by J. L. Lora
"There was this one time I was painting in the yard and I walked away to go to the bathroom. The gardener hit my easel with the mower. It fell on the grass. The maid was trying to help him clean stuff and ruined the painting. I found her using a rag on it…"
He finished the story five minutes later.
Adrianna slowly leaned back on the chair with her lips pressed. First a whimper came out of her mouth, followed by a snort, and then she dissolved into laughter.
She was holding her stomach. "You threatened to disembowel them? And they believed you?"
"I was quite mad, Adrianna." He struggled to stay serious, but her laughter was contagious. "What gift would make you angry enough to make lists?"
She took a little time to compose herself. "Chase made us grandparents."
"Come again?"
"Remember what I said about no gifts?" He nodded. "Your brother bought Bron a puppy. She's been wanting one for the longest time."
"He bought her a puppy?" He stopped eating his salad and stared down at his plate. Shit. This wasn’t good.
"The thing is, I was planning on getting her one. I just wanted to wait another year. I live in an apartment and there's no yard to walk him." She sighed.
"I'm buying us a house with a yard," he announced tentatively.
Adrianna went still, her face unreadable. "Well… that still leaves the time she is at home with me."
He put his fork down. "You know that's not what I meant." He reached for her hand. "Adrianna, I think we need to…"
She leaned back and crossed her arms. "We should date first."
If she told him she came from another planet, he wouldn't have been this shocked. "Pardon?"
"You told Bron we were getting to know each other again and it's true. I don't want us to move too quickly." She placed her hand over his. "We can't jump face first into this. We can't afford to hurt each other like we've done in the past. Not with Bron between us. You understand?"
He nodded. "I do, but I don't want to take it slow with you. I've missed you too much, for too long." He pulled her out of the chair and into his lap. "I want you full blown in my life. In my arms and in my bed, under me." He paused each time to kiss her softly and fully. On the last kiss, his tongue slid inside her mouth, making her moan before she caressed it with her own tongue.
His hand slid under her shirt to draw circles on her lower back. "Do you really think we're going to be able to hold out?
She ground her bottom against his lap and gripped his shoulders while her tongue continued to tease his. "We're going to have to."
The front door slammed shut and Adrianna practically jumped off his lap. Cam didn't want to move, especially because she had made his pants so tight. He had no choice but to follow her to the living room. They made it in time to see Bronwyn walk in first, hugging the puppy tight to her. Behind her, Luciana and Chase walked in, their faces somber.
"I'm going to take a shower," Luciana announced right away. "See you later." She smiled faintly at her Bron.
"Lux?" Cam called out.
"Not now…" She took a breath and looked at her brother. "I have a bit of a headache. I'll be down soon."
"I need a drink," Chase said and left the room as well.
Adrianna and Cam exchanged confused glances, then turned to look at their daughter.
Bronwyn sighed, "Let them go. It's been a difficult day for all of us."
Cam wanted to laugh at the dramatic words but there was something more in the way his little girl tightly clutched the dog in her arms, with the puppy's face cradled on her neck.
"Bron, did something happen while you were out?" Adrianna asked, moving closer her to her daughter. "Your aunt and uncle seem a little upset."
Cam loved the natural way Adrianna had with Bron. She sat down on the chair closest to them and when Bron came closer, Adrianna touched the puppy's ears. She was making her daughter at ease. In turn, the little girl went to sit down by her.
"Their mom was really mean to them," Bronwyn said.
Cam stiffened and Adrianna's gaze flew to his. Shit shit shit. "Their mom?"
Bronwyn looked at him briefly, then down at her lap and nodded.
The pressure in his stomach built at the sad look on her face. Where had she seen Marilyn? Worse yet, had his mother said something mean to his child? He knelt on the floor in front of her.
"Why don't you tell us what happened, Princess?"
She shook her head without looking at him. "You're going to be mad at me and Diego."
He took her face in his hand. "I'm not going to be angry with you." He smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then frowned. "Who's Diego?"
She pointed to the dog and looked away from him again.
"Why did you name him Diego?" Adrianna asked.
"‘Cause he's Frida's husband, of course," Bronwyn said looking at Cam with a smile for the first time since she came in.
"Bron…" Cam tried to get back to the subject quickly. Adrianna's eyes burned holes through the side of his head. He turned to find her glaring at him.
"She's not getting another dog," she turned to Bronwyn. "You're not getting another dog."
Cam put his hands in front of him. "I didn't know Chase was getting her one. We picked Frida out the other day, before you put a halt on presents, and she should be here tomorrow morning."
Adrianna came off the couch. "This is not happening!"
"But Mom, please, we can't just throw her away," Bron pleaded. "She's already part of our family.”
"We don't have space for two dogs. We barely have room for one!" Adrianna was getting more and more worked up by the second.
Cam began to shake his head, trying to stop what he knew would come out of his daughter's mouth next.
"But Daddy's getting us a big house with a humongous kitchen, and there's a huge yard and Frida and Diego can run happily. I helped him pick it out already and there is plenty of room for all of us and two painting areas, one for me and one for Daddy. And it's supposed to be a secret, but I promised Uncle Chase that he would get his own room. You see? It all works out, Mama," Bron exhaled after saying all of that in one breath.
Adrianna seemed stunned. She wasn't moving or saying anything. Her widened eyes stared straight at her daughter. She turned her gaze towards Cam. Her eyes now had a feral quality to them.
He opened his mouth, but she lifted a hand to stop him. "We're not going to talk about this now." Then she turned back to her daughter. "Tell us what happened today."
Nonplussed, Bronwyn went on to tell them how, as they were leaving the pet store, someone called out Luciana's name. They turned to see Marilyn Blake sauntering their way. "She was talking to Aunt Lux, but she kept looking at me. I introduced myself, but I don't think she liked that because she began yelling at Aunt Lux and Uncle Chase. She screamed about someone not getting the Blake money and she called my aunt and uncle traitors and said she would cut them off. Aunt Lux told her she doesn’t have any money and Uncle Chase told her to go home and have a drink."
Cam moved close her to her again and put his arms around his daughter to prevent himself from exploding. "I'm sorry you had to meet her. She's not important."
Bronwyn shook her head. "But, she's your mom, and I'm sorry if this makes you mad, but I don't like her. She's mean and she shoved Diego with her foot when he peed on her shoes. She kept screaming at me, asking if I knew those were Valentinos." She paused to look at Cam with big rounded eyes. "I didn't know."
"Bron, it's okay. I'm sure Mrs. Blake was probably having a terrible day," Adrianna said. She sat on the armrest of the chair next to her daughter. Bronwyn laid her head on Adrianna's lap. "You don't have to like Cam's mom, but you have to respect her. Do you understand?"
The little girl raised her head to look at her mom. "Yes, I have to be courteous and polite even if I don't feel like it because I'm a lady and I've been raised to know better."
"That's my girl," Adria
nna said, then bent to kiss Bron's forehead before hugging her to her chest.
Cam watched the scene with a heavy heart. A week and a half ago, he’d thought there was nothing his parents could say or do that could hurt him anymore. Knowing Bronwyn had to face Marilyn’s disdain and her insinuations about Adrianna made his blood boil. It was worse than any of the things Walter had said or done to him. Cam was slowly learning that now there could be worse things than the ones already done to him.
He looked up and found Adrianna watching him. There was something in her eyes, an emotion, he couldn't describe. She hugged Bronwyn tighter to her. "I want you to call and see if the paternity test is ready."
She always knew what to say to make him go from boiling into an eruption.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"…and her amazing ability to catch all the elements. I don't think I was that advanced at her age."
Adrianna sat back and took another sip of her wine to hide the smile that had been threatening for a while now. The courting had begun and they had gone out to dinner at a restaurant in the city that touted the best wine collection on the Upper West Side. When they’d stepped through the doors, it’d taken Adrianna's breath away.
The dining room was not very large, about the size of Cam's family room, which was still pretty impressive. In the middle of the ceiling there was a rectangular skylight roof. Under it a vine of leaves and blooming flowers served as a canopy above the dining tables and down the walls. String lights intertwined with the vine, which, along with the skylight, provided sunlight and warmth, allowing the flowers to grow all year long, as the waiter explained to Adrianna. In the far end, there was a roaring fireplace, completing the exquisite and beautiful effect.
Adrianna fell in love with it instantly. She began to think of ways she could recreate a similar effect in her bistro. She did have a fireplace and she could emulate the skylight with a faux tray ceiling and 3D ceiling wallpaper. She could section that part off as an exclusive area for romantic dinners.
Cam's voice brought her out of her reverie.
On the way there and for the first thirty minutes, he had not stopped gushing about Bronwyn's talent, her maturity, and how kind she was.
"You're in love," she said.
His face reddened and he looked down into his wine glass.
Adrianna put her glass down and reached for his hand. " If anyone understands, it's me. I've been in love with her since my second trimester."
His wrapped his fingers around hers. "You've done an amazing job with her. You make it look easy but today was proof that it is not."
Adrianna laughed. For the first time, Cam had told Bronwyn no and she hadn’t taken it well. Still, she’d bet the bistro that Cam took it harder than Bron. "Did you honestly think she would be mad at you forever?"
He looked away, making her laugh even harder.
"She makes your angry face. It's very convincing." He looked back at her. "I just don't want to hurt her. After ten years of not being together, I don't want her to hate me."
Adrianna squeezed his hand tighter and reached to touch his face with her other hand.
"That girl could never hate you. She already loves you. When she came back in the room and didn't see you today, she was worried. I think she thought you left. It broke my heart a little—I already scheduled an appointment with Doctor Perkins when we get back—but we cannot be ‘yes parents’ because we're afraid of hurting her feelings. The harshest no in her life won't be the one she hears from you. When you say no, at least it will be for her own good."
He nodded, and they stayed silent for a while, still holding hands.
Then Cam smiled devilishly. "You just like saying no, Adrianna."
She arched an eyebrow. "I didn't say no to you, Cam. I just wanted to date before we jumped into bed." She paused and tasted her wine before continuing. "Of course, that was before you and our daughter decided to gang up on me and buy two dogs and a house."
"So, are we sleeping in separate rooms like we do now?"
"When was the last time we actually slept in separate rooms? Whenever we don't go to your room, you end up coming to ours. We are co-sleeping with a nine-year-old. Bad parenting on our part." She chastised both him and herself for it but there was no real regret in her words.
"I love sleeping with you both. I love her cuddling up to me but I would love to sleep with only you." His smile was so mischievous, his gaze— the penetrating eyes of the boy who marked her body and heart with his kisses and bites. Thousands of butterflies circled and dived in her tummy.
The candelabra’s accent over them was now dimmed. If you looked up the words “mood for a perfect date” on Google, you would get the image of this place. It was perfect all the way to them holding hands over the table.
They never got to do this the first time around. They’d loved each other in secret. He came over to her house when her mother left for work in the afternoons, or they would meet at the edge of the Blake property, and other times by the falls. Whenever they went to the fair or local hangouts, they hid who they were to each other, acting like they barely tolerated one another.
A tug at her hand had her blinking back to the present.
"Where did you go?" His voice was uncertain, and a frown adorned his forehead.
"I was just remembering us ten years ago." She pulled at his hand to bring him close to her and leaned in. She pressed her lips to his and let her hand slide up his arm and behind his neck.
Slow kisses followed one another and Adrianna took her time. She led, dragging them both until both were lost in the soft feel of their mouths, the strong taste of the wine, and the velvety caresses of tongues that flicked, teased, savored, and retreated. And came back again.
"Adrianna." He moaned against her mouth while his hand snuck to the back of her head to press her closer. "We need to get out of here."
She laughed softly. "You're still courting. I don’t put out on the first date."
"If we stay here, we're going to give a steamy show."
She gasped and pulled back. Her face was on fire and she looked around to see if anyone noticed. "We need to do better. We're not kids anymore."
Cam smirked at her, making Adrianna even more unsettled. “Stop.”
"You know what's funny about you?" he asked.
"What's that?" She reached for her water goblet and took a sip.
"You get so embarrassed about kissing in public and yet you are the same person who initiated the most erotic experience of my life that day at the state fair when you took your clothes off under the Fire Ball."
The memory hit her with full force. The water she drank went down the wrong pipe; soon Adrianna was choking and coughing loudly.
•••
Acacia Falls
Ten years ago
"I think I see a better prospect than you to go on the ride," Chase said, eyeing Lauren as she made her way toward them.
Normally, Cam would have rolled his eyes at his younger brother, but Lauren wasn't alone. She walked with the girl that never left Cam's thoughts, who had been torturing him for the last two hours, sending him looks under her lashes and slight smiles when no one was looking. But as they got closer, Adrianna eyed him like he was something on the bottom of her shoe.
Though maddening, Cam couldn't deny how exciting this was. For the past two months, they had been seeing each other in secret. Everyone thought they hated each other but every minute they were away from the prying eyes of others, they spent talking, arguing or making out passionately.
Adrianna had been in his every fantasy for the past year. He pursued her hard, knowing she was with Tommy. Cam couldn’t understand how that guy could spend his time screwing with every other girl in town when the prize was already his. When they’d broken up and Tommy's parents had sent him away, Cam doubled his attempts. Adrianna still rebuffed him. Then came the day when she found him reeling from a fight with his father by the side of the fall
s. She berated him for stalking her. They’d had an all-out screaming fight that ended with them kissing.
They had yet to have sex and it drove Cam crazy. His body was constantly feverish, his erections made training uncomfortable. She wore shorts all the time or dresses that caressed her mid-thighs. All he wanted was to lose himself in her, running his hands up and down her beautiful limbs.
"What do you say, Cameron?"
Chase's voice pulled him out of his thoughts and he found both Lauren and Adrianna directly in front of him.
"What?" He asked, staring at Adrianna, who wore an enigmatic smile on her face.
She knew the effect she had on him. And loved it.
"Lauren agreed to go on the Fire Ball with me. Are you coming? You can sit across from us. Maybe Adrianna can sit next to you?" Chase offered, looking from Cam to Adrianna.
Before Cam could respond, Adrianna jumped in, shaking her head. "Nope, that's not for me. You guys go. I'll catch up with you later, Lo."
She walked away towards the opposite side of the ride. When she got to the end, she turned and threw him a suggestive look over her shoulder. In awe, Cam watched her dip underneath the ride, behind the operating cabin.
"You coming?" Lo asked him, but laughter danced in her eyes and her lips pressed to barely contain the knowing smile. She was Adri’s best friend. Of course, she knew what was happening between them.
Cam shook his head and waited for them to board the ride, almost laughing at the giddy look on Chase’s face, then went to meet Adrianna.
He found her sitting on the floor, her legs crossed in front of her under the big metal beams. He kneeled in front of her, making a bee-line straight for her lips.
"Why didn't you want to go on the ride? I would've held your hand so you wouldn't be scared," he taunted.
She shoved him. "I'm not afraid of rides. I just think they’re juvenile."
He smirked at her. "Aha. You just like to be safe."
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying I'm not adventurous? I'll have you know, I'm plenty adventurous. Just because I don't want to sit on a fair ride operated by people not much older than us and who don't look like they can read all that well, doesn't mean I'm scared. I like my life. I have tons of plans…stop laughing at me!"
