I love you.
He replied with four gentle pumps.
I love you, too.
“Is that a yes?” he asked.
“Yes,” she whispered with tears in her eyes.
He removed the ring from the box and slid it on her finger.
She stared at the large center diamond surrounded by six smaller stones. “It’s a flower.”
“It’s a daisy,” he answered. “You’ll always be my Daisy.”
“Always,” she answered.
In the space of a breath, he stood and gathered her into his embrace. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted her head up. He leaned in, his lips millimeters from hers.
“Kiss me, Mac,” she whispered.
He closed his eyes as she said the words he’d longed to hear and pressed his lips to hers. She hummed a sigh, a sound so sweet yet so sexy, it sent a hot bolt of lust tearing through him. She parted her lips, and he deepened the kiss. Mac or Cam, it didn’t matter. He was both men to her, and he kissed her with a heated ferocity as she weaved her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck.
He slid his hands down her back, palmed the globes of her ass, then stilled.
She smiled against his lips. “Remember how you said you wanted to find out which pair of panties I was wearing tonight?”
“Yes.”
“I hate to disappoint you, but with this sheer dress, I’m not wearing any.”
“I don’t think there’s a man on the planet who could be disappointed with that statement.”
She giggled then gasped when he lifted her into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and the hem of her dress rode up her smooth thighs. Their mouths locked in a feverish kiss as he carried her past the rows of daisies and into a hidden alcove.
Lit only by the twinkling lights diffused by a curtain of aspen leaves, he lowered himself to a bench tucked away beneath the trees.
“You’ve felt like mine from the minute I saw you. It had to be you, Cadence. My heart knew it had to be you.”
She cupped his face in her hands and the rush of having the woman he loved in his arms intertwined with the dizzying prospect of a real life not clouded by a veil of guilt but the warm embrace of infinite possibilities. To be a husband. To be a father. To be a part of the business his parents and grandparents had built.
With Cadence by his side, he could do anything. Be anything. Be the man Aaron and his parents needed him to be.
Earlier in the week, he’d visited an antique shop, hoping to find one of her daisy doorknobs only to find a different daisy. A vintage diamond ring in the shape of the flower that had brought them together. And he knew. He just knew that was the ring Cadence would wear every day for the rest of her life.
He gripped her bare ass as she arched against him, her skirt riding up her thighs another few inches as carnal desire took over. She reached between them and undid his belt. His hard length strained against his pants as she unbuttoned his trousers then unzipped them.
He slid his hand between her thighs and found her hot and wet—her body responding to his touch, his kiss.
“I’m going to worship your body every day,” he bit out, his breaths growing heated.
“Show me,” she answered.
He shifted beneath her, lowering his pants just enough to allow his cock to come free of the confines of his clothing. She lifted her hips and positioned him at her entrance.
“I found you, Cadence, and I will never let you go.”
“My Man Find is all mine,” she whispered and lowered herself onto his hard length.
“All yours,” he repeated, weaving his hand into her hair before sucking in a tight breath.
Then, the time for talking was over.
He thrust his hips and guided her up and down in delicious, fluid strokes. She met his body, matching his rhythm as she rode his cock, grinding against him. With a breathy gasp, she leaned forward and held onto the back of the bench, changing the angle of penetration as she rolled her hips, taking every hard inch of his cock.
He wanted all of her. Everything. He wanted to ravage her body and own her pleasure. He growled into her ear then kissed a trail down her jawline, tightening his grip on her ass and dialing up their frenzied pace. The friction between them intensified. Joined together, they became one in a sea of passion, writhing, pumping, and grinding.
She tightened around him, and he held her close, maintaining their rhythm and reveling in her release, until he couldn’t hold back any longer. He followed her over the edge. Wave after wave of pleasure crashed over them. Mac and Daisy. Cadence and Camden. Every part of them now exposed and raw—their lovemaking a symbol of the two separate worlds coming together.
“Cam,” she moaned as he worked her body, lengthening their release.
She was his everything, and life began anew with her. Right there. Right now.
He held her close as she caught her breath and rested her head on his shoulder.
“I’m glad you’re Mac. In my heart, I wanted you to be him. I wanted to have you both, and now I do.”
He took her hand and kissed the daisy diamonds. “You always will. You’re all I’ve ever wanted.”
She stared down at the ring. “Do you know how excited Bodhi’s going to be? He’s crazy about you.”
“I’m a lucky man. I get the girl of my dreams and the greatest kid I’ve ever met.” He cupped her face in his hand, and she leaned in to kiss him when a woman’s voice carried through the night air.
“We’ve waited long enough. I’m ready to kick that Bergen bobblehead right in the balls!”
Cadence gasped. “That’s Elle.”
“She’s…”
“Intense, but she’s got a heart of gold and would do anything for the people she loves,” Cadence added with a sweet twist to her lips.
He cringed, remembering their walk around the lake. “I’m not sure she loves me yet.”
“She will. She finally came around and warmed up to Brennen. He’s changed his ways but, he used to be quite a player. That has to say something.”
Cam chuckled then stilled.
“Holy flip! Look at this place!”
“Speak of the devil,” he whispered, still not used to his brother’s PG vernacular.
“They came looking for us,” Cadence whispered.
He hadn’t told a soul what he was up to—which, in retrospect—was probably a shit idea.
She raised up, and he helped her off his lap. They adjusted their clothes, buttoning and smoothing, as a surprised chorus of oohs and aahs filled the air.
“I think they found the daisy courtyard,” he said, smoothing a lock of her hair.
“How do I look?” she asked.
With her mussed hair and wrinkled dress, she’d never looked more beautiful to him.
“You look perfect.”
She glanced down at her now very wrinkled dress. “You may be a little biased,” she answered with a chuckle.
“Cadence! Camden! Are you guys here?”
“That’s Abby,” Cadence whispered. “I think everyone is out there.”
“We’ll be fine as long as my—”
“Camden, darling! Cadence, dear!”
Oh, for Christ’s sake! His grandmother—and most likely his grandad—were there, too.
Cadence’s jaw dropped. “I can’t see your grandparents like this. We just…” She gestured to the bench. “And I’m all…” She waved her hands around her body.
“We’ll just walk out like we were chatting back here. No one will think anything of it,” he offered.
“Chatting?” she said and raised her left hand.
Yep, that might get their attention.
He squeezed her hand. “Chatting and deciding to get married. People do it every day.”
She glanced down at his pants. “Okay, but you should probably zip your fly first,” she said with a wry grin.
Jesus! In the space of an hour, he’d thought he’d lost her, poured his heart
out to her, asked her to marry him, and then had crazy-amazing newly engaged sex on a public bench. It had already been one hell of a night, and now they were cornered by his family—and his fly was open.
He fixed his pants then tilted her chin up. “I’ll do my best to get us out of here unscathed.”
She nodded, and he pushed back the curtain of leaves to find Bren, Jas, Abby, Elle, and his grandparents standing in the center of the courtyard with their backs to them.
“Here we are,” Cadence said with a slight shake to her voice.
“Are you all right, dear? You left in quite a rush,” his grandmother asked as the group turned to face them.
“I’m fine, Mrs. Bergen. I was just a little shocked—”
“That Camden is Mountain Mac? We’re shocked, too!” Elle glanced around at all the flowers. “Now, what’s with Daisyville, USA?” she asked, eyeing him.
He shared a look with Cadence. “I’m not sure where to start. How much do you already know?”
“Abby and Elle filled us in on the whole Mountain Mac internet pen pal thing,” Jas said, clearly biting back a smirk.
“Is Cadence what brought you back to Denver, Cam?” his grandfather asked.
“Yes,” he answered. There was no turning back now.
“And how did you know Cadence was Mountain Daisy? Did you have her under surveillance? Did you tap her phone?” Elle pressed.
Jas rubbed his wife’s back. “Elle, honey, I think your book research may have you jumping to conclusions.”
She threw her hands up. “Well, he had to have figured it out. When Bren said Mountain Mac, Camden looked like he’d been caught red-handed.”
Camden wrapped his arm around Cadence. “I was going to tell Cadence that I was Mountain Mac tonight, but Bren let the cat out of the bag before I could bring her here.”
“Sorry, bro,” Bren said.
“It’s all right.” He glanced at Cadence. “We’re good.”
Abby pressed her hand to her chest. “All the daisies are for Mountain Daisy. That’s so sweet.”
Elle shook her head. “But Cam’s been living a double life. When did you find out she was Daisy? You can tell us now, or we can take you down to the station?”
“Honey?” Jasper said.
“I’m doing it again, aren’t I?” Elle asked.
Cam took a step forward. “It’s all right. I can answer that. Cadence sent me a picture.”
“Bro…” Brennen said, eyeing him with a warning glare.
Cam waved him off. “Not that kind of picture.”
“What kind of picture did you think Cadence sent?” his grandmother asked, confusion marring her features.
He wasn’t about to go there. Tonight was not the night to school Harriet Bergen on sexting.
“It was just a picture of Cadence’s bike at Baxter Park. I recognized the location immediately and gave myself the summer to try to find her.” He turned to his grandparents. “I went to visit Mom and Dad at the cemetery and asked them to help me find her. That’s when the whole cab driver paparazzi dude figured out who I was. I wasn’t planning on letting anyone know I was here but…”
“But your parents found a way to lead you to Cadence and back to your family,” his gram answered, her gaze growing glassy.
“Yes.”
“And is that what I think it is on your hand, Cadence?” his gram asked.
Like a tennis match, everyone’s gaze shifted from him to Cadence’s left hand.
Elle snapped her fingers. “I was right! I knew something was going on!”
“It must be your supersleuth mind, Nancy Drew,” Jasper replied with a straight face.
“Holy flip, Cam! Are you guys engaged?” Bren asked.
“We are,” he answered.
“This is wonderful news!” his grandfather said, shaking his hand. “We should celebrate. The staff’s cleaning up from the party, but there’s plenty of champagne left.”
Cam glanced at his watch. “We better get going.”
Cadence nodded, following his lead. “Right, we told the babysitter we’d be back by ten.”
“And then there’s all the laundry we have to do,” he added.
Cadence pressed her lips together, holding back a grin. “So much laundry.”
“You just got engaged, and you’re heading home to do laundry?” Abby asked.
He exchanged a look with Cadence. “Yep, all the laundry.”
She nodded. “We may be doing laundry all night.”
“Then we’ll do brunch at the house tomorrow. You must bring Bodhi!” Harriet said, giving Cadence a hug.
“I’m so excited for you! I want a closer look at your ring before you go,” Abby said, hugging Cadence next.
The women circled Cadence as his brothers and grandfather gravitated toward him.
“Does this mean you’re staying in Denver?” Bren asked.
He looked from his brothers to his grandfather, taking in their Bergen steel-blue eyes. The same eyes as his father. The trait that bound them together. Christ, he’d missed them. Missed belonging. Missed being part of a family. Bren was getting married. Jas had twins on the way. And now, he’d be here, starting his own family with Cadence and Bodhi. He searched their eyes for contempt or derision. They knew how his parents had died, but the blame he’d showered on himself was nowhere to be seen in their warm expressions.
“Yeah, I’m staying.”
“It’s good to have you home, Cam,” his grandad said and patted him on the shoulder.
“It’s good to be home.”
Jas gave him a curt nod then pulled out his phone. “Thank Christ! We can put you to work cleaning up the Bergen Mountain Ed Department,” he said, back to business, but there was a slight curve to his stoic brother’s lips that spoke more than any words could.
He looked over Brennen’s shoulder and caught Cadence’s eye.
She smiled at him. “Are you ready to head home?”
Home.
He held Mountain Daisy’s gaze. “Yes, let’s go home.”
16
Cadence
“Come on, Mountain Daisy. I’ve got a secret spot I want to show you.”
Cadence smiled up at her fiancé as he took her hand and led her out of the ballroom, teeming with wedding guests dancing and celebrating, at the grand lodge at Bergen Mountain.
And life was a fairy tale.
It had been a little over a month since Brennen had outed Cam as Mountain Mac. A little over a month since she’d said yes and agreed to marry the man that the universe had bent over backward to help her find.
Her Man Find.
Her Bergen bobblehead.
Her Mountain Mac.
Her fiancé.
She glanced over her shoulder and scanned the bustling room.
“Bodhi’s with my grandparents,” he said, reading her mind.
“Are you sure they don’t mind keeping an eye on him? Carrie and Luke are here, we could ask them to watch him for a little bit?”
He turned and pointed into the room, decorated with flowers and twinkling lights, and she found Bodhi doing the “Chicken Dance” with Harriet.
“Let’s see,” Cam said and pressed a kiss to her temple. “My granddad has taken him fishing every weekend, and my gram can’t stop having his favorite strudel flown in from that little bakery in Kansas City. They adore him, Cadence, and they’re going to be his great grandparents.”
She leaned into him and nodded. It still didn’t seem real.
She’d gone from being Bodhi’s sole provider and his only living relative to a woman, marrying into Colorado royalty and—more than that—into a family that welcomed her with open arms.
Now, she’d be related to her best friends. It seemed like a dream and absolutely uncanny that she’d asked Abby in jest at the beginning of the summer if there were any extra Bergen brothers lying around.
Granted, there was no lying around when it came to Camden Bergen. No, he burst into her life like a Mack truck. B
ut here they were, at the end of July. Summer camp winding down. The regatta a week away and her life had become something she’d never imagined possible.
She’d never expected to find love again—not like this.
She’d feared that if she even tried to love again, that would somehow diminish the affection she’d had for Aaron. But the funny thing she’d realized about love is that it’s infinite. Her love for Camden didn’t erase her feelings for Aaron. If anything, it bolstered them. Anytime she saw Bodhi with his head rested on Cam’s shoulder as they worked on his regatta boat or caught a glimpse of Cam ruffling her son’s hair, she knew Aaron—with his wide grin and open heart—would be grateful, grateful for the love and kindness shown to their son.
Fate, coincidence, destiny. Whatever you wanted to call it, she and Cam had found each other. Had needed each other. They’d boxed themselves in. They’d told themselves solitude was the only choice for people like them.
But they were wrong. So very wrong.
Cam pressed his hand to the small of her back. “See, Cadence. They’re fine. Plus, I told my grandad we were going to go look for Mr. Cuddles.”
“He’s still missing?”
That bear!
Cam nodded. “I checked the car. I checked our room. He had him when we got here, right?”
She nodded. “Yes, I remember because he fell asleep on the drive up today and used Mr. Cuddles as a pillow.”
“He has to be somewhere. We’ll find him. But I have a little detour we can check before we call a search party together.”
She chuckled. “I should have bought two.”
Cam frowned. “Two of Mr. Cuddles?”
“Yep, maybe three.”
“We’ll have to remember that trick,” he replied.
“For what?”
“For our next one,” he replied.
She cocked her head to the side. “You mean a child?”
He grinned. “Yeah, wouldn’t it be great for Bodhi to have a brother or a sister? I loved growing up with brothers. Being the youngest meant always trying to keep up, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
She stared at this stunning man—so handsome in his wedding attire—completely transformed from the burly, barely verbal Bergen bobblehead she’d met back in June.
Man Find (Bergen Brothers Book 3) Page 21
