  “You’re Lily, right?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m Ty’s mom, Katherine.”

  We chatted for a few minutes, then I noticed Cameron approaching the table. He glanced at me and frowned, then sat in an empty seat on the other side of the table. I held back a smile, happy that he seemed disappointed that he couldn’t sit by me. We didn’t talk at all through dinner as the room was so noisy that it was difficult to talk across our large table. Several times though, I felt Cameron’s gaze on me, and when I looked up, he smiled at me, warming my heart.

  As I’d hoped, when Natalie got fussy, Haley volunteered to hold her. “She really likes you,” I said.

  “You think so?”

  I nodded.

  “I’m glad, because I think she’s adorable.”

  “Me, too. But I thought that was just because I’m her mother.”

  Haley laughed. “If you want me to babysit again, I will.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  I looked at Cameron, but he was talking to someone. I turned back to Haley. “I’ll let you know.”

  She bounced Natalie on her lap. “Okay.”

  After dinner I took Natalie from Haley and waited a moment to see if Cameron would come over to talk to me. He seemed engrossed in his conversation, and Natalie was getting antsy, so I stood, ready to take her back to my room. He didn’t seem to notice, so I walked away from the table and toward the dining room exit.

  Though dismayed that he didn’t come talk to me, I knew I needed to keep my expectations down. True, he’d said he liked me, but that didn’t mean he wanted to spend every moment with me. At the elevator, I pressed the button to call the car.

  “Lily, wait.”

  I turned to see Cameron striding toward me, and a feeling of joy bloomed inside me. “Hi.” The door to the elevator slid open, but I let it close without getting on.

  “I wanted to talk to you,” he said, stopping next to me. “I was hoping I’d be able to sit by you at dinner.”

  Inside, I beamed, but I kept my expression under control. “I would have liked that.”

  He smiled. “I guess I need to get there a little earlier next time.”

  I liked that idea better than me saving him a seat—how obvious would that be to everyone? Plus, what if he changed his mind? I would look foolish if I saved him a seat and he didn’t use it. No, he needed to be the one to make the effort, not me. “That would help.” I paused. “Was there anything else on your mind?”

  “I was wondering if you’d like to go dancing with me tonight.”

  A thrill ran through me at the thought of being held in his arms while we moved around the dance floor. “As a matter of fact, Haley offered to babysit.”

  “She did? That’s great.”

  “She’s a sweet girl and she really enjoys Natalie.”

  “Can she do it tonight?” Cameron asked.

  “I can ask her.” I looked at Natalie, then back at him. “Can you hold her while I go ask?”

  He hesitated. “Sure.”

  I handed her to him. “Don’t go anywhere.”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  I smiled. “I’ll be right back.” I headed toward the dining room and looked over my shoulder at Cameron. He was gazing at Natalie, and she was staring at him. She looked uncertain, so I hurried to the table where Haley had moved to sit next to her mother, and slid into the seat where Haley had sat during dinner. Katherine and Haley looked at me expectantly. “Haley, at dinner you offered to babysit Natalie.” My gaze went between Haley and her mother. “Are you available to do it tonight?”

  Haley looked at her mother, who looked at me and said, “I’m fine with it.”

  “I don’t want to take her away from any family activities you might have planned.” I felt a little guilty for taking Haley’s time when she was on the cruise.

  “But I want to,” Haley said to her mother.

  Katherine laughed. “I said it was fine.” Then she looked at me. “We don’t have anything planned tonight.”

  “Thank you. I’ll have Cameron come pick you up from your room at nine thirty.”

  “Okay.”

  Katherine turned to Haley. “Let me talk to Lily for a minute, hon.”

  I watched Haley walk around the table and sit by her dad.

  With a twinkle in her eye, Katherine said, “I’ve known Cameron for a few years, and I have to say, I’m glad the two of you are getting along.”

  I smiled. “Me, too.” I paused. “I feel kind of bad taking Haley away from other fun things she might want to do on the ship.”

  “To tell you the truth, Lily, though I don’t mind her meeting new kids in that teen club area, sometimes it’s nice to not have to worry about what she’s up to. And I know she really does love babies.”

  “I can tell. She’s really good with Natalie.”

  A few minutes later I walked back to the elevator and found Cameron gently bouncing a crying Natalie. He looked more distr
essed than she did. I held back a laugh as I took Natalie from him, and after a moment she settled down. “Thanks for holding her,” I said. “You did great.”

  He eyed her tear-streaked face. “She didn’t seem too happy about it.”

  “She’s just a momma’s girl.”

  “What did Haley say?” he asked.

  “It’s all set. I told her you’d pick her up at nine thirty.”

  “As long as you don’t leave me alone with your baby again, I’ll be fine.”

  He smiled when he said it, but I knew he was serious. I laughed. “Okay.” I wondered if he’d feel more comfortable with Natalie if he spent more time with her, but I knew I was getting ahead of myself. We parted and I took Natalie back to our room and got her ready for bed. By the time Cameron arrived with Haley, Natalie had fallen asleep in her crib, and I’d changed into one of the dressier outfits I’d brought for the elegant dining nights—a fitted turquoise sleeveless dress.

  When I opened the door and watched Cameron’s reaction to my clothes, I could tell he liked the way I’d put myself together.

  “You look beautiful.”

  His words made me glow. “Thank you.” He’d changed into a pair of slacks and a button-up shirt, which he left unbuttoned at the neck. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” I held out my room card. “Can you keep this in your pocket? I don’t have anywhere to put it.”

  He took it from me and a moment later we left Haley with Natalie. As soon as the door closed behind us, Cameron took my hand. The touch of his hand enfolding mine brought back the memory of his kiss that afternoon, and I smiled in anticipation of spending the evening with him.

  “There’s a different comedy show tonight,” he said. “Do you want to go see it before we go dancing?”

  “Sure. I enjoyed the one last night.”

  “Me, too.”

  When we arrived at the comedy club, we saw Ty and Alyssa sitting on one of the couches, and we walked over to them.

  “Hey,” Alyssa said. “Sit with us.” She patted the seat next to her.

  I sat next to her with Cameron on the other side of me.

  “You look gorgeous, Lily,” Alyssa said, then leaned toward Cameron. “Doesn’t she, Cameron?”

  I laughed. “Stop.”

  Cameron squeezed my hand. “Yes, she does.”

  My heart swelled. I hadn’t felt this beautiful and appreciated in a long time. Though Marcus was always sweet to me, he’d firmly kept the friendship barrier up, never stepping over it to say things like that. And of course it had been a long time since Trevor and I had been in that stage of our relationship. Thinking of how Trevor had been before I’d committed to marrying him—generally treating me well— made me pause, wondering if Cameron was acting like he was for show, or if he really meant it.

  I bit back a frown, upset at Trevor for making me doubt every man’s motive. Would there always be a layer of suspicion between me and any man I dated? Though unhappy that the answer was yes, I thought maybe it was better that way, at least until I learned to trust my instincts.

  The comedy show started, and Cameron only released my hand when he put his arm around my shoulders instead. At the end of the show, Alyssa asked if we were going dancing.

  “Yes, do you want to come?” I asked, hoping Cameron wouldn’t mind.

  Alyssa looked at Ty, and he nodded. The four of us walked to the dance club, and I was excited to be able to spend time with Cameron, but with Alyssa and Ty too. Their wedding was the next day and I didn’t know how much time they planned on spending with the rest of us afterwards, so I wanted to spend time with Alyssa while I could.

  When we walked in to the dance club, a slow song was just starting, and Cameron took my hand and led me out to the floor. I felt more comfortable in his arms than I had just the night before, and relished the naturalness of our closeness.

  “I hope you don’t mind that I invited Alyssa and Ty to come with us,” I said, leaning away from Cameron to look at his face.

  He smiled down at me. “Not at all.”

  “Good.”

  He held my gaze for a moment, then guided my head to his shoulder. I didn’t resist, enjoying the warmth of his strong body pressed against mine. We swayed to the music until the last note sounded. After dancing to several fast songs, he took my hand and led me to a table.

  “Would you like something cold to drink?” he asked.

  “Sure. A diet soda with extra ice would be great.”

  Alyssa joined me at the table a moment later as Ty went to get her something to drink. “Looks like you’re having fun,” she said.

  “Yes, I am. What about you, lady-who-is-getting-married-tomorrow?”

  Her face lit up. “I know. I’m so excited.”

  “You’d better not get to bed too late. You don’t want to be tired on your big day.”

  “Yeah, that wouldn’t be good.”

  The men came back with the drinks and sat next to us.

  When it was time to call it a night, Cameron walked me to my room. He stopped outside my door, and when I held out my hand for the room key, he grinned. “Not yet.”

  A slow smile spread across my face. “Why not?”

  He leaned toward me so that his mouth was next to my ear, sending a thrill of pleasure through me. “It would be a little awkward to kiss you in front of Haley,” he whispered.

  My heart hammered in anticipation and I smiled, then whispered. “Who said I want to kiss you?”

  He pulled back with a look of surprise, but when he saw from my expression that I was joking, he smiled. “You had me going for a minute.”

  “I don’t want you to think I hand out kisses casually.”

  He stared at me for a moment, his face suddenly serious. “No, Lily. I would never think that.” He reached out and stroked my cheek. “After what you’ve been through, I imagine you’re very careful about who you trust.”

  My heart contracted with overwhelming attraction toward him. He really gets me. But does he deserve my trust? I gazed at him and silently nodded.

  With his thumb touching my face, his hand curved around my neck and he gently tilted my face upward. My eyes locked on his, and as his mouth descended toward mine, my eyes closed and my lips parted, and a moment later his lips touched mine. His other arm slid around my waist, pulling me against him, and my arms went around his neck. He pushed his tongue into my mouth and I eagerly tasted him, our breath mingling.

  My heart pounded as my desire skyrocketed, but I wasn’t ready for my feelings to become so powerful. I unwound my arms from his neck and placed them on his shoulder, then gently pushed back, forcing us apart. His pupils were dilated and I could tell he wasn’t ready to stop kissing, but I was. As much as I enjoyed kissing him, I felt unexpected panic at the strength of my yearning, and I feared things getting out of control—and out of control meant the possibility of having my heart broken. He leaned toward me again, clearly wanting another kiss, but I moved back a step. “I need to check on Natalie.”

  He stared at me, obviously not understanding, but after a moment he took the key card out of his pocket and handed it to me. Without looking at him—I felt a mixture of embarrassment at my reaction, along with a need to control my desire—I slid the key card into the slot, then pushed the door open.

  Haley had fallen asleep on the bed again, and I gently woke her. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, then groggily walked toward the door. I took my purse out of the room safe and pulled out some cash, then handed it to her and thanked her.

  “Ready, Haley?” Cameron said, not looking at me.

  I stared at him, waiting for him to tell me good-night, but he ignored me. Hurt by his reaction, I didn’t know what to do. He opened the door and I called out, “See you tomorrow, Cameron.”

  He glanced at me and nodded, unsmiling, then shut the door.

  I stared at the door, confused about what had just happened.

  Chapter 15

  When I woke the next morning, I smiled, rememberi
ng that Ty and Alyssa would be married that day. Then I thought about the way Cameron had left the night before and my smile turned into a frown. Was he upset with me because I’d backed away from his kiss? Had I hurt his feelings? Did he think I didn’t like him enough to kiss him?

  I sighed, not sure what to do. I didn’t know him well enough to guess his thought process, and I didn’t think guessing was the right way to go anyway. I decided I would find some time to talk to him about it and explain why I’d pushed him away.

  Natalie was still asleep, so I took a quick shower and got dressed. After she woke, I fed her, then took her out on the balcony. We’d arrived in Skagway, Alaska and I wanted to get a look. A wooden train filled with passengers sat on tracks on the other side of the pier. I looked down at the people walking along the pier between the ship and the train, and was excited to go down there and explore after the wedding.

  My gaze was drawn to the mountain on the other side of the train. Trees grew between large boulders, and I noticed that most of the boulders had writing on them. It almost seemed like graffiti, except they were more like rock paintings. The sky was overcast and the air chilly and I snuggled Natalie closer, then took her inside.

  I put her in her stroller and headed to the Lido deck for a light breakfast at the buffet. The wedding was scheduled for ten o’clock, which gave me plenty of time to eat and then come back to my room and get ready. As I entered the Lido deck area, I scanned the crowd to see if anyone in our party was there, but I didn’t see anyone I recognized.

  After I gathered my food, I held the tray with one hand and pushed the stroller with the other, then made my way to an empty table. Natalie wanted out of the stroller, so I held her on my lap while I ate, and kept my eye out for someone I knew. No one appeared, and I assumed everyone was getting ready for the wedding.

  Thoughts of Cameron filled my mind as I ate, and I tried to frame my explanation for what had happened the night before. I didn’t look forward to telling him that his kiss had sent powerful waves of desire through me, and I’d panicked. Why had I panicked, anyway? I took a bite of pastry as I examined my feelings. What was I afraid of? I could think of a couple of things—fear of getting into a relationship that would end up like the one with Trevor, or like the one with Marcus. Neither had brought me happiness. Maybe that was it. I was afraid of getting hurt.