When She Falls
Page 21
Lydia watched as Tabitha nuzzled Stacy’s temple just as Cam once did to her, and Lydia’s heart pinched in her chest.
“Yes, they do love each other,” she whispered.
It was several seconds of silence before Lydia realized everyone was staring at her. Lydia leaned down, gripping Evelyn Hatfield’s arms in her own hands now.
“Mrs. Hatfield, this isn’t going to make much sense, but I can’t do this right now,” she said. “I have a plane I need to catch.”
Without waiting for a response, Lydia ran.
Seventeen
Lydia dropped the keys twice before she managed to get her front door unlocked. The next flight to London left Logan in less than two hours. She had to get her passport from the safe. She could picture it in the folder labeled Donuts, a decoy to throw off a potential robber, but she had to get the key first and then get to the safe and she didn’t have that kind of fucking time. She was fairly certain she could grab her still packed bag from the weekend and buy whatever else she needed when she got there.
The door finally came free, and she spilled into the foyer, tossing bag and keys to hither and yon. Running through the downstairs floor, she slid into her office, pulling at desk drawers to find the key.
“Looking for something?” Cam said beside her.
“My fucking passport!” She nearly screamed. “I need the key for the safe to get my fucking—”
She stood so quickly she banged her head on her desk, the pain instant and hot, flashing through her skull. Cam was there though, stepping forward with a very Scottish soothing noise, and a hand to her offended scalp.
“Easy, lassie,” he said. “I bet that hurt.”
“Cam.” Lydia completely ignored the throbbing pain in her head, the rapid beat of her heart, her shortness of breath. She ignored all of it, because Cam stood right the fuck in front of her. “Cam,” she said again as if by saying his name, she would believe he was really there. “You’re supposed to be on a plane,” she whispered.
Cam smiled, his familiar goofy grin. “I decided it wasn’t a good day to fly.”
She swallowed. “Oh? Why’s that?”
Cam shrugged. “I thought you might need moral support tonight,” he said. “Or at least someone to open the wine for you when you got home.”
He smiled again, and her legs wanted to melt beneath her.
“I told Rebecca not to get married,” she blurted out, and Cam raised an eyebrow in response.
“Is that right?”
She nodded. “I told her the only thing that was important was whether or not she loved Eric, because as long as she loved him all of their differences would be insignificant.”
“Insignificant?” Cam asked, that eyebrow jockeying on his face.
“But it didn’t matter anyway,” Lydia plowed on. “Because Dad showed up at the shop—”
“Dad?” Cam interjected, his eyebrows nearly flying off his face.
“I know.” Lydia punched Cam’s shoulder for emphasis. “That’s a whole other twisted thing that I can’t get into right now, but maybe later over some Chinese takeout, but the important part is, he thinks I’m doing a great job with Baxter’s, and that’s awesome, and—”
She stopped, running her tongue over her lips as she struggled to regain her breath, but when her lungs finally filled, she shook her hands in front of her as if to erase the whole rambling speech.
“What are you doing here?” She looked up at Cam, studying the warm pools of his eyes, the wary pinched corners that had her back muscles tightening.
“Like I said, I thought you might need someone here tonight. I don’t like to give up when I know someone needs my help, and despite your sometimes unfavorable reaction to my help, it was a big day for Baxter’s and—”
“Fuck Baxter’s.” Lydia’s stomach threatened to come up through her throat. “It doesn’t matter,” she said, stepping forward, putting her hands on Cam’s chest to feel his heat, feel the connection that radiated between them through a physical touch. “I love you, Cam McCray,” she said. The words slipping so easily from her mouth she didn’t know why she had failed to say them earlier. “Tabitha and Stacy love each other, and they’re getting married, and I know that means nothing to you, but I’ll explain it all later over that same Chinese takeout, but I fucking love you, Cam McCray, and I don’t want you to go.”
Cam’s smile was slow and wide before he said, “I fucking love you, too, Mrs. McCray.”
Lydia frowned. “I really don’t want to talk about your mother’s sexual escapades though. Is that going to be a deal breaker?”
Cam frowned as well, a little exaggerated with just enough goofiness to know it was her Cam.
Her Cam.
“I don’t want to talk about them either, so I think we’re safe on that point.”
“Thank you for not giving up, Cam,” she whispered, tears once again threatening at the back of her eyes. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”
Lydia knew in this moment she needed to be careful and calculated and perfect or the whole thing would fall apart around them, but nothing about their relationship was fucking perfect and that was what made it so fucking perfect.
So she launched herself at him, jumping to wrap her legs around his waist, her arms around his neck, knocking him backward until he fell into one of the leather armchairs, a laugh erupting from him. She laughed, too, burying her nose against his neck, and letting the happiness spring free, letting it go, letting it swamp her, as the tears ran from her eyes.
God, she’d almost lost him. Lost this. But Cam never gave up on her. He never fucking stopped helping her. She needed to give him more credit for that going forward, and she would have their entire marriage to do it.
“I’d hate to ruin this very wonderful moment,” Cam said. “But there is still one small problem.”
Lydia picked up her head, her stomach twisting into a knot. “What?”
“I live in London, and you live in Boston.”
Lydia smiled, doing her best imitation of the sexy McCray slow moving grin. “I think I have a solution for that.”
Cam raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“I’m thinking about expanding the shop. Opening another location. Perhaps internationally.”
“Really.” He slid his hands down her back, warm and sure.
“Yeah,” she said. “I hear the London market is fucking awesome.”
Cam smiled.
“I couldn’t agree more,” he said, and finally fucking kissed her.
Also by Jessie Clever
The Spy Series
* * *
Inevitably a Duchess: A Spy Series Prequel Novella
To Have and To Spy: A Spy Series Prequel Short Story
Son of a Duke: Book One
For Love of the Earl: Book Two
A Countess Most Daring: Book Three
To Save a Viscount: Book Four
* * *
The Spy Series Short Stories
* * *
To Be a Spy
To Be a Duke
To Be a Lady
To Be a Debutante
* * *
Shadowing London
* * *
Once Upon a Page
Once Upon a Vow
Once Upon Her Honor
* * *
Franconia Notch
* * *
When She Knows
When She Falls
When She Dares
* * *
Other Books by Jessie
* * *
Shake Down Your Ashes
* * *
Learn more about Jessie and her books at jessieclever.com.
About the Author
Jessie decided to be a writer because the job of Indiana Jones was already filled.
Taking her history degree dangerously, Jessie tells the stories of courageous heroines, the men who dared to love them, and the world that tried to defeat them.
Jessie makes her home in the great
state of New Hampshire where she lives with her husband and two very opinionated Basset hounds. For more, visit her website at jessieclever.com.